jerrythek

Perhaps it is the Genos 2 that has been mentioned?

Yes, that is a real phenomena of a Leslie. Some clones handle it differently than others. When we did the CX3 version 2 engine for the Kronos we wrote the code so the speakers always came to rest in the proper location for the mic placement. I learned about the issue from Larry Goldings who told me about a session he did where they had a broom handle available, and someone had the task of moving the upper horn back into place whenever he finished spinning the Tremolo speed. LOL.

Don't be too hard on yourself. That's how Creamware marketed SCOPE, and it didn't do all that great (even though it should have). Yeah, but we are (were?) Korg, dammit! 🙂 We likely could have made more inroads. But it's all water under the brdige... I reflect on my successes and non-successes from time to time. Always good to learn from the past. But I sleep just fine.

Yes, the upper end seems like they basically ran out of sample memory, and so have incredibly short and harsh samples up there. The rest of the range is nice to play.

We did that back in the day at Ensoniq, but it was just a mechanical system that dropped a specified weight. We called him Mr. Dink.

Wow, that sure got the blood flowing! Everyone sounds great: Benito pays deep homage to McCoy's legacy/language, Tain has that rolling/loose Elvin thing down, and Christian is... Christian. Loved it - thanks for sharing.

People often post music clips that have been slightly detuned to avoid the “copyright bots” that automatically flag uses.

That was cassettes for me.

Back in my Ensoniq days I used to point out to people that poly-AT also helped in simpler applications like programming a split with a lead in the RH and a pad in the LH. You could apply modulation to the lead without it affecting the pad. Yes, perhaps your instrument/plug-in allows you to filter controllers for each zone of a split, but not having to even worry about that extra programming helps. Rolling your right hand slightly when playing a two-handed voicing so you can apply modulation to the top of the chord is a technique that is easily learned as well.

Interesting. It seems Korg brought one to the last NAMM (in April), and had it at the MIDI/MMA booth, and no one reported about it (that I know of). Jerry

I know/knew that place. I was on the road in early 1976 with a B3 and they sold me the 2-piece wooden dolly that everyone used to move organs around with. I also remember they had an RMI Keyboard Computer there, which was an amazing thing to discover back in those days.

I noticed on his blog Paul asked: "Hope it’s all MIDI 1.x backward compatible, too." By definition (all that I've read) MIDI 2.0 is. If it polls the port/network and doesn't get a "Yes, I'm MIDI 2.0" or some such response, it operates fine as 1.0. Jerry

F# A C E natural

Zombie comment: The EPS and SQ-80 were the first Ensoniq boards to feature poly-AT. So did the EPS-16+ and the ASR-10. Jerry

Cough, cough, Ensoniq, cough, cough

https://www.gearnews.com/leak-korg-keystage-midi-2-0-controller-with-polyat/ I'm surprised no one has already posted this. Looks very interesting, and I'm glad to see Korg stepping up to a more pro product in the category (assuming this is true). On The Surface The KORG Keystage is currently presented in a 49 or 61-key format with 8 rotary knobs. Each of these has its own OLED screen. There is also a main OLED display to their left. There are some basic button controls, including a set of transport controls. It’s a minimal layout and looks clean and tidy. The wood end cheeks set it off nicely. KORG’s designers have clearly been studying the competition. Some obvious nods to similar products from Arturia and Native Instruments are obvious. Oh, and the keenly eyed amongst you might notice a small logo on the far right of the keyboard. Yes, that’s right. That’s a ‘Polytouch’ logo. And who does that logo belong to? Correct-o-mundo… ASM, makers of the Hydrasynth! In an episode of the Pro Synth Network Show a while back, Glen Darcey of ASM alluded to the fact that some major manufacturer had been in discussions about licensing the Polytouch technology. I guess we all know who that is now! Highlights Many will be happy to see MIDI 2.0 Property Exchange implemented here. This means that there is bi-directional communication between the Keystage and supported instruments. All parameters will be automatically mapped and labelled on the displays. Could this be another step towards universal controllers actually being more… well, universal? Hot on the heels of NI’s new Kontrol range, Keystage features a semi-weighted, polyphonic aftertouch keybed with MPE capabilities. I truly believe we are now well and truly in the age of PolyAT. I mean, it’s only taken 40+ years! So well done KORG! Under the hood, the KORG Keystage has some very impressive features too. First up, there is an integrated audio interface with direct stereo outputs. One less box to carry for gigging musicians is a good thing, right? At the time of going to press, there are no more specs on the audio interface. Other system features include an arpeggiator and chord modes for quick live performance or inspiration. Working With Software KORG claim that the Keystage is compatible with almost all DAWs, however Ableton Live integration is a headline feature here. The Keystage will detect the currently active instrument in Live and automap itself to it. Switching devices will prompt the Keystage to remap itself immediately. As Ableton Live is MPE-ready, Keystage fits right in. Live’s Drift synth immediately springs to mind here. And if you don’t have Live, Keystage comes bundled with Live 11 Lite, as well as a bundle of other great KORG products. These include Korg Gadget Producer Bundle and wavestate native LE. Physical Characteristics For the gigging musician, Keystage’s weight is great too. A mere 4.2kg/9.3lbs for the 49 key and 5kg/11lbs for the 61 key version. Connectivity includes 5-pin MIDI in & out, USB-B, 1/4″ TRS audio outs and a pair of pedal inputs. Power is supplied by an external PSU or over USB. It also comes with a detachable music rest. More Information Price is listed as $599 for the Keystage 49 and $699 for the Keystage 61. No information is currently available on release dates.

What a beautiful clip with Victor Wooten - he's so in touch with the many aspects of teaching beyond knowing the content. My hat's off to him. And it's only fitting to see that clip on the day that the interviewer, Dom Famularo passed away. A wonderful and influential gentlemen who spent his life inspiring, supporting and promoting music and players of all ages.

You know, I'm not sure, but I would guess that it does include Italy and the Korg R&D group, not the distributors (Korg USA, Korg UK etc.). At any rate, Korg Italy shows on LinkedIn to have about 40 employees. Korg R&D is a small group, no more than a dozen people. Oh, and now there's Korg Berlin. Also a very small operation, maybe 5-8 people? But remember that Korg in Japan has sales, marketing and accounting staff, including both export and domestic market people. And Korg Italy has manufacturing staff, some accounting etc. So that number is certainly not all engineering.

I'm with you... it's all in the delivery of the discussion for me. I have pretty wide tastes in players and genres, but of course there are people in each genre that I don't like. Better to say that they don't align with my musical taste/values/whatever. And I can explain why. But I would never slag them off, or flippantly dismiss their music. If someone says they don't dig a performance without an attack or flippant dismissal of the artist, and then explains why they don't I'm all in for hearing what they have to say, and point out. A good learning, or at least sharing moment. And we don't have to agree, as you said. Then it's all good. After all, there's only so much gear, and sports, and drink etc. that we can talk about!

This is a very accurate and important issue regarding the production of almost any product. I have seen this issue many times in my career. We announce a new product, demand is very strong, and huge orders come in. We can't possibly fill the pipeline to meet the initial demand without greatly increasing our production capabilities. But 2-4 months in that initial demand has been met and the numbers will fall into whatever is the likely ongoing sales, let's say for the rest of the first year or two. It can be very difficult to impossible to scale up and then scale back your production capabilities, especially for a small-to-mid-sized company. Chairman Katoh of Korg was very wise in these matters, and had learned from his past to not risk these huge swings, even though the distributors and the dealers were screaming for product. He would increase only in degrees so the stability of the company was not "rubber-banded" so severely.

Yes, that's my feeling as well. It's how some people express their criticism that can be the issue. Especially since briefly written words on a web page can be misconstrued, or not accurately express what the poster was thinking. They may not be intending to be mean spirited, but a brief retort can often be misinterpreted.

I think it's way too early to predict how they are doing/will do. But I sure hope they thrive!

Worrying? Really? They've probably never been larger in their history, and they've been around now for almost 60 years... So I don't see a huge risk of the company folding, but every product will not get supported the same way/for as long. Products that do well will get supported longer. Products that don't do as well will likely get some support to bolster them, and if that doesn't help they will likely get "turned off". I think that is true for most companies in the musical product industry, regardless of their size.

This.

It's correct. A mighty little (mid-sized?) company!