Official News from Korg about Pa5X OS1.4


https://www.korg.com/us/news/2025/062402/


Following our preview at NAMM earlier this year, we’re excited to confirm that the wait is almost over: Pa5X OS version 1.4 will be released very soon.

This is a major update, with OS1.4 including all the features previewed at NAMM, alongside additional enhancements inspired by feedback from Pa5X players across the globe.

We’ll announce the full details soon, but here are the highlights you can look forward to in OS v1.4:

● Recording Studio - a powerful new environment for backing-track creation (formerly Quick Record)
● Full Song Edit - deep MIDI song editing with hands-on control
● Style Creator Bot - convert MIDI files into brand-new Styles
● User resource sorting & icon selection - organise your setup your way
● Copy & swap Keyboard Sets - faster editing across Styles and SongBook entries
● De-Esser - new vocal tools in the microphone section

OS v1.4 is almost here, and we can’t wait to get it into your hands. We’ll be announcing the exact release date soon - stay tuned.

Update: Make available the functions that were already available in PA4X.

As far as I can tell, this update only addresses a FEW missing features, albeit big ones: the loss of the Quick Record feature and the ability to make styles from SMF’s, but there’s a laundry list of several PAGES of issues up at Korgforums that are not mentioned.

For me personally, with the ‘two styles at once’ feature being the REAL groundbreaking PA5X feature, no mention of any fixes and improvements to that is a bit disappointing as there are many things that stop it from realizing its (amazing!) potential. To be useful, ALL settings of mutes and choices of fills, intros and endings need to be stored in the Songbook, and both styles should start in sync EXACTLY how you want. That’s currently not the case, there’s a LOT of stuff you have to do manually each time. Fine if you’re a bedroom jockey, but on stage, totally inexcusable…

But in the end, so much depends on the word ‘soon’, which I believe translates into Japanese as ‘we have no f*cking idea when’ because it’s been coming ‘soon’ since January… 😂🙄🎻

For so long, I contemplated the 5, having gigged at least 15 straight years with Korg (800/3X/4X). I decided to give the 920 a shot. I have to say, this is one terrific board. OMG. I am absolutely blown away how you can 'ebb and tide' your performance, meaning, rock, disco, soul, funk to absolutely elegant soft stuff, with feeling! It is a bit daunting live, but not too bad if things are set up in advance.

Paul Carman posted a video highlighting the OS v1.4.0 for the Korg Pa5X.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99HW_vEFAMQ


He talks about these features:

• Update to the Sequencer. You effectively have a DAW inside your keyboard.
• Quick Record
• Style Creator Bot
• Resource Sorting and Icons
• Copy and Swap Keyboard Sets
• New Vocal De-Esser
• Over 40 Brand New Styles

You can download the Korg Pa5X OS v1.4.0 at this link:


https://www.korg.com/us/support/download/software/0/895/4965/

Great news! 👍👏

Now, let's see how long time it takes before the complaints about all and everything shows up..... 🥴🤔

Given all the bugs in all the previous updates, any professional would be wise to wait a good month or two before installing this and wait for the dust to settle!

At the very least, make a COMPLETE back up of the hard drives and current operating system. And by COMPLETE, I mean absolutely EVERYTHING!. Korg have a history of invalidating user data with updates. If you have a gig to go to, you really need to do a mock full gig at home first to make sure that everything works as expected.

Mind you, I’m not sure I have read many posts from people that are actually gigging the PA 5X. It’s mostly home users that are satisfied with it so far! I really hope this update has a bunch of stuff not in the release notes that fixes some of the little niggles that have crippled some of the best new features that make the PA 5X worth getting.

Here is a preview of Global Sound Artist Edition 3.0 for the Korg Pa5X presented by Steve Hubble from Korg.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZjbAuJ5xX4


This software pack comes with 146 Styles, 395 Pad Loops, 485 Keyboard Sets and more.


https://www.globalsound.se/


Price = 269 Euros

Contents:


https://usercontent.one/wp/www.globalsou....0-SET-LIST.pdf


Supercharge your Pa5X with this KST pack developed by Timur Sakka.


https://www.facebook.com/realglobalsound/

So far I hear no mention of improvements to the “two styles at the same time“ feature.

I have mentioned many times, I think this is the most groundbreaking improvement in arranger technology in 40 years! The end of “style fatigue“ and the exponential potential increase in different sounding styles, simply by combining two similar but different styles, and muting and unmuting different parts.

For this to live up to its potential, EVERYTHING about the system needs to be storable in the songbook. Currently it isn’t. To use the feature, there is a boatload of manual stuff you have to do every time you start one up. This is simply unacceptable live. You need to be able to select which intros will play, which endings will play ( and if they are of different lengths, the muted intro should get overridden by the sounding one). You need them to start in sync together. (this was addressed earlier, but is still buggy from reports) you need to be able to address which parts get assigned to the volume sliders.

It’s a great idea, and if I was still using styles, heavily, if it was made to work seamlessly, it would be a no-brainer for me to buy a PA5X. This feature alone makes it stand hand and shoulders over everything else. I think Korg themselves do not realize the power of this feature. Imagine creating four or five styles that are all related and then by combining two of them with the feature, you have an almost infinite range of choices on your live performance. Halftime and double time beats on demand, breakdowns, and builds at your command. The potential is endless.

The reality certainly isn’t…

There have been many times, with many different manufacturers, that I have stood back, and seen brilliant ideas wither on the vine, because the developers simply did not appreciate the power of what they had created and failed to polish it into something really useful. There are times when I honestly believe that the people developing the code simply do not play arrangers out of choice!