The features and specs are now up on the official KORG website:

http://tinyurl.com/4hpwzzu

KORG UK has also created a new page to showcase the Pa3X Professional Arranger.

http://tinyurl.com/4vn8qd7

Here is a listing of the specs:

http://tinyurl.com/4a2d2d4


Korg needs to upload some kick ass demos to show what this new instrument can do.
I am guessing we will begin the see these official demos trickle in as Musikmesse approaches.

On a different note, this year's Summer NAMM will host a public day open to all.

Keep an eye for the 2011 Summer NAMM, July 21-23.

http://www.namm.org/summer/2011

Saturday, July 23rd will be a Public Day.

This was the official notice:

Saturday Public Day—Continuing the industry's work to introduce more people to the benefits and fun of playing music, Saturday will now be open to the public. With the full support of the City of Nashville and the local music community, NAMM will produce a regional marketing campaign to promote Saturday at Summer NAMM.

Tapas,
Thanks for the update...
Hey you heard this thing live...is it a big upgrade from the PA2XPRO?
Thanks,

Lee,

Yes, I have heard the Korg Pa3X live at NAMM.

I have a Korg Pa2XPro, so I was very eager to check out the specs of this new model and hear the new sounds and styles and see how it compares.

Visually the Pa3X looks stunning in black aluminum, which lends it a professional flair. It fits right in with the Korg KRONOS. They blend in perfectly as twins. No one will mistake this as a toy.

I know how crisp, clean and live the Pa2XPro sounds through a pair of ADAM A7X studio monitors. I was very eager to hear how the optional PaAS 5 speaker amplification system sounds.

Unfortunately, the lone Pa3X board at the NAMM show was not set up for a professional demo. First, it was out in a corner in the open. The ambient sound from the show floor was way too loud to make any judgment on the quality of the sound. Second, they were augmenting the sound of the PaAS system with a pair of poorly equalized floor monitors.

This was a poor way to introduce a new gear.

Quality gear like the Pa Series needs to be auditioned in a studio setting with a pair of good studio monitors like the ADAM A7X or the JBL LSR4328Ps that can be room equalized for a flat response.

I know from personal experience the sonic magic the Pa2XPro creates when played back through these properly calibrated systems. I was expecting the same sonic footprint from the new Pa3X.

Did it deliver?

Theoretically, the Pa3X ought to sound as good as the Pa2XPro plus more. Unfortunately, the circumstances did not permit me to make an evaluation.

Korg should have scheduled at least one 30-minute demo in the enclosed booth where the KRONOS was stealing all the glory.

At the very minimum, Korg should have offered half a dozen Sony MDR-7506 headphones for onlookers to wear to get a better feel for the sound. Roland was doing exactly this for all their open-air demos. You could slip on a headphone and follow the presenter.

I was hoping to catch a jaw-dropping professional demo along the lines of Martin Harris in a controlled setting.

Did not happen.

In retrospect, I feel it would have been better if Korg had just been candid and said that this is an unfinished prototype to offer you a glimpse of what we will be introducing in the near future as the flagship of our Pa series…stay in tune to hear our upcoming mp3 demos on our website when available.

That would have been the savvy thing to do.

You can visit KorgForums and see for yourself that Korg Pa owners were not pleased the way this new flagship was launched at NAMM. A lot of Arranger fans are sitting on the fence debating between a Korg Pa3X and a Yamaha Tyros4, me being one of them.

We would all have to wait patiently for a few more months for the official demos from Korg. I believe they will do a splendid job to balance out the fiasco at NAMM.

While I like the professional styling of the Pa3X, I still cannot warm myself to the add-on speakers. They are way too big on their backside and does not look good from the viewpoint of the audience. If I were to get the Pa3X, I will most certainly drop these optional speakers in their current form!

Even that Korg logo looks like a cheap sticker on the back.

Looking forward to the finished Pa3X at Musikmesse, along with a real product launch this deserves.

This NEW feature alone is probably a deal killer for me;

"Compatible with old "i-Series" and Pa series Style format"

Tapas,
Thanks for the detailed evaluation....
I understand where they are...and that is basically an announced prototype...with nothing to make us feel good about the sound.

You know features are very important...but to me now days sound has to be the main issue.

I suspect the sounds are better, but for the sounds I care most about I bet there is no 'WOW' facter.

I think Korg PA (Italy) is pissed about the whole thing and that is why you see NOTHING on the official PA website yet.
To them it is not annouiced!

If Korg USA pushed to do this pre-announce then they blew it big time.

If Korg wants to be just like wersi and basically ignore arrangers in the USA...that's fine...I can always go Yamaha.

Meanwhile the Tyros 4 sells like crazy world wide

OK, Maybe I have been a little unfair to Korg?

DNC, and some of the other features are actally darn good.

I have come to realise something important...Korg has no really good demo musicians like Yamaha does!!!!!
NONE! at the same level.

I didn't say there weren't any good ones...just not like the Yamaha guys!

And..when you search Youtube Yamaha T2-T4 you get lots of folks playing songs I like and most are pretty good performances. Some like Telmo are outstading...
When you search Korg PA....you get, well not the same thing at all.

So is it that the Yamaha arrangers are better...IMHO no, the Korg is technically superior in many ways (this is not a mine better than yours). Sonically it is personal preference.

Is it that the musicians that play stuff I like are Yamaha players...well..yes. Why? I don't know. Maybe it is because Yamaha does one heck of a lot better job of marketing AND has for years AND just maybe it is beaause the Yamaha's are better suited for the music I like?

What do you think? I'm a little puzzled.

I think you are right Leeboy. It is all personal and of what kind of music you play. Yamaha sound to sweet for the kind of music I like. I like soul, disco, funk, dance and modern music from Shakira, Lady Gaga etc and the Korg PA's are IMO better in that while Yamaha is better for ballroom music. The Tyros 4 is a great instrument and sound to me better then the Tyros 3 but not for the music I like.

Fran would love to hear some of your work especially the Disco & Soul...maybe you can post a few demos sometime. thanx

When I have the new PA3x I maby will upload a MP3.
In the meantime listen to a great classic from Shalamar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz4YQZ01Q_A

I've heard some quite remarkable Arabic and Balkan stuff all done on a Korg... sadly, few in the West are going to use that as any kind of indicator of whether the Korg will be good for THEM.

My take is, good demo or bad demo, I know I can make anything sound good. There really aren't any modern TOTL arrangers that truly suck. So, after that, it's more a case of the features, the form factor, the styles and the TYPE of sound. Most of that is only truly realized after a hands-on...

Yes I have also listen to many Turkish demos of the Korg PA's and it is really amazing how some of these guys play.

Idea: For those who want to know how some of the sounds of the PA3x will sound why not listen to a few demos of the Grand Piano and EP sounds of the SV1 at http://www.korgpa.com/pa_root/en/products1/sv1_demo.html?en