The story of Stevie Wonder’s technical challenge to Ray Kurzweil that ultimately motivates the inception of Kurzweil Music Systems.

Related:
Kurzweil Music Systems

Myron McKinley, musical director for Earth, Wind & Fire discusses his long history and appreciation of Kurzweil musical instruments. Myron explains his method of alternative use of the PC3 K Series slider controls.

Ray Kurzweil and Joe Lamond, CEO of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), on stage at the NAMM Breakfast of Champions, January 19, 2012 in Anaheim, CA. (credit: National Association of Music Merchants, David Livingston)

At the 2012 NAMM show on January 19, 2012, National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) President and CEO Joe Lamond presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ray Kurzweil — best selling author, inventor and futurist in fields such as optical character recognition, text to speech synthesis, speech recognition technology, and electronic keyboard instruments.

Lamond also presented NAMM’s Music for Life Award to Stevie Wonder, honoring him for his “brilliant musical contributions and talent that is cherished by people all over the world.”

Ray Kurzweil noted, “Stevie and I collaborated to create the first computerized musical instrument that could realistically recreate the piano and other orchestral instruments,” leading Kurzweil to found Kurzweil Music Systems in 1982.

“I have been blessed to have known two people — Ray Kurzweil and Steve Jobs,” said Wonder, and he cited the contribution of both to enriching our lives with technology.

(credit: National Association of Music Merchants)

The NAMM Show, one of the largest music products trade shows in the world, opened January 19 at the Anaheim Convention Center, welcoming an expected crowd of 90,000 musical instrument manufacturers, retailers, associates and their invited guests from all over the world to the industry’s annual gathering.

Founded in 1901, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), is the trade association for the $18 billion global music products industry.

NAMM | Ray Kurzweil and Joe Lammond at NAMM’s Breakfast of Champions

NAMM | In this video, Ray Kurzweil, CEO, Kurzweil Technologies, sits down with NAMM CEO & President Joe Lamond to explore the process of innovation. Ray shares his remarkable perspective and ideas with the audience, and in doing so, sparks NAMM members to think how these breakthroughs can be applied to improving their businesses and relate to their future chance of success and indeed their lives. During the Breakfast of Champions, Joe Lamond presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ray.

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) honored Ray Kurzweil with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2012 NAMM Breakfast of Champions on January 19, 2012 in Anaheim, CA. (credit: National Association of Music Manufacturers, David Livingston)

NAMM Lifetime Achievement Award previous recipients
previously named NAMM’s Hall of Fame

“Recognizing excellence and leadership in the music industry”

• Leo Fender — 1987
• Philip Werlein IV — 1987
• Hartley Peavey — 1988
• Manny Goldrich — 1988
• Vito Pascucci — 1988
• Armand Zildjian — 1989
• Henry Steinway — 1989
• Lee (Lawrence) Berk — 2004*
• Al Kowalenko (retirement from MIAC) — 2009 presented at MIAC Show
• Ray Kurzweil — 2012

* Presented to Lee Berk in January 2004 as he retired from Berklee College of Music. He was awarded the Music for Life Award in 1995.

related reading:
Ray Kurzweil videos | “The Kurzweil Music story: It all started with Ray”
The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM)

Source: ABC

Also see:
NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” official website
Video of Paul McCartney’s “Saturday Night Live” performance on Hulu

Paul McCartney on stage with a Kurzweil synthesizer, on “Saturday Night Live” in December 2010. (Image: NBC Universal, Inc.)

Click here to view the new Kurzweil PC3K8 brochure, which opens as an Adobe pdf.

In 1982, while giving me a tour of his new ‘Wonderland’ music studio, Stevie asked if it would be possible to build a bridge between the powerful control methods of computer music (in which a broad variety of input devices could be used to control any available sound) with the beautiful sounds of acoustic instruments such as the piano and guitar.

I thought about it, and concluded that it would be feasible. Kurzweil Music Systems was born in 1982 with Stevie Wonder as musical advisor. We showed a prototype of the Kurzweil 250 at the June 1983 NAMM show and people were amazed that both the look and feel of a grand piano was realistically captured in an electronic instrument for the first time. We started shipping the product in 1984 and it quickly became recognized as the first computerized instrument to faithfully capture the grand piano, which we confirmed in A-B tests with pianists.
 

Over the next quarter century we developed a succession of digital keyboards that maintained this leadership in realism while also providing a broad new palette of sounds and sound modification techniques that are only possible in the electronic world.

This was the vision that Stevie Wonder had articulated in 1982 and I was personally gratified that he felt satisfied that we had achieved it. Many other high profile artists (Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, The Who, Earth, Wind and Fire, the Boston Pops, Andrew Lloyd Webber to name a few) around the world seemed to agree.

A traditional reaction of musicians to our Kurzweil keyboards has often been “if only I could afford one.” That’s why am personally excited by the recent PC3 line ranging from the very affordable PC3LE to the top-of-the-line (but still very affordable)  PC3K. With the ability to load K2000/2500/2600 series sounds, the new PC3K demonstrates KMS’s commitment to non-obsolescence by design. Nearly twenty years worth of sound libraries, representing untold hours of work, can be utilized alongside the PC3K’s current 1000+ presets.

I have always felt that the type of technology that Kurzweil Music represents is highly democratizing. Years ago only the top studios and academic laboratories could afford technology that allowed flexible shaping of new sounds. Now these tools can be afforded by everyone from music students to weekend musicians. As technological advances continue to ramp up at an exponential pace, KMS will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, further blurring the line between music and machine.”

 — Ray Kurzweil
Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
Kurzweil Music Systems

In addition to all of the innovative features that made the PC3 a major success, the PC3K features 128 MB of non-volatile user sample memory. Utilizing a breakthrough in sample flash technology, the PC3K allows user samples to remain intact after a power-cycle, with zero load time upon powering back on. The PC3K can load .WAV files, but more importantly, it can load legacy Kurzweil .K files from the K2000, K2500 and K2600 keyboards. This opens up a whole new world of sonic possibilities; users can now combine the PC3K’s unmatched Dynamic V.A.S.T. synthesis engine with the staggering library of K Series samples generated by users and developers alike for over 15 years.

Along with K Series samples, the PC3K will support the importing of most K Series keymaps, programs and setups, providing seamless integration for existing K series customers and an enticingly large collection of sounds for new Kurzweil users to explore. From Broadway performers and high profile pop stars to working players, the PC3K will allow musicians who’ve relied on Kurzweil for years to continue using their sounds with the next generation of our technology, without having to start over from scratch.

 Mike Papa, Kurzweil National Sales Manager for American Music and Sound, couldn’t be more thrilled.

“This is the breakthrough the industry has been waiting for – the added value of 18 years’ worth of K Series sound development is simply immeasurable. It’s mind-blowing to think that artists can continue to build upon the body of work they’ve been creating for just under two decades, when most other manufacturers require users to re-invent the wheel each time a new platform is introduced.”

In addition to the ability to load samples, the PC3K offers basic sample editing and full keymap editing. Of course, all of the features and presets that made the PC3 so popular are present as well; anti-aliasing VA oscillators, improved KB3 Mode, Classic Keys, Orchestral and String Sections sound sets, the renowned Kurzweil Grand Piano, Cascade Mode, 16 independent Riffs and arpeggiators, Song Mode and QA mode, unparalleled MIDI control, and the list goes on.

Another major improvement added to the PC3K is the inclusion of a USB host port to support the use of thumb-drives for data loading and storage as well as OS updates.

A Kurzweil PC3K8 keyboard is featured live on stage with Roger Daltrey and The Who at the Super Bowl’s halftime show on February 7, 2010.

click image to view the video

Ray Kurzweil appeared on the popular 1950s and 1960s quiz show “I’ve Got a Secret” to reveal that he had made a computer that could make music. Since those early days, Ray has come to define the computer age of music making.

Founder of Kurzweil Music, Ray designed some of the industry’s most noted electronic instruments of the 1980s and 1990s.

Ray was a pioneer in the field of optical character recognition (OCR) and he has published several highly successful books on technology and the future of intelligence including The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence released in 1999.

About NAMM | The Model for Industry Growth

Before there was an industry or an association, there was a belief…in music. That belief led to a mission: to unify, lead and strengthen the global music products industry and increase active participation in music making.

More than a century later, that mission has attracted a growing, thriving worldwide community of thousands of deeply passionate, talented companies that make, buy and sell the instruments that allow millions of people to make music. That community is called NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry.

NAMM is able to support the association’s mission with a business model based on a circle of benefits that promotes industry growth. The circle begins with the revenue derived from NAMM’s trade shows, which is channeled back into the industry through the NAMM Foundation’s funding of industry charities and in the form of advocacy and market-building programs and initiatives, further increasing public awareness. This leads to increased demand of music products, growing the industry and, ultimately, promoting trade show growth, which completes the circle. To support individual Members, NAMM offers industry education through NAMM University, publishes valuable one-of-a-kind statistical reports, and brings the industry together at events and global meetings.

Founded in 1901, NAMM has been the engine driving the music products industry, enabling both large and small businesses to maximize productivity and reduce the costs of doing business. With more than 9,000 Members in the United States and 100+ other countries, NAMM is ultimately dedicated to expanding the market and giving people of all ages the opportunity to experience the proven benefits of making music.

— NAMM Headquarters

Stevie Wonder with a Kurzweil keyboard.

25 years since the launch of Kurzweil’s K250 ground-breaking synthesizer, Stevie Wonder joined Ray Kurzweil for the launch of Kurzweil’s new flagship model, the PC3K. On Friday night, in a small suite at the Anaheim Hilton, an invited audience saw Kurzweil present Stevie with the new model who then enthralled the audience with an impromptu performance of two songs.

The PC3K keyboard expands the PC3 line to include key new features along with backwards compatibility with the legendary K Series product line. In addition to all of the innovative features that made the PC3 a major success, the PC3K features 128 MB of non-volatile user sample memory. Utilizing a breakthrough in sample flash technology, the PC3K allows user samples to remain intact after a power-cycle, with zero load time upon powering back on. The PC3K can load .WAV files, but more importantly, it can load legacy Kurzweil .K files from the K2000, K2500 and K2600 keyboards.

This opens up a whole new world of sonic possibilities; users can now combine the PC3K’s unmatched Dynamic V.A.S.T. synthesis engine with the staggering library of K Series samples generated by users and developers alike for over 15 years.

Along with K Series samples, the PC3K will support the importing of most K Series keymaps, programs and setups, providing seamless integration for existing K series customers and an enticingly large collection of sounds for new Kurzweil users to explore. From Broadway and West End performers and high profile pop stars to working players, the PC3K will allow musicians who’ve relied on Kurzweil for years to continue using their sounds with the next generation of our technology, without having to start over from scratch.

Mike Papa, Kurzweil National Sales Manager for American Music and Sound, couldn’t be more thrilled. “This is the breakthrough the industry has been waiting for – the added value of 18 years’ worth of K Series sound development is simply immeasurable. It’s mind-blowing to think that artists can continue to build upon the body of work they’ve been creating for just under two decades, when most other manufacturers require users to re-invent the wheel each time a new platform is introduced.”

In addition to the ability to load samples, the PC3K offers basic sample editing and full keymap editing. Of course, all of the features and presets that made the PC3 so popular are present as well; anti-aliasing VA oscillators, improved KB3 Mode, Classic Keys, Orchestral and String Sections sound sets, the renowned Kurzweil Grand Piano, Cascade Mode, 16 independent Riffs and arpeggiators, Song Mode and QA mode, unparalleled MIDI control, and the list goes on.

Another major improvement added to the PC3K is the inclusion of a USB host port to support the use of thumb-drives for data loading and storage as well as OS updates.

I shared some anecdotes from my 33 year friendship with Stevie and 25 year history of Kurzweil Music.

Stevie shared his thoughts about the same history, said some gracious things, and sang a couple of songs using a Kurzweil PC3K keyboard I presented to him (our new flagship instrument).

Click here for a detailed product description of the  Kurzweil PC3 family of products and the recent PC3X innovative Performance Controller Keyboard:  “The PC3X’s new Dynamic V.A.S.T. architecture is a huge step forward in synthesis, the fruit of several major strides we’ve made in improving processing power, flexibility and user-friendliness.”

— Ray Kurzweil, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Kurzweil Music Systems

© Upbeat Daily, 2010 | The Official NAMM Show Publication

At the heart of every SP model is the famous Kurzweil Grand Piano sound. We started with the highest quality samples and then used a powerful synth engine behind the scenes to make them truly come to life as only Kurzweil could.

Pristine reverbs, which decay into complete silence, add the finishing touch to a sound which has come to be known as an industry standard worldwide.

The SP3x builds on the design of the highly successful SP2x with an expanded sound set of 512 programs. In addition to pianos, the SP3x offers a wide variety of other top notch sounds, including winds, voices, synths, brass, bass, guitar and ensembles. With a wide range of sounds, effects and extensive MIDI controller capabilities, the SP3x  is equally well suited for use on stage, at home, or in the studio, and is perfect for worship based music.

The SP2XS joins the SP2 and SP3 to round out the product line, providing an option for players who need a high quality built-in sound system in a professional grade instrument. With a custom 20 watt per channel power amplifier and matched, high efficiency speakers with full range 3×5″ drivers, the sound system has been optimized for the SP2XS’s enclosure, delivering stunning sound quality.

“I kept looking for external speakers – I couldn’t believe that what I was hearing was coming out of the keyboard itself. Simply amazing!”, says Kurzweil national sales manager, Jeff Dunmire.

The SP2XS and the SP3x are both currently available | click here to see more on the KMS website

click here to watch the video from MSNBC

Kurzweil, who founded Kurzweil Music in 1982, will work with Kurzweil Music management on technology strategy and will also be a primary spokesperson for the company.

Ray Kurzweil with Kurzweil Music’s Mike Papa accepting the NAMM Lifetime Achievement Award. (credit: National Association of Music Merchants)

At the recent NAMM convention, piano maker Young Chang North America (acquired by Hyundai in 2006) and Kurzweil Music jointly presented “Life Achievement Awards” to Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, and Ray Kurzweil in its 50th Anniversary Celebration.

“We were very proud to honor Ray Kurzweil, Stevie Wonder and Billy Joel,” said Kurzweil Music national sales manager Joe Papa. “Stevie tried to turn down his award, stating that he wanted to give his to Ray Kurzweil, who really deserves it.”

When the crowd of dealers, Young Chang and Kurzweil executives, musicians, and music industry people heard that Ray will be working as a consultant with Kurzweil Music, they let out a cheer with loud applause.”

“The combination of Kurzweil Music’s strong core technology, with the new Kurzweil Mara chip technology, which is stronger than anything else in the industry, is matched with Hyundai’s strong brand, resources, management excellence, and manufacturing reliability,” said Kurzweil in an impromptu acceptance speech.

At NAMM, Kurzweil Music also introduced the Kurzweil PC3, “the ultimate performance controller keyboard, offering an enormous collection of stunning preset sounds, comprehensive real-time controller functions, 128 high quality channels, and the power of a full-blown workstation.”

Ray Kurzweil (left) accepts award from Mike Papa at NAMM.

Hyundai has appointed Ray Kurzweil as Chief Strategy Officer of Kurzweil Music Systems. Hyundai, one of the world’s largest corporations, plans to work with Ray Kurzweil to “build Kurzweil Music Systems into one of the largest music instruments brands in the world,” Kurzweil stated.

Kurzweil, who founded Kurzweil Music Systems, Inc. in 1982, will work with Kurzweil Music Systems management on technology strategy and will also be a primary spokesperson for the company.

At the recent NAMM convention, piano maker Young Chang North America (acquired by Hyundai in 2006) and Kurzweil Music Systems jointly presented “Life Achievement Awards” to Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, and Ray Kurzweil in its 50th Anniversary Celebration.

“We were very proud to honor Ray Kurzweil, Stevie Wonder and Billy Joel,” said Kurzweil Music Systems national sales manager Mike Papa.

“Stevie tried to turn down his award, stating that he wanted to ‘give his to Ray Kurzweil, who really deserves it. When the crowd of dealers, Young Chang/Kurzweil executives, musicians, and music industry people heard that Ray will be working as a consultant with Kurzweil Music Systems, they let out a cheer with loud applause.”

“The combination of Kurzweil Music’s strong core technology, with the new Kurzweil ‘Mara’ chip technology, which is stronger than anything else in the industry, and strong brand with Hyundai’s resources, management excellence, and manufacturing reliability will be unbeatable,” said Kurzweil in an impromptu acceptance speech.

At NAMM, Kurzweil Music Systems also introduced the Kurzweil PC3X, “the ultimate performance controller keyboard, offering an enormous collection of stunning preset sounds, comprehensive real-time controller functions, 128 high quality channels, and the power of a full blown workstation.”

Dave Weiser, Kurzweil Music Systems | Hip hop legend and film composer RZA talks to Terry Gross on NPR. He talks about Kurzweil Music, its VAST (Variable Architecture Synthesis) technology, and his personal technique starting at 9:45. Listen to the full audio interview below.

Related:
NPR Fresh Air
RZA | Myspace
RZA presents #WuWednesday