Before you get excited, think. Do you have any Korg PA series after PA80/60/50? If you do, skip.


Same name as I3 (1993)?

What were they thinking?



Looks like repackaged EK50 without speakers. Slimmer/ added MIDI out socket and 16 track sequencer. Super lightweight ( 8 pounds) Looks like retail around $500.


More to come.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.musicra...and-performance



https://www.korg.com/caen/products/synthesizers/i3/




Same sound engine but less capability ( no user style creation) than PA80/60/50/micro arranger. Additions are audio file ( recording , SMF to Wav,) MP3/Wav playback and battery power capability.


This will strengthen PA80 3rd party style market.



Korg has been milking Triton sound chip since 1999 ( 20 years). PA80/60/50/Microarranger/ EK series and now so called “ new I3”.

RH sounds great. Styles , outdated. Same jumpy fills, you bet. ( remember, more primitive than PA1x). They should have used PA300 engine and improve it.


Also , EK50 L with more “dance” sound/ styles ( 10 more styles)
https://www.korg.com/caen/products/synthesizers/ek_50_l

One more.

XE20- 88 key EK 50 arranger board with additional piano sounds (German piano and Italian piano: total maximum 120 voices) , Arranger polyphony-64. Again , no midi out. Just USB to justify the price.

https://www.korg.com/us/products/digitalpianos/xe20/

Selling for $799 will definitely beat Yamaha DGX which has only 2 variations.
The advantage of Yammy will be it’s GHS keys ( even though they are low end unlike GHE keybeds) , which are better than Korg B2 ( not D1) keys which XE20 supposed to be based upon.



Arranger functionality wise, $799 PA300 ( which Havian was based on)can do much better ( even though it lacks midi out and and only has shared out). Good thing about Havian was it had a joystick.

For sub $800 bang for the buck buyers: Wait for PA300 and PSR 670 replacements or buy used PA 600/ PSR 775 , etc.

"......Before you get excited, think. Do you have any Korg PA series after PA80/60/50? If you do, skip......"

As a matter of fact I have just purchased a Korg PA50sd to sit on top of my Ketron SD7, quite an impressive combination and on the cheap as the ketron was a secondhand as well....
Could not agree more about the Triton engine and the Korg arrangers starting with the PA1X. In those days I programmed very extensively for all of those models ( PA1X, PA 50/60/80/KMA) and I still have all of the goodies for those interested.
The PA50sd has the added advantage of the sd card slot whereas the sounds and styles are virtually identical to the PA1X.
Programmibility is most extensive and very deep and as a second board it is to be preferred imho to these new ducklings of Korg....

regards
John

PA 80 ( and of course 60/50/50sd/KMA) was direct Triton board (32 MB). Pa1x was Triton plus additional samples and RX. The first Korg arranger to play pads that can play loops ( not just single hits,unlike PA80 /60/50/KMA generation).MOTL Yamaha has been having that feature for along time. Korg made a right decision to add the feature along with great features like full blown sequencer and sound editing since 1993’s i3 to PA80.PA1x was also the first with Korg arranger with decent acoustic guitar strum styles/ song book. It was way ahead of the time.

I have also kept my Pa50sd although I’ve got newer models, it has a big sound. And as John mentions with editing you can get some amazing results.

I think these new models are great for those who start with playing keyboard or as a second keyboard. I own a ek 50 soon to be replaced by a pa700 but it is a nice keyboard. Sound much better then the cheaper Yamaha’s and the new Casio’s I also owned. It’s a smart move from Korg I think to enter the budget market and is also good for those who can’t afford the higher models.

A PA4X with top quality 88 key hammer action would be a great board!....dream on...I love the Clavinova's but, wow, high price...

There is no competition. No arranger under $700 sounds better than EK/PA80/50/60/KMA)
All sounds from TOTL which retailed close to $2000(in year 2000, before Pa1x). Flexibility is another story. Can’t complain, can’t have it all for $400.

I would take EK to play with a live band anytime( Triton samples still are valid) ( can’t say the same for sub $800 Roland or Yamaha’s).

http://www.synthzone.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/486674/Re:_New_Korg_arrangers_-_i3__a#Post486674

It would be nice to have a TOTL 88 key hammer action arranger (Yamaha Clavinova way to expensive) but I don't think we will see it as the competition within each company groups is too great.

A 88 key: Genos, PA4X, etc.....