--- 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.