Kurzweil KSP8 TM - Manual (Page 12)

1-2 Preliminary - Subject to Change
Introduction
Overview of the PC3
Overview of the PC3
The PC3’s 800+ programs include the Orchestral and Contemporary sound blocks, General
MIDI (GM), Stereo Triple Strike Piano, Classic Keys for realistic vintage electric piano sounds,
and new String Sections. Multi-zone performance setups are also provided; many of these
setups use note triggers to play factory-recorded songs that provide grooves and arpeggiation
that make great templates for performance or recording. An on-board 16-track sequencer with
front panel transport buttons lets you record your ideas any time inspiration strikes. This
sequencer (Song mode) lets you play back MIDI type 0 or 1 sequences, record and play back
your own songs, and record multi-timbral sequences received via MIDI.
Before we get into explaining VAST, here are a few of the features that by themselves make the
PC3 an impressive stage and studio machine. It has 128-voice polyphony and is fully multi-
timbral, so that different programs can be played on each MIDI channel. There’s an on-board
digital effects processor providing multiple simultaneous effects, including real-time effects
control, internally or via MIDI. In fact, the PC3 offers more effects processing power than
Kurzweil’s much-lauded KSP8 studio effects processor.
In addition to the standard stereo audio output pair, there are two additional balanced analog
outputs, as well as a digital output. All of the outputs are available to you simultaneously. For
backup, storage, and moving files, there’s an xD card slot on the back panel of the PC3. The
provided USB port lets you connect the PC3 to a computer for file transfer and MIDI.
How the PC3 Works
The PC3 integrates three MIDI-driven components: a MIDI controller (the keyboard, or an
external MIDI controller), a sound engine, and a global effects processor that employs the same
effects used in Kurzweil’s KSP8. The sound engine responds to the MIDI events generated by
the MIDI controller, and turns them into sounds that are processed within the variable
architecture of the algorithms—or by oscillators for KB3 programs. The resulting sound can then
be routed through the PC3’s effects and to the audio outputs.