Kawai K1

The Kawai K1 is a 61 key synthesizer manufactured in 1988^[3] by Kawai. It is an entry-level^[4] and low fidelity synthesizer and not as feature rich as the Kawai K4 and was released to compete with the Roland D50 and Korg M1 synthesizers. The patch memory can be doubled with a DC-8 memory card which was available separately.^[5]

K1
Manufacturer	Kawai
Dates	1988
Price	K1 £595[1] GBP K1r £395 GBP
Technical specifications
Polyphony	16/8 note (depending on mode)
Timbrality	8 part
Oscillator	4 PCM
LFO	1 (triangle, sawtooth, square and random)
Synthesis type	Digital PCM Waveform Playback
Filter	No
Attenuator	ADSR
Aftertouch expression	Yes
Velocity expression	Yes
Storage memory	64 single-patches or 32 combo-patches
Hardware	CPU: NEC D78310G DAC: NEC μPD6355G[2]
Input/output
Keyboard	61 keys
Left-hand control	Left wheel - pitch bend Right wheel - modulation.
External control	MIDI In, out, thru, sustain pedal input

Features

The K1 features 256 8-bit PCM waveforms (204 additive waveforms and 52 acoustic samples),^[5] AM (Ring modulation), and a 16×2 character LCD.^[6]

Modes

The four modes of operation are:

• Mono
• Polyphonic
• Split
• Unison

Percussion

The K1 includes drum kits and sounds (acoustic and electronic kits, cymbals as well as some tuned percussion), so can be used to create full rhythm backing when sequenced. The K1II model has 32 percussion sounds.

Mostly known for

Percussive sounds, organs, haunting pads, strings and FM bass sounds and acoustic bass.

Notable users

• Bile
• Cirrus
• Drexciya
• EMF
• LFO^[7]
• Lab 4
• Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble (band)^[8]

Kawai K1R and K1M

A 1U rackmount version of the K1 was produced called the K1r.^[9] Also a module version called K1M was released. Both have the same synth engine as the keyboard version.

See also

• Kawai K4