Official statement on the status and future of the OASYS

[Davidb]

Honestly, if I were one of the developers of the Oasys's sequencer and I would read all the criticism in this forum I would offer to work on an update in my spare time if my employer won't let me do it. Just because I would be so ashamed that the result of my work would diminish an otherwise perfect product (I say that being a development engineer myself).

I for one would happily pay $250 for a sequenser upgrade without hesitating and I have a strong feeling that I wouldn't be alone.

As many have said and stated, you wouldnt be alone, so much users would pay for a Sequencer update for the OASYS if were possible, 250$ or even more if were needed.

If this issue remains unsolved, the standard comment in the years to come will be like this: "Yeah, it's the best workstation ever made by humans, but the sequenser.. bla bla. This is a reputation and legacy the Oasys absolutely don't deserve because it is the finest workstation ever made by humans, and Korg shouldn't let this be the final outcome in regards to this amazing keyboard. It's 40 years since mankind landed on the moon and the extremely talented engineers at Korg can easily address the sequenser issue if Korg let them do it.

Agreed.
Heck, that comment already is on some forums worldwide right now! "The best workstation out there, but the Sequencer was not what it deserved" bla , bla, etc, etc. (I can point you to direct links if you want to)

The fact is that even when Korg have said they cannot support it any more nowdays, and with the OASYS not longer made; its true and it cannot be denied that this intrument, for the very first time in the workstation history, offers the real posibility to keep growing and keep being updated via software in the future, like no other could, even when that future could not be just right now, or even with the main OASYS hadware is discontinued; as this is a software base project.

I support the suggestion from fdspeck about releasing a spec sheet asking about a pre-order of the sequenser update.

Nice one.
Of course, I would support it too, as many others.

Even if its not feasibe for Korg at all, I think it would be a great surprise for them to see how many people are intetrested in this, and how much they are willing to pay for it.

[Davidb]

As I posted before in this thread, even all those things could have been done differently to avoid all this upset to the OASYS users.
As an example, the M3 eXpanded upgrade could have come after Korg discontinuing the OASYS, not before. And this way the OASYS users would never have the idea or speculation of an upgraded sequencer, free libraries, etc, for the OASYS, and would see it in a different light, maybe.

Thanks Davidb for the causionary support. Though I might have acted spoil sports most of the time, what I'd like for the folks at Korg to know is that it is not my intention to let the good hearted folks down for the sake of criticism. Instead I was hoping for a straightforward, constructive communication from the get go to minimize the loss in my part. ...
I don't know what's really happening inside Korg and I certainly didn't buy the pricy Oasys to have the license to scrutinize over them. But to me what the Korg, Japan proved to the world was "Hey, this sequencer update is what you've been ASKING for and not only this is POSSIBLE but it can be done in SHORT period of time all for FREE"! Best of all, you M3 owners didn't EVEN have to SELL your soul for it!

Well stated, my friend.

The good old Laughing Bear memeber said, I just saw his post receltly in this thread somewhere, (How are you going mate? ) about the M3 upgrade that regarding to the Sequecer, it was a bad joke for OASYS users.
Again, as we´ve said, all this could have been handled differently, but at the end of the day it comes to show that it was possible for Korg to do it for the OASYS, in way or another.

Not to beat the dead horse but the Open-asys was erradic from the start, they can always revert the decision to revive the Oasys project again. Anyway, I do appreciate the folks at korg here having to answer our questions in a professional manner. The Kingdom of heaven is not too far from you guys.

Yes, being here to listen to us, we all apreciate thier effort and dedication in what its worth.

[SoulBe]

[quote="Davidb

I support the suggestion from fdspeck about releasing a spec sheet asking about a pre-order of the sequenser update.

Nice one.
Of course, I would support it too, as many others.

Even if its not feasibe for Korg at all, I think it would be a great surprise for them to see how many people are intetrested in this, and how much they are willing to pay for it.[/quote]

Me too, but how is the appropriate way to launch this? Can we channel a thing like this via this forum and how can we reach other Oasyans who are not forum members? Maybe this could also be an argument for those parts of Korg who voted against stopping the Oasys project and gives them new arguments for future decisions?

SoulBe

[Oasys84]

As every other Oasys user, i to am saddened that the Oasys project seems to be stopped.

If they start producing and selling another flagship in 6-24 months, i will feel betrayed by Korg, because then they stop the Oasys to make us buy the new one. On the other hand, if they start producing another flagship and revives the Oasys as well, it really is great.

I begg Karo, Mike, and everyone else who loves, admires and uses the Oasys, to still produce and sell good oasys stuff in the future. Because it now is you guys we can rely on.

Over to what i really want to discuss. Is it possible for some guru in computers to Jailbrake the Oasys (maybe even with Korgs blessing). Not to update the Oasys software, but maybe to be able to use vst's....Just a thought.

But i want to ask you (Korg) guys. Is there any chance the project mabye sometime will be revived, thinking of that "until further notice" part.

[Kontrol49]

"How much we are willing to pay for a sequencer Upgrade"



I'm not comfortable with the fact that many in here are willing to offer the Oasys future or upgrades as a bartering tool to perhaps submit Korg into giving us an upgraded sequencer,I'm not sure about others but I for one am not willing to deal with Korg over an upgrade,we have after all paid them the largest compliment by buying into a system that fell short of what we were sold,Whilst I may have been happy to pay for an ungrade early on in the Oasys production(Providing it was up to the details of a typical DAW or at least on par with such)

I already upgraded my Hardware sequencer, to compensate for the Oasys shortcomings,but externally,because the Korg fell short I felt this was my only route and became rather dissapointed in what the Oasys was sold to be seen as a Workstation environment,its not pride of place as a Master Keyboard with a flush set of synthesis engines and nothing more

a few years down the line and we seem to be in familiar territory with an obsolete Workstation,something that I and suspect many others in here bought into at the onset from being fed up with having to upgrade to a new model some 18 months later.Now we have the flagship machine thats discontinued and still lower ended spec to that of the M3???

It's all well and good to say well we have this or that On the Oasys or its the best workstation out there.
Fact is it isn't. ..Its the best sounding synthesis engine that combines many types of synthesis,its not a workstation,the Oasys is simply just another synthesizer sound source,most owners are still working outside the box

its still a long way off what you could class as a First class workstation,we have several Synthesis engines,perhaps even more than on any other workstation to date,and a fully fledged 16 track Audio recorder,in terms of a workstation environment its a dinosaur.

We've been given countless comments from the employees involved that they cannot disclose info,whilst the individuals on here may have little influence on the future of the machine,is it not within there scope of being able to relay a lot of the thoughts from a User base into reality.
I cannot help but feel rather shortchanged into what was supposed to be a very promising machine.
I've always had a loyalty and preference of Korg equipment,and the Oasys is no less an investment than anything else I have,even at its high price tag for what is now finished in production it will still be a sound source for years to come.I get the feeling that whilst it may be upgraded software based,it is the final nail in the coffin now that production has stopped but still hold hope of it being expanded in the OS,yet think we are clutching straws to think it will.
Offering Korg a reward for upgrades is not my idea of customer support and relations,functions like the sequencer are already part of its environment not additional things you choose to add at your expense,for its short comings,if that was part of the intention of an Open system then we should have had the option of buying modules within the machine from the production start so you could tailor your machine to suit your working system.

It obvious that Korg cannot take the sequencer aspect any further,judging on the upgrades to the M3,I'm not sure we would all still be using the sole Sequencer should it be given the same updated status.I do think it needs reworking from the Ground,and not just on Korgs ideologies,but from a User base point of view,after all we all have different needs and working practices,so whilst some additional editing may suit some its still going to be a crux for someone else,much of which I'm not prepared to pay for.

I do think there are many Oasy owners in here who are a little deflated to what we've been offered yet too polite to admit there dissapointment by perhaps offering a glimmer of hope by offering a financial incentive to Korg.

Its obvious that Korg and potential customers will learn a great lesson from this Oasys project,I for one have no desire to walk headlong into a future purchase of such a workstation,Even with the Korg badge on.I do think its done Korg a lot of bad relations in this project,that many potential existing users and future customers buying into will think twice about,even with a lower priced machine.

I look at my oasys with different aspects,in one hand I see it as a wonderful set of engines to compliment my compositions and then see it as "What it could have been",its hard to not get a sense of resiliance for Korg with the amount of money it costs,its still part of a chain rather than the strongest link I hoped it would be


Whilst I'm greatful to Korg for the Oasy,I'm even more greatful for the insight into what I look for in a Workstation environment,and what I lay my cash out for this will have a great impact in to how I choose my instruments in future,which would make me question my preference of buying Korg

[master logic]

I sold my Oasys a few years back due to money problems & i'd always hoped i'd be able to get another oneday; Can Korg / Stores still justify selling the remaining stock at current prices (£5,300 GBP) or should we expect a price cut?

[Tiger789]

Me too, but how is the appropriate way to launch this? Can we channel a thing like this via this forum and how can we reach other Oasyans who are not forum members? Maybe this could also be an argument for those parts of Korg who voted against stopping the Oasys project and gives them new arguments for future decisions? SoulBe

First, I'd like to say that I agree that one shouldn't have to pay extra money to get a decent sequenser for the Oasys, but let's face it. Korg have announced that we shouldn't "expect" further software updates. In my ears anyway this doesn't mean exactly the same as they are never ever going to make any updates for the Oasys again whatsoever. To me it means that one shouldn't count on, or "expect" further updates (yep, I am trying to be positive here)

As far as the question above, it's obvious that the bottom line and keyword here is "money" regardless of how one tries to explain this decision from Korg's point of view. Therefore it's naive now to hope for a new "free" sequenser when Korg haven't upgraded it so far. No one can force Korg to give us a new sequenser upgrade but if sufficient number of people would be willing to pay for it, I see no logical reason whatsoever why Korg would deny that common request. They have both the knowledge and the engineers needed for the job.

I suggest that someone creates a "poll" on this forum where those who wants the sequenser upgrade and are willing to pay for it can give their vote (count me in) That list would maybe be concidered as quite "informal" from Korg's point of view, but it would quickly show the interest for it. And to reach those who doesn't visit this forum, that's the least problem. That's what we have the internet for. I believe that most people who own an Oasys nowadays is also fairly updated with the latest news that have taken place recently.

-Tiger

Guitarist / Classical pianist
Oslo, Norway
--------------------------------

Korg Oasys 88 - # 002113 + Karo Philh. Strings
Roland Fantom G6 + ARX-01
Yamaha Clavinova CVP-309PE

[zolhof]

sorry, I won´t pay a dime for the sequencer update, it´s Korg´s moral obligation after years of requests, and should be FREE like the M3 update

a new synthesis engine worths another $$$ investiment, not the sequencer update IMO.. in the meantime, I´ll keep using Cubase for that

[Kontrol49]

I think every owner wants a better sequencer,whether they would be prepared to pay for it is another thing but it shouldn't be a moral obligation from Korg to charge for it just because Oasys is now out of production.

Just look at the amount of Owners who are obviousLy from their equipment lists or notification are using external sequencing means.I'd say the hardcore sequencer users like maybe Mike Conway and a few others are the ones who want to use it by choice rather than because it suits them or works within the system they use,and use it more on a temporary basis more than the central sequencing hub

I'd say much of the minority who sequence inside the box delve into the machine rather than use it as a part of a setup,possibly running a small handful of devices off the oasys and those that don't will be possibly intergrating it as part of a larger system run more than likely from a PC,the Hardware is already limited within the Oasys if your running a larger system,that doesn't work mainly around Audio recording,relying more on Midi sequencing than audio,If I had less equipment I could get away with the Oasys as the main sequencer,I find ths functions usuable and intuitive,I've used the Triton/Trinity sequencer to great effect fro many years,just my setup outgrew it in terms of being able to control a larger setup,so I needed a different approach to a simple 16 channel/Track device

Are you prepared to pay for an upgrade,even if it still doesn't cut the mustard with the same type of sequencer(either heardware or software)your utilising at the moment??

The Sequencer upgrade should be much the same premise as the EXis where by its upgraded by the OS updates,if Korg see fit to charge for the sequencer upgrade then it should be by default be a demo option so you can still use its upgraded functions but have to pay for an unlocking code.
that way your getting to use it in a typical scenario to try it out for your working methods,should it live up to your expectations then you don't have to pay for it if you so wish not to,if not then it should be a free upgrade to all user like the M3.
Upgrading it to M3 status should be free,if its a totally renovated sequencer then maybe I could see there being a charge,whereby I would like the above demo case to apply before I deicide whether the cost justifies the means

[Strider]

Sign me up for the pre-paid $250 sequencer update.

Srsly.

[minnkorg]

I think we have beaten the Sequencer issue to death. We need to move on. Even without the sequencer the O still rules.

Sequencing has its future in either full blown DAW software (PT or Logic...etc) or on a smaller scale something kind of similar like in Roland G which allows mouse interaction for cut and paste, drag, large amount of audio and midi tracks (a lot more than 16...) so on and so forth.

I have my O going to my iMac 24" based Logic8 via Optical and I have a very efficient setup. I never expected the O's sequencer to match Logic but on the same hand after getting used to Logic the O's seq is too kludgy for me to use. (just my opinion)

Perhaps since Japan was responsible for the sequencer, I can speculate that they did formulate an update and it was put to shame compared to the Roland G.

Should have had Jerry's team work on that IMHO.

After reading the posts on this thread, i see people wanting to pay Korg for a sequencer upgrade. I suggest learn to appreciate what you already have in the O and spend $199 and buy Logic8 express (or whatever else you like) and make music.

[MrT-Man]

I think the most we could hope for is for the sequencer to be brought on par with the M3 expanded upgrade. Anything more would probably require more time/effort/R&D than Korg would be willing to spend on a discontinued product.

Personally I'd like to see more EXs sample libraries. From Korg's perspective, that could make sense because samples can be reused for other products... the combi/program programming would be an incremental cost, but with a 5,000+ installed base of Oasyses I would think they'd be able to sell enough to make it very worthwhile.

[ellll]

Some see pricing as it was..., or better at times.... But I found higher prices. I assume this is a result of the limit on total production now being public.

Could I afford the workstation? Surely...as would be the case if it were important enough for almost anybody. However, music is the answer, and if there is doubt , then it is better to go with conservative plans. There "was" doubt, as I am much older than most here...and my days of music for profit are over....., And.. a "buck is a buck" or, money goes fast enough to begin with....

I just regret that it very well may come now, that the first true "instrument" worthy of the O in the name since the O1W.... may now, never be mine.. ... But that was after all, my own choice....

John (ellll)

[StephenKay]

but with a 5,000+ installed base of Oasyses I would think they'd be able to sell enough to make it very worthwhile.

It wasn't even close to that many.

[SoulBe]

After reading all the posts again in this thread I come to the conclusion, that we should do something, because if we don´t try we´ll never know:

If you see the situation in a strict economic way ( I don´t state that Korg does it like this, just my opinion ):
1.
- there is a limited market for this high class product
- this market is "closed", most units are sold, maybe only a few more demanded (just my opinion)

so: of course Korg has to decide under economic views not to produce more units

2.
-in the past we got free OS updates,
but of course Korg has to pay their engineers for developing these OS updates without gaining money
(and people expect sequencer, sample streeming etc as part of a free OS update)
- we were charged for Exi´s but it was a free choice to buy or not, Korg had the costs for developing but it was uncertain how many users will buy them

So in times of economic crisis under strict economic sight it might be better to let those brillant engineers work on other projects, because Korg has to think in long terms and is facing hard competition with the other major companies

3. money matters .......
I think, the "closed" market, we as Oasys-users, should send out a strong singal to Korg, that the market for OS development and Exi´s is still open, but that will not work in the way like it did in the past (free OS updates and Exi´s to chose to buy or not), because it may be too uncertain if any money is gained. But if the Korg users - in what way ever - can assure to Korg that they will buy certain developments may it be that you have to pay in front or into a fund etc., than it gives them a base to calculate if it is worth or not under economic sight ( let´s say 1500 Oasys users assure to pay $ 249 for an OS update with the sequencer ... ). I don´t know if this is an argument for Korg or not, but if you think on it, they also could calculate if it is worth to let engineers adapt products developed for other gear into Oasys.
I don´t think that we would receive a prompt answer as they officially stopped the project, but if it is worth continuing for them .. maybe in a year or whatever ...
On the other hand this should be (if done) organized very well and put into professional hands, who know how to talk and to whom and --- of course it could also have the negative aspect that we never receive any answer or after a poll or whatever we have to face that only a minority is willing to pay for even OS updates.
But let me end with this:
Honestly I don´t think I fully need the sequencer update, but this seems to be the thing most of us agree that it should be updated, and so I see it as a first step: If the pre-charging (or whatever) brings the seqencer to us, the next step might follow.
Of course music is a lot of emotions but to find an argument or a possibility something to do as a user not only to accept the decision, but offering alternatives to Korg I tried to let them out in my thoughts.

SoulBe