My thoughts ......

[Backpool]

hi Harry - I bit the bullet and got an i3 ....delighted!!
Cheap as well at £429 !!

I have asked korg UK if they would consider making 'shift' a pedal option - which for me would be a no brainer. ( have mentioned in other posts )
Unless you save to set, it is difficult on the fly to use this 2 handed function i find.
'Shift' is even more evident on the i3 than the EK50

Looking forward to enjoying with my Yamaha SX700 it sits well and i now have best of both!
I have been using an EK50, in combo, so this is a bit of a step up and it is just so compact, light and sleek!

Thanks for all your advice in the the threads -

best regards
Keith

[Musicwithharry]

hi Harry - I bit the bullet and got an i3 ....delighted!!
Cheap as well at £429 !!

I have asked korg UK if they would consider making 'shift' a pedal option - which for me would be a no brainer. ( have mentioned in other posts )
Unless you save to set, it is difficult on the fly to use this 2 handed function i find.
'Shift' is even more evident on the i3 than the EK50

Looking forward to enjoying with my Yamaha SX700 it sits well and i now have best of both!
I have been using an EK50, in combo, so this is a bit of a step up and it is just so compact, light and sleek!

Thanks for all your advice in the the threads -

best regards
Keith

Glad to hear that you are enjoying your i3 purchase. I have not used mine in a couple of months - it sits in its case in the bedroom for right now

Even with the COVID-19 stuff hampering gigs for my band, I have been incredibly busy in my studio with another project I am putting together with a couple of singers (the PA700 will be driving all of the MIDI files and styles for our sound). I have been putting finishing touches on the 250+ sequences I have done (and writing more). I am probably going to buy another PA700 in late September and am eyeing the red one

I also revamped/redesigned my studio for a better workflow.

I also released another album a few weeks ago and have been promoting that.

I will likely get the i3 out this week and integrate it into the studio setup.

With regard to the pedal doing doubly duty as a 'shift' button - I could see the value in that for many I am very used to doing things with my hands while playing so I never really experienced any difficulties doing it that way. Additionally, once I set up my layers in each 'Favorite', I am pretty well set up for the songs.

The biggest thing I would like to see is being able to save custom STS settings for each style. THAT would be huge for me because then instead of simply saving a 'Favorite', I could actually save an entire style, with STS settings as well.

Another thing that I have foind a bit problematic with the i3 is that I have not located a setting where I can change the 'PAN' settings for a layer. When modifying different favorites to something I could use, some of the sounds in the Upper 1/2/3 are panned to one side or the other and I have not found a way to change that.

I am glad your i3 is working for you. Enjoy

Grace,
Harry

[Backpool]

Thanks Harry - sounds like you are busy!!

yes i get your point re saving fav. custom sts would be good, although you could not do that on the EK either I just used to use a bank of set lists but you are a bit limited with 10 x 4 on the ek ( 10 x 5 on the i3 ) and you have to save to usb and reload if you need more.
not got around to pan yet.

No- the 'shift' thing was just mainly for 'transpose'...for some odd reason they have made octave the primary function of this button...and that can be tricky in performance... as i use transpose a lot on the fly.

Ido miss the style and set cat. decals on the board itself like the EK50( as i am really an arranger player ) but recon i will print them off and laminate to the board as a quick ref. not a problem on my PA as they are listed on screen.

The only other thing the Ek had which i miss is the keypad, this was great to just bang in the number i wanted to assign for style/ sound / set etc... but can manage, so it's no big deal.

But, all in all what a gem of a board and great 'bang for your buck'....as you say in the States !!
When I think back - as a gigging teenager ( 40 years ago!! I only play for fun now ) a decent organ/board was the price of a car!!

Best wishes and thanks again Harry - i do hope we get more interest in this on here than we have had for the EK

Keith

[Musicwithharry]

Thanks Harry - sounds like you are busy!!

yes i get your point re saving fav. custom sts would be good, although you could not do that on the EK either I just used to use a bank of set lists but you are a bit limited with 10 x 4 on the ek ( 10 x 5 on the i3 ) and you have to save to usb and reload if you need more.
not got around to pan yet.

No- the 'shift' thing was just mainly for 'transpose'...for some odd reason they have made octave the primary function of this button...and that can be tricky in performance... as i use transpose a lot on the fly.

Ido miss the style and set cat. decals on the board itself like the EK50( as i am really an arranger player ) but recon i will print them off and laminate to the board as a quick ref. not a problem on my PA as they are listed on screen.

The only other thing the Ek had which i miss is the keypad, this was great to just bang in the number i wanted to assign for style/ sound / set etc... but can manage, so it's no big deal.

But, all in all what a gem of a board and great 'bang for your buck'....as you say in the States !!
When I think back - as a gigging teenager ( 40 years ago!! I only play for fun now ) a decent organ/board was the price of a car!!

Best wishes and thanks again Harry - i do hope we get more interest in this on here than we have had for the EK

Keith

I remember gigging all those years ago for myself as well. I turned 50 in May and have been playing professionally since I was a young teen. It is hard to believe that I have been at it that long

My first 'arranger' was an old Bontempi unit (similar to the Casios of the day) and used that thing with my Korg Poly-800 and my Realistic analog drum machine for years, until I started getting more professional gear (DX7, D50, VFX-SD, etc...).

My first real arranger was a Technics SX-PR270 Digital Ensemble ($5k USD was what I bought it for) and wrote lots of albums on that (MIDIed to other gear as well). I bought a Roland E-09 in the early 2000's and that was my go to arranger for the nursing home ministry (that I have done for 11 years now). I ended up buying a PA500 in the late 2000's but ended up getting rid of it because it never really clicked with me.

I got the PA700 in September 2017 and it has exceeded my expectations for an arranger - so much so that I am likely going to get another one in late-September as a backup.

I saw the i3 as a usable live instrument and a possible backup for the PA700 but due to the fact I cannot save my own STS settings, it makes it a bit harder to use it as a backup for the PA700. Live use for the i3 is just fine for me when I need it.

If I end up not using it, I can always give it to my daughter so she can have an instrument to mess around with.

Grace,
Harry