First Korg Pa5x Video

Please post the plain URL for this…

https://youtu.be/jP_D0YU2gFk

Now it's official:

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

Korg PA 5X Demos

I have just posted the links as not everybody can see embedded video.

Enjoy

Bill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny9sN1CTNRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQaJklT5bUQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB2J4d-9H9U

https://www.korg.com/us/products/synthesizers/pa5x/

No longer worth posting links as you can just type Korg PA5x into YouTube and find a boatload available.
Had a listen to some of the videos (Using a sound system and headphones) and the sounds are fantastic, and this combined with the editing facilities should allow you to get whatever you want from them.
The sounds no longer cut off when changing them is good (But as most other manufactures have had this capability for years, it’s not exactly ground breaking) but 160 note polyphony seems rather low in this day and age. (Should be good enough for arranger play though)
Extra inputs, will the user actually use them when there are so many top notch mixers (With effects) available for a reasonable cost.
As to the rest of the keyboard, for me it’s just meh, with nothing screaming at me saying try me out. (I will of course try it out at some time)

Bill

Probably a good point of wiev, but I dare to post a couple more that may have some interest:

"Meet the KORG Pa5X" Video (21 minutes long)

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

KORG Pa5x Video Manual (10 parts)

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwsyS-nWV2k

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_0_LPr3RP4

Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RV2MR-KT38

Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmL3O5kO77s&t=4s

Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE0Uom3NNpE

Part 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydv3XglPwPQ

Part 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hORggX_apfs

Part 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePIALFotzhY

Part 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StLmcgfWygU

Part 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVZqwMlvZvA

Sud Claviers demo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFlHXE4rI9Y

I think the dual style player feature is pretty groundbreaking, especially when combined (if possible, I’ve yet to confirm this) with seamless style switching.

Of course, I don’t think any style makers have fully realized its implications, but it is the death knell for the old ‘4 variation and some fills’ paradigm that has ruled arrangers for decades. Rather than switching or blending between very different styles, this opens up the ability to have more subtle variation changes, more variety of fills, and even things like half-time and double time options without giving up your available variation changes.

Of everything I’ve seen so far, this is the only one I’d label TRULY ‘groundbreaking’. And unless Korg are hiding their light under a bushel, I don’t think they realize the implications of it themselves. For years I’ve been kind of ‘meh’ when it comes to styles, simply because four patterns and some fills rarely matches the variety of expression in real live and recorded music (at least in legacy music… modern music seems content with a far more restrictive selection!).

But literally unlimited style change live (because of seamless load style switching) and thanks to two style blending, in effect EIGHT Variations and eight fills and two breaks active at any one time - that’s quite the step up.

Like I said, I’m not sure style creators have yet realized this implication, but for those willing to roll their own, it’s not too technical a deal to take an existing style and change a few things, alter some fills, change a guitar pattern to one from another style, change a bassline or comp, save as a new style, then load that into one of the Player slots. And voilá! A far more diverse style to jam with…

Just speculating at this point until the things get used by real people, but if the Songbook can load both Players seamlessly on the fly (this is what I'm unsure of right now - I can see how loading one while another plays is doable, but what if both styles are playing?) it would be easy to extend this idea almost limitlessly.

I have to admit, this has got me curious. Anything that helps alleviate the boredom of repetitive styles is good in my book! I’ve been saying for decades that four variations don’t cut it. FINALLY someone fixes it. And hasn’t yet quite realized how it could change the landscape… 🎹😎

In case you missed it, Groovyband Live! (since 2018) has styles with NATIVE structure comprising 8 main variations, 8 fills and 2 breaks (as well as 3 intros and endings).

You can easily create your own custom variations by mixing patterns from other variations for each part, applying mutes, changing voices (including edits) and DSPs to every single part of each variation (or fill, break, intro, ending).

On top of this it has 8x2 OTSes, as well as seamless OTS switch. It also allows 2 series connected insert DSPs on all parts (on Genos and Montage who have enough DSP power).
It also has many other features that probably PA5X (and any other arranger) does not have. Everything editable in realtime from the touch UI.

Groovyband Live! plays on MODX/Montage and any other half-decent Yamaha arranger (PSR, Tyros, Genos), being an effective upgrade for those users.

There is also a clear and well written online manual which is responsive: it adapts to any screen size (by reorganizing the page layout) so that it can be read from smartphones to desktop monitors.

In one thing Groovyband Live! cannot compete: marketing money.

Well, that and convenience of everything being in one piece of kit… 😂

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the sounds are fantastic but the drums and bases are lame in most of the styles they are not punchy. not for me as an arranger ' though i love the sounds and the arrangments of many styles.

Alois Müller's playing sure impress me a lot.



Here is Leigh Wilbraham 90 minutes live demo, not bad that either:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQaJklT5bUQ

In my opinion, because of the nature of the elderly demographic arrangers tend to be marketed in, most arranges suffer from the drums and bass being mixed and EQ’d a little light. But, in my experience, usually some work to the styles and The mixes and the EQ is enough to get them upfront and in your face if that’s what you need…

You are right. The korg will I am sure, blow you away with it's bass and drums far more than most other boards. Korg prides itself on it's ability to sound just like you want it too. just not out of the box. No two people are the same and korg likes to please by adapting to each of us and it does it very well.
lets not trash the new keyboard befor anyone hass even tried one. We have been waiting for months and months for this the it seems like some folks want to trash it before even opening the box. Not fair.
MEL a Korg and Yamaha fan

I know that basically pushing the bass and drum track about +10 in the mixer makes most arrangers (that figure is from Roland’s, other brands my differ a bit) sound a lot more ‘live’ and punchy, along with taking off much of the usually too aggressive master compression.

I doubt we could get any two arranger players to agree on what constitutes the ‘perfect’ sound… what works at home doesn’t work in a quiet restaurant, what works in a quiet restaurant doesn’t work in a noisy dance club, etc., etc..

Each new generation of arrangers raises the bar. But where each of us wants that bar set varies wildly. Korg release a product with the bar in one place. But as long as the tools for moving the bar to where you need exist, we shouldn’t really complain that Korg’s choice isn’t ours,

Roll up your sleeves, expect to have to do a fair bit of work. I can’t think of an arranger that didn’t need some! 🎹😎