Technics SX-K450
electronic keyboard

The Technics sx-K450 is a classic accompaniment keyboard produced in 1986.  At the time it came out, this was the top-of-the-line Technics accompaniment keyboard.  There were also the SX-K300 and the SX-K350, that had less features than the 450.

Especially for the time, I am impressed with the overall quality of the 450.  It features polyphonic (synthesized) and monophonic (sampled) patches, suitable respectively for accompaniment and soloing.  The on-board effects include Chorus (control that expands one voice of the poly presets to sound like many voices), Tremolo (when pressed, gradually adds a full theatrical tremolo effect), and Celeste (creates a colorful new dimension, simulating the spaciousness of a huge concert hall or arena), and these really add sparkle and movement to the sounds.  Other features include sustain, controllable both from pedal or from a front-panel slider.

The PCM solo presets are really good considering this board is from 1986.  Compared to my old Gem DSK-8 Stereo, which came out the same year, the sounds are in less number but more realistic, more "present"... they were sampled better, I suppose.

Transpose is a cool feature that every keyboardist can use when he/she doesn't know how to play a tune in a different key: just move a slider up or down and get a new base-pitch.  "Techni-Chord" is an automatic "harmony generator" - basically you play one note and the sound engine adds the right chords that go with the automated bassline.  This was (and still is) typical of accompaniment keyboard of that era.  The drum machine is fairly realistic, and the drum sounds are punchy in a lo-fi, compressed early PCM kind of way :-). 

The "Program Chord Computer" is a Technics exclusive, that makes it possible to program the chord accompaniment of an entire song and store it.  An optional cartridge can also be used to store songs, effects, rhythms.

There's also a "Play Sequencer", an early digital sequencer that you can use to make "real time" recordings of your performances.  A non-backlit LCD display keeps track of tempo, banks, sequences etc.  There are also plenty of options with MIDI.

Technics SX-K450 factory songs

Here are the 8 on-board songs: