Hi,

KORG Pa1X users may be interestred to know that the new Operating System will be avilable in May. You can read more about it in our web site: "http://www.korgpa.com".

Best regards,
Paolo
KI

OSIMO, Italy — Operating System Version 2.5 for the Pa1X and Pa1X Pro, Korg's flagship arranger keyboards, is expected to be available in May, 2005. As usual, the new OS will be a no charge download from Korg Italy's web site (www.korgpa.com), and can be easily installed by the user.

Here is a list of the major new features that you will find in the forthcoming OS:

* Song Markers, for a quick jump to a given position in the Song
* "Expert" chord recognition mode, adding Rootless chords to the basic set
* Style/RT Track Balance (Style Play mode) and Song/RT Track Balance (in Song Play mode) controlled via the Acc/Seq Volume slider
* Skip Setup Measure, for a quicker Song start, by skipping the first empty measure
* Lower Lock, to keep the Lower track unchanged when choosing a different Style, Performance or STS
* Style Track Volume Lock, to keep the volume of the Style tracks unchanged when choosing a different Style or Performance
* Keyboard Mode and Chord Scanning Lock, to keep the keyboard mode and chord scanning unchanged when choosing a different Style, Performance or STS
* Style/Song Volume Link functions, to proportionally change the volume of all Style or Song tracks at the same time
* Factory Sounds overwriting, to create custom Sound banks
* Auto Select settings saved into the Global
* Multiple file selection in the Disk (Erase and Copy) pages
* Play All Midifiles/MP3 files in a folder (Song Play mode)
* Copy FX between Styles, Performances, STSs and Songs
* STS/Variation Link controlled by the Single Touch button
* All four STSs of the current Style copied to a Song Book entry in a single pass
* Harmony Track memorized with each SongBook entry
* The volume of all four Pads can be assigned to the sliders or pedals

And you'll also find:

* File overwrite procedure enhanced (Disk mode)
* In SongBook and Disk mode, touching a label selects a different list order
* Start/Stop, Play/Stop Seq 1, and Play/Stop Seq 2 commands simulated by Control Change messages received on the Midi In Control channel
* In the Event Edit pages (Style Record, Pad Record and Sequencer modes), events can be scrolled by means of the Shift + Dial combination
* Select button turns green when pressed in the Drum Volume and Easy Edit pages (Style Play and Song Play modes)
* Lyrics loaded as ".Txt" files can be scrolled with the Dial
* Aftertouch On/Off
* Lock page splitted in more panes

Also expected for the Pa1X during this Spring is a new expansion card devoted to the Latin and Latin Dance music.

OS 2.5 follows on from the powerful options and new OS features released during the 2004. In its first year and a half 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.

OS 2.5 continues 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 and Pa1X Pro are the world’s leading Arranger Keyboards.

All this but still only 62 note polyphony...

Again polyphony???

GREEEEEEEAT UPGRADE. THANKS KORG
Franky

This is great, you buy a keyboard and Korg is still updating and listening to the owners, it's just a matter of time before all the points are covered.

As for the polyphony, I really think you need to try the board before the polyphony issue is brought up, I've had this board since last July and have yet to drop a note, or at least heard a note drop.

I guess more poyphony would be better, but I know a board with 128 note polyphony and it doesn't sound half as full as the Korg

Alex K. Metaphorically speaking, when you piddle around in Kia Rio and never drive a Rolls Royce, this is the kind of attitude and mind-set you end up with.

[This message has been edited by renig (edited 04-19-2005).]

Metaphorically speaking, we are talking about a Rolls Royce with a very fancy interior, with full grain leather, wine cooler, and steering wheels on the right AND on the left to ease the job of a chauffeur while driving both in the UK (or Australia) and in the rest of the world. Unfortunately, it only has a 4-cyliner engine of a VW Bug - no matter how you soup it up with options, you always stand a chance to run out of power if you press on the accellerator hard enough.

I am sure that Korg is a perfectly OK instrument (I had a chance to try it yet again at a music store yesterday, only to walk away wishing I could like it better). It is also admirable that they continue improving the feature set even though the instrument has been released over a year ago. However, if we keep mum about the obvious shortcomings, we lead manufacturers to believe that they can continue selling us instruments with sub-standard features while charging exorbitant prices, we are doing everyone a disservice.

As I mentioned many times, note dropouts do not occur every time (even to me) - they depend on the style of one's playing and on how richly they layer sounds. It appeared to me yesterday that all of the OTS programs have only one or two realtime parts enabled (with the others muted out). I also have not noticed note dropouts yesterday, but the laws of arithmetics are unescapable - it is easy to exceed the 62 or 64 note polyphony on an arranger keyboard. I believe that for the price of PA1X Korg owes us more.

On the other hand, as long as there are people content to pay a Rolls Royce price for a fancy car with a VW engine, we are not likely to see anything better.

Regards,
Alex

Hi Alex K,
I presume you don´t have a PA1X, right? You must play it in a deep away, not superficial and understand the keyboard first. After that you can speeak according to your sensibility. In this case yóu have no right.

Franky

i have to jump in and agree with alex..i owned a PA1X-pro, and would like to clear up something with the polyphony issue..there are many sounds (if not all) on the PA that use more than one voice in their operation, in fact some use up to four..now do the math... if all the soudns you are using in the style are using 2 voices that drops the poyphony to 32, then add mebbe playing the keyboard live, average chord size 5 to 7 notes, add the sustain pedal which holds those notes on, whilst adding additional embellishment notes, it all adds up. i played the PA styles mostly in full piano mode using the full keyboard for playing and creating the chord changes, and i can tell you i suffered note drop quite regularly..its why i changed to a GEM ProMega2 + the Geneysys XP module...IMHO serious players need a minimum of 128 note polyphony, ESPECIALLY with the richness and complexity of the styles being programmed by 'board manufacturers...PLUS only having 32 MB of sample ram (and not being able to physically increase it) was, in my view quite shortsighted.) anyhoo thats my 2 cents ( well 75c really LOL )

peace, out

I have every right to post my opinion. I did not misrepresent myself, stating that my opinions are based my experiences trying it at the stores (for a total of probably 10 hours by now) and reading the specs which Korg has provided to us. I resent anyone telling me that I have no right to voice my opinion.

As far the facts about PA1X go, I do not dispute that it has a long and complex set of features (some would call it being too complicated, but I won't dwell on it ). I take issue with the undeniable fact that PA1X has ONLY 62 VOICES OF POLYPHONY
- no matter how "deeply" you play it, it will not increase this number. The fact that Korg can offer such a handicapped instrument for $3600 is sheer insolence on their part.

I am not saying that it is a bad machine, and I commend Korg on trying to make things right by coming out with software updates late in the lifecycle of this instrument. However, I believe that those who do not question the obvious shotcomings are doing everyone a disservice.