Korg Forums

datachimp · Joined: 16 Dec 2022 Posts: 3

Hi

The PA5X is my first arranger keyboard and, so far, I'm enjoying it a lot, just in terms of the quality of styles, sounds, and the fun playing experience. I know that more experienced aficionados are frustrated with problems with the software but as someone who is at the start of their journey with this technology, and who hasn't dived very deeply into customisation yet, I have escaped the worst.

Maybe this will change as I feel ready to venture into learning more advanced features. And this is really what my post is about. What is the best way to learn the deep mechanics of the PA5X, in particular learning how to create styles? What does that journey look like? For those of you who went through this journey how did you approach it? What is your workflow?

Any tips or links to useful resources would be gratefully received. We all have to start somewhere right? And yes I have read the manual, so I'm at least on step 2 Laughing

I'm very happy to put in time and hard work, and to accept the buggy OS while I'm learning.

Thanks in advance!

datachimp · Joined: 16 Dec 2022 Posts: 3

Progress to date... I have hooked up my PA5X to my DAW. Managed to map each MIDI out channel to a separate track in the DAW (bass, drums, percussion, pads, acc 1 - 5 and am able to capture MIDI events when I play a style variation.

Not sure if there are advantages to this event sourcing approach, rather than just exporting/importing a style via USB stick. What I'd really love to do is drive my PA from the DAW in real time.

Haven't figured out yet how to stream events from the DAW to the PA in that direction. No luck yet.

I also tried sending program and CC events from the DAW to the Global and Control channels on the PA's MIDI in, but the PA didn't react.

Baby steps.

rikkisbears · Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2022 8:48 pm Post subject:

Hi,
I basically started by studying factory styles. Used the import/export as .mid function to study them and how they’re put together.
I don’t record from scratch, my hobby was converting styles from other brands of keyboards, so had to learn the korg requirements for a style and how to edit them.
It takes time to understand how process works. It can be a fun journey though, for me it was back on the pa800 in 2007 on the pa800 forum. There were many discussions on style creating.
I’m just getting back into korgs, haven’t had one for over 3 years, and looks like I’m going to have to do some further editing on my old user styles. With the bugs in the current system, bit hard to know whether I’m doing something wrong or it’s a bug. So relearning the process.
_________________
best wishes
Rikki

HOBBYIST

PA5X 88 note
Wavesart CFX 9ft Grand Piano 🥰
Wavesart Japanese Grand Piano

Yamaha PSR SX900

Band in a Box 2023

datachimp · Joined: 16 Dec 2022 Posts: 3

Hi Rikki

Sorry for taking so long to acknowledge your reply.

I've really been enjoying digging into the technicalities of style editing through my DAW. A lot of progress made, but there's still much to learn. Like many on the forum, the lack of some of the most fundamental on-board editing functionality is taxing. Where's the undo?!?!

But when I find myself getting too stressed with the gaps in functionality, and the occasional bug, I just take a deep breath and... play the keyboard. After several months of owning a PA5X I'm still amazed by just how lost I get in the sound quality. I can kill hours just noodling. I'm "only" a hobbyist, so I'm not losing an income like some folks, but for me personally it was a great buy.

rikkisbears · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 2:46 am Post subject:

deminda · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 3:36 am Post subject:

I tried to sync the clock with cubase when I had my Pa4x; My idea was to skip the step of importing the midi file every time when I create a style and use the style record function to directly record it from cubase. In record mode I could not do that. It only worked in the style play mode. I havn't tried it yet with the Pa5x.
_________________
Korg Pa4X, KRONOS 2 LS, Roland Fantom 6, Yamaha PSR SX 900, Integra 7, Roland TD 50x Module, Mac Pro Intel Xeon, RME fireface 802, Audient ASP800, Cubase 12 Pro;

rikkisbears · Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 4:20 am Post subject:

Hi Deminda,
unfortunately I don’t have Cubase I’m still using an old pc sequencer ( daw) that’s at least 20 years old. It can only record 1 track at a time. It can send on multiple channels, but not record. It was tedious .
I think you may find Korg is only able to record one track at a time.
( let me know if I’m wrong)
Import /export is far quicker.
_________________
best wishes
Rikki

HOBBYIST

PA5X 88 note
Wavesart CFX 9ft Grand Piano 🥰
Wavesart Japanese Grand Piano

Yamaha PSR SX900

Band in a Box 2023