You can go to www.korgpa.com and download the new 3.0 operating system which gives a PA1X or PA1XPRO all the new features of the PA800 except for polyphony and sample ram specifications. All other features and compatability are now the same, including the 16 oscillators per voice, the 3 endings, the individual EQ's for each style track, etc.


------------------
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

Copy & Paste:

Pa1X OS 3.0 released

OSIMO, Italy — Operating System Version 3.0 for the Pa1X, Pa1X Pro and Pa1X Elite, Korg's flagship arranger keyboards, is now available.

The new operating system include:

**Support for long file names. You are no longer limited to the classic format 8.3, all capitals. Now names can be as long as you like, and mix upper and lower case characters. Names of files trasferred via USB or CD from a personal computer will not be cut into shorter names, and will look exactly as the original.

**Easier way to start recording Songs from any measure. Go on recording your Song. If you want to do second-pass recording, starting from a measure different than the first one, you are no longer asked to move to that measure using the Fast Forward command. Just choose the new starting measure with the Start Measure parameter, and go on recording from there.

**Up to 16 oscillators per Sound. Create Sounds as sophisticate as you like. In the Pa1X, each oscillator is a different sound at all. You can either create very rich sounds, or add as many dynamic layers as you like, for the highest degree of nuance in a single sound.

**Smarter pre-selection of Style Elements. You can now select a different Variation just before jumping to a different Style. The Variation you choose will overtake the one memorized in the Style Performance.

**Faster SongBook operations. Huge SongBook files are now loaded and saved much quicker.

**Ending 3. A new, shorter ending is included. For those of you who prefer to cut short in the end.

**Revised user interface, with bigger buttons, bigger fonts and colored sliders.

**Enhanced Lyrics and Select pages, for better readibility.

**Revised Musical Resources, with various improvements and the new Ending 3 for Styles.

**Smarter Solo Mode, to be activated with Shift + Touch.

**Tempo Lock in Song Play mode, to quickly freeze Tempo and keep it the same in subsequent Songs.

**Contextual Help now available also in Dutch and Russian languages.

The new OS is released together with

a new set of piano sounds, featuring pedal resonance and RX noises, based on the same technology used in our recent C-Series of digital pianos and Pa800.

Also, a set of 64 new Styles is included.

And much more ....

OS 3.0 follows on from the powerful options and new OS features released since the introduction of the Pa1X series. Since its release, the Pa1X Pro has become the keyboard of choice for countless professional musicians worldwide who demand the very best. Korg promised an on going series of powerful and exciting new features for the Pa1X Series, and with 3.0 we continue to deliver on our promise.

OS 3.0 furthers our commitment to deliver RX Technology (Real Experience) at its most useful, not gimmicks to show off, but real world usefulness: what professional musicians need. This is why the Pa1X, Pa1X Pro and Pa1X Elite are the world’s leading Arranger Keyboards.

Have fun.

The Korg Team.



[This message has been edited by trident (edited 02-13-2007).]

Yamaha wake up

You mean Korg wake up and bring the PA800 into the US market

Roland and Korg...... putting to rest the notion that you need a software computer-based arranger to have significant OS upgrades, and that your arranger is finished with improvements the day you buy it.

Yamaha.... still stuck sucking the money out of it's users, as the only way to get improved performance is to buy a whole new keyboard....!

Exactly

Small OS updates like 3 are OK but you still have the same sound system, whereas with software based systems as well as getting many more features added, a new sound system can also be incorporated.
It is good to see hardware boards that can be updated, (All Wersi instruments produced since the company started in 1969 have had this capability, but even they pale in significance compared to the software based OAS instruments) however please remember that the updates are quite minor when compared to the updates you get on a software based instrument.
Enjoy whatever you play

Bill

the korg pa800 has been at my store since Dec.10. I've had 18 units to sell so far. The popularity has been amazing so we never have anything in stock to sell. Customers are paying for them before I get them in.

george your store is unique ....try to find it anywhere else....or try to find a NON factory American video PA800 demo anywhere so you can play one, do you offer a 30/45 day return policy?....thats what Im talking about.....

Abacus.... how much has it cost to upgrade OAS? Several hundred dollars, just for the last upgrade, if I remember correctly....?

These from Roland and Korg are FREE upgrades. Best of luck getting that from Wersi!

I can't talk too informatively about Korg, but since I bought my G70, Roland have added a parametric EQ on each and every Part; Style, Keyboard AND Song, an ENTIRELY new mode - Guitar Mode... nothing like it on any other arranger, and COMPLETELY new (and free!) to Roland. A completely new OTS system, now linked to styles, whether ROM or Internal or Card-based. And innumerable improvements in the OS for control and command.

A completely new, cross-platform Database Manager software (also free) and tons of new styles. An SRX slot allows the addition of VERY high quality sounds to the supposedly 'closed' sound-set, with Roland adding three or four new ones since I bought the G70.

Of COURSE it isn't capable of adding VSTi's, but what do you expect for free? Oh, that's right, as a Wersi owner, you don't expect ANYTHING for free......

Roland and Korg...... putting to rest the notion that you need a software computer-based arranger to have significant OS upgrades, and that your arranger is finished with improvements the day you buy it.
Yamaha.... still stuck sucking the money out of it's users, as the only way to get improved performance is to buy a whole new keyboard....!
---------------------------------------------

Well said Diki! What the hell has Yamaha done for T2 owners to compare to the upgrades offered by Korg for example??? Don't give me the crap that "well the lack of upgrade for the T2 means it doesnt need them" because that's crap! Get your head out of your butt Yamaha. Your method of OS upgrade cost over $3,000

+1

They should do something about the fact that it takes the keyboard 3 hours to save 1GB of sample data for starters, and almost 1 hour to load.

Regards.
James.

Holy Crap! That's LONG!!! Geez. I had no idea the save and load time was so low.

Oh Boy I see a mine is better then yours being born.....

I am sorry, but no upgrade is ever going to change the glacial sample transfer speeds in the T2 (and Korg, and any other non-computer sampler currently out).

Keyboard technology usually lags computer technology by at least 5 years. They are only JUST starting to add USB2 to arrangers, and the first ethernet and firewire workstations have been announced at NAMM - but no news as to whether these translate into real world improvements in sample loading, yet....

Donny, this is not be a 'mine is better than yours' thread, it's more of a 'mine is better than it used to be' thread!

I just rather make great music with what I have and stop worrying about what ain't here yet or what ain't out yet.....its nice to dream but Its mind tolling & unproductive....there's nothing wrong with what used to be, remember its what molded us to this day

Just loaded the 3.0 into my store's PA1XPRO. GREAT!!!!!
It turned this keybaord into a brand new keyoard.
There is also a bonus set of styles I loaded (from the PA800) and the best sounding Piano I've heard to date.


------------------
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

Hi Dikki
All Wersi updates (Like the Korg OS3) are Free.
The only time you pay is when you have a very large upgrade, (Exactly the same as you get when you upgrade your hardware board to a new one) however it is still considerably cheaper then the price you have to pay to trade up your hardware board to a new one.
Enjoy whatever you play

Bill

Yes I totaly agree with this,they shoul need to do somethin about going FASTER load samples.

Ahhhh... the Song of the Yamaha Apologist....

Given how many new arrangers you keep trying out, Donny, wouldn't it be nice to get one without paying for it?

And given how you CONSTANTLY post about the latest arrangers with great interest, and have bought (or at least bought and returned!) several of them, you can't honestly expect us to take THAT quote seriously.....!

You are turning this into a 'mine always was, and always will be better than yours' thread, no matter the facts.

Be happy with what you have, because Yamaha will never make it any better....

Abacus.... how about a list of all the new features that Wersi have added to your arranger FOR FREE in the last two years?

And, by the way, if you take VERY good care of your arranger, and jump on new models as soon as they come out, you would be surprised at how little value is lost. Wasn't the last OAS upgrade over $700?

I sold my cherry G1000 for over $1200 (after eight years of use) and payed only about $2000 for it new. Not too shabby for a hardware improvement of THAT caliber (only lost $800 over 8 yrs!). Admittedly, you have to add in the cost of changing to the G70, but what is the total cost of bringing a ten year old Wersi up to completely contemporary specs?

We GET IT, abacus, you don't have to jump in every time your 'turf' is poached! But that's a $10K club you belong to. I can change my arrangers to newer models for about thirty years before I have spent THAT much!

And Ssshhhhh....... don't tell ANYONE here how much your Abacus weighs!

No amount of upgrades is going to make THAT any less!

(You know I don't mind it myself, just messing with ya! Anyone want to lug my 55lb K2500S around...? Didn't think so! Keep it in the studio, myself!)

I wonder what keyboards will be like in 30 years lol Roland G7x Yamaha Tyros 10 Korg PA5x Pro

They will all be inflatable, and we will have to carry weights just to stop them floating off stage.....!

This is my very brief but hopefully detailed review of the New OS version 3 upgrade.

I have just managed to upgrade my PA1X into the next generation production workstation !!!! All i can say is OH MY GOODNESS !!!! Korg you must have got into my mind and designed modern soulful funky grooves just for me !!! There are approx 64 new styles each with 3 endings (all the styles on the entire keyboard both old and new all have 3 endings) , 4 variations and 4 intro (two intros that play a compltely different pattern if you play a minor chord ). The styles are very much more geared towards the contemporary youthful market. There are a couple of nice bosanovas,and a couple of exquisite unplugged styles. The styles are absolutely playable and kept me up all last night. There were no styles that i could not see myself using.

I dont know if Korg has reworked all the styles because they all sound so well balanced accross all the styles. This really sounds like a new keyboard.

The new styles are just so well thought out and programmed. It has even lifted my own playing skills just through inspiration alone. I am still tuning my ears to the new pianos though as they sound a lot darker than i am used to. The Grand Touch Piano RX has a twin brother called the Grand Touch piano (no RX) I have listened over and over again through headphones and through the internal speakers and for the life of me i cannot tell the difference between the sounds. To my ears they are identical. But played in styles the RX version has noticeable drop outs but the non RX has none. Dont really know why Korg went through the trouble of developing the RX version as genuinley i could not tell the difference. I understand why they needed the Extra polyphony for the new piano (RX version ) but as the "light" version sounds identical i think that the 64 note polyphony and Korgs unique note management system are more than adequate. There is also a mellow piano and a Rock piano RX . The Rock piano RX is brighter and less subtle. The mellow and grand pianos are ideal for jazz music and unplugged styles. They both sound very authentic both within a style and played solo.

The operating system as a whole is much easier to use and operates much more quickly. It used to take 3.45mins to boot up from power on. Now it boots up in less than two minutes and thats using the full 32mb samples on auto load. (i can still just about make a cup of tea in that time but it is a vast improvement.) Merging samples is very much easier and faster. Filehandling is so much more intuitive etc I have spent most of last night and this morning jamming with the instrument and merging my favourite samples from the harddrive to the internal ram.I have some awesome new "real drums" that i downloaded from the Korg website...for free.

The new wave products from Yamaha, the minimo and the mo6/8 and XS were designed (in part) to fill the gap between pro musicians that liked the arranger functions, live full performance available on arranger keyboards but also wanted a more contemporary sound. In steps up Korg with the new Improved PA1X! I am just astounded that the music making world of producers have not stumbled accross this amazing product.

SqueakD in previous posts I remember you lamenting the fact that most arrangers simply did not cater to contemporary musicians and for example you said thatHiphop/Rap music is very difficult to write on an arranger .WEll if you like contemporary grooves, RnB and playable Hiphop then you really need to check this monster out!

This is a huge improvement over an already outstanding machine and to call it an upgrade is really an understatement.

I cant believe that i got this OS upgrade for free !!! I only hope Korg continue to extend the life of its product in this way. I can honestly say that i would have paid hundreds for an upgrade such as this (I hope Korg are not listening ) rather than make a side step to the PA800 which from a players point of view is slightly inferior to its older brother. I know this is still not an open keyboard but the technology works, its sounds great and more than provides for the creativeness of my own imagination.

I dont know if Korg have heard this too many times this week but what the hell........THANK YOU KORG !!!!!!

[This message has been edited by spalding (edited 02-15-2007).]

[This message has been edited by spalding (edited 02-15-2007).]

Hello Spalding
Liked the review, it should definitely get Korg owners downloading the update.
Regarding the Pianos is one stereo and the other mono, as a lot of piano samples come in this form.
Have you got the timings correct on the start-up times as even the new OS seems rather slow for a hardware board. (It’s slower then a Wersi which I find hard to believe, OAS 6 2:25min, OAS 7 1:20min)
Your report also reinforces what I have always said in my Keyboard Festival Reports. (That the Korg PA1X is the best all round mainstream arranger on the market)

Bill

I will checkwhether they are stere for both pianos bill. But the RX is supposed to have note off, full damper , half damper etc but to my ears there is no difference. Yes those are the correct loading times for the PA1X ! That has always been a problem if a gigging musician gets a plug pulled out or there is a temporary power cut. Without all the extra samples the PA1X loads up in about 15 seconds. But with the Ram fully utilised prior to the OS update it was common for a 3 minuteplus boot up. They have done amazing things with the new OS.

Two minutes just to boot...... OMG!

Presumably, the new styles address this new sample set, so you probably don't have too much option to bypass it (?)

Just one MORE reason to start demanding your arranger manufacturer join the 21st century (they're only seven years late!) and implement modern RAM loading capabilities. If not, the future will HAVE to belong to the soft-arranger crowd, as more and more of us get spoiled by the realism of VSTi's like Ivory, BFD, GPO etc., that no ROMpler can match.

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 02-15-2007).]

no Dikki. The only reason for the long boot up is because i have loaded into the instrument new samples that did not come with the instrument. The load up time takes into account a maxed out sample ram memory (32mb)which takes just under 2 mins. Compare that to the T2 that takes 7 minutes to boot up with sharpes evolution piano that again uses the same maximum sample ram of 32mb. I dont know how many new samples are used in the update but it boots up much more quickly if you dont need to use the additional sampling power that i have.it takes approx 15 secs

Hey Spalding;

You can mix in the RX elements to tweak the sound more to your liking(or to clearly hear the difference, I should say....).

Using the Grand Touch RX sound, go the BASIC/OSC BASIC edit page, call up Osc 9, OSC 10, and OSC 11..etc.... and turn their volumes up.

- Frost

[This message has been edited by Frostbyte (edited 02-16-2007).]

spalding..... I'm confused. Does the OS3 REPLACE the waveform ROM that came when you bought it (flashROM? that's hard to believe), or do the new styles only address the old sample ROM?

You talk about this new piano (from the PA800), that HAS to be new samples, doesn't it? So no styles can address this until it is loaded into RAM?

How about new drumkits or guitar sounds? I realize that the new OS allows for much more multi-sample switching, etc., which will breathe new life into the old sample ROM quite a bit, but at the end of the day, it IS still the old ROM, isn't it?

Don't get me wrong, the new OS looks to be an amazing boon to current owners of PA1X's, but personally, I would still, if I were thinking about a new arranger, think it possibly worth the wait for Korg to come out with a new TOTL (top of the line) arranger with the PA800's engine. MUCH greater polyphony, MUCH greater addressable RAM memory, probably faster response (latency), and that thing we all crave, NEW ROM waveforms that address the shortcomings in the current set.

But that's just me.... others may not be able to wait that long. But I imagine that Korg are thinking they will sell more TOTL arrangers by bringing out a new model than simply putting a brand new paint job (with racing stripes!) on the old one. So don't be surprised at a new TOTL Korg at summer NAMM or thereabouts. Some new ROM (from PA800 and maybe M3 ), the new OS, the old TC Helion stuff and the new RAM specs and color touch screen, it wouldn't take long to cobble all that together.

I think I see OS3 as having great value for their existing customers, but I can also see the advantage to Korg of a greater pool of beta testers than just the few PA800 users so far to test the new OS for bugs before they roll out a new TOTL arranger........

No.



Technically, yes.



Yes and yes.



Yes and no.
The RX engine has been updated to 16 OSC’s, so the level of control and complexity over a sound has been enhanced greatly.



It’s not a lure to get people to buy more Pa1X keyboards, it’s about a promise to Pa1X users that KORG made a long time ago to support their customers by trying to reverse engineer new systems that they where developing for a new keyboard. Which turned out to be the Pa800 but nobody knew that at the time.



I’m sure that in time you will see this, but KORG have always given their products a very long life before the successor comes out. Which I think it’s great considering that keyboards do cost money and they are expensive.

I’d rather see many years of support and OS updates than the expectation to just buy a new keyboard every 2 years or so.

Regards.
James.

Thanks for the clarification, James. Cleared up a lot of confusion.

I applaud Korg's follow up on their promises. As you know, we Roland users have had similar good fortune.

How long has the PA1X been out now, though...? It must be enough to amortize their development costs. Didn't the PA80 come out AFTER it? And that has already been replaced.

It would not be in Korg's best interest to sit on this new technology for no reason other than a 'promise' to it's existing user base. They have fulfilled that promise. It's time to attract new customers to the line that may be a bit hesitant, given the poor comparison (at least in some specs) to other, more up to date arrangers.

You don't see the M3 not being released because they don't want to p*ss off the Triton Extreme buyers..... Mark my words, I think we'll be seeing a new TOTL Korg this year, and current PA1X buyers will be MUCH more likely to buy it, now Korg have shown how well they support legacy products.

BTW, if any Roland R&D or marketing guys are trolling this, firstly, thanks for folding back on the G70 the OTS and per-part EQ from the E80......

How about folding back the style text and picture viewer features, too....?

You MUST see the PR benefits, now, the customer loyalty (I'm definitely buying another Roland in the future, now that you spent all that time and money fixing and improving the G70 - I wasn't if you hadn't, though!) and reputation for follow-up.

The code for these features is already done, no harm to provide it to the G70 users (it doesn't cut into sales - most G70 users get one for the form factor), and it only enhances your already much improved reputation....

Pretty please........

It was first seen at the NAMM show Jan 04



It would have been a hot seller, and I guess if something is selling so well. Why stop selling it. Why not use that time and money to develop an even better successor.



No, believe it or not, the Pa80 came out in July 2000.



True, but I think they have used the time wisely, while making existing customers very happy, they have given themselves a lot of time to develop something truly amazing.

So, who knows. Maybe the next model will be a super duper workstation arranger :-)



Agreed, and I think we will see something at summer NAMM.



The Triton Extreme has been around since the start of 2004. The M3 is also more of a replacement for the entire Triton Series line in my opinion, which goes WAY back to the release of the Triton Classic.

So, this has been on the cards for a very long time. Too long in fact. Maybe people would have expected the Triton Series to be replaced after the release of the Triton Studio and not to see a TR and Extreme.

Kind Regards.
James.

Actually the PA1X is quite young, if you have a look at the Ketron SD1 this came out in 2001/2002, and has also been updated so as to keep customers happy.
The main thing to remember is that you don’t need to upgrade (Only update) a quality instrument every couple of years, as the fact that it has quality will keep buyers coming.
This is why I still rate the PA1X above the G70, E80 and Tyros 2 etc.

Bill

Th PA1x is still the most complete arranger in the market and competes very strongly against even the latest yamaha and Roland arrangers out there. A quality instrument will always be a quality instrument.It doesnt matter what cute gadgets come along in the future.Thats why the PAX has held its value for so long . Ask a T1 Owner what their instrument is worth now compared to when they purchased it. For me at least, it is not the technology that drives my purchases.I dont buy a new keyboard every 2 or three years so yamaha would not like me as a customer ! Its the quality of sound, ease of use and how quickly the instrument can produce the music that is within me. The pax is still the only arranger workstation that is complete in its entirety without the use of external software or hardware. This is not a "my keyboard is better than yours " argument. I am saying that for me and i guess many other song writers/performers they want a quality instrument with a fully featured sequencer, a fully functional sampler,fully editable sounds great support in terms of future updates, styles or sounds from the manufacturer and an OS that integrates these functions easily so that i can use them in my creative process quickly and intuitively.

The Pax does that and does it very very well. Had i the option a new keyboard today i would still choose the PAX even before the OS 3.

[This message has been edited by spalding (edited 02-17-2007).]

But the PA1X is still based primarily on the Triton engine (and an older Triton at that, no tubes in a PA1X!), something that Korg already have shown the door, after long and faithful service. There always seems to be a couple of years or more between a new synth engine, and it's appearance as the motor for an arranger (Motif>Tyros, Fantom>G70, Triton>PA1X), so there's a technological gap that is even wider for arrangers than workstations.

Sorry for not researching my timeline better. Was the PA1X the first Triton based TOTL Korg, or was there a PA1 before it? You see where I'm going, here?

Now that Korg have opened the door with the PA800, and the engine and OS changes have been coded, Korg are only going to lose money if they don't bring the TOTL to market ASAP.

OTOH, if they were to work on a REAL super-duper, and combine the arranger OS with the M3's engine, and keep the Karma and audio features, too..... WOW!

THAT would be worth waiting a couple of years more for....

None of the triton range have RX technology. The sound engine on the Triton range is slightly different as the triton range sounds are not immediately compatable with the PA1X. The funny thing is that the Pa800 has a new synth engine that sounds astoundingly similar to the old sound engine ! If i were not told that the PA800 had a different sound engine i would not have been able to tell. Listen to some of the demos on the PA1X and then the same demos (yes exactly the same demos) on the PA800 and tell me if you can hear a difference or if you can whether it justifies splashing out new cash if you already own the PA1X ?

Korg will only loose money if people buy from a spec sheet or simply want to aquire new technology. If korg were wary of that then they would have released another instrument by now but i dont think korg have anything to worry about if purchasers use their ears and understand the length of commitment the manufacturer makes to each successive model. The only real change that korg made to the PA800 is the extra polyphony and the extra sampling ram. The extra polyphony was devised to accomodate the up to 16 oscillators per sound . However very few of the sounds on the PA800 use more than 4-5 oscillators . Its only the RX piano that uses more to get the most accurate piano sound on an arranger keyboard. You willmost likely use this instrument in solo playing as it would be lost in accompaniment. AS the PA1X now has the same level of sound design through the new OS3(i,e it now has the capability of using up to 16 oscillators per voice) even withg its reduced polyphony of 62 notes it still is not a major hindrance in solo playing.

Certainly there willba a new PA2X some time but from the various discussions forums that i frequent individuals are still making favourable comparrisons between the T2,G70 and PA1X. Thats not bad for a 3 year old technology instrument

I completely agree, spalding..... even after all this time, the PA1X can hold it's water up against newer arrangers, especially in the contemporary music category, where I think it's the ONLY arranger out there with much of an urban, 21st century vibe.

When I refer to an engine, I am not really talking about the samples in ROM, but more the underlying synth chip that powers them. The additional polyphony is a truly significant change from the PA1X to the PA800, allowing the sound designers for a new TOTL much more scope in patch realism, and I would expect a LOT of new ROM in any new TOTL Korg.

Another HUGE improvement I would expect from a 21st century engine is the latency issue, stacked voices and all that. I noticed an enormous improvement in latency going from a G1000 (with it's Sound Canvas SC88Pro engine) to the G70 (based on the FantomX). Layered patches are now consistent, and flam-free. I've played many Tritons (got one myself) and you can sure hear the engine working once you layer three or more patches on a single note, especially percussive sounds.

Then you add in the HUGE improvement in sample RAM capacity... If you DO have slow load up times (and they all do, even if the PA800 is a BIT faster) this simply means for live, you basically can load up at the start of the gig, and that's it... It takes up far too long to do it during the show, or even, dare I say it, DURING a song! So the more RAM you have, the more sounds you can use. The PA1X's 32MB limit is just not enough for more than a few good sounds (or one passable piano!).

I don't know if many PA1X users WOULD feel the need to change to a new TOTL Korg, after the OS3 upgrade. I didn't buy into the Roland V-series, but kept my G1000 for eight years until the G70 came out. But for owners of older Korgs, or other manufacturer users looking to take a walk on the wild side, their needs would probably be best served waiting for a PA800-based TOTL, rather than buying into a new PA1X, at the end of it's product life....

I bought mine 2004 Jun.