Kawai Synthesizers

i have experience of an xs-1/kc-10 and a k1m
and looked at the module of a k4
it looks as if kawai constantly use pretty much the same samples
as these models don't generate sounds as such
are the samples literally taken from oberheim, korg etc, synths
this seems to be the implication of the soundfont that can be 
downloaded freely of k4 source waves which are explicitly named
after other manufacturers models
i am curious about the copyright issues here...if these samples
were taken from other manufacturers synth was there no objection to 
it?

--- In kawaisynths@yahoogroups.com, "dantalianalysis" 
<dantalianalysis@...> wrote:
>
> i have experience of an xs-1/kc-10 and a k1m
> and looked at the module of a k4
> it looks as if kawai constantly use pretty much the same samples
> as these models don't generate sounds as such

The K1 series was an 'enhanced' additive synthesis device similar to 
the Roland D-series.  It used samples for attack and additive 
synthesis for the rest of the envelope.  The K4, on the other hand, 
it entirely PCM sample-based (which is why I was able to exploit 75 
circuit-bending points from the three ROM chips in the K4r, rather 
than the 25 points I was able to exploit on the K1m's sample ROM 
containing only attacks)

> are the samples literally taken from oberheim, korg etc, synths
> this seems to be the implication of the soundfont that can be 
> downloaded freely of k4 source waves which are explicitly named
> after other manufacturers models
> i am curious about the copyright issues here...if these samples
> were taken from other manufacturers synth was there no objection to 
> it?
>

They definitely were not taken from other manufacturers synths.  Korg 
and Yamaha may have shared samples for a time when Korg was owned by 
Yamaha, but Kawai has always been its own company, and these 
companies are very protective of their sample banks.  Even Roland 
won't allow the obsolete and long-out-of-production MT-32's ROM to be 
used in a software emulation project by a programmer who wanted to 
make an MT-32 emulator.

just on a historical note...i read that the Roland MT-32 cease
and desist action on emulators was overturned when it turned out that
roland did not have verfiiable ownership/patesnts for the MT-32
sounds
thanks for the info about the wavs in the boxes

its pretty obvious the k1 is a poor man's M1
i only have the digital pc based M1 recreation
but I enjoy playing with the K1 more as the M1 seems more bland
but maybe if i had both boxes it would be different
this leads me to another thing..
degradation plug ins on computers do not seem to produce very 
comparable results with actually having a bit of old gear with low
sample and bit rates
instead of gettiong a rounger sound they seem to just produce
breaking up and disotrtion
i refer to free vst plug ins...and native degradation in the NI
FM7, software studios and the SP12-ulation on Emu's DSP Emulator X