The Eat at Joe's Kawai K5000 Message Board Digest
Programming a New System


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sound (re-)creation
 Thursday, 27-Nov-97 08:17:06

      Message:
      194.109.41.238 writes:

      I've read a lot about sound-synthesis lately and discovered that the best way (and
      the most logical) is additive-synthesis. So naturally I turned my attention to
      the K5000s'specs. I don't know if they were true, but it said that you could do
      only whole numbered harmonics!!! Well I have two explanetions for that:1.
      The engineers at Kawai are complete morons. or 2. It's too hard 
      for the k5000s' 32bit processor. So I hope the last, because if I told you that
      most of the acoustic instruments have not-whole numbered harmonics (that is
      the harmonics are not a whole numbered mulitple of the fundamental=pitch\note)
      (yes even a pianosound !!) you would probably say too that those Kawai guys could
      have made the perfect synthesizer! So to make the Kawai perfect 
      we could rewrite the K5000 internal soundengine-software. To do that you should
      be probably a genuis in programming (since the K5000 works realtime
      you must write it in it's processor-code!). What I would like to see implemented
      is: 1. non whole numbered harmonics which can be tuned very, very precise
      about 1/100 of a hertz 2. detailed pitch envelope 3.detailed phase envelope and
      4. (optional) a second LFO if, of course, the k5000 first LFO isn't a
      hardware LFO... So Anyone out there who can do that? Maybe you could even make
      money with it?! (Hope that's a good motivation)
      Now I have a request.... could someone mail this message to some sites? I've
      just started working with the internet 2 months ago and still don't know a lot of
      things and thus also don't know how to publish this message over the internet.
      I would appriciate it!!! Think of that great potential this intsrument has and
      could gain!!!

      For further information about synthesis look for "syntheszer technique" (and
      others) compiled from Keboard Magazine (USA) 

      Paul (Holland)

      xeon@freemail.nl


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K5000 low-level programming
Friday, 23-Jan-98 16:37:36 

     130.67.1.225 writes:

     Paul (Holland) xeon@freemail.nl wrote:

     QUOTE

     So to make the Kawai perfect we could rewrite the K5000 internal soundengine-
     software. To do that you should be probably a genuis in programming (since
     the K5000 works realtime you must write it in it's processor-code!). What
     I would like to see implemented is: 1. non whole numbered harmonics which can
     be tuned very, very precise about 1/100 of a hertz 2. detailed pitch envelope
     3.detailed phase envelope and 4. (optional) a second LFO if, of course, the
     k5000 first LFO isn't a hardware LFO... So Anyone out there who can do that?
     Maybe you could even make money with it?! (Hope that's a good
     motivation)

     UNQUOTE

     First, you don't have to be a genius in order to write machine language. Many
     of us ordinary mortals have done it extensively without any very special talents. I
     don't know what RISC processor is used by the K5000, nor have I programmed that
     sort of processor, but that aspect of it is definitely not the problem.

     The more important question seems to be: is it possible even in principle to do
     such a thing? Is it possible for users to reprogram this machine? Do we have
     access to the necessary information? And do the principles for harmonics
     generation allow for deviations in pitch?

     I suspect that the answer to all of these questions is one big, peremptory NO!
     But let us still hear if anyone knows anything to the contrary.

     BTW, has anyone started to reverse-engineer the .KA1 files? I have made some
     attempts myself, and it seems to be highly feasible. I have no particular
     reason to go through with such a project at present, but I might do so if/when
     I want to write my own sound editor. I say this in case anyone else is thinking
     along the same lines.

     Tore

     tl001@online.no 


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