Poly Keyboard Interface Freedom 1 Reference/Sell Sheet and colour photo promotion sheet, 1981

 

Poly Keyboard Interface Freedom 1 reference/sell sheet and colour photo promotion sheet from 1981.

Here we have the follow-up to last Monday's PKI Freedom 1 advertisement that appeared in Contemporary Keyboard in February 1981. I'd add an image of that ad to the right of this text, but it is *exactly* like the front of this reference sheet - so no need. Plus I'm feeling lazy after a long day at work.

You can read that last blog post for my initial thoughts on the Freedom 1. Today I'd like to focus on the back on this sell sheet with all that juicy historical reference information.

First - awesome to learn that PKI had separate "systems" for sale.

The Starter System, aka System 1 included the Freedom keyboard, a transmitter/receiver and one slave controller for the low low price of $2,869.00. From there, the systems went up in price depending on the configuration.

For example, if you wanted the system to play a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 remotely, with the additional remote control of it's program select, pitch and modulation, it would set you back $3,609.00.

Want to control the SCI Prophet 5 and an OB-X with keyboard split - $4,884.00.

And so on all the way up to what they called System 6 - or the big Mamoo System - for $18,499.00. This system included the keyboard with the ability to control six slaves - all controllable through the keyboard or four other retrofitted master keyboards - Clavinette, Rhodes, Grand, Hammond... Even PKI recommends this as the sytem for in-store demos or the "Rock Star". At least they're real about it. :)

If you read my Freedom 1 advertising blog post, you know I was a little confused about the Freedom 1's sequencing capabilities.  I was hoping this reference sheet would clear some of that confusion up... but no dice. We do learn that the "Six track Polyphonic Memory... per each slave" is $350 bucks. But that's about it. Boo.

Well, before I sign off, I just have to comment on the elephant in the room. I'm talking about that colour photo I've also posted that seems to have been passed around as part of the Freedom 1 promotion.  Or, should I say, that photo of a beach, with a faded Freedom 1 keyboard superimposed on top of it.

Why?

:)