"This is a great example of a very well cared for Kawai K5000S.
It looks and sounds amazing. The screen is nice and bright and all of the sliders/button work perfectly. It also has the finest keybed that you will find on any synth.
The additive synth engine inside of the K5000S is still without equal. Nothing quite sounds like it."
This music was created without the use of sequencers; all of the background music was recorded in real-time on reel-to-reel tapes. I used a Kawai K1 synthesizer, a Siel DK-80 synthesizer, and a Roland TR-505 drum machine. A Peavey AddVerb II was also used for effects. For this show, I was loaned a portable Casio Midi Controller, which I connected to the Kawaii synth to use for the song "Destiny's Flight."
Notes from Craig Padilla: This was my first public performance on June 8, 1990. It was at the Shasta College Theatre in Redding, CA, and it was my college final project for my Creative Sound Design class. Many people involved with the theater department helped out with this project.
I came from a theatrical background, and I had been used to facing the audience, which is why I performed while facing the audience during this show. My Uncle Joe saw this video and suggested that I should perform sideways so that the audience can see what I'm playing. Thanks to that advice, I've been performing that way ever since. This concert is the only time that I've performed while facing the audience.
This music was created without the use of sequencers; all of the background music was recorded in real-time on reel-to-reel tapes. I used a Kawaii K1 synthesizer, a Siel DK-80 synthesizer, and a Roland TR-505 drum machine. A Peavey AddVerb II was also used for effects. For this show, I was loaned a portable Casio Midi Controller, which I connected to the Kawaii synth to use for the song "Destiny's Flight."
Please be mindful of the visual quality of this video. It has been remastered from standard definition and upscaled to 1080p HD with audio remastered from a chrome stereo cassette tape. I am fortunate that it looks and sounds as good as it does.
The original broadcast video aired on Redding Community Access TV in 1990 and 1991. It was shot on VHS tapes from two camera angles and edited on a Super VHS tape. Unfortunately, the audio on the broadcast video was recorded from the main onboard camera microphone, which had a muddy sound. (At the time, I thought that it was better to use that audio than to have no publicity for my music.) 35 years later, thanks to current technology, the stereo audio from the master cassette tape has replaced the original audio track. It has been pitch-corrected to sync up with the video, which is something I never thought would be possible! The video was also enhanced to brighten some of the shots.
There is a small black bar on the second camera angle, and that was to cover up a graphic date that was imbedded in the video of that camera. I had decided that the black bar was less distracting than a graphic on the screen whenever I switched to that camera.
I am fortunate that I knew people who would loan me their cameras for this performance, and equally thankful to my friends who offered their time to operate the cameras!
Matt Denton, a long time friend from high school, was the main camera operator. I met Bryan Arnold while attending college. Bryan loaned me his Kawaii synthesizer for the music, and was the second cameraman who had to briefly step away to perform a song. T. Owen Smith designed the light show, and he suggested that I throw a flame out of my hand at the end of the last song. I had known Dwight Husted since high school, and he was the lighting operator who ran the light-show. My college friends, Jeff Yarnell, Karen Wodsack, and Dale Gipp, were the stage crew who also contributed the idea to use actors in body bags and dress as aliens for a song. And Dale Kilpatric helped me produce the show, and he performed with his amazing classical guitar for a song. (More people helped, and their names are listed in the end-credits of the video.)
Over 100 people attended the performance which was a benefit for the Shasta Summer Theatre Festival. I give many thanks to DJ Ron Dare for hugely promoting my music on his radio show, "KCHO's Music for A New Age" in 1989 and 1990 (and years beyond that). Also, thanks to Robert Soffian, the head of the theater department, for allowing me to not only act in his plays, but to also have me record many songs for the various theatrical productions during that time. And many thanks to everybody who helped to make this concert possible so many years ago.
Extra big thanks to everybody who supported my music then and continues to support it now.
Song list: 00:00 - KCHO DJ Ron Dare Announcement 02:30 - Shanda's Song 08:05 - Waltz of the Planets (dedicated to my friend Derrick Guderian) 14:15 - Spanish Journey (featuring Dale Kilpatric on guitar) 19:50 - Destiny's Flight (dedicated to my Grandmother) 30:43 - Path of the Falling Stars (featuring Bryan Arnold) 36:00 - UFO Theme 42:05 - Other Beings (featuring many theater friends) 47:45 - Journeys through Space
A 24-bit download of this performance will be available at www.CraigPadilla.com [https://craigpadilla.bandcamp.com] in November 2025."
"In excellent condition; everything works as it should! Hard to find in this shape.
The K5000S is a cult favorite from the mid-’90s, known for its powerful additive synthesis engine, warm pads, metallic textures, and full onboard sequencer. This is the “S” model, the more desirable model (compared to the K5000W) with extra knob-per-function interface for direct synth parameter access.
Highlights:
6-operator additive synthesis with deep harmonic control 16-part multitimbrality 32-track sequencer Onboard effects including reverb, delay, and chorus Responsive keybed with aftertouch Backlit LCD and large panel for deep editing A hidden gem in digital synthesis, the K5000 has been praised by artists like Jean-Michel Jarre and Björk’s producers for its haunting, otherworldly tones and expressive architecture.
30% of the sale supports the Bob Moog Foundation, helping preserve the history of electronic music and inspire new generations of creators."
"This fat sounding 8-voice analog Kawai SX-240 is in good condition with light wear. New battery is installed and there is no previous battery corrosion anywhere. Keys, sliders, increment dial all work as they should. All buttons work fine (a few need pressing a little harder sometimes, but they all work). One of the slider caps is missing. I'm including a new set of wooden end cheeks that I never got around to putting on."
Featuring 64 meticulously crafted patches, this collection includes atmospheric pads, deep textures, and dark tones, perfect for ambient, dark ambient, cinematic, and advanced electronic music genres.
Explore a diverse array of 64 presets, each meticulously crafted to offer a unique sonic experience.
All demo tracks were recorded in real time, using only the K4 — no external processing required.
This ensures you get the exact sound quality demonstrated. loading is available in two versions in the form of midi and SYSex.
Tauntek O/S Real Walnut side panels (very nice) Pro-Serviced with new CR2032 battery this month (9/25) Clean & pristine a true 9.9/10 Hard Case (case condition is Fair). not pictured There were only a few hundred ever made of these!"
"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. The 80s are oftentimes associated with Hollywood-worthy heroism, impeccable style and epic synth music that aged great - as long as it was played on instruments designed in the 70s.
Today, however, we are going to talk about K4. This digital synth , Kawai’s answer to Roland’s answer to Yamaha’s DX7 and more upscale successor to the K1 demonstrates impressively that the 80s were - first and foremost - VERY, VERY nerdy.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro tune 00:54 Overview Kawai K4 Synth 01:49 Oscillators, Waves 02:36 Drum Kit 02:47 Synth Architecture, Pitch Envelope, Ring Mod 03:14 Filter Section, Envs, LFOs 03:41 FX Section 03:54 Differences Keyboard vs. Rack Version 04:05 Sound Examples 04:43 Multitimbrality 04:56 Workflow, Pricing, Technical Background 05:25 H*te Screen 05:54 Jam 1 ( Nerd House ) 06:47 Jam 2 ( Nerd Elektro ) 08:53 Finale ( Nerd Techno ) 08:17 Verdict"
"Multitracked demo of Kawai K5000R. Additional reverb Eventide Space and delay has been used. These are factory patches tweaked with Macro controller. Controller looks pretty bad, but is fully working. Synth is missing power button cap, screen is worn and diskdrive won't work (should have usb-reader somewhere). I have owned K5000R without controller but also K5000S and K5000W. Later ones has pretty good keyboards in my opinions...
"synth programming session recorded over two takes, based in one of my purely additive synth sounds using 5 partials. Was supposed to have camera footage but my camera stopped recording just two mins in without me noticing."
"The Kawai 100F (also known as the Teisco 100F) is a 1977 Japanese monophonic analogue synthesizer prized for its rich sound and versatile modulation despite a single VCO design. It features saw and square waveforms, a resonant 24dB/oct low-pass filter, non-resonant high-pass filter, noise generator, external input, dual envelope generators, flexible LFO, and three-mode portamento. The VCO’s unique "Low" mode enables sub-audio modulation. Its expressive filter and modulation options made it a creative tool in early electronic music, notably used by Vince Clarke on Depeche Mode’s Photographic."
