Korg Forums

[thekeymaster]

Ok here we go then as suggested by Daz after my Spinning Rudess thread.This thread is for all those that use their OASYS primarily in a live situation on a regular basis,may not be many of us probably but either way if you have any tips on the way you work that other users may find useful or have any tales whist gigging with the O share them here.........

First thing I'm gonna suggest is utilise Combi/Seq mode as much as you can.Its a great way to condense a songs sounds in one place.The link Kbd to track tab in Seq mode is particulary useful and would be a welcome addition in Combi mode to.I use this to change between complex layers of different groups of sounds and as long as you remember to press the right buttons it works great.To simpify things I usually break the numbers down to sections of a track so as an example...


Track button 1 intro
Track button 2 verse
Track button 3 chorus
Track button 4 Middle 8 or other sections
etc etc

...of course its all relevant to what type of sounds you make up for songs in the first place and how your songs are constructed but if you can keep to a sort of discipline then most of the time this works great.Of course Track or tone 1 can be set to midi 1 and the same for the corrseponding Tracks or tones and then if you're making layers assign other sounds to midi 1 to 4 etc etc after you intial sections are mapped to the first set of tracks.Hope that makes sense.

I find this way of working very useful but everyone to their own.
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Neil.

Cake Muncher

[tcornishmn]

Combi use

I spend most of my time in just a few combis. I created a template combi using the copy program to timbre functionality and set up the instruments and the controllers the way I want them. I would suggest standardizing where different kinds of instruments go for easy access.

My layout is:
1 - acoustic piano, or primary lead sound if no piano
2 - pad1
3 - pad2
4 - Epian / second piano layer
5-7 usually not used
8 - CX3 organ

I find that I usually get enough polyphony with as many as 5 layers going simultaneously. I use the sliders as a mixing board and can fade different textures in and out while holding notes down. This is one of the primary reasons I switched to the OASYS - to do this with my previous gear required 3 sound modules and a separate organ. The OASYS has enough polyphony to do it all in most cases.

After getting the various programs where I want them in the combi, and possibly editing the insert effects to get everything to fit, I add some master effects.

My convention is to have reverb on knob 8 and a stereo tap delay on knob 7, which I belive correspond to sends 2 and 1, respectively.

Next comes the controllers. I make sure that anything I don't want a sound to respond to gets disabled. The main ones I check are:
aftertouch - I don't usually want this
Pitch bend
Vector joystick
Switches 1 and 2

To see what needs to get turned off (I usually use the MIDI filter to turn stuff off), I try everything to make sure I won't get surprised in a live setting by something I hadn't played with when inspration struck on stage and I did something new.

After getting my main combi down, I save it as a template and edit from here.

The last thing I do is make sure all of the real-time controllers are where I want them when I save the combi. For example, I set the volume levels of whatever patches I want live right away, knob positions of reverb and chorus, organ drawbars, and also the selected timbre.

That last item is important - it is really easy to be on the wrong timbre and then hit Tone Adjust and find that you aren't where you thought you were.



Know what mode you're in!

The biggest learning curve to the OASYS for live use is what state the real-time controls are in. Are they in volume mode? Tone Adjust? Which timbre is selected? What parameter is where?

Make sure you keep an eye on the status lights, especially the timbre select light, the tone adjust light, and the layer light (1-8 vs. 9-16 vs. audio). Knowing where you are will prevent a lot of surprises.

[tcornishmn]

Normalizing levels

In a recording situation, you are mostly concerned with getting your audio levels to a level that maximizes the dynamic range of your preamp, but also has some headroom to prevent clipping. In a live situation, it is important to normalize your levels to each other, since most likely the sound operator will only have control of the overall output of the board (unless you have assigned patches to the individual outs).

1. Pick a setting for the main output fader and stick with it all the time, no matter what. I use two ticks above the center setting. This allows me a little headroom in case something changes in the environment, but is also very reproducable and gives the sound system a good level.

2. Think about what purpose each sound in your combi serves. Is it a background sound such as a pad, a lead sound, or the meat and potatos of the song?

3. Go through all of the sounds in the combi and make sure that you can get the correct output given the sound's purpose by using the sliders. If you can't, use the EQ trim volume (EQ/Vector tab) to either bring the sounds that are too quiet up in volume, or the sounds that are too loud down in volume.

4. Pick a "home base" level for each sound using the volume fader. Again, I would recommend a setting that is reproducable, but not all the way up. My standard is all of the lights lit except the top two. This allows for a little tweaking if necessary later. You may choose to adjust the EQ trim so that all sounds are at the correct volume with the volume sliders all at two lights from the top, or you may choose to have quieter sounds be at their correct audio level with the volume slider for that sound at some lower position. Experiment to see what you like.

5. Verify that your settings translate well to a variety of playing styles. Make sure you test different velocity levels, as well as key ranges. I've found that some sounds behave a lot differently on the low end of the keyboard than on the high end. Also check the controllers. One example is the CX3 organ. The drawbar settings make a huge volume difference (Obviously they do, since that's their purpose - being a sort of harmonic mixing board). I pick my quietest organ setting (808000000 or something like that), adjust using the EQ trim to get it to a reasonable setting, and then see what effect other registrations have to the level.

6. Save the combi with the volume faders at your starting position.

7. Get feedback from your sound operator. It seems to occasionally sound different on in the audience than on stage.

It usually takes a few iterations to get everything right since everything affects everything else, so keep adjusting until it's right.

[bctines]

[LZ]

I am considering OASYS for live use, but have a few concerns that hopefully can be answered by those who are out gigging with theirs.

First, a little background. I play in an all 80's band, so my requirements are for a lot of good analog sounds, sequencing, a little sampling, basic ROM sounds (piano, organ, strings, etc.), and the ability to lay out the setlist and fly song to song.

I've used many setups. I have a Korg Triton Classic that I really liked to work with, but you had to load samples and sequences from disk into RAM (options were floppy or external SCSI drive). Pain in the butt. Also, it didn't do basic analog sounds for crap - but I never got the MOSS board, however, 6-voice would not have been adequate anyway. I used to bring out a Roland Jupiter-6.

Currently, I use the Triton in combi mode just for internal sounds (no samples or sequences), and an Alesis Fusion as the main sequencer, sampler, and for all the analog stuff. The fusion has a 32 track sequencer and does a great job on the analog sounds. The best thing is that it pulls samples and sequences right off the hard drive as soon as you pull them up without the need to preload. The down side: the fusion is extremely buggy and although I've figured workarounds, sometimes it can be a pain and it makes me nervous. There's no mode to arrange sequences in order like on the triton, so at the beginning of the night, I actually rearrange all of my sequences in order of the setlist so I can he the "INC" button at the end of the song to load the next one. This is kind of a pain. Plus, it's a bit slow. Sometimes I've already hit play and the band is standing there looking at me while the keyboard is still loading the next song. Incidentally, I put everything in sequence mode even if it isn't sequenced so I don't have to change mode - sounds like some people recomended the same for the OASYS.

OK, so my OASYS questions:
1) Is the analog modelling going to cut it for me? Is there anything "analog" that you can't do? Keep in mind, I'm not looking for good analog samples, I need to control modulations of PW, do Osc sync with control of 1 Osc Pitch, etc. in real time - a 25% PW sample does me no good.
2) How is the sequence and sample storage and recovery? Do I have to preload stuff into RAM off the hard drive like the Triton or is it automatic like the fusion?
3) How long does it take to load songs complete with samples, modelling, etc? If I chain sequences together, will it go song to song without delay?
4) Can connected footswitches and CV pedals transmit different controller data out the MIDI out depending on which patch/sequence is loaded? (I also play guitar and have no pedalboard, I use the keyboard to change patches and control boost, volume, etc.)

I'd like to get rid of two keyboards and a rack and bring out one and maybe one of them strap-on controllers (AX-7 or something)
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[mozartella]

well, I mist that post, and this is a good post....

Yes, the Oasys, or, maybe the Combi's are nice but also wild to tame...

Yes we do have, maybe too much possibility, and, for me, the biggest is to take some habit with it, and all your suggestions are welcomed, espescially from someone, used to play an arranger...with intro, ending and else...

thanks you
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Oasys 76, serial 000800 and Korg PA1 X PRO