KORG i series

i1, i2, i3, i4s, i5s, i5m

This page is under construction!

I hope this site will be a location for styles,programs, softwares, docs, for Korg i series keyboards and modules. I personnally have a Korg i5s and a WaveStation EX, and I use CakeWalk. You can help me by sending yours ideas, softwares, patterns, tips and hints, ....on my Email: jcorreno@serveur.dtr.fr

Click here to send me a Email message

-Styles

-Programs


-Features Articles

-Others Sites


Styles

Korg i-series Styles


16 Beat16 Beat USA 16 Beat Funk16 Beat 80's
486Trip6/8 Jazz Shuffle Rock3/4 Pop
8BeatUK Rock Heavy MetalTwinRock
AmericaRave Latin PopFunky Jam
BrazilSamba BaccarraGigoloPartyPolka
CountryCountry 3/4 AchyBreak ShuffleLongCool
DemoWaltzer Folk BalladPaso Doble Slow 94
Disco2Disco2 James " B "
EuropeWienWaltz MazurkaPolka2
FunkBand Funk 70'sFunk 80's
GermanDance1Wien Valtz Polka
GermanDance2Laendler Polka3Polka BeatPolka Swing
GermanyWiener Waltz Party PolkaMed BigBand 6/8 Dance
HouseRaveHousing UK FormulateBoomChikie Respect
Italyi4 Waltzer i4 Mazurkai4 Ploka Tarentella
Japan Japan Rock Japan PopPopsEnka
JarreJazzy1 Jarre
JazzBeBop Hard BopFunky Jazz
JazzSet1JazzWaltz Take 5/4Swing Shuffle Hard Bop
JazzSet2Dorian BigBandSwingLoisJazzWaltz
Latin1Mozambique MerengueLatin Afro
Latin2Rio Samba3Bahia
Latin3Mambo2 Mambo3ChaChaCha2Bolero
Latin4BossaNova2 BossaNova3PopSamba2 FusionSamba
Latin5Argentine1 Argentine2Continent1 Continent2
Latin6Calypso Beguine2LambadaZouk
ModernDanceKempFrt MG Flp26/8 MG Folk Gipsy King
Musette1Musette1 Musette1Paso Doble Musette2
Musette2Valtzer MT MazurkaPolka MT
NewMotow2 James Pars
Parade Funky JazzMusette2 Tango
ReaJazz 94 Paso DobleRea Mix
ReggaeBritishReggae Reggae RootsReggae Doble
Rock1Pure BonjourRoxScorp's
Salon94Parade Funky JazzBarry White Funk Maison
SpainMerengue SevillanPaso Doble
SPK HouseHousing Out FormulatorBand Funk Reggae Dob
Sweden Dansk WalsDansk Viking Dansk Swing
TradiDanceWiennerWaltz MGJ LastMG DiscoFx MG Flippers1
Turkish1Dans DueyekArab5/8
Turkish29/8 SarkiSyanavaVals7/8
UKDorian Big Band 2Swing Lois Jazz Waltz
WeddingRhumba GP Wiener WaltzPaso Doble GP Jive GP
WorldAfro Pop Gipsy popRai



Technics KN2000 Styles

16 BtPop38Bt Ballad 8Bt St28 Bt Bald5
8 Bt Ballad8Bt Std 8 Bt Soft8 Bt Rock2
Brt Rock8 Bt SoftRock 8 Bt Sft Rock28 Bt Rock1
Folk Rock2Folk Rock Country RockBright Rock
Jazz Funk3Jazz funk 1 Jazz rock3 Jazz Funk2
Latin FusionJazz Rock4 Jazz Rock2Jazz Rock1
Soul Rock1Soul Rock Soul BalladSlow Soul Ballad
Soul Rock4Soul Rock3 Disco2Disco1
EuroBeat2EuroBeat1 DiscoPopDisco 70
Rap2Rap 1 House2House1
DancePop1CountryWaltz UsPopSpanish Disco
March2/4German March 6/8 German March 2/4German Waltz
Sweet WaltzSimple Waltz Screen WaltzOrchestral Waltz
USMarch 6/82USMarch 2/4 1USMarch 2/4SwWaltz
CharlestonCaraibean Rock2 ViennaWaltz1ViennaWaltz
Jazz4Funk4 ElectroPop3Dixie Slow
JazzCombo1JazzBallad3 JazzBallad2²JazzBallad1
MiddleJazzFast1MiddleJazzFast2 MiddleJazzJazzCombo
BigBandFastBigBandBallad SimpleComboMiddleJazz2
BigBandSlowBigBandMiddle1 BigBandMiddle3BigBandMiddle2
Orchestral SwingJazzWaltzFast JazzWaltzSlowJazzWaltzMedium
BequineStd Swing2 StdSwing1SoulBallad
Cha Cha 2Cha Cha1 Bolero 4/4Bolero 3/4
Paso Doble1Mambo LambadaFast Mambo
BleuGrassRhumba Reggae1Reggae2
Country BalladCountry Folk Country 8 BeatBluegrass2
Gospel ShuffleGospel Ballade Country SwingCountry Pop
R&B BalladeR&B 8 Beat Hawaii1Hawaii2
16 Beat BalladeHawaii3 Gospel 16 BeatModern Country
16 Beat Std16 BeatPop4 16 BeatPop216BeatPop1


Roland E series Styles

8 Beat18 Beat2 8 Beat38 Beat4
Bossa1 Bossa2 Bossa 3Bossa4
Swing1Swing2 SlSwing1Blues1
16 Beat 1Bolero MarchRagtime
Blues2Charleston SW WaltzCha Cha
HouseRhumba PasoDobleLimbRock
ShuffleCajun CountryMusette
Funk2Dance FoxtrotPopRock


Most of these styles can be downloaded from the others sites linked above.



Programs

  1. 01W-Pro (1to 3)
  2. Best-Mt
  3. PianoKeys
  4. Housse1
  5. Combis1
  6. PopPerf
  7. X3Organ (1 to 3)
  8. Xsd (11 to 15)
  9. Dance
  10. Rock
  11. Pipe1

Backing Sequences


Softwares


Features Articles

Korg i5M Interactive Music Module

Korg has taken all of the power and sounds from its acclaimed i-Series to create the new compact i5M Interactive Music Module.

The i5M's sounds are generated by Korg's patented AI2 synthesis system, the same engine found in Korg's popular X, i and 0-Series. With 192 pre-recorded arrangements, including Pop, Rock, Jazz, Latin, House and Reggae, the i5M provides professional accompaniment to any MIDI instrument. The built-in effects processor has 47 digital effects including Reverb and Chorus. Also included are 16 drum programs, along with 384 sound programs.

Arrangements can be called up simply by pressing a color-coded button, organized by specific functions. Editing of an arrangement's drum or sound programs is accomplished instantaneously. Two recording methods are available: Backing Sequence allows for recording in real time, while the Step Recording function records notes individually. The i5M's Interactive Composition mode accompanies any melody played with the appropriate chord.

Equipped with two MIDI IN ports (providing control from two different sources at once), the i5M can also store accompaniment and performance data in the Standard MIDI file format. The Song Play mode utilizes General MIDI, providing a wide range of GM Standard MIDI files.

The i5M is fully compatible with Korg's ih Interactive Vocal Harmony Processor, as well as optional disks from Korg's Sound and Program Library (each giving an additional 64 sound programs and 2 drum programs). With Korg's XIP Performance Data Disks, additional sounds can also be downloaded.

I5S

Korg's phenomenally successful M1 synth is still in use by bands worldwide. Their O1/W series continues to grace many a recording; the Wavestation too. The company's latest X5 range is aimed at small studios and synth beginners; however, the Korg name has been noticeably absent from keyboard enthusiasts' living rooms. The more recent i series has edged that way... now, with the i5S, has it finally arrived?

Overview

The overall appearance of the i5S is more traditional than that of the previous i-series keyboards, with style and program names printed on the case for the first time and small pictures of drums above the keys, too. The keyboard itself is a touch-sensitive, slightly stiff, 61-key model, and to its left is the usual pitch-bend wheel plus a single button that replaces the usual modulation wheel - holding this down applies a fixed amount of vibrato to the current melody sound, and this can be changed between styles. Although not as flexible as a full mod wheel would be, this illustrates the design concept of the i5S perfectly: once it's set up to your liking, subsequent performances require the minimum of effort.

Moving up the unit, there's a set of dedicated function buttons, rows of number keys for selecting instruments and styles, and a small LCD. Sadly, instead of proper volume sliders you have to make do with individual Volume Up and Volume Down buttons for the melody, accompaniment, bass, percussion and so on.

This makes fiddling with the exact balance trickier, especially as you can't immediately see the current volume of each part - once again, the approach is that you do a minimal amount of work to set the style up, and forget about it from then on. But the small LCD is more of a problem. In contrast with the latest big-screen Yamaha and Technics offerings, the i5S has a 20-column, two-row character display, with only a few general controls (cursor movement, value up/down) for changing values. You'll find yourself pressing the Next Page and Previous Page buttons until they wear out as you customise the styles to your liking, thumbing through the manual all the time: what does 'BSequenc MID PD' mean, anyway?

However, there's also much to commend in the panel design of the i5S. Pressing the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons for a particular part together mutes the part in question - very handy. There's a convenient Tap Tempo button, which sets the rhythm to play at whatever speed you beat; separate octave and note transposition controls; and a few dedicated function buttons such as the Sustain button, a boon to anyone playing the i5S without a footpedal. Best of all, there are separate rows of number keys for selecting styles and instruments, with a 10 Lock button which lets you select a set of eight styles (for example, all the waltzes), and hop from one to another with one key-press. The current style is usually shown on the LCD, with the instrument name flashing up as you type in a new number.
Look carefully under the keyboard, and you'll find a discreetly camouflaged disk drive. It's almost as if, in an attempt to design a welcoming home keyboard, Korg hope that you won't notice it. It's a useful feature, however, because not only does it let you play Standard MIDI Files with the i5S, you can also load extra styles: American, European and Japanese disks are supplied with the machine, and it's 100% compatible with its predecessor, the i4S - for which there are over 25 disks available.

How it plays

Enough of the controls; it's time to put the i5S to work. The keyboard boots up with the 8-Beat 1 style selected, a sturdy workhorse of a rhythm - all you need to do is press Start, and spin out a piano melody with your right hand, the left hand playing the chords you want to hear in the accompaniment. No matter how eccentric your chord sequence, the Korg can cope with it; its intelligence in determining what chord you've played is little short of miraculous, as the LCD informs you that the five random notes you just played together were, in fact, the diminished chord of P minor with a raised ninth and a side order of fries. If you've never played a home keyboard before, you'll need to get used to playing each chord slightly ahead of the beat, so that the accompaniment can pick up on it in time (the i5S may be exceedingly clever, but it's not psychic - although, come the i6S...). This skill is easily learnt - it's just a shame that a couple of styles, notably Country1, are more sensitive to your timing than others, with any great variation from a strict rhythm producing an unholy mess in the accompaniment.

That said, the i5S possesses a lot of useful features to improve the sound of your performance: an automatic harmonisation feature, for example, adds chords to your right-hand part based on what you're playing with the left hand.

You can even tell it whereabouts on the keyboard you'll be playing chords: either the lower or upper half, defined by the one user-chosen split point, or over the entire keyboard. This feature can be a boon when you're playing pieces intended for the piano, but it's a shame that there's no way of combining the best parts of this and the normal sensing methods, with the left hand taking priority if two chords are played at once.

Alternatively, you can recover the whole keyboard for your chosen melody instrument, and select chords using the numeric buttons usually dedicated to calling up styles and sounds. If your performance doesn't require any mid-song changes in rhythm, this feature, although tricky to get the hang of, can prove exceptionally useful - but for those who think that reaching across this far is all too much effort, there's a backing sequence mode for recording a set of chord changes to be replayed on demand. It would be misleading to compare this with the fully-blown sequencers found on workstations at this price, but the feature set is surprisingly comprehensive. Despite rudimentary editing features, made all the more difficult by the cramped display, there are quantise, bounce-down, and 'save as Standard MIDI File' features in here; the save option enabling you to build up a library of chord sequences without having to reprogram the keyboard every time. Chords can be recorded as you play or entered in step time, and the 10 backing sequences can be chained in any order you like - perfect for a verse-chorus-verse structure.

How it sounds

You could easily keep an audience satisfied for half an hour with a virtuoso performance based on the i5S's 8-Beat rhythm, but there are 127 other presets to explore - plus the 64 in the user bank. In fact, there are four variations for each style, making 768 in total. Add to this a couple of fill buttons plus an intro and ending for each style (often the most imaginative parts of the arrangement), and there should be an accompaniment for most purposes even without recourse to the many available style disks. Unsurprisingly, you can't edit the styles or program new ones - as we've seen, Korg's intended market for the i5S consists of people who want to do as little setting up and editing with their keyboard as possible.

The 128 preset styles begin with a comprehensive selection of 8-beat and 16-beat rhythms, with some rather schmaltzy rock and pop ballad styles. Waltz aficionados are also well catered for, with the jazz variant particularly good: the faster waltzes tend to be slightly over-orchestrated, but a little twiddling with the volume of each part can lessen this effect. One occasionally bizarre aspect of the presets is the default instrument assigned to each style; in the main, they're eminently sensible, but a harpsichord with a chugging 8-beat rhythm? Again, scrolling through a few LCD pages can fix this problem. Traditional home keyboard styles such as bossa novas and sambas are supplied in abundance. There's a great Latin rhythm, a couple of practical 'party polkas', and a Slow Swing which could have come straight out of your local Pizza Express. It's worth straying a little from the norm, though, as some of the best styles are slightly more leftfield than these: PasoDoble1 (whatever that means) is exceptionally well done, with the East European Gipsy1 also deserving to be singled out.






As a company better known for their sounds than their pre-programmed rhythms, then, Korg have done extremely well with the i5S's styles. There are 320 of the former, so with a pedigree dating back to the classic X3 synth, we should be in for a real treat with the tones, right? Well, yes and no...

Do be aware, though, that although it's possible just to sit down and play along to the preset styles, it will initially take a fair bit of head-scratching before you can get the best out of the i5S. The editing system isn't obtuse enough that it should put anyone off the machine - especially when the rest of the keyboard is so inviting - but it's a bit of a chore deciphering all the abbreviations on the sparsely annotated pages of LCD info.

Product name: Korg i5S
Product function: Home keyboard
Country of origin: Japan
Keyboard: 61 keys, velocity-sensitive
Sounds: 384, including 128 GM sounds
Styles: 192
Effects: 2 processors, 47 effects
Polyphony: 32 notes
Multitimbrality: Up to 16 (for disk playback)
Sequencer: 10 backing sequences. Plays Standard MIDI Files.
Display: 2 x 20 character LCD
Connections: L/Mono and R audio outputs; L/Mono and R audio inputs; stereo headphones; MIDI In, Out, Thru; direct PC/Mac interface; EC5 board, damper pedal, assignable pedal/switch
Disk drive: 3.5", DD or HD
Price (inc VAT): £1,099
Further information: Korg UK, 9 Newmarket Court, Kingston, Milton Keynes, MK10 0AU Tel: 01908 857100 Fax: 01908 857199
What we like...
  • Superb range of styles
  • Intelligent chord sensing
  • Good lead instruments
    What we don't...
  • Tricky to set up
  • Some sounds could be better
    Bottom line...
  • An easy way to sound like the pros with the minimum of effort





Others Sites

The Peter Inhat's site

The Art Morrison's site