Temporary withdrawal of support for Korg Pa products

Rob Sherratt · Post by **Rob Sherratt** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:32 pm

As you know, StyleWorks 2000 can not handle the Pa800 data generated by Pa800, Pa2x and Pa500 keyboards. MickB's developments of XRM and PRM products are stalled. Users can not merge together Style files and Sound files from multiple sources. Why is this? It's because Korg have not provided anybody with the necesary information on how to uncompress and recompress Pa800 format files. The second generation Korg Pa products are at present a "dead end" in my opinion.

I'm temporarily withdrawing my support and any other implied endorsement for Korg Pa products until there is a commitment from Korg (on this forum) for a date when a specification or API will be published that will allow developers and users to access and manage our information stored in Pa800 format files.

I can no longer live with the limitations caused by proprietary and closed data for products that I use and data that I generate every day. I think the only way Korg will get the message about how important this is, is by this action and by this very strong protest from a previously enthusiastic "supporter" of the Korg Pa products. I hope that other users on the forum will join me in adding your voice of protest.

I am temporarily going "on strike", and will not be trying to fix problems on Korg Pa products until this matter is resolved.

Lika · Post by **Lika** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:49 pm

Hi Rob.

I am with you !!!
I have bought KAT2000 from Milan and since PA1X pro v.3.00 it doesn't work . And now I sold my PA1X pro and bought PA2x pro and can't do anything too with KAT2000 .....
Where has to go this situation and how long ???

akyboy · Post by **akyboy** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:55 pm

I was protesting from begining, and will be always protesting,....

Every expensive synth should have EDITOR/Librarian to use it with it.
KORG especially because file system is very complicated and all mixed together (my opinion)

But honestly i dont think that thay will do anything, because they dont really care.
With soft you can make you current PA almost `perfect` and they dont want that!!!, they want to sell you another one maybe next year already with `some` new features that can be easily be done with say some EDITOR, now.

Jackpote · Post by **Jackpote** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:57 pm

Good night Rob,

I agree with you !

Korg, please wake up, give us the "key" to make PC tools for the PA.

miden · Post by **miden** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:01 pm

Rob I wonder if there is some way of re-establishing a reason for Korg to pick up on this again?

I for one think it is vital that Korg DO support some form of external editing software.

People only need to look at what 3rd party developers have done for the Yamaha platform, and I am sure because of it, this has created many extra sales of Yamaha products.

In fact I have read where people have bought the Yamaha ONLY because of the huge 3rd party support the instruments get.

Dennis

akyboy · Post by **akyboy** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:03 pm

miden wrote:In fact I have read where people have bought the Yamaha ONLY because of the huge 3rd party support the instruments get.

It all about marketing any making `them` money, isnt it?

keyboard · Post by **keyboard** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:10 pm

Rob

I support your cause and applaud your efforts....I cannot understand Korgs position on this issue.....You would think that Korg would like to encourage more 3rd Party Software....It sure cannot hurt them..

I will start some dialog at createsongstyles pertaining to this matter...

miden · Post by **miden** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:11 pm

Yes Akyboy, sadly that is what we must take from all of this....

Although I still reckon that Korg need to look "outside the square" to realise just how much market advantage they could eventually get by allowing similar (to Yamaha) 3rd party support.

We all know that Korg is the best physical platform and the best OVERALL package out there.

It certainly is the closest hybrid (arranger/synth workstation) and therefore much more suited to pro environments, so add that to PC editing, Style manipulation software, external sound editing etc etc, and it would enhance sales worldwide.

Dennis

akyboy · Post by **akyboy** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:24 pm

miden wrote:We all know that Korg is the best physical platform and the best OVERALL package out there.

Yes it is, thas why i choose it, after playing Rolands for almost 15 years.
Just to mention that i am using maybe only 1% of internal ROM sounds (just dont like it

)
But when you look at Roland file system (management) they dont need acctualy one editor, because it so simple and it all in separate files, 1 style is 1 file, 1 performance 1 file and so on.
As i understand and as i can see (my opinion) Korgs file system became so complicated after all of these years of improvment and instead of making simple file sytem they were just adding new features and became so complicated that they dont even know how would they do an EDITOR not to mention somebody on the side.

Honestly i think it will be realy hard to do it, or almost inpossible

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:50 pm

Rob,
I am with you... AND I AGREE.
This needs to be done.
Along with a list of needed updates to the OS (I have sent info on some and so has other).

One reason Yamaha as an example is SO POPULAR is this very issue.

If this does not get resolved I will consider seriously selling my PA2XPRO and going back to Yamaha. The Tyros 3 is due out this year!

It's a good KB, But we want it to be SUPERB, and this access to the data is important!

I like the PA better than my T2 for several reasons, that's why I switched. BUT the T2 for the most part had better syles and some great sounds too.

Third party software applications is one reason Yanaha is so loved.

Korg... we want yo to be even more successful than you are...We want to help... BUT YOU NEED TO DO YOUR PART!

Lee

BiHSound · Post by **BiHSound** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:02 pm

KORG PA arrangers are very professional arrangers and that is why I bought one...but without PC software we are not able to easily use all of the professional functions, and I hope that KORG will do something about it soon :(.

Millan · Post by **Millan** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:41 pm

I also agree with you...
We realy need some editor for Pa series!

kbrkr · Post by **kbrkr** » Thu May 08, 2008 12:14 am

I fully support you Rob and totally agree. Korg support for their arranger keyboards are horrendous. I switched from Yamaha keyboards to Korg because of the feature set, but I am second guessing that decision due to the lack of style conversion utilities for Korg. I have thousands of Yamaha Styles that I've accumulated over 8 years and I can't convert them to the Korg Format!!!

You pay $3,600.00 for a keyboard and it's crippled and brought to it's knees by the lack of styles.

Rob thanks for all your help. It has been Invaluable to me and I'm sure the entire Korg community.

Al
Pa2xpro

Mickb · Post by **Mickb** » Thu May 08, 2008 12:30 am

Hi Rob

I fully support the stand you are making, You have been such a rich source of help and have been acting so long as the unofficial tech support for Korg, that such a stand made by you will hopefully add some weight to the community's demands for help in creating 3rd party software to make the editing and managing of the resources of these superb keyboards more user friendly.

In case anybody thinks I'm only supporting you so that I can get access to this information, this is not the case. As a non keyboard player I have been involved in programming up styles etc for players for all of the PA series keyboards since the PA80 right up to the PA800, for the last 7 years or so. And I know how frustratying it can be to do it using only the keyboards screen.

Come on everyone , show your support, post here and show how much we need this info to make the PA series even better than it is now!!!!

BasariStudios · Post by **BasariStudios** » Thu May 08, 2008 1:31 am

I go along with Rob and i am stopping giving support to the Forum too,
not cuz i dont want to but i sold my KORG equipement, i dont own any
PA arranger so i have no source to check and test data. All i can answer
is only info i already know. There is also personal issues with me and KORG.
Me and Another few people in here, DEDICATED so much time and energy to
this forum that you cant possibly imagine...to some might seem its easy but
it is not when i have to sit on a synth at home and work for 2 hours only to
answer a simple question on the forum...but those are the ones that dont
know the instrument...but this issue is with KORG not our coleagues in here.
After all that time and energy, Paolo is the only person EVER from KORG
that visited us in here, once in a while or blue moon and i dont think we
deserve that...it is not a MUSIC FORUM but it is called KORG FORUM.
They dont even have their own KORG official forum and still no appreciation
for anything at all...its not fair. I dont want coleagues to get me wrong cuz
this has nothing to do with them...i was planing the same thing in the last
few days but Rob was faster. What else i dont know i just know that i made
final decision not to buy PA2X and wait for AUDYA. Unless things change,
and not by me but by KORG, i might change my mind. And i didnt say that
so they can change something, i just said it cuz it is so.

Best to all.