manuals.online logo
Brands
  1. Home
  2. •
  3. Brands
  4. •
  5. Kurzweil
  6. •
  7. Music Equipment
  8. •
  9. Kurzweil ALGORITHMS2 User manual

Kurzweil ALGORITHMS2 User manual

This manual suits for next models

3

Other Kurzweil Music Equipment manuals

Kurzweil K2600 BEST OF VAST - REV A User manual

Kurzweil

Kurzweil K2600 BEST OF VAST - REV A User manual

Kurzweil KDFX V2 - MUSICIANS REFERENCE REV B Service manual

Kurzweil

Kurzweil KDFX V2 - MUSICIANS REFERENCE REV B Service manual

Kurzweil KDFX User manual

Kurzweil

Kurzweil KDFX User manual

Kurzweil ME-1 V1.2 - ADDENDUM User manual

Kurzweil

Kurzweil ME-1 V1.2 - ADDENDUM User manual

Kurzweil KMLN8 - REV B User manual

Kurzweil

Kurzweil KMLN8 - REV B User manual

Kurzweil KCL - TEACHERS GUIDE User manual

Kurzweil

Kurzweil KCL - TEACHERS GUIDE User manual

Popular Music Equipment manuals by other brands

Aguilar CHORUSAURUS user guide

Aguilar

Aguilar CHORUSAURUS user guide

Fishman NEO-D user guide

Fishman

Fishman NEO-D user guide

HEXDEVICES Tama 12 user manual

HEXDEVICES

HEXDEVICES Tama 12 user manual

Mesa/Boogie Flux-drive owner's manual

Mesa/Boogie

Mesa/Boogie Flux-drive owner's manual

DOLFINOS The CARBON Edition user manual

DOLFINOS

DOLFINOS The CARBON Edition user manual

DAPAudio IPS-PT user guide

DAPAudio

DAPAudio IPS-PT user guide

Dynacord DPM 8016 owner's manual

Dynacord

Dynacord DPM 8016 owner's manual

Moen GEC8 Live owner's manual

Moen

Moen GEC8 Live owner's manual

Fender 1 brochure

Fender

Fender 1 brochure

Yamaha MLC-16 operating manual

Yamaha

Yamaha MLC-16 operating manual

Sonuscore TIME TEXTURES manual

Sonuscore

Sonuscore TIME TEXTURES manual

flight of harmony V'Amp user guide

flight of harmony

flight of harmony V'Amp user guide

NANO PERFORMANCE MIXER quick guide

NANO

NANO PERFORMANCE MIXER quick guide

BHI NEIM 1031 MKII user guide

BHI

BHI NEIM 1031 MKII user guide

Befaco KICKALL user manual

Befaco

Befaco KICKALL user manual

Paia 9720 Assembly and using manual

Paia

Paia 9720 Assembly and using manual

limex ALPIN MASTER 128 user manual

limex

limex ALPIN MASTER 128 user manual

nord Electro 3 user manual

nord

nord Electro 3 user manual

manuals.online logo
manuals.online logoBrands
  • About & Mission
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright 2025 Manuals.Online. All Rights Reserved.

FXAlgs #724-6, 728: Distortion
Algorithm Reference-94
FXAlgs #724-6, 728: Distortion
FXAlg #724 Ñ Mono Distortion
FXAlg #725 Ñ MonoDistort + Cab
FXAlg #726 Ñ MonoDistort + EQ
FXAlg #728 Ñ StereoDistort+EQ
Small distortion algorithms
Allocation Units:
1 for Mono Distortion; 2 for MonoDistort + Cab; 2 for MonoDistort + EQ;
3 for StereoDistort + EQ
Mono Distortion sums its stereo input to mono, performs distortion followed by a hipass filter and sends the result
as centered stereo.
Block diagram of Mono Distortion
MonoDistort + EQ is similar to Mono Distortion except the single hipass filter is replaced with a pair of second-order
hipass/lowpass filters to provide rudimentary speaker cabinet modeling. The hipass and lowpass filters are then
followed by an EQ section with bass and treble shelf filters and two parametric mid filters.
Block diagram of MonoDistort + EQ
StereoDistort + EQ processes the left and right channels separately, though there is only one set of parameters for
both channels. The stereo distortion has only one parametric mid filter.
Block diagram of StereoDistort+EQ
Distortion
L Output
R Output
L Input
R Input
R Input
L Input
Distortion
R Output
L Output
EQ
Cabinet
Distortion EQ
Distortion EQ R Output
L OutputL Input
R Input
FXAlgs #724-6, 728: Distortion
Algorithm Reference-95
MonoDistort + Cab is also similar to Mono Distortion except the hipass is replaced by a full speaker cabinet model.
There is also a panner to route the mono signal between left and right outputs. In MonoDistort + Cab, the distortion
is followed by a model of a guitar amplifier cabinet. The model can be bypassed, or there are eight presets which
were derived from measurements of real cabinets. (See descriptions of FXAlgs #729-732 in this book for more
information.)
Block diagram of MonoDistort + Cab
The distortion algorithm will soft clip the input signal. The amount of soft clipping depends on how high the
distortion drive parameter is set. Soft clipping means that there is a smooth transition from linear gain to saturated
overdrive. Higher distortion drive settings cause the transition to become progressively sharper or ÒharderÓ. The
distortion never produces hard or digital clipping, but it does approach it at high drive settings. When you increase
the distortion drive parameter you are increasing the gain of the algorithm until the signal reaches saturation. You
will have to compensate for increases in drive gain by reducing the output gain. These algorithms will not digitally
clip unless the output gain is over-driven.
Input/Output Transfer Characteristic of Soft Clipping at Various Drive Settings
Signals which are symmetric in amplitude (they have the same shape if they are inverted, positive for negative) will
usually produce odd harmonic distortion. For example, a pure sine wave will produce smaller copies of itself at 3,
5, 7, etc. times the original frequency of the sine wave. In the MonoDistort + EQ, a dc offset may be added to the
signal to break the amplitude symmetry and will cause the distortion to produce even harmonics. This can add a
ÒbrassyÓ character to the distorted sound. The dc offset added prior to distortion gets removed at a later point in
the algorithm.
L Input
Distortion
R Input
Cabinet
Filter Pan
L Output
R Output
Output
Input
FXAlgs #724-6, 728: Distortion
Algorithm Reference-96
Parameters - Mono Distortion:
PAGE 1
MonoDistort + Cab:
PAGE 1
MonoDistort + EQ:
PAGE 1
PAGE 2
StereoDistort+EQ:
PAGE 1
Wet/Dry 0 to 100%wet Out Gain Off, -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Dist Drive 0 to 96 dB
Warmth 16 to 25088 Hz
Highpass 16 to 25088 Hz
Wet/Dry 0 to 100%wet Out Gain Off, -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Dist Drive 0 to 96 dB
Warmth 16 to 25088 Hz Cab Bypass In or Out
Cab Preset Basic
Wet/Dry 0 to 100%wet Out Gain Off, -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Dist Drive 0 to 96 dB
Warmth 16 to 25088 Hz dc Offset -100 to 100%
Cabinet HP 16 to 25088 Hz Cabinet LP 16 to 25088 Hz
Bass Gain -79.0 to 24.0 dB Treb Gain -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Bass Freq 16 to 25088 Hz Treb Freq 16 to 25088 Hz
Mid1 Gain -79.0 to 24.0 dB Mid2 Gain -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Mid1 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz Mid2 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz
Mid1 Width 0.010 to 5.000 oct Mid2 Width 0.010 to 5.000 oct
Wet/Dry 0 to 100%wet Out Gain Off, -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Dist Drive 0 to 96 dB
Warmth 16 to 25088 Hz
Cabinet HP 16 to 25088 Hz Cabinet LP 16 to 25088 Hz
FXAlgs #724-6, 728: Distortion
Algorithm Reference-97
PAGE 2
Wet/Dry The amount of distorted (wet) signal relative to unaffected (dry) signal.
Out Gain The overall gain or amplitude at the output of the effect. For distortion, it is often
necessary to turn the output gain down as the distortion drive is turned up.
Dist Drive Applies a boost to the input signal to overdrive the distortion algorithm. When
overdriven, the distortion algorithm will soft-clip the signal. Since distortion drive will
make your signal very loud, you may have to reduce the Out Gain as the drive is
increased.
Warmth A lowpass Þlter in the distortion control path. This Þlter may be used to reduce some of
the harshness of some distortion settings without reducing the bandwidth of the signal.
Cab Bypass The guitar ampliÞer cabinet simulation may be bypassed. When set to ÒInÓ, the cabinet
simulation is active; when set to ÒOutÓ, there is no cabinet Þltering. [MonoDistort + Cab]
Cab Preset Eight preset cabinets have been created based on measurements of real guitar ampliÞer
cabinets. The presets are Basic, Lead 12, 2x12, Open 12, Open 10, 4x12, Hot 2x12, and Hot
12. See description of FX Algs #729-732 for more information. [MonoDistort + Cab]
Highpass Allows you to reduce the bass content of the distortion content. If you need more
Þltering to better simulate a speaker cabinet, you will have to choose a larger distortion
algorithm. [Mono Distortion]
MonoDistort + EQ and StereoDistort+EQ
Cabinet HP A hipass Þlter which controls the low-frequency limit of a simulated loudspeaker
cabinet.
Cabinet LP A lowpass Þlter which controls the high-frequency limit of a simulated cabinet.
Bass Gain The amount of boost or cut that the bass shelving Þlter should apply to the low
frequency signals in dB. Every increase of 6 dB approximately doubles the amplitude of
the signal. Positive values boost the bass signal below the speciÞed frequency. Negative
values cut the bass signal below the speciÞed frequency.
Bass Freq The center frequency of the bass shelving Þlter in intervals of one semitone.
Treb Gain The amount of boost or cut that the treble shelving Þlter should apply to the high
frequency signals in dB. Every increase of 6 dB approximately doubles the amplitude of
the signal. Positive values boost the treble signal above the speciÞed frequency. Negative
values cut the treble signal above the speciÞed frequency.
Treb Freq The center frequency of the treble shelving Þlter in intervals of one semitone.
Mid Gain The amount of boost or cut that the mid parametric Þlter should apply in dB. Every
increase of 6 dB approximately doubles the amplitude of the signal. Positive values
boost the signal at the speciÞed frequency. Negative values cut the signal at the
speciÞed frequency.
Mid Freq The center frequency of the mid parametric Þlter in intervals of one semitone. The boost
or cut will be at a maximum at this frequency.
Mid Wid The bandwidth of the mid parametric Þlter may be adjusted. You specify the bandwidth
in octaves. Small values result in a very narrow Þlter response. Large values result in a
very broad response.
Bass Gain -79.0 to 24.0 dB Treb Gain -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Bass Freq 16 to 25088 Hz Treb Freq 16 to 25088 Hz
Mid Gain -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Mid Freq 16 to 25088 Hz
Mid Width 0.010 to 5.000 oct
FXAlg #727: PolyDistort + EQ
Algorithm Reference-98
FXAlg #727: PolyDistort + EQ
Eight-stage distortion followed by equalization
Allocation Units:
2
PolyDistort + EQ is a distortion algorithm followed by equalization. The algorithm consists of an input gain stage,
and then eight cascaded distortion stages. Each stage is followed by a one-pole LP filter. There is also a one pole
LP in front of the first stage. After the distortion there is a 4-band EQ section: Bass, Treble, and two Parametric Mids.
Block diagram of PolyDistort + EQ
Distort
Curve 1 Curve 2
Distort
Curve 3
Distort Distort
Curve 4
Curve 5
Distort Distort
Curve 6
Curve 7
Distort Distort
Curve 8
L Input
R Input
L Output
R Output
Dry
Dry
Wet
LP1 LP2
LP3 LP4
LP5 LP6
LP7 LP8
Bass Treble Mid1 Mid2
Parametric
Dist Drive
LP0
FXAlg #727: PolyDistort + EQ
Algorithm Reference-99
PolyDistort is an unusual distortion algorithm which provides a great number of parameters to build a distortion
sound from the ground up. The eight distortion stages each add a small amount of distortion to the sound. Taken
together, they can produce a very harsh heavy metal sound. Between each distortion stage is a lopass filter. The
lopass filters work with the distortion stages to help mellow out the sound. Without any lopass filters the distortion
will get very harsh and raspy.
Stages of distortion can be removed by setting the Curve parameter to 0. You can then do a 6, 4, or 2 stage distortion
algorithm. The corresponding lopasses should be turned off if there is no distortion in a section. More than 4 stages
seem necessary for lead guitar sounds. For a cleaner sound, you may want to limit yourself to only 4 stages.
Once you have set up a distorted sound you are satisfied with, the Dist Drive parameter controls the input gain to
the distortion, providing a single parameter for controlling distortion amount. You will probably find that you will
have to cut back on the output gain as you drive the distortion louder.
Post-distortion EQ is definitely needed to make things sound right. This should be something like a guitar speaker
cabinet simulator, although not exactly, since we are already doing a lot of lopass filtering inside the distortion itself.
Possible EQ settings you can try are Treble -20 dB at 5 kHz, Bass -6 dB at 100 Hz, Mid1, wide, +6 dB at 2 kHz, Mid2,
wide, +3 dB at 200 Hz, but of course you should certainly experiment to get your sound. The Treble is helping to
remove raspiness, the Bass is removing the extreme low end like an open-back guitar cabinet (not that guitar
speakers have that much low end anyway), Mid1 adds enough highs so that things can sound bright even in the
presence of all the HF roll-off, and Mid2 adds some warmth. Your favorite settings will probably be different.
Boosting the Treble may not be a good idea.
Pre-distortion EQ, available on the KDFX Studio INPUT pages, is also useful for shaping the sound. EQ done in
front of the distortion will not be heard as simple EQ, because the distortion section makes an adjustment in one
frequency range felt over a much wider range due to action of the distortion. Simple post-EQ is a bit too obvious for
the ear, and it can get tiring after a while.
Parameters:
PAGE 1
PAGE 2
PAGE 2
Wet/Dry 0 to 100%wet Out Gain Off, -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Dist Drive Off, -79.0 to 48.0 dB
Curve 1 0 to 127% Curve 5 0 to 127%
Curve 2 0 to 127% Curve 6 0 to 127%
Curve 3 0 to 127% Curve 7 0 to 127%
Curve 4 0 to 127% Curve 8 0 to 127%
LP0 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz
LP1 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz LP5 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz
LP2 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz LP6 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz
LP3 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz LP7 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz
LP4 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz LP8 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz
FXAlg #727: PolyDistort + EQ
Algorithm Reference-100
PAGE 4
Wet/Dry This is a simple mix of the distorted signal relative to the dry undistorted input signal.
Out Gain The overall gain or amplitude at the output of the effect. For distortion, it is often
necessary to turn the output gain down as the distortion drive is turned up.
Dist Drive Applies gain to the input prior to distortion. It is the basic Òdistortion driveÓ control.
Anything over 0 dB could clip. Normally clipping would be bad, but the distortion
algorithm tends to smooth things out. Still, considering that for some settings of the
other parameters you would have to back off the gain to -48 dB in order to get a not very
distorted sound for full scale input, you should go easy on this amount.
Curve
n
The curvature of the individual distortion stages. 0% is no curvature (no distortion at
all). At 100%, the curve bends over smoothly and becomes perfectly ßat right before it
goes into clipping.
LP
n
Freq These are the one-pole lopass controls. LP0 Freq handles the initial lopass prior to the
Þrst distortion stage. The other lopass controls follow their respective distortion stages.
With all lopasses out of the circuit (set to the highest frequency), the sound tends to be
too bright and raspy. With less distortion drive, less Þltering is needed. If you turn off a
distortion stage (set to 0%), you should turn of the lopass Þlter by setting it to the highest
frequency.
Bass Gain The amount of boost or cut that the bass-shelving Þlter should apply to the low-
frequency signals in dB. Every increase of 6 dB approximately doubles the amplitude of
the signal. Positive values boost the bass signal below the speciÞed frequency. Negative
values cut the bass signal below the speciÞed frequency.
Bass Freq The center frequency of the bass shelving Þlter in intervals of one semitone.
Treb Gain The amount of boost or cut that the treble-shelving Þlter should apply to the high-
frequency signals in dB. Every increase of 6 dB approximately doubles the amplitude of
the signal. Positive values boost the treble signal above the speciÞed frequency. Negative
values cut the treble signal above the speciÞed frequency.
Treb Freq The center frequency of the treble shelving Þlter in intervals of one semitone.
Mid Gain The amount of boost or cut that the mid parametric Þlter should apply in dB. Every
increase of 6 dB approximately doubles the amplitude of the signal. Positive values
boost the signal at the speciÞed frequency. Negative values cut the signal at the
speciÞed frequency.
Mid Freq The center frequency of the mid parametric Þlter in intervals of one semitone. The boost
or cut will be at a maximum at this frequency.
Mid Wid The bandwidth of the mid parametric Þlter may be adjusted. The bandwidth is speciÞed
in octaves. Small values result in a very narrow Þlter response. Large values result in a
very broad response.
Bass Gain -79.0 to 24.0 dB Treb Gain -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Bass Freq 16 to 25088 Hz Treb Freq 16 to 25088 Hz
Mid1 Gain -79.0 to 24.0 dB Mid2 Gain -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Mid1 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz Mid2 Freq 16 to 25088 Hz
Mid1 Width 0.010 to 5.000 oct Mid2 Width 0.010 to 5.000 oct
Tube Amp/Distortion/Delay Combinations
Algorithm Reference-101
Tube Amp/Distortion/Delay Combinations
FXAlg #729: TubeAmp<>MD>Chor
FXAlg #730: TubeAmp<>MD>Flan
FXAlg #731: PolyAmp<>MD>Chor
FXAlg #732: PolyAmp<>MD>Flan
Mono distortion circuits in combination with moving delays,
and a stereo chorus or stereo flange
Allocation Units
:3 each
Each of these four algorithms offer a flexible chain of effects designed primarily for guitar processing. Each chain
offers a different combination of a 3-band tone control, tube-amp distortion drive, poly-amp distortion drive,
cabinet simulation, chorus, flange, and a generic moving delay. The entire algorithm is monaural with the exception
of the final chorus or flange at the end of each chain, which have one input and a stereo output.
At the beginning of each chain is a 3-band tone control authentically re-creating the response in many guitar
preamps based on real measurements collected by Kurzweil engineers. It is adjusted with the Bass Tone, Mid Tone,
and Treb Tone controls with values ranging from 0 to 10 commonly found on many guitar amps. The flattest
frequency response is obtained by setting Mid Tone to 10.0, and both Bass and Treb Tone controls to 0.0.
The tone controls are integrated with one of two types of preamp drive circuits: TubeAmp and PolyAmp. The
TubeAmp faithfully models the response and smooth distortion caused by overloading a vacuum tube circuit.
PolyAmp is closely related to the PolyDistort algorithm offering a brighter sound quality with more sustain. The
amount of distortion is controlled by adjusting the Tube Drive or Poly Drive parameter. High frequency energy
caused by distortion can be rolled off by using the Warmth parameter.
Following the distortion drive element is a cabinet simulator. The cabinet simulator models the responses of various
types of micÕd guitar cabinets. The preset can be selected using the Cab Preset parameter. The following is the list
of cabinet presets and their descriptions:
Basic
Flat response from 100 Hz to 4 kHz with 4th order roll-offs (24dB/oct) on each end
Lead 12
Open back hard American type with one 12Ó driver
2x12
Closed back classic American type with two 12Ó drivers
Open 12
Open back classic American type with one 12Ó driver
Open 10
Open back classic American type with one 10Ó driver
4x12
Closed back British type with four 12Ó drivers
Hot 2x12
Closed back hot rod type with two 12Ó drivers
Hot 12
Open back hot rod type with one 12Ó driver
Tube Amp/Distortion/Delay Combinations
Algorithm Reference-102
The cabinet can by switched on or off with the Cab In/Out parameter. The Cab Pan parameter adjusts the final pan
position of the cabinet at the output of the algorithm, but this does not affect the cabinet signal fed into the final
stereo flange or chorus. If Ch Wet/Dry or Fl Wet/Dry is set to 100%, this pan control will not have any audible affect
since the entire output of the cabinet is fed into the flange or chorus instead of the algorithm output.
At the end of the chain is either a chorus or a flange controlled by parameters beginning with ÒChÓ or ÒFlÓ
respectively. The chorus and flange have mono inputs and stereo outputs. Each is a standard KDFX single tap dual
channel chorus (see FXAlg #150) or flange (see FXAlg#154) with independent controls for left and right channels
found in many other 1-PAU combination algorithms. The Ch Wet/Dry or Fl Wet/Dry control determines the final
output mix of the algorithm. When set at 0%, only the cabinet simulator output is fed to the output of the algorithm.
At 100%, only the output of the chorus or flange is heard. Left/right balance specifically for the chorus or flange can
be adjusted with the Out Bal control.
In addition, there is a generic monaural moving delay segment. Its parameters begin with the letters ÒMDÓ. The
moving delay is flexible enough that it can serve as a chorus, flange, or straight delay. For more detailed
information, refer to the section describing the Dual MovDelay and Quad MovDelay algorithms (FXAlgs #715-716).
As implemented in these four algorithms, it can be inserted either before the tone controls (PreDist), or after the
distortion drive (PostDist), or bypassed altogether. This is selected with the MD Insert parameter. Also provided is
the MD Wet/Dry parameter that mixes the output of the moving delay circuit with its own input to be fed into the
next effect in the chain.
TubeAmp<>MD>Chor with moving delay inserted PreDist
Blend Moving
Delay Tone Cab
Simulator
Chorus
Pan
Input Bal
MD Wet/Dry
Ch Wet/Dry
Ch Out Bal Out Gain
L Output
R Output
L Input
R Input
Tube
Amp
Tube Amp/Distortion/Delay Combinations
Algorithm Reference-103
TubeAmp<>MD>Chor with moving delay inserted PostDist
Parameters:
PAGE 1
PAGE 2 (TubeAmp algs)
PAGE 2 (PolyAmp algs)
In/Out In or Out Out Gain Off; -79.0 to 24.0 dB
Input Bal -100 to 100%
Tube Drive Off; -79.0 to 60.0 dB
Warmth 16 to 25088 Hz
Bass Tone 0.0 to 10.0
Mid Tone 0.0 to 10.0 Cab In/Out In or Out
Treb Tone 0.0 to 10.0 Cab Preset Open 12, ...
Cab Pan -100 to 100%
Poly Drive 0.0 to 60.0 dB
Warmth 16 to 25088 Hz
Bass Tone 0.0 to 10.0
Mid Tone 0.0 to 10.0 Cab In/Out In or Out
Treb Tone 0.0 to 10.0 Cab Preset Open 12, ...
Cab Pan -100 to 100%
Blend Moving
Delay
Tone Cab
Simulator
Chorus
Pan
Input Bal
MD Wet/Dry
Ch Wet/Dry
Ch Out Bal Out Gain
L Output
R Output
L Input
R Input
Tube
Amp