Under the hood, the PC3LE8 features the same groundbreaking chip technology that has made the PC3 the most talked about keyboard in recent years. All of the PC3"s sounds are includedthe famous Kurzweil grand piano, vintage electric pianos, Clavinets and Mellotrons, dazzling Orchestral and Strings collections, stunning VA virtual analog synths, KB3 organs, realistic basses, drums, guitars, percussion and horns, General MIDI, plus nearly 200 new programs developed specifically for the LEover 1050 programs in all. Kurzweil has improved the method for navigating through such a massive sound set; programs in the LE can be viewed and selected with a new set of Category buttons. Select "Leads" and you"ll see a list of all the synth leads in the machine, grouped together. Same goes for the other 20 categories, everything from Synth Bass to Mallets to Guitars. These programs take advantage of the V.A.S.T. synthesis engine, using pristine samples paired with detailed programming of literally hundreds of synth and effects parameters. Whether it"s the rosin of a bowed string instrument, the resonant harmonics of a piano"s damper pedal, or the thumps and squeaks of an electromechanical keyboard, Kurzweil"s done its homework and provided a level of detail and realism previously unimagined, allowing you to focus on the important business of making music. The PC3LE8 comes equipped with over 700 onboard effects chains from which to choose, all with real-time controllers already assigned to relevant parameters. With world class reverbs that decay into complete silence; warm, classic sounding phasers, flangers, and choruses; and burning, saturated distortions, you"ll have everything you need to make your music sound like a polished, finished product from the outset. The PC3LE8"s architecture provides up to 10 insert effects, which can be distributed among 10 channels, with an available auxiliary effect as well. Interactivity In the PC3, Kurzweil introduced the "INFO" feature, a soft button-press that allows the user to see which controllers have been assigned to parameters within a program. For the LE, it"s taken this to the next level, with an interactive user interface that communicates directly with you whenever you move a real-time controller. Turn a knob, hit a button, or move a wheel and the LE"s screen will display the controller, its real-time value, and the parameter being affected. An example would be moving the modwheel on an organ program - you would see the following: "Modwheel 79 Distortion Drive". This system never breaks downyou can change effect chains freely and all of this info remains intact, updated to reflect the new chain you"ve selected. Also, this info is transferred seamlessly to Setup Mode so you can see whatever controllers have been assigned to programs used in any zone of a setup. Customization Prefer to spend your time playing over sound-programming? Think of the LE as the preset-player version of the original PC3. All the sound, no deep programming necessary. At the same time, Kurzweil wanted to give users the quickest, simplest possible way to adjust the PC3LE"s sounds to suit individual tastes and needs. In any given program or effects chain, select relevant parameters have been pre-assigned real-time controllers for easy access. Move a controller and hit the SAVE buttonno menus, no pages with endless parametersand you get one touch sound customization. Kurzweil understands that flexibility is important when it comes to customizing your sound. Don"t want filter frequency control on a knob? Prefer to have it assigned to the modwheel? No problem. The PARAMETERS page allows you to re-assign any controller to any available* parameter. You can save your custom sounds to the user bank, with over 1000 ID slots. *available parameters are predetermined and vary per program A