This is sort of off topic but still related to keyboards. Looks like Korg released an absolute monster of a synth. However, a monster synth isn't complete without a monster price. Folks be prepared to trade in your cars, and take out another loan on your homes for this new synth. Here's the link and price. It would be best to take a deep breath first and be sure you're sitting down before you see the price!
http://www.sweetwater.com/feature/korg/

Sounds like Korg is following Lionstracks's Media Station. The only thing with that korg keyboard is that unlike the media station, for that price it does not have arranger features. But the good thing is that other keyboard manufactures are finally seeing the wisdum of including multi tract recording on their hardware keyboards.

To me, today there is no reason why a keyboard can not do all that a music production software can do.

Squeak: I suspect the prices given are the inflated list price and that the actual street price substantially lower. Those inflated list prices must eventually drop to meet the competition as we all know that the actual manufactering cost is only a FRACTION of the listed price. I like the concept of the 'all in one' recording studio approach for portability, allowing for musical creativity anywhere (both in the studio & on the road). The Oasys appears to be Korg's answer to the GEM Genesys. If Korg would have only included the PA1X Pro's 'arranger features', the Oasys would truly be the: 'be all' all in one production studio. - Scott

Honestly I don't think Korg wants to include arranger functions on their synths like this new one. It appears to me as with other makers that they want to keep a definitive line between the arrangers and the synths. It wouldn't have been hard to include arranger features on this new Korg either. I think (my opinion), that the makers feel that customers will not take a synth like this seriously once they see arranger capabilites due primarily to the negative sterotype attached to arrangers. I know that price is inflated, but given all this new Korg has that price isn't going to come down too much. It's still going to be quite expensive.

Squeak

It seems that KORG is copying WERSI!
checkout the Icarus http://www.wersi.co.uk/html/products.html
Same (a little biger)tilting Touch Screen,
CDRW,sliders and lighted buttons,audio recording etc-but no arranger features.
Even the name is close: Wersi OAS -Korg OASys!
On the serious side, the specs look great.Let hope it sounds as good as it looks.

cosel,
I think so too. It seems they're competing in a way with Wesri, Mediastation, and what's that other one?

Squeak

SqueakD
the other one should be OpenLabs Neko,Windows based monster keyboard(without DSPs??!!).Be shure that after Yamaha aquiring VST rights the next 'big thing' form them should be a DSP/'Open' system.
One (big?) difference is that OASYS does not seem to allow to intergrade third party software audio generators like the rest 'Open' systems.
For the history the Wersi Pegasus was the first (again!) keyboard to use touch screen and built in hard disk -all these in 1993, and the Korg i30 looks very much like an 'improved' version of the Pegasus.And the Wersi OAS is out since 1999 (I got mine in 2001)-Icarus was launched in last year's Winter NAMM.

Let me just say...

$7999.00

Phil

Definitely in the "Home Organ" price category.

Is it really better value than buying a second hand Tyros now and then trading up later this year a Tyros II and then in 2 years time a Tyros III?

Jerry

One thing about SZGAF is it's 'dependable'

Yes, you have right...
This keyboard is really amazing, I tol in the post before.
They will try to made some new, but they still will use one embedded and propietary system. Only the X86( PC) give the solution in one keyboard to made the same stuff like a PC music production software, with more power and freedom to install what you want.
I'm still don't understand what mean OAS system " open system" for who? They give us the possibility to change, configure, editing something or is still the close embeded keyboard like all?
I see the same problem with Wersi, really nice keyboards too, OAS open system for who?
Is made under windows, it mean NO souce code and for sure no AOS source code for change or fix what you want.
Same problem for Yamaha, had buy Steinberg, but you think that they someday will install some VST plugh ins in the Tyros? In one embedded system?

Listen, EVERY body is totally FREE to buy what they want and to be happy with that they had buy.

Still the all brands there do NOT will made the BIG jump to develope one keyboard under X86 CPU and Linux, never you can have a OAS OPEN SYSTEM keyboard.

You gave there a look what with Linux is possible to do and to have? http://www.lionstracs.com/index.php?module=Static_Docs&func=view&f=/screenshots.html

You need a mutitracks system? http://muse.serverkommune.de/
or: http://ardour.org/
or: http://bloodshed.net/wired/?sid=5
or: http://www.rosegardenmusic.com/
This mean OAS...just typing in the virtual keyboard like this: http://www.lionstracs.com/modules/Static_Docs/data/gui/snapshot12.png
the comand: apt-get install xxxxx what you want and you have...for FREE.
But then MAYBE you need some VST stuff: http://djcj.org/LAU/ladspavst/


And again, how I told before:they can use a BIG LCD 10", 15"...., but if the have at max 640x480 pixel resolution, mean that you NEVER can open one standard application ( need 800x600 min.)
Anyway, they really made new amazing produtcs, pity only that after 6/8 months come to old and a new SAME keyboard with some new knobs, faders....will replace it.
8000$ are not so much for one musician IF he can play over it for many years....right?

Cheers, anyway I like you all guys...
Domenik

Hear the new keyboard...
http://www.korg.com/downloads/mp3/oasys/teknosis.mp3

I watched the 30-minute unveiling demo with a good speaker system (what fun hi-speed web) and the Oasys looks and sounds like a one-stop combination of many keyboards in one package. It's impressive to see a new 300lb gorilla take the stage, but it's not devastatingly new technology IMHO. I think it's possible to do many similar things the Oasys does with other instruments and/or combinations of VSTi's. And most importantly, from what I heard I didn't think the sound of any of the Oasys synth engines; from hi-def to AL-1 analog to sampling to even the CX-3 which is Korg's very good clonewheel to the grand piano (whew!) sounded any better than the Motif ES 8. Really... nothing blew away quite as much as I expected/hoped and that's not just to join with the many nay-sayers of this keyboard on the web already. But it is cool having all this in one place. Where this instrument will reign is in the hop hop studios - heck it IS a total hip hop studio. If you have no other gear and WANT no other gear, this is for you. It's daring and innovative, but a bit specialized. Mega-priced synths haven't historically sold very well or lasted very long, but I hear that Korg intends to spin off less costlier products from the Oasis technology, so there's a certain practicality to it. And it'll stake nice bragging rights for whoever can afford it and make use of it.

So are music stores going to let every kid on the block mug this $8k+ thing up on the showroom floor?

Yeah the price tag does place it in fantasy land...only honestly Im sure one could spend half their asking price on other random gear, and get results beyond the "all in one" unit.

Hell...you could get a microkorg, ms2000, triton le, karma, some crazy amount of digital tracks all from korg for less far less.

!!!! you could get the Andromeda from Alesis !!!! with thousands left over!!!! Hah words I never thought I would say. You could get the entire Alesis line up with cash left over for mics mixer and so on :P

Im still waiting for them to surprise me with the real price of 6,000$ or lower, that at least borders on understandable insanity. Plus want to see the price of the new Alesis ( not that im gonna be buying one or anything ), cause there is a chance it could be half what the korg is and full of things we just dont suspect. Not to sound whatever just Alesis synth line up with the Ion and Micron ( VAs ) and the Andromeda hurts their respective competition badly. I would expect these features to excel on their new board Fusion at the very least.

Only I do feel korgs new board holds a potential nitch outside of hip hop.

"So are music stores going to let every kid on the block mug this $8k+ thing up on the showroom floor?"

lol IM not thinking to many stores are gonna have this on their showfloor...and those that do will have it surrounded by dozens of keyboard distractions as it sits on a platform throne with plasma screens looping the inception of the keyboard with the authority of a moon landing.

yep saw the stream too. I really wanted to be impressed but there was nothing to shout home about. Nothing it did blew me away and dance music to me is more an excersise of math algorithms set to music through oscillators and filters. I am 36 years old and kids music does nothing for me but put me to sleep. Thats exactly what the demo did to me. (but it was 4.00am when i viewed it !) I may be a dinasuur but once you have haerd one dance track, trance track you have heard them all!

The real problem is that keyboards today are so close to sounding like authentic instruments and the synth type sounds can be manipulated to every concieveable extent that the "sound" ,the thing that matters most to musicians is not really an issue any more. There are at least 5 top flight keyboards out there, any of which i would be more than content with and i would not have to pay $8000 for.And as i have said before the only limit to me musically is my imagination.

No matter what the functionality of the board, you can only sell "all in one music solutions" to people who cannot afford to buy the specialist equipment separately or who simply dont have the space. They dont tend to be professional musicians. Even pros would balk at that price.

If i had $8000 to spare i would set up a recording studio with dedicated separates. All in one products sell because of their convenience but you have to balance that against a reasonable price tag.I dont know who korg intend to sell this monster to but its certainly not me.

Spalding,
I'm with you on the eight grand for a studio set. I cannot justify spending that much money on one keyboard when you can spend the same amount and get so many other things. I was set to buy the Motif ES-7 a week or so ago, but held off becasue I wanted to see this new Korg. I'm impressed with it. I know I'd have a blast with the keyboard, but for that price hell no! I bought my wife a very nice Ford Taurus for less than that Now I just have to wait and see what Alesis is going to ask for their new Fusionsynth. If theirs is just as expensive then I'm buying the Motif ES-7. The Motif is still one mean synth!

Squeak

The Oasys provides full chord recognition and multipads. These are arranger-like performance features not available in the Motif ES and the Fusion. (The Motif ES has limited chord recognition, but cannot handle inversions or different voicings). I hope these are retained when Korg releases more economical versions of the Oasys.

I wonder due to my experience with Triton Studio...if the design team ever included REAL musicians when they created new keyboards? Seems that new keyboards come with more capability, but it's geared towards engineers and people with white lab coats. Knowing my Studio is already hard to deal with, I suspect you'll need a 12 page manual to find the "on/off" switch on the OASYS?

Hah...never a keyboard makes me resentful like this. Good job KORG!

"if the design team ever included REAL musicians when they created new keyboards?"

The things you read :P

I was at the Korg both today and got to see and hear the OASIS. Was I impressed? Not really! I don't get excited much any more with keyboards costing in a range that only a few studio musicians and road touring musicians can afford. It sounded good, but then again, I think just about every keyboard out there on the market today such as motif, triton, fantom, etc. all have steller sounds.
Korg has decided to only sell these models, probably because they don't want to produce to many because of a lower volume sales item, to just a select few dealers in each sales market. So I know in the LA area that only certain guitar centers or sam ash stores will display and sell these.
I think it is the kind of keyboard that every "want to be" studio musician will be spending hours just playing but not purchasing this new keyboard. Only time will tell.


------------------
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

I played along the demo (Love Embraces All) with my Triton Studio, the piano sounds the same. I have the extra bonus sounds downloaded from Korg's site and tweaked the effects a bit. Sounds just like OASYS' piano.

I'm serious....IF they spent more efforts in creating a Triton Studio, BUT user friendly, understandable manual that itself is already a really powerful beast. Triton Studio is only at it's 2.1 operating system now, say if they can come up with operating system 3.0 (or something) that say can simplify pattern making, replace the RRPR with something more logical and useful, etc..basically making the keyboard easier (and more enjoyable) to play with, trust me, many people won't need OASYS. Heck, they don't need OASYS now. Just my opinion.

How many of you guys (who have EXTENSIVE years of playing music) were turned off by how complicated the keyboard was?? Korg I think could've made a better sale with Studio than they are doing now.

Hardware keyboard manufacturers are just too late with coming out with keyboards like the OASYS.
Most people who would want a keyboard like that would have a studio already with a computer, some softsynth, and hard ware equipment.

We are already hearing people say that 1. for that price, they can get a comparable or better set-up using separate components and 2. They would prefer to have things separate.

The only thing that people would want the OASY for is its sounds although they could get comparable sounds using softsynths.

For that price, perhaps the only people who would get it are persons who want the show that they have the prestige to get it or some one who does not have a studio already.

Hardware keyboard manufacturers have allowed computers and software programs to do what conventional keyboards should have been doing years ago. And now it is just too late.

But having said that, I still would not mine checking keyboards like that out. May be there is something in keyboards like that that we are not seeing as yet.

[This message has been edited by to the genesys (edited 01-24-2005).]

Hello friends,

Here's a few observations.
When I worked at GC, we were selling the Korg Oasys computer sound card at a blow out price of $399.00. Maybe alot of this keyboard is based off this hardware.
I have talked with a couple of product specialist from Korg and they know my understanding of arranger keyboards.
They have told me that the sound technology of the PA series is being used in the next line up of keyboards.They feel the sounds are better on the PA series vs. the Extreme or Studio,something about 5 oscillators vs the current 2 on the Tritons.

Dan O


[This message has been edited by DanO1 (edited 01-24-2005).]

My brother is a white hot musician and semi pro producer . he said the following about the Korg board

"Hmm. To me the demo "Love Embraces All" sounds promising anyway, but the
bit that freaked me out (as well as the price), was when I read an (unofficial) review of it from a bystander. He said that there were STILL some acoustic sounds that werent replicated well (!). And to think that this is coming from an 8000+ keyboard?!

Another thing was its sampling memory - in order to maximise it, you have to sacrifice any expansion boards you may have in the nit . (Yes, you've heard
it - EXPANSION BOARDS!). Two issues are at work here - memory can be
"expanded" to 512MB (The Fantom could do this without removing the boards,
and for an instrument at this price you would expect it to be expanded to a
higher capacity), and the fact that expansion boards ARE ALREADY MADE for
such an expensive instrument.

I personally think Korg have shot themselves in the foot by manufacturing
this, and aiming it at a specific market. In saying that though, I didn't
know such a market exists - Most producers would spend that amount of money
on fitting a whole studio (with their choice of selected gear), let alone
spend it on just a keyboard.

This is significant as even though the OASYS was an expensive kit to
produce, the technology itself was based on the soundcard of the same name
that they made earlier (which was also expensive to produce). That was
originally retailing for 2000, but got phased out because when Windows XP
came out, Korg didn't write any drivers for it making it incompatible with
newer computers.

Sounds like the beginning of the end for Korg if this thing becomes a sales
flop."

It looks like Korg messed up and needed a platform to extend the life of the OASYS software hence the new keyboard which is essentially an amalgamation of old technology within an "open system"

What do you think ?

"Sounds like the beginning of the end for Korg if this thing becomes a sales
flop."

Yeah sure does...hahahaha if your insane. Do you honestly think Korg bankrolled their entire company on ONE keyboard? Do you somehow feel the dozens of successful product lines they launched even invented don't count?

Worse thing that could happen...would be a reduced price within six months, and a host of spin off products at the next namm.


"bit that freaked me out (as well as the price), was when I read an (unofficial) review of it from a bystander. He said that there were STILL some acoustic sounds that werent replicated well (!). And to think that this is coming from an 8000+ keyboard?!"

Yeah and Nigel stated the other day...

It's hard to really judge audio critically because of all the background noise from nearby booths at NAMM.

In relation to the rompler features of the Alesis Fusion.

Plus natural acoustic sounds is the dragon all keyboards are after, even with an inflated priced keyboard...expecting a complete reproduction is unrealistic.