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Extra Styles ???
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Mitzie
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Joined: 02 Oct 2018
Posts: 109

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 3:47 pm    Post subject: Extra Styles ??? Reply with quote

The EK-50 manual says you can have 96 extra styles that can be played via USB. Where are these extra styles ? Korg has in the past renegaded on their promises

This is where Yamaha scores IMHO in actually producing extra styles and midi files etc... Even the Korg Global Styles web page is out of date and only lists keyboards up to the Pa3X ?

Otherwise the EK-50 appears to be a great 'board, well thought out and user friendly. -Korg has produced a winner


Last edited by Mitzie on Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:27 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Biggles
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 4:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah but the Korg will sound great yet its nearest Yamaha competitor will sound like it should by in Toys R Us.
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Biggles
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siebenhirter
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:16 pm    Post subject: EK-50 Reply with quote

Biggles wrote:
... will sound great yet .. competitor will sound like it should by in Toys R Us.


.. the usual hallelujah and denounce dispensable - not seriously regarding the sound of competitors.

With its features EK50 it resembles the microArranger, but has full sized keys. Also changed its Performance/KbdSets-method to a SetList-method, but unlike the Pa-series songbook, it resembles the banks/registration method and therefore it seems to be much better and more intuitive for handling than the system used by Korg until now.
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Interesting facts about styles and stylePlayer functions can be found at http: www.elmarherz.de
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Biggles
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:56 pm    Post subject: Re: EK-50 Reply with quote

siebenhirter wrote:
Biggles wrote:
... will sound great yet .. competitor will sound like it should by in Toys R Us.


.. the usual hallelujah and denounce dispensable - not seriously regarding the sound of competitors.

With its features EK50 it resembles the microArranger, but has full sized keys. Also changed its Performance/KbdSets-method to a SetList-method, but unlike the Pa-series songbook, it resembles the banks/registration method and therefore it seems to be much better and more intuitive for handling than the system used by Korg until now.


It is a beginners keyboard a long awaited competitor to the Yamaha E series and it is one that can grow with he user.

So what is there not to like as it is?

A great addition to the Korg family.
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Biggles
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siebenhirter
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 11:20 pm    Post subject: Re: EK-50 Reply with quote

Biggles wrote:
.. great addition to the Korg family ..


It is always interesting to see what else is out there, but does not matter if it is a great addition to any brand family (maybe interesting for marketing only).

Different brands have their own identifiable sounds, but they do not sound "better" or "worse", but only different.

If someone uncritically prefers a certain brand then that's fine - but sound to qualify does not make sense depending on the name on the housing and same happens to assessment of other characteristics of a device.

I'm glad that Korg wants to compete in the entry-level market, but after listening to the demo videos I doubt whether this will be successful.
Korg is launching EK-50 an ENTRY-level arranger-keyboard as ENTERTAINER with polyphonie of 64, but in this price range there are also already homekeyboards with 128-polyphony.
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Interesting facts about styles and stylePlayer functions can be found at http: www.elmarherz.de
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Biggles
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 6:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Indeed it is, 64 is not much in poly features today.

By comparison Roland released their entry level keyboard in the Go Keys and Go Piano which undercuts the EK considerably but it seems to be intended more as a play along keyboard for a novice.

Head to head with Yamaha and Casio in the beginner market is going to be difficult for any company.
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Biggles
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NativeAngels
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2018 12:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hazard a guess but I imagine the EK50 will be comparable with the Pa50 styles if it has the same engine.
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chelsea4023
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Joined: 06 Apr 2016
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 1:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi,

I have to admit that I find it vaguely amusing that this keyboard has only been out a couple of months. It's got 280 inbuilt styles and Korg have confirmed that you can add up to 96 styles via a USB stick. Already some Forum members are getting concerned that the additional 96 styles are unobtainable, Korg will backtrack and never provide any additional styles for this keyboard.

I would like to make a confession, I have a Korg PA4X. It comes with 550 inbuilt styles yet I have pestered the life out of my retailer for additional free software that loads virtually every Korg arranger style ever made (from previous models) into my user styles section and I also have 1-32 sets of bonus styles (all free) loaded into my Direct styles section (all read from a USB stick). In total I have probably around 1,200 styles in my PA4X.
How many of these styles have I actually used since I have owned the keyboard ? Probably less than 20 !! I have to admit feeling a little embarrassed about the whole situation.

I am sure that Korg will provide styles compatible with the EK50, and if not then somebody clever will produce a free software program that converts existing Korg styles to work on the EK50.

I had an hour with Luke Edwards (Korg U.K. product specialist) trying out the EK50 (the first one on U.K. shores) back in September at a keyboard Festival in Hemsby. It was the first time he had played it, but wow some of the sounds he got out of it were absolutely amazing. I struggled to get my head around how cheap the keyboard was.

Chris
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musicmaker84



Joined: 01 Nov 2018
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 11:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

chelsea4023 wrote:
Hi,

I have to admit that I find it vaguely amusing that this keyboard has only been out a couple of months. It's got 280 inbuilt styles and Korg have confirmed that you can add up to 96 styles via a USB stick. Already some Forum members are getting concerned that the additional 96 styles are unobtainable, Korg will backtrack and never provide any additional styles for this keyboard.

I would like to make a confession, I have a Korg PA4X. It comes with 550 inbuilt styles yet I have pestered the life out of my retailer for additional free software that loads virtually every Korg arranger style ever made (from previous models) into my user styles section and I also have 1-32 sets of bonus styles (all free) loaded into my Direct styles section (all read from a USB stick). In total I have probably around 1,200 styles in my PA4X.
How many of these styles have I actually used since I have owned the keyboard ? Probably less than 20 !! I have to admit feeling a little embarrassed about the whole situation.

I am sure that Korg will provide styles compatible with the EK50, and if not then somebody clever will produce a free software program that converts existing Korg styles to work on the EK50.

I had an hour with Luke Edwards (Korg U.K. product specialist) trying out the EK50 (the first one on U.K. shores) back in September at a keyboard Festival in Hemsby. It was the first time he had played it, but wow some of the sounds he got out of it were absolutely amazing. I struggled to get my head around how cheap the keyboard was.

Chris


@Chris: Korg will have to provide a software update that unlocks/adds the ability to load user styles. Right now, there is no option to load them.

On another note, I use the board together with vArranger 2 and have thousands of styles at my disposal. I find the Korg styles on par with Roland's. I can make them work for what I play. I find, the EK-50 is a bit limited when it comes to 60s/70s/Disco styles. A tad more variety in that category would have been great. Again, vArranger software takes care of that for now.

I can best describe the EK-50 as a Roland BK-7m with keys. It sounds on par if not a tad "better". I loved the BK-7m when I had it for a short while some years ago.
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Mitzie
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 9:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As other forum members have expressed we could do with some of the Liverpool Arranger styles being made available to play '60-'70s' stuff
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chelsea4023
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Joined: 06 Apr 2016
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Location: West London, U.K.

PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 5:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Musicmaker 84,
I spoke to Korg UK tech support today and they were confused by your comments.

They said that the keyboard would be able to read PA80 and Korg Micro Arranger styles but not PA3X or PA4X styles. The way they suggested they be read is the 'Direct Access' method whereby you don't actually load them into the EK50 but they actually sit on a USB stick plugged into the keyboard.

Please don't shoot the messenger, I am just passing on what Korg UK have told me.
Good luck,
Chris
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musicmaker84



Joined: 01 Nov 2018
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Chris, no worries 😉. I haven’t messed with user styles yet. To my knowledge, the option to „direct access“ or „load“ user styles from USB stick was going to be added via OS Software update end of November. Now, there was an OS update at the beginning of November, but the description just talked about software bugs.

Will try it out this weekend. Maybe it works already. Then again, I have a PA 700 coming in the mail. Couldn’t resist. So, if I don’t find the PA 700 too overly complicated for my style of play, the EK-50 is going back to the store. Nevertheless, I had a very enjoyable EK-50 session late last night.
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musicmaker84



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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 12:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just wanted to follow up on the EK-50 and the PA 700. The PA 700, brand new, out of the box with a dead key. Awaiting my return label. Korg quality control, is there actually one? Also, Quick Guide missing.

But obviously, I tried the PA and made do without the key in question. Nice board. And I wanted to cheer that it didn’t seem to freeze notes, until it happened yesterday once. But so far, it has happened only once while with the EK every time I play for more than some minutes.

Nevertheless, if this is an obvious Korg software problem, how do they manage to sell to professionals?

I guess I will opt for a replacement 700. The EK will be returned.
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Musicwithharry
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Joined: 23 Mar 2012
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Location: Anamosa, IA

PostPosted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 2:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Musicmaker84 -

I am sorry to hear about your experience with the PA700 thus far. I bought one when it came out (Serial # under 140) back in late-Setember of last year and have NEVER had a problem with mine at all. I use mine daily for up to 5 hours a day in my music ministry. I perform with it about 40-50 times a month in various gig situations.

I used to use the Roland E-09 (have had two of them for about 12 years) as my main unit and the only thing I get scared about is not having a direct copy backup unit of the PA700. That should be remedied around Feb 2019 (I am probably buying another one as a backup and for studio use).

I do love the idea of the EK-50 though and might spring for that one to see if it would work instead of another PA700 for the interim. I would love to have something I could use daily if the PA700 failed. I know that the EK fails in comparison to the feature set of the PA700, but for the price of admission of the EK-50, it might be worth it, especially if styles can be converted by software and saved to a USB drive. I see a win-win here.

I have three other arrangers that I could trade that are just sitting in their cases at present: the two aforementioned Roland E-09 units and a Roland BK-5 (that I have not been able to get my mind around - it is subpar to the PA700 for sure in my opinion).

Maybe the EK would work in their place...
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musicmaker84



Joined: 01 Nov 2018
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 6:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for your feedback, Harry.

I‘m not sure if the EK-50 will make you happy coming from the PA.

Especially with organ sounds, the notes freezing happens quite frequently.

I also had entertained the thought for this board to be a backup since it can run on AA batteries which makes it ideal for areas with powerouts. But these issues make it a showstopper.

Regarding the 700. I believe I just got unlucky. Hopefully, it’s not a complete batch of problematic boards. Will see once the replacement arrives.
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