Druckversion des Themas

KORG has other new product announcements, and I think both are going to be big hits for them.

The SV-1 stage piano falls well into the category of "why didn't anyone else do this first?" First, it looks beautiful – finally, a keyboard designed for the stage that actually looks good onstage. (I don't know, maybe manufacturers assume us keyboardists are ugly?) Second, it combines all the sounds many gigging keyboardists need, instead of an odd assortment that covers some bases but not all, or overkill workstation keyboards that do too much and get too complex. Third, it's finally a hardware keyboard that learns some recent lessons from software – you need to model the characteristics of the real thing, and people expect good amp models, and the like. Fourth, it's… okay, it's just really, really pretty, which I expect will change how everyone feels about the whole package.

Updated: Yes, in fairness, Nord has potent competition waiting for the KORG, and available first. I think either the Nord Stage or Nord Combo win handily if organ sounds are important, and both are designed to double as external controllers if you do like software. The Nord also has more bells and whistles for editing and sound control. On the other hand, the KORG will clearly appeal to people who are in it mainly for the electric piano side of the coin. And pretty as the Nord is – as much as they're both shades of red – I think the KORG is still pretty darned sexy-looking.

In addition to all the specs and such, KORG has the manual online, so you can get into the details.

http://www.korg.com/Product.aspx?pd=562

Oh, yeah, just one gripe – I always think it's silly when you put a window in front of the tube. But I won't knock it; I expect it helps on the sales floor. At least the side that faces the audience looks like a racecar.


Vintage Software?
While setting out to create an incredibly friendly and easy-to-use instrument, we knew that there were more tech-savvy players out there that would love nothing more than to dig in a little deeper. The SV-1 Editor/Librarian software provides cool graphic-based programming, including access to many effect parameters not available on the SV-1's panel.






In addition, the Editor/Librarian software allows each of the 36 sounds and the eight Favorites to be programmed and saved individually. This points the way to users sharing and swapping their favorite settings, and for Korg to supply more sounds in the future. The SV-1 Editor/Librarian runs on Mac or PC, and is included free with every SV-1. MIDI Local can be set on or off from the front panel, allowing the SV-1 to function effectively as a controller keyboard in any software set-up.