Perhaps it is the name of the feature that confuses many people into thinking it is something different to what it is...?

'Sequencing' always seems to imply doing something in advance. You 'sequence' a song, you 'sequence' your set list in advance, etc., etc..

Perhaps people would understand the feature better if it was called a 'chord looper'?

Loop pedals are all the rage with the solo guitar set. Most people know what a looper pedal does... you play into it, hit play and it spits back out what you just played in, looped up so it repeats perfectly (if you played it right to start with). You then play over the top of what you played, maybe even add to the loop, whatever.

This is what I think people would expect from a feature called the 'Chord Looper'

But I think that altogether too many that see a 'Chord Sequencer' on an arranger think to themselves 'Chord TRACK', which several arrangers have had, or still do. You program, IN ADVANCE, the chords to a tune, and then use this 'chord track' to play the song for you. No interactivity, no improvisation, barely better than playing over an SMF, if the truth be told.

Nothing could be further away from a REAL 'Chord looper'. This inputs the chords AS YOU PLAY THEM and will spit them out 'in sync' with what you are doing. Add to that that ONLY the chords get recorded (if you set it up this way), so repeated iterations of the loop don't have to be in the same variation, or even the same style! Try THAT with an audio looper! You don't have to kick fills in the same place, only the chords get repeated. Then, with a single button press, it gets out of your way, and you are back seamlessly playing new chords (a bridge, a vamp, a lead-in to the next song) and perhaps even starting to record the NEXT set of changes for you to play over.

There's NOTHING 'sequenced' about it! It is all done on the fly, with only one more button push than you are currently using.

I say we should start to use Chord Looper until people begin to understand what it can do for you.

The jury is still out as far as I am concerned on the Chord Sequencer/Looper on the PA3x. And in fact it is still out on the entire keyboard, until I can see a manual.

I want to know if the CS is only a one shot live thing, or if you can save the created chord sequence somewhere for later use? I want to know that if whilst recording the chord sequence any variation or fill changes also get stored?

Unfortunately the rather lacking demo by the Korg guys at NAMM did not go anywhere near a full explanation of this super new upgrade (one of the very few REAL ones) on the PA3.

I also want to know exactly what IS Guitar Mode II? Can we now use it live? Can we now use it in recording MIDIS? Or is it STILL stuck permanently in style creation only, and maybe Korg added a few more guitar strums thereby qualifying it as "Guitar Mode II"

I want to know if the user ram has REALLY been increased.

I want to know if the style management has been taken from the dark ages and brought up to date. IE - are we STILL stuck with the very cumbersome, time-consuming and mostly useless "SET" way of importing styles?

Is there a better way for users to preview a style BEFORE loading it up into user slots?

Do Korg have plans to provide PC Software to fully link us with the PA3x? Or at the very least provide access to data that will allow 3rd party programmers to develop PC assist programs like the EXCELLENT Roland Session Manager available for the Roland arrangers.

Can the new 8 available insert effects be truly freely applied across the keyboard, or will they be split as the current 4 insert effects are. IE 2 inserts for the styles/songs and 2 inserts for the upper 1,2,3 and lower?

For example can a user be allowed to use say 6 different effects for the upper 1,2,3 and then only have 1 or 2 left for the style or song?

Can the insert effects including the MAXX (GREAT!!!!! inclusion by the way) be accessed via MIDI, indeed can ALL the insert effects be now accessed via MIDI (without some special setup).

Will Korg now FINALLY allow access to Sysex codes?

You see there is a lot more REAL info required, and not just hoopla about the colour (who gives a fig!!!) or perceived sound from a crappy live video demo....Or how many buttons on the front or, or whatever!!!!


That is why the jury is still out for me.. Way too little info.

And I read on the other forums that people have ALREADY sold, or are selling their PA2X's.............Sheesh!!!!

Dennis

The CS is the thing I missed most after dumping my old G800. It would be SO easy for Roland to put it back into the current models. I don't believe they read or care what the Users want.
DonM

Hi Diki
Yes I would definitely go with Chord Looper, as it is a more logical name for the feature.


Hi Dennis
The PA3x is not estimated to be out till April, so I am sure all your questions (And some proper demos) will be answered in the not too distant future.

Bill

Well, they seem to care what accordion players want!

My hope is that, now someone ELSE has brought out a Chord Sequencer/Looper, they might view not having the feature a 'point' against them, and reintroduce it. While no-one else HAD, it never really counted against them, and it seemed that only a tiny fraction of users ever 'got' the feature and used it much. I certainly don't remember a collective howl of disapproval when it got dropped on the first V-series. Mind you, that's about the time that Roland started to lose their market share to Yamaha, too, so there was MUCH else on their minds at the time, I imagine!

But if the feature finds favor amongst Korg users, maybe Roland will reconsider. Only issue is, it needs dedicated buttons. I doubt we'll see one as a software update to an existing product. Next year at the earliest, I would imagine...

And Dennis... we all know now that the Korg appearance at NAMM was just a 'sneak peek' at an unfinished, unfinalized product. Don't get too worked up about specs. Musikmesse will probably fill in all the blanks for you. One thing I GUARANTEE. It will not satisfy you! Nothing ever will...

It will address SOME of your problems, and not others. It will have SOME sounds you like and some you don't. It will have some features you always wanted, and many will be missing...

So.... what else is new?!

Yeah Bill, that is what I am hoping. I keep checking the korgpa.com website looking for manual info but none yet

Dennis

"Chord Looper" sounds like a better name to me too.

A looper is a caddy in golfspeak. Of course that's totally irrelevant.
DonM

the only 'truth to be told' is that a 'chord sequencer' and a CHORD TRACK are two DIFFERENT tools for DIFFERENT purposes. I have tried to explain what a chord track is, several times, but it seems you just don't grasp it's usefulness. As a composer I think the Chord Track is essential. Yeah, it writes the whole backing track harmony in step time. So what? You make it sound as if it's a useless chore. Band in a box does exactly that: you enter the chord progression, the fills, the intros, in fact the whole song structure, and the whole band plays back the style according to the progression, without mess or mistakes.

The 'chord looper' (and I agree with you on that one, it should be called that, not 'chord sequencer') is a useful tool for performers. Fair enough. Composer vs performer: two different worlds, with different preferences.

And, as I have said it many times, ONLY Yamaha keyboards have a 'chord track'. Korg and Roland don't. Neither does Ketron, the last time I looked.

Technics used a chord track too. I have read in detail all the manuals of all the major arrangers that have been built in the last 10 years.

Yes, and another great feature, the option to dedicate composertrack to use as control track. I sure miss that a lot.
The Control Track could record all buttonpressing and changing of panelmemories, fillins etc, so if save and load that "messages" along with the style, you have both hands free to do the playing.