This zipped archive contains version 4.11 of the operating system (OS) for your Kurzweil K2600X/2600/2600R/S. There are a total of 3 files that are included: (2) OS files and this README.

- any K2600/2600X/2600R
- v3.00 Base Objects (minimum)

OR

**(use of the v4 Base Objects require BOTH the Orchestral and Contemporary ROM Blocks)

Version 4.11 adds support for the DADAT-26 ADAT I/O Option Card. For complete information on features and operation please refer to the K2600 V4.11 USER'S GUIDE.

The complete procedure for installing the operating system is included in Appendix A of the K2600 Performance Guide. For your convenience, here's a summary of the procedure:

We always recommend that you save any RAM objects to disk before doing any OS or Objects installations.

1. The Operating system is in two parts. Copy the files K26V411A.KOS and K26V411B.KOS onto two DOS formatted floppy disks.

2. Start the K2600.

3. Press and release the Exit key while the "Please wait..." message is displayed. This brings up the K2600 Boot Loader.

4. Insert the floppy with the file K26V411A.KOS, then select "Install System" from the K2600 Boot Loader to install the new operating system. Follow through the dialogs to install the file from floppy.

5. The Boot Loader finishes installing the first file and returns to the Boot Loader screen with "Run System" highlighted. Insert the floppy with the file K26V411B.KOS, then select "Install System" again and repeat the installation for the second part of the operating system file.

6. As mentioned in the requirements, you may also need to install new Base and Option objects, depending on what version you are upgrading from. Please check your currently installed Object Files to determine what Objects you may need to install/reinstall.

7. When the installation is finished, choose "Run System" from the Boot Loader.

While you won't normally need to reinstall the operating system, you should still put the disk in a safe place, just in case you may need it again.

NOTE: you can also install these files from a DOS or Kurzweil formatted SCSI disk. When the display asks which device you want to install from, change the parameter to the appropriate SCSI ID.

We recommend performing a hard reset after installing and running the new system. Choose the Reset soft button from the Master/Mast2 page.

Version 4.00 Release Notes

Version 4.00 adds General MIDI 1 support. For complete information on features and operation please refer to the K2600 Version 4 (GM Mode) User's Guide

The following bugs were fixed in OS V4.00:

1. There was a bug in triple mode programs with monophonic mode turned on. When you held down the sustain pedal, notes would not sound.

2. There was a bug in triple mode programs, where the XFadeSense parameter on the output page had no effect for Triple layers.

3. There was a bug where the default pitch bend sensitivity could not be changed via MIDI RPN messages.

4. There was a bug where the OS could crash while switching between grooves while the groove was playing.

5. There was a bug when switching between grooves, where sometimes a groove would have the previous groove's tempo and programs.

Version 3.11 Release Notes

1. Fixes a bug that would cause a soft reset when Live In was selected as the Mode on the Sample page.

Version 3.10 Release Notes

1. Fixes a sampler peak measurement bug. At the start of sampling, meters would report a false peak, and the reporting at end would also report the false peak as possibly incorrect max level.

2. Previously, even though you could assign MIDI controller numbers 98-101 to a physical controller, they would not be sent. Now they are correctly sent.

3. Distortion for low-level signals has been improved.

Version 3.01 Release Notes

1. Fixes a song loop bug (for very short songs)

2. Fixes a problem in the studio editor where it would hang if a bus had no FX preset selected (because all the PAUs had been used by other busses) and you try scrolling the value.

Version 3.0 Release Notes

Version 3.0 is the official release for the new version of KDFX, which was first unofficially released with v2.20 Beta. It contains two bug fixes:

1. During the redesign of the Effects Mode for the new version of KDFX, the DigOut parameter, which allowed you to choose between 16 bit and 20 bit word length, was left out. The parameter has been restored, and can now be found on the CTRL page in Effects Mode.

2. Some times after loading a file with Studios, the correct effects would not be selected even though the display showed the desired Studio. This was because the Studio was not linking to the correct effects. This has been fixed.

The KDFX Version 2 Supplement can be downloaded at: KDFXV2MAN

Version 2.20 Beta Release Notes

Version 2.20 adds the new version of KDFX. Once officially released, it will include a new Supplement Manual, which will thoroughly document all the new features, including details on the new FX Algorithms. For this Beta release, we have written a set of basic notes to help you familiarize yourself with the new features. These new features fall into three categories: (1) a new set of pages for KDFX mode, (2) effects chaining, and (3) new FXAlgorithms.

The new KDFX pages allow all FXPresets within an FXStudio to be seen at once. They also provide controls for bypassing a Studio's input EQs or effects individually, as well as for per-bus audio muting. Effects chaining, the most powerful new addition, allows effects to be placed in series on a bus, up to four in a row. This makes paths of up to five FXPresets in series possible, including the Aux bus.

Furthermore, Kurzweil's DSP engineers have created more KDFX algorithms for your processing pleasure. There are 26 new FXAlgorithms, including new EQ, compressors, distortions, timbral effects and more. 93 FXPresets and 20 FXStudios have been added as well. With improved flexibility, power, and even more sonic possibilities than before, Kurzweil is proud to present KDFX V2.

1. New KDFX Mode pages

The most immediately noticeable change is the re-design of the old Effects Mode page. Unlike the older system, the new KDFX Mode pages are accessible whether or not you are inside one of the other editors in the system (Program, Setup, Song, etc.),simply by pressing the Effects button on your unit's front panel. The new MAIN page displays the Studio and the names of all the Presets (up to 5 can be used) that are employed by that Studio, so you can see all the effects in a Studio on one page. This page also displays PAU info and bypass status (to be discussed later) for each effect. The six 'soft' buttons under the display are new as well. From left to right, they are labeled: MAIN, CTRL, EQBYP, FXBYP, BUSMUT, and BypAll. Anywhere in this mode, the MAIN button remains fixed as the left most soft button, and is used to return to the MAIN page. You can think of it like the Back button in a web browser. The CTRL button leads to a page much like the old Effects page, where you can set the effects control mode, effects channel, dither - all the stuff that you're used to seeing (including the Digitech effects for K2500 users.) The other buttons lead you to additional new pages where you can: bypass the Studio's input EQs, per bus (EQBYP); bypass any of the Presets used by the Studio (FXBYP); mute individual busses in the Studio(BUSMUT); or bypass all EQs and Presets together (BypAll).

Now that effects bypassing, as well as EQ bypassing and signal muting, can be done on an individual basis, you can create a custom bypass scheme by using the soft buttons on the EQBYP, FXBYP, and BUSMUT pages, to help isolate sounds or effects while creating a complex mix. You can then toggle between an all-enabled state and your custom scheme by pressing either of the Chan/Bank buttons to the left of the display, while in KDFX Mode. The system indicates whether anything at all is bypassed or muted by showing "Bypass" at the far right of the top line on the display; if nothing is bypassed, this field shows "Enable". Any settings from the FXBYP page are also indicated on the MAIN page as either a "B" (bypassed) or "-" (enabled). If you exit this mode with anything bypassed, the Effects button's red LED stays lit to remind you that something is not active. Also, whenever anything is bypassed, the BypAll button changes to say "Enable". Pressing this button will make all EQs and effects active, and will change the button back to "BypAll". Pressing BypAll will always reset the various pages' settings to a default state of all EQs out, all effects bypassed, and all busses active.

Previously, pressing the Effects button while inside an editor performed a global effect bypass. You could not bypass effects outside of an editor. Global bypass, inside or outside of an editor, is now accomplished by pressing the Effects button and pressing BypAll, or by pressing the Effects button and one of the Chan/Bank buttons, in the case where no custom bypass scheme has been created. Pressing the Effects button again, or pressing Exit, puts you back where you were.

2. Effects Chaining

The addition of effects chaining allows the 4 PAUs of processing which are shared among Busses 1-4 of a Studio to be used in series, chaining one FXPreset into another, into another, up to four in a row, until you run out of PAUs. This is done by removing processing "blocks" from one bus, and adding them to another. As no effect is less than 1 PAU, and only 4 PAUs are available across Busses 1-4, any Studio may have a maximum of 4 blocks, arranged however you please, in which to select Presets (not counting the Aux bus which is not affected by chaining).

The Display of the FXBUS page has been changed to accommodate the effect chaining. The chained effects are shown at the top of the display (underneath the top menu line). As an example, start with Studio 700 Flanger Trio. You can see that this studio has three Flange effects, followed by a reverb. Notice they are numbered 1a through 1d indicating that they are all part of FXBUS 1, instead of four separate effects busses. Now go into the Studio Editor. The top of the display shows the four effects chained together. Each block contains an abbreviation based on the Algorithm used by the Preset.

The name of the FX Preset for the currently highlighted block is now shown underneath the signal path graphics. In this example, you will see the FX Preset "Ned Flangers" if the first block is highlighted. You still have 2 Bus Overrides (or Bus Mods) per block, which appear just below the name of the Preset.

Use the left and right arrow buttons to select each block. When a block is selected, moving the alpha wheel or pressing the + or - buttons will select a different FX Preset (you can also change the Preset by highlighting the FX parameter).

Notice that the unhighlighted blocks have a box around them. This shows they are active. Since this studio has 4 blocks, each block can use only 1 PAU. If you select an effect that uses more than one PAU, one of the blocks will become inactive and the box surrounding that block will disappear. For example, if you change the first block to FX preset 183 NarrowResFlange, the box around block 4 disappears. The top line of the display shows you this FX Preset uses 2 PAUs. As in the past,if the Allocation parameter is set to Auto, the higher number blocks have precedence, so block 4 is the one which becomes inactive. If you highlight block 4 at this point, you will see the FX Preset shown in parenthesis, again showing it is not active.

The Channel/Bank buttons still move you through the four FXBUSes. Since no effects are available in this case, you will see a line with no blocks on them if you look at any bus except FXBUS 1.

The Studio editor has some new soft buttons and pages to accommodate effect chaining. When the FXBUS page is selected, an Add and a Remove button appear, for redistributing the 4 available processing blocks among the four busses. The FX Send and Aux Send fields and graphics that were previously shown on the FXBUS page are now found on their own new page, FXSEND. Pressing the right more> button, reveals the FXSEND soft button, as well as the familiar AUXFX and OUTPUT buttons. The INPUT, AUXFX, and OUTPUT pages have not changed at all.

When chaining Presets together, it is sometimes necessary to adjust the levels between blocks, most often to pad the level going into the next block to prevent unwanted clipping. While most algorithms have both an In Gain and an Out Gain parameter, In Gain is not selectable as a Bus Mod. In fact, any Preset beyond the first in a chain cannot use In Gain, and will display the value inside the Preset in parentheses. We suggest, when necessary, choosing Out Gain as a Bus Mod to adjust the output level of an effect, instead of trying to pad the input of the following effect. Of course, you can always edit FXPresets directly and customize them for your chain.

For examples of Studios with chains, check out studios 700-719. By setting the FX Ctrl parameter (KDFXMode:CTRL page) to Master, and the OutPair parameter (MIDIMode:Channels page) to KDFX-A, you can scroll through Programs on a given MIDI channel and audition these Studios as they were intended to be heard, with a variety of input source material.

3. New FXAlgorithms, FXPresets and FXStudios

Besides the new mode pages and effects chaining, the KDFX upgrade also provides an expanded palette of 26 new FXAlgorithms and 93 FXPresets*, as well as 20 example Studios using effects chaining. Lists of the new objects are included in a separate PDF file, which can be found in the version 2.90 Base Objects zipped archive.

Newly added FXAlgorithms range from simple filters to frequency and pitch mutators to outrageous effects that are built to walk the line of instability and chaos. For example, DegenRegen (Degenerator/Regenerator) is a double-tap delay with 4 bands of EQ, pitch modulation, distortion, and compression - all inside a loop with feedback that can exceed 100%, making growing delays and self-oscillation possible. Chaos! is another algorithm which can also generate its own sounds, with or without input. Although FXPresets have been provided which demonstrate a few of the possibilities of these effects, taking the time to fiddle with the many parameters in these algorithms is highly recommended. Real-time manipulation of key parameters, via FXMods and controllers, can result in interactive sonic experiences inexpressible in words. When playing on the edge of instability, do take care to learn what makes an algorithm scream. We don't want any damaged ears or monitors, so keep a master volume control handy, at least until you're familiar with how an algorithm works. Most of all, enjoy yourself and your sounds. Happy programming and happy listening.

* K2500 users get the same new objects, plus 3 additional FXAlgorithms, 87 additional FXPresets, and 29 additional Studios, all of which K2600 users already have, strengthening cross-compatibility between the two platforms. The 3 Algorithms are different flavors of rotary speaker emulation. 16 of the 87 Presets and all 29 Studios were created in the development of the K2600 Program set. The remaining 71 additional Presets (800-870) were created to help users replace the Digitech effects on older Programs or Setups (pre-KDFX) with KDFX-based FXPresets programmed to 'match' the Digitech Preset Effect of the same name, but with the cleaner, wider bandwidth and better quality sound of KDFX.

In addition to the new KDFX features, the following bugs have been fixed:

1. The Portamento Time controller previously worked in reverse from normal. It now works correctly.

2. A problem with converting Ensoniq files, introduced in v2.0, has been fixed.

3. Previously, sysex control over KDFX parameters would not work on FXBUS. This has been fixed.

Version 2.0 Release Notes

Version 2 adds two major new features - Triple Modular Processing and Disk Partitioning Support. Both of these features are thoroughly documented in the KDFX Version 2 Supplement. If you do not already have this manual, it can be downloaded from our web site at KDFXV2MAN

An enhancement has been added to the keymap editor. Now the CHAN/BANK buttons let you scroll through the key ranges instead of velocity ranges. Although this is a redundant control, it provides a more user-friendly way to access the key ranges while editing other parameters. Any keymaps which have velocity ranges will now show the velocity range as a normal parameter in the keymap editor. If a keymap has no velocity ranges, the velocity range parameters won't display.

Support for Removable Disks has been added to the Disk Macro feature. This allows you to switch disks or CD-ROMs during the loading of a Macro. Details can be found in the Version 2 Supplement manual.

In addition to the new features and enhancements, a number of bugs have been fixed:

1. In previous versions, the floppy drive could get into a state where it would not recognize known good floppy discs.

2. A Standard MIDI File type 1 import bug, in which event times might be translated improperly if a track had an end time that was earlier than the song end time, is fixed.

3. Loading of unsupported WAV formats (e.g. compressed WAVs) is now blocked.

4. A bug was fixed which caused possible display redraw problems in Disk Mode, occurring when loading a file that contained a Master Table.

5. An envelope release calculation problem, where engaging the sustain pedal during envelope release would cause the release portion of the envelope to be miscalculated, is fixed.

6. AMPENV display scaling, now shows "1/1" when all envelope times are set to 0.

7. A bug was fixed in which the old Digitech effect soft button was being displayed when editing KB3 programs is fixed. (The Digitech is not used in the K2600 - it was in the K2500.)

8. The proper Studio was not being used, after loading a file that contained both the Studio and a Master Table with an FXmode setting of Master. Now the correct Studio is selected.

9. After recording a song and hitting the Stop button, if you immediately tried to audition the new song before actually saving, notes would get stuck on when you hit the stop button again.

10. Sending Song Select from an external device now will correctly update the Song mode display, and if the song is looping, the new song is now selected when the loop occurs.

11. It is now possible to select the Digital I/O Format when there is no sampling option installed (you would need the DIO-26 option to send digital audio).

12. A bug where the Previous page button was not always jumping to the previous page is fixed.

13. A bug was fixed in a few user dialogs, where user input was not being range checked properly, allowing bad values to be entered via the keypad.

Version 1.13 Release Notes

This version contains one new parameter, Song Control, found on the COMMON page within the Setup Editor. This parameter has two possible values: Song or Setup. This parameter works in conjunction with the Song parameter on the COMMON page. If a Song is called up from within the Setup, if the Song Control parameter is set to "Song", the song plays back exactly as recorded. If Song Control is set to "Setup", all events except for Notes are filtered out when the Song is played.

This parameter has been added for use with the preset Groove Setups in the K2600. The K2600 contains a number of preset songs, found in the 0s bank. Many of these preset songs originally contained no program change or controller messages - the programs and controller settings were called up by the individual Groove Setups which were designed to use these songs.

Although the songs would play perfectly in the context of the Setup, if you went to Song Mode, these songs could sound strange. Since there were no program changes in them, the sounds you would hear would be whatever happened to currently be assigned to the MIDI channels in those songs.

To avoid potential confusion, and to allow users to use these songs themselves for their own purposes, we have added program and controller info back to these songs in the version 1.03 Base Objects file. However, this could cause a conflict between the program changes in the songs themselves and the program change messages being sent by the Setups. So it is for this reason the Song Control parameter was added, adding the ability to choose either the Song or the Setup to be in control of selecting the programs and other controller info.

In addition, this version contains a couple of bug fixes for Song Mode and the Diagnostics.