Solton K160
- This article is a stub. Please help DTM Wiki by expanding it.
| (No photo yet. Please contribute one!) | |
| W × H × D (mm) | unknown |
|---|---|
| Weight | unknown |
| Type | Digital oscillators with analog filters |
| Keyboard | 61 keys[1] |
| Manufacturer | Solton |
| Release date | 1988 |
| Parts | 8 |
| Max polyphony | 8 |
| Normal presets | 128 presets (32 x 4 banks) |
| Expansion | none |
| Effects | none |
The Solton K160 is a 61-key keyboard released around 1988[2] by Solton, an Italian keyboard/organ manufacturer. It's a hybrid analog-digital synthesiser, with waves composed of short PCM samples (sometimes even multi-samples) and analog filters courtesy of eight CEM3389 chips.[1]
It has 128 presets organized in 4 banks of 32. These presets can then be edited and combined (layered/split) as part of the 32 "programs". It has 8 voices of polyphony, with two oscillators per voice. Like the Yamaha TX81Z, all 8 voices can play 8 different presets, meaning it is 8-voice multitimbral.
A cost-reduced version, known as the Solton K80, would also be released. This has half the program and preset capacity. It also only has a monophonic output as opposed to stereo.[1] Both synthesisers featured rackmount versions, known as the M160 and M80 respectively.
Editability
As the K160 was intended for use in live performances (judging by the "LIVE SERIES" branding on the keyboard chassis), the presets themselves cannot be modified. Only global aspects such as key shift, upper/lower key limits, output level, dynamic voice allocation, and so on can be adjusted as part of a program. The only truly editable synth aspect is the filter cutoff and resonance settings.
The K80 omits the editable filter settings entirely.[1]
Patch structure
There are 128 presets, organized in 4 banks of 32. These banks can be accessed through pressing the "Preset Bank" button - a LED will light corresponding to the bank that's currently selected. Individual instruments can then be accessed using the 32 buttons to the right. If one wishes to edit the sounds, they have to switch to Program mode using the button named "Program" - a LED will then light up, then select a program, of which there are 32, using the same 32 buttons one'd use to select presets, and press the Edit button. There are 19 parameters, corresponding to the first 19 buttons.