Korg SV-1: Still a viable choice?

[Josh Paxton]

I still happily use mine, paired with whatever clone I'm bringing out for the night.

[EscapeRocks]

I think the SV1 is a really cool board for what it is designed to do.

 

One thing I really like is the fact the control panel is aimed at you rather than the ceiling. It's what I like about my Korg M50-61 as well. They angled the panel a bit towards you.

 

If I simply needed right now a board that does all these vintage sounds, I'd get the SV1. Every example I've played in the stores have been fine.

[ProfD]

IMO, the OP should get the Korg SV-1. A Motif rack can be paired with the SV-1 later on if there is a want/need for those Yamaha sounds.

[Dana.]

This is by far the best demo of the SV-1 I've seen.

 

[video:youtube]

[Doerfler]

This is by far the best demo of the SV-1 I've seen.

 

have to agree with D-Bon on this demo. Now I'm taking another look at this keyboard. GAS never sleeps.

[analogman1]

I ended up getting a black 73 key SV1 quite a few months ago, with the Japanese RH3 action. REALLY love this board!!! Really versatile sounding and I like being able to adjust all of the parameters right on the panel. I'd highly recommend it!!!

[Aussie_Chicago]

Well, I went to GC here in Chitown and spent a good 3 hrs checking out the SV-1 , as well as comparing it to some other boards. Knowing the issues that I am aware of and the limitations of the board , I really dug in, and I took the plunge. With some tweaking of EQ and some settings, I could get the AP's to sound nice, the clavs sound good, organ sounds like ass but I don't care, I will be using a Hammond for that, but, the Rhodes sound freakin awesome ! And, it does have a similar keyboard feel to my suitcase at home, not exactly the same, but closer than any other board in the store and they had just about everything on display. Just for a portable Rhodes, this is worth the price of admission.

I ended up getting a decent deal, better than what SW offered, and I could take a brand new one home, knowing it is transported properly ( not end up like UPS would have in their truck ). I also got a 2 yr GC warranty as well as an extended manufacturers' warranty, so I should be covered for 4 yrs if any issues arise.

I took it home and did an A-B with my Mk2 suitcase, I actually prefer the sound of the SV-1 ! Add some compression, a little reverb and some EQ, this thing sounds awesome, not having any issues with any soft keys or keybed issues, played for 3 hrs straight without issue.

I also noticed that you can check for what operating system is in it, and it displays 1.3, as far as I know its only up to 1.2 ??, on the box, it has a production date of june 2014, so its brand spanking new, could there be a new op sys not released yet that is loaded in it ? It has some of the new splits from soundpak 2 .

Ill keep you guys informed as I gig with it this weekend.

BTW, is there a gig bag I can use other than the Korg one ?

[J. Dan]

Your assessment is identical to mine, though I would add that all of the EP's were awesome, including Wurli.

[MikeT156]

Dana:

 

Hey! thanks for that great demo of the SV-1! Best demo I ever heard of the Korg.

 

Is that you playing?

 

Cheers!

 

 

Mike T,

[Dana.]

As if I would play "Jump" on a stage piano...

 

[Dave Ferris]

That demo is a good representation for the SV1.

 

I really wish you wouldn't have posted that....

 

I need a third go around with the SV1 like I need a hole in the head.

 

When I went to youtube on that demo, this oldie but goodie from orangefunk popped up in my side tab. Man she's burning !...and the SV1 sounds very cool.

 

[video:youtube]

 

 

 

 

[Doerfler]

When I went to youtube on that demo, this oldie but goodie from orangefunk popped up in my side tab. Man she's burning !

Yes she is!

...and the SV1 sounds very cool.

Yes it does!

 

[MikeT156]

As if I would play "Jump" on a stage piano...

 

 

Yeah, I know. Its been awhile since I yanked your chain so.....

 

Mike T.

[analogman1]

Glad to see that more folks are checking out the SV1 and seeing its strengths.

I use a LOT of Electric Grand sounds (I find that they cut through so much better than an acoustic grand) and the SV1's EGrand is great. As also mentioned, all of the other EP's and Clavs are great. Organs are usable in a pinch. I also love their mellotron sound! Limited but it does cut through and get the job done.

As far as the acoustic piano, it is definitely serviceable. And, I've never been really critical of ANY stage piano when it comes to Acoustic pianos, since the experience of playing a real piano can only be duplicated on...well...a real piano!

[Dana.]

Yeah, I know. Its been awhile since I yanked your chain so.....

 

Mike T.

 

[JohnDoe]

I did get curious re. the possible new OS version that Aussie Chicago mentioned. I sent a question to Korg, asking if there was an OS update and this came back:

"Yes. Version 1.3 added an automatic power-off feature to comply with recent European power standards. Other than that, its the same as version 1.2."

[Aussie_Chicago]

I did get curious re. the possible new OS version that Aussie Chicago mentioned. I sent a question to Korg, asking if there was an OS update and this came back:

"Yes. Version 1.3 added an automatic power-off feature to comply with recent European power standards. Other than that, its the same as version 1.2."

So Im not crazy ! Still loving the sv-1 and cant wait to use it tomorrow at its maiden gig.

[ProfD]

So Im not crazy ! Still loving the sv-1 and cant wait to use it tomorrow at its maiden gig.

The proof of your love for the SV-1 is not reflected in your sig line.

[Doerfler]

So Im not crazy ! Still loving the sv-1 and cant wait to use it tomorrow at its maiden gig.

The proof of your love for the SV-1 is not reflected in your sig line.

 

most probably has exceeded the 200 character limit already!

[Aussie_Chicago]

So Im not crazy ! Still loving the sv-1 and cant wait to use it tomorrow at its maiden gig.

The proof of your love for the SV-1 is not reflected in your sig line.

 

most probably has exceeded the 200 character limit already!

 

Yeah, I will have to change it anyway as in a cpl hours from now both A100's will be gone....My wife has lost count of keyboards now, she just gave up in the end

[AnotherScott]

IThe issue I had with the SV-1 used as an Acoustic Piano is that when keys are played very gentlyjazz or other ballad, you would virtually ALWAYS find some notes cutting off prematurely totally unacceptable. There is all kinds of threads on the KORG forum regarding this issue.

...

My recollection from the KORG forums is that with the RH3 keyboard, note cut-off is quicker (happens with a less mechanical key travel on release) than most competitive brands. It may be that the adjustment that calibration/repair center can make is marginal. I seriously think the issue is with the integration of the electronics trigging and the RH3 keybed travel/trigger mechanism.

(I had spent A LOT of time on KORG and other forums trying to see if there were real resolutions to the note cut-off issue).

 

The test; Acoustic piano setting; particularly on the lower ½ of keyboard, gently, repeatedly, push down the keys 3-4 times. You will likely find some notes cutting out prematurely. Also, you need to have the official KORG pedal plugged in when doing this test. (not some knock-off).

Zombie thread, but I'm looking to get more info on this.

 

I have an SV1. I've noticed the cut-off, but very rarely, and I am unable to duplicate it on command. Questions:

... does it only happen on the acoustic piano sound, never the EPs?

... does this actually require that the Korg pedal be plugged in? And assuming that's the case, it needs to be plugged in but not engaged? (I have a hard time imagining an audible cutout with the pedal depressed...)

... is anyone else here good at making it happen on demand, can you suggest a technique?

...Jaspla is right, the SV1 has a low release trigger point. In fact, one of my first thoughts was that maybe people are just slightly lifting up on the key enough to silence it after playing it, but in looking further into it elsewhere, it seems that the note does not actually cut off to silence, but rather drops to a much lower volume, which would not be the case if you'd simply lifted the key enough to silence the note. The issue is apparently one of a little bit of a "bounce" in the mechanism such that, you strike the key to trigger the note, and the mechanism bounces back up just slightly and then falls and triggers the note a second time at much lower velocity. This seems a reasonable explanation, though it wouldn't explain why it would only happen with the pedal attached, or why it would happen on an AP and not an EP. Thoughts?

 

On a side note, I like the low release point (short overall travel) on the SV1 action. I think it makes clavinets sound snappier, but it's still within the realm of perfectly playable for piano. In fact, with the pedal down, it allows a quiet piano same-note retrigger in a manner that you usually might think you'd need a three-sensor board for. With pedal-down, I'd say the retrigger height is about the same the 3-sensor Casios (though some other 3-sensor boards permit even lower retriggering).

[Daviddevic]

I bought a SV1 2 years ago but returned it due to the RH3 issue. I was able to reproduce it on demand. Just try playing a bossa nova bass pattern over blue bossa changes... It caused the issue every time I played it. Also playimg with my left hand fifht finger on p or pp,the key boumced back and caused the cutoff.. Maybe my unit was extremly faulty. The thecnical service was unnable to solve it. I liked its sound, layout and esthetics, but was unplayable...

[analogman1]

Still using mine!!!

[CowboyNQ]

I'm looking to get more info on this.

 

Scott, I have an SV-1 sitting in the rehearsal room. I must confess I was completely oblivious to this issue but I'll pay him a visit tomorrow and see if I can duplicate it based on the instructions in the post above.

 

The only thing is I don't have a Korg pedal so perhaps I will be unable to recreate the issue in any event.

 

Nonetheless I'll give it a crack for you and report back.

[dje31]

When I saw Steven Wilson's solo tour in the fall for Hand.Cannot.Erase, his keyboard player had an SV-1. It sounded fantastic live.

 

Not sure whether it was internal sounds, triggering externally or layering, but it was impressive. APs, Rhodes, etc. AP actually gave me chills at one point.

 

The guy's a player, so he could probably make just about anything sound great. Even a GC house brand Williams DP, I'd imagine.

 

That said, I wonder if he'll transition to the GrandStage, being a Korg guy.

[MorayM]

When I saw Steven Wilson's solo tour in the fall for Hand.Cannot.Erase, his keyboard player had an SV-1. It sounded fantastic live.

 

Not sure whether it was internal sounds, triggering externally or layering, but it was impressive. APs, Rhodes, etc. AP actually gave me chills at one point.

 

The guy's a player, so he could probably make just about anything sound great. Even a GC house brand Williams DP, I'd imagine.

 

That said, I wonder if he'll transition to the GrandStage, being a Korg guy.

 

The guy's amazing. All the Rhodes and APs in the show are from its internal sounds. There's a full rig rundown on YT from a few years ago - his rig hasn't changed. He actually released an album of piano improvisations taken from one of Steven's earlier tours, just SV1 to soundboard to disk. You know what? It sounds ace.

[MorayM]

Adam Holzman - The Deform Variations

 

[video:youtube]

[video:youtube]

[Outkaster]

When Tucktronix had his SV-1 I thought it was a decent board. The only real big thing was the action for me.

[ProfD]

I rarely play AP sounds on it but I'll definitely check into the cutoff issue and report back. Still love my SV-1. Desert island KB.

[AnotherScott]

When I saw Steven Wilson's solo tour in the fall for Hand.Cannot.Erase, his keyboard player had an SV-1. It sounded fantastic live.

 

Not sure whether it was internal sounds, triggering externally or layering, but it was impressive. APs, Rhodes, etc. AP actually gave me chills at one point.

.

 

All the Rhodes and APs in the show are from its internal sounds...He actually released an album of piano improvisations taken from one of Steven's earlier tours, just SV1 to soundboard to disk. You know what? It sounds ace.

I used to pooh-pooh the SV1 for acoustic piano, but having gotten one for the electrics, I have come to find that the AP is much better than I gave it credit for. I wouldn't pick it for finessing quiet passages, but for pop/rock stuff, not a problem at all. Tonally, I found that I liked it more when I boosted the front panel Mid EQ control a bit. (I'll also qualify this by pointing out that, as my focus for this board was elsewhere, when it comes to acoustic, I've only played with the default piano #1, there are other piano sounds I haven't spent any time with yet. So maybe there's something else in there that might work better for the subtle quiet stuff, I don't know.)

 

When Tucktronix had his SV-1 I thought it was a decent board. The only real big thing was the action for me.

I think the action feels really nice for the EPs. For acoustic, I put it at about the middle, not as good as the best, but far from the worst. I also mentioned that I like the way it makes the clav sound snappy. I just wish it were lighter than it's 38.5 lbs!