You will probably have noticed a folder in the main screen of the Kasina entitled “KBS”. The Kasina Basic Synthesizer is a whole different personality. Open the KBS folder and you will find a KBS Editor folder and a Sirius Sessions folder.
First, the Sirius Sessions. The recently discontinued Sirius was one of the first MindPlace devices packaged in the well known Proteus/Procyon style case. It was a single color device, including AudioStrobe decoding and a bunch of non-reprogrammable preset sessions. Interestingly, it also had a color organ feature, something that has only just returned (with much greater sophistication) with the Kasina. The Sirius sessions have been converted to the KBS format – full details can be found in the PDF Sirius Manual that you will find in the KBS/Sirius Sessions folder when you access the Kasina uSD card via USB. The single color KBS sessions are mapped to the Kasina’s full color capability using ColorSets.
In the KBS Editor folder you will find not much at all unless you have accessed the uSD via USB (or have the uSD plugged directly into PC/Mac). Once accessed by a computer a pair of software installers will be found – one for Mac, one for PC. I haven’t tried the Mac installer, but I can say that the Windows one works flawlessly on Win 7. The KBS editor is a quick and elegant way to create simple “mind machine” style sessions. The Editor creates a .kbs and a .kis file for each session and can open and work with either. Scott (Neuroasis) has done a beautiful job of the editor, so I’m going to let pictures replace a thousand words…
The Kasina Basic Synthesizer Editor invites experimentation. It’s easy to use, has context sensitive help and Scott is right onto support on the MindPlace forum.
Classic synthesized beep machine sessions have a certain special appeal. While the KBS isn’t a Proteus or Procyon, it is entirely useful. The Sirius sessions have a long history of delivering pleasing results.
It should be noted, that like any aspect of the Kasina’s character, KBS is largely firmware, so who knows how it might evolve with time. Those of you who have had an early Procyon would know MindPlace products tend to keep evolving new features and capabilities – always keep an eye out for new firmware releases on the MindPlace Support site!
Have fun!
Cheers,
Craig
CraigT AVS 