Description
Together with the new Waveterm B, the PRK FD featured a 68000 CPU as well as a 5 1/2″ floppy disk drive, so that wavetables and samples from Waveterm B floppies could be loaded and played. In addition, the PRK FD was equipped with some impressive MIDI master controller features, including a 99-track sequencer and four independently addressable MIDI outputs. Unlike the PRK FD, the PRK FD had pitch bend and modulation wheels. In addition to the expanded and improved keyboard, the PRK offers velocity control for the Wave or EVU components. The PRK also has the ability to dump samples into the wavetables of a Wave or EVU, as is a feature of the Waveterm. This capability is very important for users who do not own a Waveterm, as it allows sample playback at a lower cost than buying the expensive Waveterm computer. It should be noted that the PRK, like modern MIDI controllers, does not generate its own sound. The sound cards or floppy disks contained only sample data, but the PRK had no way to play that data. Only after downloading the data into a wavetable in a Wave or an EVU could the sound be played by the oscillators of the two components. An interesting PRK option was a real Steinway wooden keyboard. It is not known if this option was available for the PRK, the PRK-FD, or both.
