Korg Pa1000 Professional Arranger

Here's what Korg have to say about the Pa1000

KORG debuts the newest High Performance Arranger in the acclaimed Pa-Series of Professional Arrangers, the Pa1000. The Pa1000 has plenty of new sounds (featuring Defined Nuance Control for enhanced realism) which keep performances fresh and exciting, as well as an enormous expanded range of styles covering music genres from all over the world. Combine this with powerful performance functionality, an intuitive user interface and rich, sculpted sound and you have an Arranger for the most discerning and demanding player.

The Pa1000 sound engine uses four times the PCM memory of the best-selling Pa900 and extends the amount of User PCM memory to 960MB using compression. The number of User Style locations has also expanded to a maximum of 1,152 which will cover almost every style imaginable. The improved built-in speaker system produces a strong, full-bodied sound that’s enhanced by standard features such as the TC Helicon Vocal Harmonizer, a Dual MP3 player & recorder, and the Dual Crossfade Sequencer. Video output is standardized, so your audience can sing along to the onscreen lyrics. The Pa1000 packs all this in a highquality case with aluminium inserts in the side-panels of an elegant chassis to provide a prestigious look on any stage!

Totally new is the addition of KAOSS FX, which give you creative control on your performance. From subtle morphing between Variations and Drum Kit types, fine mixing between accompaniment Sounds, live reshaping of ongoing rhythms, to the most radical note-crunching effects used by countless DJs, tape delay and arpeggios, you can add ‘liquid mixing’ to any Style or MIDI Song with the aid of easy-to-use computer-assisted composition features. Push the boundaries of your musicality!

With more power than ever before and numerous long-awaited new features, the Pa1000 sets a new standard for arranger workstations. A massive leap forward from the legendary and best selling Pa900, KORG has raised the bar of excellence by offering newer, even more realistic sounds and powerful new features, delivered in a slim and professional looking design, at an even more affordable price.

Features

• Enhanced EDS-X (Enhanced Definition Synthesis-eXpanded) sound engine offers improved realism and vivid sound
• Massive internal ROM – plus up to 960MB of user PCM compressed data – provides a powerful wave memory, delivering the best sound quality possible
• Three assignable switches, two assignable knobs and a four-way joystick ensure total control for the sound articulations (DNC – Defined Nuance Control)
• 61 key semi–weighted keyboard with velocity and aftertouch
• Slim and compact lightweight cabinet
• Big TouchView™ 7" TFT display with adjustable manual tilt
• Easy layout and improved graphical interface with a Search function for quickly locating musical resources
• The 2-way speaker system ensures a powerful and clear sound
• Over 430 Factory Styles, each with 4 variations and 4 Fill Ins + Break, plus 12 banks in each of the User/Direct banks for unlimited storage of your favorite customized or user created Styles and settings
• The Direct SongBook will extend your internal database on-the-fly
• User and Direct banks can be renamed, to allow for a more personalized set of custom Styles, Pads and Keyboard Sets. Custom names appear in the Selection windows, and make finding items much faster
• The Chord Sequencer function records any chord progression on-the-fly. Sequences can be stored in any Style and SongBook entry
• Style Creator Bot automatically creates a Style from a MIDI Song, while also creating a Chord Sequence from the Song’s chords
• Multiple Effects processors:
- 2 Insert and 2 Master effects for the Accompaniment parts,
- 1 Insert and 2 Master effects for the Keyboard Sounds
- Final Limiter and Parametric EQ
• TC-Helicon 3-voice Vocal Processor with 5 dedicated effects
• Double MP3/MIDI file players with recording capability, X-Fader and Vocal Remover
• Enhanced compatibility with lyrics in graphical format (+G) for MP3
• Enhanced sound compatibility for GM and GS songs
• The Detect Chord function scans the MIDI Song’s tracks for chords, then saves them as Chords events to be read in the Lyrics or Score page
• Fully programmable SongBook database based on Styles, SMF, Karaoke, MP3 with instant recall of any song setting. User-definable Set Lists. Filtering and ordering options. Direct access
• Multi-language extended character set. Lyrics can be showed in their original languages (except the Oriental and Arabic Languages*)
• Style and SongBook editing procedures has been made easier and more intuitive
• KORG, WAV, AIFF and SoundFont™ sample formats import function
• 512 User Sound locations, 256 User Drum Kit locations
• MIDI connection can now also be done through the USB HOST ports (in addition to the USB DEVICE and the MIDI ports). This allows for easy connection of controllers like digital pianos (for example, our HAVIAN 30), or the KORG nano and micro series, with no need of special adapters
• MicroSD card slot (card not included) allows for mass storage and data protection

The New Pa1000

KORG is responsible for the most successful and respected arranger keyboards in the world. Used by countless professional musicians in every country around the world, KORG arrangers have thrilled audiences and delighted players everywhere with the magic combination of unbeatable sound quality and features. KORG Technology blends this great KORG history with powerful new technology and ideas from musicians around the world to deliver a new standard in arrangers. The result is a musical powerhouse that packages technological magic into a cool and user friendly design: the KORG Pa1000.

Feel the keyboard

The 61-key keyboard offers a semi-weighted action, feels just right, features naturally responsive key-on/key-off velocity sensitivity and aftertouch, and is designed for musicians of all levels.

Slim, powerful and easy to use

The Pa1000 has been designed with the concept of combining a slim profile with a professional motif. But while its size might appear compact, its sound is huge, thanks to the power of the onboard high-quality custom designed amplification system. The 2x33 Watt amplifiers drive the 4 loudspeakers in a bass-reflex enclosure to generate a rich, full-bodied listening experience. The main panel has been optimized to ensure that all controls are ergonomically positioned and intuitively located to make every performance feel smooth and natural. Big, bright, and bold, the new capacitive TouchView display hosts a redesigned graphical interface that is easier than ever to read, even under the most demanding lighting environments. The entire screen can be tilted forward and back to provide the perfect angle for optimum viewing—on stage or off! Searching for that Song, Style, or file that you were just using? The multi-function Search feature can find what you are looking for—quickly! Styles, Keyboard Sets and SongBook can be read directly from a USB drive—without the need to load data in the internal memory.

Sound quality at its best

The Pa1000 relies on KORG’s advanced EDS-X (Enhanced Definition Synthesis-eXpanded) sound engine, and comes complete with over 1,750 ready-to-play sounds. This realistic collection offers a vast gathering of classic and contemporary keyboards, band and orchestral instruments, plus electronic and acoustic instruments—from techno to folk. Included are two new multi-layer stereo grand piano (with damper and body resonance), plus electric pianos from the acclaimed KORG SV-1 Stage Piano. The digital drawbar organ includes key on/off noises, leakage, and Rotary Speaker emulation. In addition, the Pa1000 has been equipped with new wind instruments, strings, basses—even acoustic and electric guitars. Sounds have been painstakingly captured using state-of-the-art methods that allow the finest of details to be accurately reproduced.
Three assignable switches and the four-way joystick allow KORG’s unique DNC (Defined Nuance Control) to reproduce the subtle nuances and articulations of acoustic instruments creating ultra-realistic performances rich in expression—all in real time and on demand. Bring any solo or melody to life with the growl of a passionately-played saxophone; the changing embouchure of a trumpet; the breath elements found in a clarinet or harmonica; and the added characteristics that give extra authenticity to the pizzicato and arco sounds of a string section.
107 authentic drumkits—including Ambient Drums—breathe life into any rhythmic passage; the Drum Family Easy Editing feature offers total control over volume, pitch, EQ, and more. Up to 960 MB (compressed PCM User memory) are available, so custom sounds can be added easily. The General MIDI (GM) sound bank has been improved for better compatibility with GM files. The Pa1000 can also load/import KORG, WAV, AIFF, SoundFont™ formats and export in WAV or AIFF. Sounds can be fully edited, and can now use up to 24 oscillators for each note!
Preliminary Information – Specifications and features subject to change

Do it with Style

The Pa1000 delivers over 430 Styles, straight out of the box. Each one is a fully-realized musical environment dedicated to creating a particular musical style. With so many to choose from, the Pa1000 can provide instant access to a vast and robust range of musical genres. Each Style features 4 Fill Ins + Break patterns, one for each variation. Using the new Auto Fill function they can be automatically recalled as you move between the four variations. Our international sound team has created many new Styles; and many of our revered and well-known Styles have been improved with new sounds and new mixing. The Pa1000 has 1,152 user locations for you to save your new Styles and settings. Several new sophisticated parameters which ensure professional and realistic guitar tracks have been added with Guitar Mode 2, making the guitar tracks of every Style rich and authentic. In addition, each Style can be enhanced by using the four Pads. Each Pad can add a one-time or repeating riff, a percussion part, an accent sound, or even a sound effect. The convenient Chord Sequencer function can quickly record and loop your chord progressions on the fly in Style Play mode; this can be useful not only for practice, but for freeing up your left hand while performing live. These Chord Sequences can now be also saved as Style and SongBook entries for easy recall.

The latest Styles – today!

Thanks to an all new built in Standard MIDI File to Style converter you can quickly and easily have on board styles of the latest songs! Just obtain a new Standard MIDI File, load it into the Pa1000 and the inbuilt converter will easily and quickly turn it into a full KORG style while also creating a Chord Sequence from the Song’s chords.

Studio-Quality Effects

KORG is known for studio-quality effects, and the Pa1000 includes the best of the KORG library. 2 Insert and 2 Master effects can be used for the accompaniment tracks, while 1 Insert and 2 Master effects can be used for the real-time keyboard tracks. 148 effect types are available, including reverbs, delays, vintage stomp box simulations, amp and cabinet simulators and more. In addition, each track features an EQ with Low, Mid and High controls, and a custom track EQ can be memorized in the Song Play mode—allowing your song to sound its best in any environment. The final effects allow for easily adapting the sound to your musical taste or correcting a problematic live scenario.

TC Helicon® Voice Processor

KORG’s long term cooperation with the world leader in vocal harmonies, TC-Helicon®, continues in the Pa1000. With new features and algorithms, the TC-Helicon Voice Processor ensures your vocals have the highest possible sound quality. Up to 3 realistic voices are available and can be controlled by the keyboard, or by MIDI events. Other 5 effect blocks are available, including EQ, Compressor, Gate, and two FX. To ensure professional vocal performance, 2 knobs and 3 buttons controlling the most important vocal functions have been added to the top panel within easy reach.

Refine your guitar’s pure sound

Guitar FXs let you add pedal and studio effects to a guitar connected to the dedicated Guitar input on the back of the instrument. We selected some of the best guitar effects from the KORG collection, to add the sound of all-tube amplifiers, realistic distortion, chorus or delay pedals, and the highest quality studio reverbs.

Player/Sequencer

The famous KORG XDS Crossfade Dual Sequencer Player supports the MP3+G (also known as MP3+Graphics) format for MP3 files in addition to the most popular lyrics formats. This new feature allows backing sequences to play with enriched lyrics and graphics which can be displayed simultaneously on the on-board TFT display and on an external monitor. There is also a Marker Function, allowing direct jumps to a given position in the song. Two different MP3 or MIDI files can be played simultaneously and both MIDI and MP3 files can be transposed, accelerated or slowed down. The Vocal Remover allows vocals to be removed from MP3 files using a center-channel cancellation tool. The 16 track sequencer allows sophisticated levels of sequencing, but also provides quick and easy song creation using the Backing Sequence function. And because the Pa1000 is very clever, it can record your entire performance! You can run a song, play the keyboard, sing along and everything will be recorded in MP3 format and stored on an external USB device or in the internal memory. A sophisticated Score Viewer is also available to display the lead track (or any other track) of a song as clear and plain traditional musical notations with notes or chords, together with lyrics and chord abbreviations. Chord names can also be seen both in English and Italian. For those learning music, we also added a function to show note names next to each note.

The SongBook

Particularly useful for live use, the SongBook is a fully programmable and easily searchable Music Database. Each entry contains all the settings required to play a particular song. The SongBook can use styles, MIDI files or MP3s and immediately recall settings such as song title, genre, artist, tempo, volumes, sounds, muted tracks, FX settings, easy edit, 4 Keyboard Sets, TC-Helicon® presets, master transpose and more. The SongBook includes also a renewed Set List function, with a convenient panel-button association for fast recall, to make life easier during live gigs. With the SongBook Editor you can easily view, create, and edit your KORG Pa-Series SongBook entries and Set Lists using a Windows based computer. It can also be synchronized with iOS and Android tablets to become your handy external digital music sheet reader (third-party software required). Everything you need to play your song back perfectly is in the SongBook, a useful musical feature that is unique to KORG.

Improved connectivity

MIDI connection can now also be done through the USB HOST ports (in addition to the USB DEVICE and the MIDI ports). This allows for easy connection of controllers like digital pianos (for example, our HAVIAN 30), or the KORG nano and micro series, with no need of special adapters