Generalmusic PK5 Portable Oriental Keyboard

July 23, 1999 -- Portable, stylish and loaded with state-of-the-art functions and features, the new PK5 Oriental from Generalmusic is an ideal keyboard for musicians interested in performing Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern music.

Featuring 61 keys with velocity, 257 sounds (including 16 Oriental sounds) and eight drum kits (including one Arabic drum kit), the PK5 Oriental is a 16-part multi-timbral instrument with 32-note polyphony, programmable split point and ability to layer three sounds for rich and complex sonic textures. It also features stereo 6W + 6W amplification with two full-range, four-inch speakers, a pitch bend wheel capable of altering the pitch ±12 semitones and a large multifunction LCD screen that is backlit for easy viewing even in low light.

The PK5 Oriental's controls are logically laid out and easy to use. In addition to the numeric keypads used to recall any sound or style, there is also a series of dedicated buttons that allow keyboard players to immediately select 16 of the most popular sounds and styles used in Oriental and Arabic music. Another bank containing 12 buttons enables musicians to select and play scales with microtuned notes as required by Oriental music. The Arabic Scale section also provides three presets allowing the PK5 Oriental to memorize up to three personalized Arabic scales.

The PK5 Oriental contains 96 styles (including 16 Arabic, four Greek and four Turkish styles) with two variations each, made up of five tracks (drums, bass, acc. 1/2/3), plus eight user styles. Every style offers 10 'Single Touch Play' presets (for a total of 960 settings), enabling musicians to choose from 10 different sound setups for each style (sounds, volumes, effects sends, etc.) with a single touch. Eight different types of Harmony are additionally available.

Musicians can also store their favorite configurations of sounds, effects, controls, MIDI channels, track status, styles, etc. in any of the 63 General Performances and instantly recall them when needed.

The PK5 Oriental contains two digital effect processors with 22 reverbs and 22 modulation effects, with controls for the main level plus separate send levels for each track.

The keyboard is equipped with a practical sequencer, perfect for composing and recording songs instantly using the internal style patterns. The PK5 Oriental can store up to four songs.

On the rear panel of the instrument are stereo output jacks, MIDI In and Out connectors and dedicated volume and sustain pedal jacks.

The suggested US retail price on the Generalmusic PK5 Oriental is $695.00.

For more information, contact Generalmusic at www.generalmusic.com.