Korg Pa5X 88 Professional Arranger Keyboard

Full Description

Version 1.3 Update is packed with new features

Update to Version 1.3.0 today and unlock a range of new features and enhancements. The new features include Korg's new Kaoss pad with Kaoss effects for real-time MIDI song and style manipulation. The version 1.3 update has an expanded user sound bank with drumkit banks and improved external MIDI device control. Whilst the increased user sample capacity allows you to load over 53,000 user samples with a 420MB preload buffer.

The update includes new matrix presets, enabling you to choose chord sequences and songbook entries directly from matrix pads. As well as a useful enhanced style edit functions such as undo history, copy track settings, and new record features. Download the new update here.

Intuitive design for maximum expressiveness

The new look of this keyboard has been designed with the modern keys player in mind. The beautiful aluminium body adds a touch of quality and durability, while the wooden side panels also add a premium feel that is reminiscent of the Korg prologue. As well as the vast range of rich and articulate sounds, the Pa5x delivers an intuitive and dynamic interface that provides all the controls and parameters you'll need to craft the perfect sound. The fully weighted keys are naturally-responsive providing both velocity and aftertouch sensitivity for a natural and articulate sound for a range of playing styles.

The display is large and features capacity touch capability. As well as controlling the instrument itself, the screen can be used to show key performance information such as lyrics, chord charts or even sheet music. Markers can be placed so you can navigate around songs easily. Songs, styles and sounds can also be stored in the songbook. The songbook is a database of tunes that can be organised into setlists for specific performances. What's more, the songbook can also be synchronised with external score readers or tablets.

Exceptional sound generation and articulation

The Pa5X delivers exception sound quality and definition utilising the newly-developed EDS-XP (Enhanced Definition Synthesis - Expanded) sound engine from Korg. The EDS-XP engine is immensely powerful, with 24 stereo oscillators and 160 note polyphony, this will sound better than anything before.

The built-in sound library for this keyboard is huge, with 2,200 factory sounds from every genre. Pianos to electric pianos, orchestral sounds to synthesizer sounds. This product offers unmatched diversity. A whole new drawbar organ section takes full advantage of the Pa5X's design for realistic controls. The Smooth Sound Transition allows you to crossfade between styles or sound smoothly using the crossfade slider.

As well as the onboard sounds, the Pa5X features a sampler which is compatible with Wav, AIFF and SF2 formats. With a vast amount of editing functionality built in to the instrument, you can fine tune your samples or even transform an audio loop into a percussive kit.

Diverse and innovative styles

The Pa5X has more than 600 backing styles, each with three introductions, four variations, four fills, a break and three endings. With practically every musical genre covered, you will be able to perform and compose entire tunes with ease. Korg has developed new drum and percussion sounds with the use of round-robin technology. The round-robin means that multiple recorded samples can be played when a note is repeated, adding a human element to the drums and enhancing the feel of the beat. You can also dig into these kits and edit each individually and really craft a drum sound that is unique to you.

More ways to make music

Korg have really worked on adding more ways to interact and make music with the Pa5X. The fader bank features a small auxiliary display underneath which can display what each fader is, even when something different is on the main display. The joystick and ribbon controller are freely assignable so any sound parameter can be adjusted. The joystick is also replaceable so any mechanical wear and tear won't spell the end for such a great feature.

There are also countless buttons and other controls on the front panel of this instrument, making for a dizzying amount of control over your sound. The pad matrix is ideal for signal routings in a synth or for performing drum parts.

The Pa5X introduces a brand new dual players feature. This allows you to play two styles, MIDI files or MP3 files simultaneously and in any combination. These can be blended using the crossfader or used to queue up another song while another song is playing. The new sound engine onboard will ensure that any transitions are seamless.

Onboard, studio-grade effects

The Pa5X features some of the best effects from Korg's library. All studio-level. You are able to add inserts to your sounds as well as master effects. A final stage is also available for those final touches. In a long-lasting collaboration with Waves Audio, the Pa5X has some the best quality mastering functionality at this final stage. Ensuring that the final product is polished and professional.

Korg have teamed up with Shift Audio to provide industry-leading vocal effects for any connected microphone. These include a four-voice harmonizer that can create lifelike backing vocals and a new Auto Pitch feature. The guitar input can also have a stack of four insert effects. The included amp simulations of legendary Vox amps and vintage pedal simulations will excite any guitar player who works with the Pa5X.

Versatile connectivity and storage

The Pa5X features a range of connectivity options including main left and right output plus two four additional outputs. The MIDI and USB can be used for controllers or external storage devices. The HDMI out can connect to an external display for more flexibility in use. The Pa5X also has an XLR for microphones, a jack for guitars and jacks and a minijack for additional inputs. Up to three pedals can be connected, two of which can be assigned to many onboard parameters.

Specifications

• Keyboard:
  • Pa5X 61: 61 keys (C2 – C7) Semi–weighted keys with Aftertouch
  • Pa5X 76: 76 keys (E1 – G7) Semi–weighted keys with Aftertouch
  • Pa5X 88: 88 keys (A0 – C8) Hammer action with Aftertouch
• Case: Aluminum case with wooden side panels
• Operating System: Upgradable Operating System
• Sound Generator:
  • EDS-XP (Enhanced Definition Synthesis-Expanded)
  • Multimode filters with resonance, 3-band EQ for each track
• Polyphony: 160 Voices, 160 Oscillators
• Effects:
  • Keyboard Tracks: 3 Insert Effect; 3 Master Effects
  • Style/Song: 10 Insert Effects; 3 Master Effects
  • Master EQ and Finalizer for Songs and Styles
  • Final Mastering Effects: Waves | MaxxAudio Suite
• Mic Processor Technology by Shift Audio:
  • Mic Setup: Compressor, EQ, Gate
  • Four-part Harmonizer, Doubler, Filter, Modulation, Delay, Reverb, AutoPitch
• Guitar Processor: Guitar rack (4 effect-slots) with stompbox and amp simulation
• Sounds / Drum Kits:
  • Factory: More than 2,200 Factory Sounds
  • Five multilayer Stereo Acoustic Pianos with Damper/Body Resonance, GM/XG Sound Sets, more than 130 Drum Kits including Ambient Drums and Round Robin-based Drum Kits
  • User Area: 768 Sounds, 384 Drum Kits
  • Digital Drawbars: 9 Footages, Percussion, Key On/Off, Leakage, Vibrato/Chorus, Rotary Speaker with Amp Simulator
  • Natural Ambience Drum Sounds, Round Robin features
  • Defined Nuance Control (DNC) Technology
  • Quick and Full Sound Editing, Drum Family and Full Drum Kit Editing
• Sampling:
  • User PCM Sample memory: 4 GB of data, equivalent to 8 GB linear when compressed
  • Loads KORG, WAV, AIFF and SoundFont formats
  • Saves KORG, WAV and AIFF formats
  • Full Edit, Time Slice, Sampling features
• Keyboard Sets:
  • Factory: More than 500 Factory Keyboard Sets, freely programmable
  • Combines four Keyboard Sounds, plus Effects and settings
  • Library accessible from front-panel buttons
  • “My Setting” special Keyboard Set
• Players:
  • Patented XDS Crossfade Dual Player with X-Fader Balance control
  • Crossfading between Songs and/or Styles
• Styles:
  • Factory: More than 600 Factory Styles, freely programmable
  • Eight Style Tracks, 4 Keyboard Sets and 4 Pads per Style; Programmable Sounds, Effects and Style parameters
  • Guitar Mode 2, Parallel and Fixed NTT (Note Transposition Table)
  • Style Record and Event Edit
  • Style Elements: 3 Intros, 4 Variations, 4 Fills, 1 Break, 3 Endings
  • Style Controls: Play/Stop, Synchro Start, Synchro Stop, Tap Tempo/Reset, Auto Fill, Memory, Bass Inversion, Manual Bass, Bass & Lower Backing, Drum & Bass, Individual Style Tracks Mute, Style to Keyboard Set Set
• Chord Sequencer:
  • Factory: More than 200 Chord Sequences
  • Chord Sequence Recorder/Player
  • Chord Sequences can be saved to Style and SongBook Entries
• Songs:
  • Patented XDS Crossfade Dual Player with X-Fader Balance control
  • Supported formats: MID, KAR, MP3 + Lyrics, MP3+G
  • Lyrics, Score, and Chord data can be displayed on screen, or on external video monitor
  • Markers with Add, Delete, Edit, Loop and AutoScroll functions
  • Jukebox function
  • Full-featured, 16-track Sequencer, Song Edit
• MP3 Player / Recorder:
  • Double MP3 Player and MP3 Recorder
  • Records MP3 files, including Styles, MIDI Songs, MP3 Songs, Keyboard Sounds, Pads, Matrix, Microphone, Guitar, Effects
  • Transpose (+6/-5 semitones), Tempo Change (±30 )
  • Vocal Remover
• SongBook:
  • Fully programmable music database based on Styles, MIDI Songs (MID and KAR files), MP3 Songs with Artist and Genre tags
  • Filtering and sorting options
  • User definable Set Lists
• Compatibility: Legacy Pa-Series models: Styles, Keyboard Sets (Performances), Sounds (Programs), Songs, Pads
• Pads:
  • Factory: More than 400 Pads
  • Four Assignable Pads + Stop Buttons
  • Pad Record function
• Control Section: 9 Assignable Sliders, 9 Assignable Buttons, Strip Display; 4 Preset + 1 User settings
• Matrix Section: 16 Matrix Pads, 4 Preset buttons
• Style/Song Controls: Play/Stop, Go To Start, Style Select, Song Select, Xfader, Tempo +/-, Tempo Lock, Tap Tempo/Reset, Synchro Start, Synchro Stop, Fade In/Out, Chord Scan (Lower, Upper), Chord Sequence, Memory, AutoFill
• General Controls: Master Volume, Octave Transpose, Master Transpose, Dial, Up/+, Down/-, Joystick (Pitch + Modulation), Ribbon, 3 Assignable Switches, Search, Shift, Keyboard Sounds On/Off, Split, Ensemble, Rec/Edit, Menu, Exit
• Scale Controls: On-screen Quarter Tone and Arabic Scale, memorized in the Keyboard Sets; Presets assignable to any button or footswitch
• Control Inputs: Damper Pedal; supports half-pedaling with the optional KORG DS-1H pedal 2 Assignable Pedal/Footswitch
• Audio Inputs:
  • Mic: Mono with Gain control and Phantom Power (Combo XLR, balanced)
  • Guitar: Mono with Gain control (1/4" jack, unbalanced)
  • Line 1: Left/Right (1/4" jacks, balanced)
  • Line 2: Stereo (1/8" mini-jack, unbalanced)
• Audio Outputs:
  • Line: Main Left/Right, Separate Outs 1/2/3/4 (1/4" jacks, balanced)
  • Headphones (1/4" jack)
• Video Output: HDMI connector
• MIDI:
  • IN, OUT, THRU standard MIDI connectors
  • USB to MIDI, through the USB Device port
  • 16 User-definable MIDI Presets
• USB:
  • Type A (Host 3.0, for storage devices and controllers): 1 front, 2 rear
  • Type B (Device 2.0, for personal computers and tablets): 1 rear
• Storage:
  • Internal Drive: 1 GB
  • Micro SD Card (not included): Rear-panel slot with plastic cover
  • USB Flash Drive (not included): Can be connected to the USB Host ports
• Display: 8” Wide capacitive color TouchView TFT display, 800 x 600 resolution
• Clock: Internal System Clock
• Power Consumption:
  • 100-240 Volts, 50/60 Hz
  • < 0.2 Watt in standby / 20 Watt normal / 45 Watt with PaAS installed
• Dimensions (W x D x H) (without music stand, display fully lowered):
  • Pa5X-88: 1,262.0 x 396.4 x 146.0 mm / 49.68” x 15.60” x 5.74”
  • Pa5X-76: 1,233.1 x 374.3 x 126.8 mm / 48.54” x 14.73” x 4.99”
  • Pa5X-61: 1,021.1 x 374.3 x 126.8 mm / 40.20” x 14.73” x 4.99”
  • PaAS (optional): 980 x 180 x 140 mm / 38.58” x 7.08” x 5.51”
• Weight:
  • Pa5X-88: 20.1 kg / 44.31 lbs
  • Pa5X-76: 17.4 kg / 38.36 lbs
  • Pa5X-61: 15.1 kg / 33.29 lbs
  • PaAS (optional): 5.70 kg / 12.56 lbs
• Accessories: AC Power Cable, Music Stand, Quick Guide manual
• Options:
  • PaAS Amplification System
  • ST-SV1-BK Keyboard Stand
  • EXP-2 Foot Controller
  • XVP-20 Expression/Volume Pedal
  • DS-1H Damper Pedal (supports half-pedaling)
  • PS-1 Pedal Switch
  • PS-3 Pedal Switch
  • VOX V860 Volume Pedal