Would you buy a PA1X OS upgrade?

[karmathanever]

If Korg were prepared to invest the time & effort in developing a new or improved OS for the PA1X to incorporate some/all of our requests and desires, would you be prepared to pay for it?

I am hoping that Korg will note the results of this poll.

Cheers

Pete C

[KorgPlayer]

For a EQ function on style channels, I would sell my house (and wife)

[ashboe]

Why are you asking whether we would PAY for an upgrade. Korg hasn't said they were even THINKING of charging us. If your poll indicates an overwhelming number of people would pay for what they were going to give for free, they might charge anyway.
Why SHOULD we pay is the question I would liked answered. I see no reason for it except for people saying that they want this and that which would need to be on a higher spec machine anyway. I want the features on the Pa1x that one would expect and either arn't there or don't work properly. for example, the 'jump to measure in sequencer' is an operation we would expect, however many items on the wish list come from higher models anyway.
I would not pay at the moment for an upgrade. I would like them to incorporate improvements and keep updating as they are at the moment. The last update was only three months ago, and we have been told that they are working to release an update soon. Let them do it for free.
JMHO
sean

[franky silva]

would you be prepared to pay for it?

NO, NO and NO.

[Azhari]

Well said ashboe :

Why should we pay for Korg's oversight or inadequacies or shortcomings or whatever you might call it.

When I buy KORG I buy a NAME that I trust!!

When I bought my PA1Xpro it never crossed my mind that the STANDARD jump-to-measure feature would be lacking!!!!!!
Was I wrong in expecting it??? Was I wrong in having good faith in KORG????

If I wasn't wrong then Korg has a responsibility, not only towards customers like me, but also towards its NAME & STANDING in a fiercely competetive world.

Take Windows for example. They keep on updating their products periodically- FREE of charge - so that their customers get the best possible software worthy of the NAME Microsoft, an institution worthy of respect because it respects itself and its customers.

But if I was wrong in my indulgence of such legitimate and justifiable expectations, then I think KORG has a problem!!!!!

We should not pay for upgrades that would enhance Korg's products....

We should not pay for Korg's Name and Goodwill

We should be paid for being the Lab-rats!!!!!!!!

[artemiasalina]

Well said ashboe :

Why should we pay for Korg's oversight or inadequacies or shortcomings or whatever you might call it.

When I buy KORG I buy a NAME that I trust!!

When I bought my PA1Xpro it never crossed my mind that the STANDARD jump-to-measure feature would be lacking!!!!!!
Was I wrong in expecting it??? Was I wrong in having good faith in KORG????

If I wasn't wrong then Korg has a responsibility, not only towards customers like me, but also towards its NAME & STANDING in a fiercely competetive world.

Take Windows for example. They keep on updating their products periodically- FREE of charge - so that their customers get the best possible software worthy of the NAME Microsoft, an institution worthy of respect because it respects itself and its customers.

But if I was wrong in my indulgence of such legitimate and justifiable expectations, then I think KORG has a problem!!!!!

We should not pay for upgrades that would enhance Korg's products....

We should not pay for Korg's Name and Goodwill

We should be paid for being the Lab-rats!!!!!!!!

If pa1x have some bugs or limitation, why I must to pay for to resolv them?

[dimitris]

No music instrument company must take money for updating. It's every company's "image"!!

[karmathanever]

Hey guys - thanks for your votes -

Hmmmm... I must admit that I am surprised by the results , however, perhaps I didn't make the point of my poll clear enough.....

Why am I asking this?

We have all asked for, or suggested new improved features for our PA1X's - remember that we have purchased this instrument for what it is - not for what it might be. I agree that we should not have to pay for OS upgrades which fix problems, but Korg have already given us new features for free let alone bug fixes.

If it was possible to include more new features by means of an OS re-write or upgrade, then I reckon that is definitely worth paying for - far better than waiting for the next model, losing money, and still wanting more features after that...

Several years ago, Yamaha produced a series of keyboards ranging from $2000 to $28,000 - the interesting thing was, that all these keyboards were identical inside, but the public really only purchased the external interface (body, screen & buttons) - very clever approach and would have saved big manufacturing and chip upgrade costs. Nowadays, this can simply be achieved by software. We can see that now from the updates we have already. Korg will not offer us all the nice extras we want for free - why should they? However if it was possible to get these features via a new OS for the PA1X rather than new models, I would definitely go for it...

No, I am not trying to make money for Korg, I just would like to avoid trying to convince my family that I need yet another NEW model, and also would like to get some real mileage out of the PA1XPro....

Someone said

Why should we pay for Korg's oversight or inadequacies or shortcomings or whatever you might call it.

- my point is that the PA1X is clearly defined - what it can do etc... If you want more, you can't really call these "oversights/shortcomings..." unless the keyboard clearly does NOT do what it is supposed to do (specifications).

Just my opinion guys - nothing more...

Cheers

Pete

[tommy1340millar]

Why should we pay for Korg's oversight or inadequacies or shortcomings or whatever you might call it.

- my point is that the PA1X is clearly defined - what it can do etc... If you want more, you can't really call these "oversights/shortcomings..." unless the keyboard clearly does NOT do what it is supposed to do (specifications).

Just my opinion guys - nothing more...

Cheers

Pete

Similarly to Pete, this is just my opinion.....
Having had i3 then i30, I did not expect to any features to have been reduced (or dumbed down, or diluted, or just plain dropped) from previous models when 'buying up' to the pa1x - eg sequencer operations, instant access to rh sound octave settings (without having to access other pages) and many other little quirks which have changed over the past few years.
I wrongly assumed (never assume!! ) that the pa1x would be a logical progression from i30, as the i30 was a logical progression from the i3.
I think, if Korg were taking onboard the few main points of constructive critisism of pa1x, and any fixes were available via o.s. updates, then the info should be available to everyone who has already bought a keyboard, after all the keyboard had many bugs when it was launched, so the first few hundred (or thousand) buyers were beta testers, paying for the privilege.

oh, I voted 'no', btw!!

[tommy1340millar]

just after reading my own posting above I had a thought...
I chipped my i3 with the smaller of the 2 upgrade chips available from Korg.

If there was a chip replacement or piggyback board, ie hard/firmware add-on which changed certain operations - then I'd pay for that, if I felt I needed it.

very abstract ideas at the mo are - say a dedicated sequencer board which emulated the i30 sequencer for ease of editing, with, for example the i3 shortcut buttons for speed of accessing pages, using the existing pa1x user interface, reading/writing using the existing hard drive?

it's like this - not all people need all features. If 'accessory modules' were available to customise the keyboard to your required spec, then I'd pay for them. Does that make any sense, or have I just contradicted myself?

[keys]

i would prefer not to pay for software upgrades. this board is expensive enough initially, then add (costs are australian $) an mp3 board ($300+) the cdrw ($400+) harmoniser upgrade ($400+) EC5 pedal ($150+)...this board already has a list price of around $5500..it becomes very expensive..i would think that free software changes should be standard...however if korg release actual hardware "boards" to add new features then i think it would be fair to charge for those...i mean lets face it the additional features incorporated into software upgrades are nice and they are useful, but they are not MAJOR feature sets really, (if they were major, i think korg would have had them in the original release op system) just additions to the original software to make some operations a little less cumbersome....thats what i think anyhow, fwiw!!!
cheers,
dennis

[Organizer]

I'm sure that Korg recognizes the value of the members of this and other similar forums as, in esence, unpaid R&D resource as well as an unpaid sales and marketing volunteers. It certainly behooves Korg to fcontinue freely providing bug fixes and incorporating suggested feature enhancements into each of their software upgrades for no cost since we are not only their current custmers but also their primary target market for future purchases. If satisfied with the product(s) I'm sure that, as current satisfied users, we will continue to be early adopters of future products. As an example, when Ketron abandoned support on their X series arrangers (after repeated reports of bugs and the need for enhanced features), I opted to purchase the PA1XPro in lieu of the SD1 (previously owned the Korg i3 and was satisfied with the product quality and level of support).

Art

[calaf]

An interesting debate here. I find myself between two stools.
I am fully in agreement that upgrades should be made available to us, as this historically is what has happened, not just with Korg, (the first thing I did when buying an iS40 was to up the OS to the last and latest version) but reading through Yamaha Forums I note that OS upgrades have been made available to owners. With a precedent set, many will find it difficult to accept a change of approach.
However, many of us have already bought and are enjoying Sharp's sounds. Why? Reading through the Forum one comes across the idea that, for example, the piano sounds could be better. Some will be prepared to buy the Korg expansion boards, others the Sharp products. Equally there will be others who will argue that the sounds onboard are fine, and don't need to change/add anything, so in that respect there is also a precedent set for people to buy upgrades. I also wonder if any Forum members have bought the Performance Pack.
With regard to styles, there is a debate about 12/8 styles. or lack of them on the board. In this instance, I think that if there are gaps in the banks that we should not need to rely on third party sources, or use any public domain styles from other manufacturers to plug those gaps.
I would however make the comment that boards these days, particularly the Pro with its hard drive rely heavily on computer technology. I would wonder how many of us have happily paid to upgrade Microsoft Office to its latest version.
In terms of OS, I personally run Windows 98 on my home machine, as I find it does all I need it to do here. However I now find that some tasks that I require to do away from work, unless I bring one of the work laptops with me are impossible to complete as the software requirements are now XP Pro. I am therefore considering upgrading my home software. Will I expect Microsoft to do this for me? Somehow I think I will be waiting a long time for the upgrade to come from Mr Gates.
Having said all of that, I do agree with the comment that Forums like this do provide clear markers for the R&D teams at Korg, and that in the longer term, the feeling of opinions being valued will result in continued sales and recommendations from members of the board. Consider the number of posters who ask for comment about the merits or otherwise of the Korg and its competitors.

Final verdict though, all things considered and to answer the initial question:- OS upgrades do need to be made freely available!

[Azhari]

Final verdict though, all things considered and to answer the initial question:- OS upgrades do need to be made freely available!

Thank you Calaf ....Exactly the point!!

Please consider the difference between Upgrades and Updates so that your "stool" can be clearly distinguished.

Windows 98 can be UPGRADED to XP.... while XP is under constant UPDATING!! FREE OF CHARGE.

That should be the difference between i3 (or i30 ) and our esteemed PA!!!!!!!!


Cheers.

[calaf]

Thanks Azhari, for your response to my initial thoughts.
My apologies as I has not fully read, as I skimmed through the responses, your first comments.
I think you do make a really crucial distinction with my 98 v XP Pro analogy.
As you say the PA1X comes armed with an OS which is subject to updating, as opposed to upgrading.
Although I was trying to see the debate from all sides, from my historical perspective and the updating idea that you put so clearly, I am more convinced at the validity of my vote!
I do feel that although the styles are excellent, (a greater number being useable than any other board I have owned), there are gaps, that the Roland Yamaha etc freebies can fill, but if the PA1X is to retain its position on the leader board, Korg does need to help those of us who haven't got the technological skills to develop new styles, and not rely on these other names.
Continuing the Microsoft analogy, I would suggest it being rather like those like me who use programs based on Access and those who are able to harness the power of Access in developmental terms.
I would still feel that extras such as the Performance Pack do fall into the category of charges being fair.

Best wishes
calaf

PS I will ignore the stool joke!!!!