Korg Forums

I have been using my KORG EMX-1 for the past week and a half, but the basic functions are still puzzling me after watching youtube clips, reading the manual thoroughly and using the machine for hours each day. If someone could give me the basics about:

1) Knowing how to copy present drum patterns and knowing how to copy/paste while making them more my own after editing them. (I have slightly learned about doing this, but do not how to quickly delete the synthesizer lines or save my changes.)

2) How to effectively use these edited drum patterns when creating slightly different beats for various intros, verses, choruses, etc. for creating complete songs. (Again, I understand how to edit drums with its step keys but lose understanding once trying to make other sections of my pieces and having later parts enter the pattern.)

3) I will be ordering my midi cables to hook my MicroKorg into this beautiful piece of equipment, but the synthesizers on the EMX do not offer many unique or even skillful sounds beneath my fingertips. (How can I use this particular feature more successfully before using my MicroKorg and forgetting about EMX synthesizers? I am having trouble entering my solos as if I played them on the regular keyboard and do not understand how to synch them so it sounds like my actual keyboard.)

4) Lastly, is the Smart Media card my only way of transferring data from the EMX into my computer?

I am trying my best not to give up on this machine and realize equipment like this takes but, but I do not return it out of frustration so any quick/basic responses about getting started with these aspects of learning would really help!

1 and 2 will require a bit more practice I'm afraid. Deleting synth parts is the same as deleting drum parts.

Use the shift key and white writing on the numbered keys for functions like copying and deleting.

For 3, why don't you hook up a keyboard via MIDI to play in the parts to the EMX while you are recording. Much easier than using those annoying little buttons.

For 4 The EMX1 also supports SYSEX dumps.

Thanks for the reply. I hooked my MicroKorg into the EMX and could only get the EMX sounds working when using my keyboard, but how is it possible to have my originally made Microkorg sounds played/recorded into the EMX as well as using the arpeggiator on my Microkorg? If this is possible, is there a chance of making my notes/effects played on the Microkorg perfectly in time with the EMX? I have tried searching and do not completely find my answer. Also, I understand how to edit drum patterns and place effects on them but how do I link them together with other made patters for making complete songs? This has been tried by myself for hours/days trying to use songmode, but it seems like something is missing to make things stick and build my original songs including drums, bass and synth lines. Sorry for not completely understanding things, but English is not my first language for this college kid. It is easier when someone experienced breaks down these complex electronic concept/words found in the English manual.

gibsonsg87 wrote:Thanks for the reply. I hooked my MicroKorg into the EMX and could only get the EMX sounds working when using my keyboard, but how is it possible to have my originally made Microkorg sounds played/recorded into the EMX as well as using the arpeggiator on my Microkorg? If this is possible, is there a chance of making my notes/effects played on the Microkorg perfectly in time with the EMX? I have tried searching and do not completely find my answer. Also, I understand how to edit drum patterns and place effects on them but how do I link them together with other made patters for making complete songs? This has been tried by myself for hours/days trying to use songmode, but it seems like something is missing to make things stick and build my original songs including drums, bass and synth lines. Sorry for not completely understanding things, but English is not my first language for this college kid. It is easier when someone experienced breaks down these complex electronic concept/words found in the English manual.

to have the EMX's sequencer control the actual sounds from the microkorg, you will need to have a MIDI cable from the EMX MIDI-out to the Microkorg MIDI in, then choose one of the 5 synth part on the EMX, set it to a specific MIDI channel, and then set the Microkorg to the same midi channel. now, if you also connect a second MIDI cable from the Microkorg midi out to the emx midi in, (yes that means you have two calbes, and the machines buth send info to one another), you can now press rec on the EMX, and then record your microkorg in realtime. then, you can save your pattern, remove the Midi cable going from your microkorg out to the emx in, then press play again on the emx, and your emx will play back the sequence, but the actuall sound will be the Microkorg.. I'm not the best person to explain, but following theese steps should make you able to control the microkorg from the emx. Unfortunately, you cannot save the actual sound of the microkorg anywahere, for that, you would need a sampler (thus Korg also made the red ESX sampler). but just using the emx to control the microkorg is a good way to go the microkorg can make some very interesting sounds that the emx just can't, so it's worth the hassle.

edit: to clear things up: to have any given intrument (with MIDI) to control another instrument (with MIDI), this is what you need:

Instrument A wants to control instrument B:

a MIDI cable MUST go from A's MIDI out to B's MIDI in.

Instrument B wants to control instrument A:

a MIDI cable must go from B's MIDI out to A's MIDI in.

to have both control eachother (as when you want to record a sequence on one machine (say the EMX), with the keyboard of another machine while playing back the sequence to control the same keyboard (ugh, that sounds more complicated than it is):

a MIDI cable must go from A's midi out to B's midi IN, and at the same time, another MIDI cable must go from B's midi out to A's midi in...

sound very complicated, but it's really basic stuff

hope this helps

oh, and also, just set the EMX clock to be master and the microkorg clokc to "ext" and the EMX will control the tempo of both machines in perfect sync

TrondC, thanks for the detailed response. I had tried doing what you said, but there was little success. It did teach me how to add other layers of synthesizer by using the 1-5 synth parts on the EMX with the Microkorg. Although, it only used the EMX synth sounds and it switched patterns on the EMX all by itself when I attempted changing different selections on the Microkorg as well as its B-Sides. I am not sure if I made it clear enough, but I am hoping to get my actual created Microkorg sounds/patterns along with the arpeggiator from itself into the EMX then recording them onto the EMX so they combine into my created drum patterns. Is this possible?

the EMX and Microkorg are seperate instruments, and they can work together, but you can not save the sound of one instrument to the other, only control them from eachother. to avoid that the microkorg changes pathes when you change patterns on the EMX, there are some settings you need to do in the MIDI filter, it should be in the manual but I don't have it in front of me. just make sure the midi channel on the EMX's synth part 1 is set to midi channel 1, and then the same for the microkorg, and you should be able to hear sound from the microkorg when you press down a synth key on the EMX. note that you can only control one note at a time, as the EMX is a monophonic synth, meaning you can't expect the emx to control more than one note at a time on the microkorg.

to be short on you last question: NO this is not possible. the EMX can only produce it's own sounds, not "copy" or sample anything from other synths. in order to hear your microkorg synths, you will need to either play the microkorg manually, or control it from the EMX. It will still produce only it's own sounds, in order to actually record a sound and then sequence it, you will need a "sampler". the ESX (the EMX's red cousin) is a good choice for this.

Good info, I just gpt my EMX.

Thank you for clarifying things for me again. I am trying to have my Microkorg or even EMX transpose various distinct synth melodies using changing notes, but it is only playing as sequenced parts without hearing my various changes in the notes playing in the measure. Is it possible to “solo” on the EMX using either the Microkorg or the EMX itself instead of hearing those bland ascending notes played in sequence?

gibsonsg87 wrote:Thank you for clarifying things for me again. I am trying to have my Microkorg or even EMX transpose various distinct synth melodies using changing notes, but it is only playing as sequenced parts without hearing my various changes in the notes playing in the measure. Is it possible to “solo” on the EMX using either the Microkorg or the EMX itself instead of hearing those bland ascending notes played in sequence?

there is a Solo button if thats' what you mean. but if you have a sequence running on the emx, you will have to stop the sequence or delete it in order to play another melody/phrase without hearing the programmed sequence at the same time.

gibsonsg87 wrote:Thank you for clarifying things for me again. I am trying to have my Microkorg or even EMX transpose various distinct synth melodies using changing notes, but it is only playing as sequenced parts without hearing my various changes in the notes playing in the measure. Is it possible to “solo” on the EMX using either the Microkorg or the EMX itself instead of hearing those bland ascending notes played in sequence?

I don't think you're understanding the sequencer on the EMX from the sound of it. It's not an arpegiattor that you can transpose in real time (per se), recorded notes are fixed and will always be played back at their recorded pitches regardless of what keys you press on either the EMX or MK.

However, there is a Transpose funtion on the EMX that will transpose all of the synth parts on the EMX (but not te drums) that might do what you want. Hold Shift and press Solo and you'll notice Note C on the part keys lights up. You can now press another part key to tranpose the entire sequence by semitones. Pressing the measure/octave buttons will tranpose by an octave.

I have understood my manual a little bit more because of your helpful, direct and basic explanations. The drumming stuff seems way more easier and now it is time to tackle the synth aspect of things. I had tried “step recording” and attempted writing my own synth melody so it would be perfectly in sync with the EMX drumming tempo via Microkorg or even the EMX. The step keys that I played were lit up, but they did not play in the desired melody. It playbacks rushing everything and does not play how the melody was planned or timed, but are my intentions even possible on the EMX? I am also wondering how to extend notes for future use and other key features of this machine. I apologize for my weak understanding of the EMX synth features.

I basically want to change the tempo of the synth melody that I created instead of it playing super fast with the drum beating at 165 bpm. The synth melodies should be played slower in the measure instead of being rushed like it is doing. Any suggestions?

You would have to slow down the tempo of the whole pattern, pressing the Pattern key until you see the tempo field, then turning the knob. If however you alreayd hav drums recorded that are at the right tempo, but just the melody is too fast, nothing you can do but rerecord the part. There's no functions in the EMX to fix that.

Is that still true if I am using the Step Rec mode?

Well, you could write down all the note pitches and note lengths for the melody and then re-input them at the correct tempo in step mode, but that's about as tedious as you can get. Far easier (IMO) to just rerecord the melody at the right tempo.