1978 RMI KC-II Keyboard Computer Synth "Digital Is Better!" Ad & Records

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I often check out the most popular posts on the site lists. Every now and then I'll find an older post on the list like this RMI Keyboard Computer KC1 post from 2010, currently the third most popular post over the last seven days. I updated the expired auction link in the post for a generic search on RMI Keyboard Computer and up came the ad to the left as well as the records further below. You can find them listed here. You can find recordings of one of the albums previously posted here. I also found the video below featuring a few demo tracks. Enjoy. :)


RMI KC-1 Keyboard Computer ... Demo Tracks

video upload by Mike Bracchi

"RMI KC-1 Keyboard Computer ... Demo Tracks
Clarke Ferguson & Carlo Curley
Vintage Organ Group
http://mikebracchi.co.uk"

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Hammond Model HEK-1 Mini Organ Synth w/ Built-In Speakers & Cards?

Hammond HEK-2 & HEK_3 Ensemble Keyboard (Junior Hammonds) - Uploaded by Mike Bracchi

SN 05111856 via this auction

First one I've seen. I could find any demos for the HEK-1, but found the video above for the HEK-2 & HEK-3. Looks like these were geared towards kids. Below you'll find a pic of what appears to be some colored cards for it.

I did find the following from RocknRoll Vintage's Synth City who carried them:

"This is a fun mini organ that was only available in Japan, hence the printed Japanese text. Most of the sounds are like a modern beginner Casio keyboard, fairly high quality sample based sounds. However, the organ sounds are great and include the nice draw bars for interacting with the sounds! Unfortunately we can't read Japanese here and the extent of our testing was done by just trying all the buttons and sounds. As far as we know the unit is in perfect working order. The whole panel of buttons was taken apart and cleaned by our repair technician and is functioning very well."

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Brian Sharp at the Kawai T50 Japan 1978

Published on Apr 17, 2016 Mike Bracchi

"Recorded in Japan at a 1978 concert ... original 8-track tapes were sent to the UK and transferred to 16 track tape in Birmingham.

Brian then overdubbed the original recording by adding to the mix with a Kawai Grand Piano ...

I'm sorry about the 'popping, hissing and crackling' from my well worn record ... I keep meaning to replace it."

Another one spotted and sent my way via Conny. Based on the year, I'm guessing the Kawai T50 was analog. The following is some minimal info via organforum.com.

"Masato Akiyama was one of Kawai Japan's staff organists at the time, so would certainly have been heavily involved with the T50 project. A really nice guy and great player.I played my Japanese concerts with him and with another Kawai staff organist, Norio Goto, and our own Brian Sharp.The T50 strings were indeed superb, played from Manual IV (the top one in front of you), but available elsewhere via couplers. With eight, ten really, manuals, it took a few minutes to set up between numbers, but once started, you had enough pre-registered, and then plenty of sounds available pretty much instantly from the presets in front of you.

The T6 was a pre-production version of the T5. I have a picture of it from 1979, when it was in the museum at the Kawai/Teisco factory in Saitama Province."

If you know more, feel free to leave a comment.

Update: This is a follow-up this post on the Kawai DX800.