Korg Karma

OS 2.0.0. It is as compicated as anything that one does not have any experince in. So far without using the manual, I have been able to load midi files, and modify them. I am a technical so to speak person...

Pretty good... Keyboard action could be better... I really like the E-mu and Yamaha Motif keyboard action. Lots of features, kind of easy to use. Yes to expansion capabilities, yea... GOT KARMA!!! yes and it is pretty easy...

I am speachless... so is my brother in-law, and everyone else that I have showed this keyboard to.

This one gets a low one... when I opened up the box, A#3 did not work right. but the store that sold it to me exchanged it out with no problem. maybe I would take it to a show...

good. at the place I bought it at.

I would definitely buy it again, and I plan on maxing this thing out. I am totally sold on Korg for now, and would most likely get the EM series stuff. I have only been playing for a real short time, like a month, but I did take piano lessons when I was 5 years old. I like the fact that it shows you the notes when you playback the sequencer. The KARMA feature is hands down the only thing like it on the market for now, so don't expect to see it on anything else for now. I have had this thing for only a week, and have put some tracks down effortlessly. Is that a word... Anyways, give it shot at your local shop, and compare it to the Triton Studio, and the Yamaha Motif... The only thing is the keyboard action... however now I am getting used to it.

Software version 2.0

Editing patches is fantastic and easy, Preset "Karma" combinations are great, but are harder to manipulate or create, you even need software (KARMA MW) to do this right.
Manual sucks, but Korg has fantastic support, even Stephen Kay, the creator answers questions personally in the karma yahoo group.

Build in effects are awesome. Patch editing is fantastic and easy as hell. Karma notes can be recorded onto a sequencer such as cubase, which is fantastic. Midi controls are somewhat mystic, but midi was never easy if you own more then one keyboard/synth

Pianos & Guitars are terrible, Organs, Synths and Drums are great.

Everyone knows great sounds do not make a great composer or a great record, Karma's strenght is within it's synth capabilities and ofcourse the Karma function, which is quite revolutionairy, it lets you create entire songs in minutess, and you still feel you did it all by yourself.

Sequencer data is not stored in memory, but unlike the much more expensive Yamaha Motiv, it comes with a diskdrive out of the box.

Great, the inventor Stephen Kay does his best to keep in touch with Karma users all over the world on his website and in newsgroups.

Karma is a great and fantastic keyboard for a relatively low price.
Even without the Karma function, the keyboard makes a fine addition to my Roland JV1080, with it's build in sequencer. The Karma function is fantastic, but only if you're into creating your own music or production, I don't find to much use for it playing in a cover band to be honest. Still, even without the karma function you have a great Korg keyboard with sequencer, synth, all the works.

On the negate side,
Although the keyboard is often mistaken for an arpegiattor, it's everything except that, it's the one thing I miss, if you want to create your own dynamic arpegios you have to buy additional software, which I find a bit awkward (or commercial). Although you can change the preset Arpegios created by the karma beyond recogniction, you can not create them from scratch.

But I have no regrets whatsoever buying it, and looking back I'm glad I didn't buy a Yamaha Motiv.

OS 2.0

I've heard many times that Korg instruments blow you away in stores, but after you've had them for few months,you find out, they are not so good as you first thought.

I worked with Triton for two years and finally bought my own Karma nine months ago.

Triton had great touch screen, but after all, using Karma is faster, because triton screen lagged a little. Triton is surely easier and more informative, but when you get used to it, karma is faster.

My opinion is that Korg interface is very logical and intuitive and presets are cool. Especially with Karma. When you try this out for the first time with "Voice of Karma" combi, It's like.. vow!

Then, after half a year or so, you think you can use this synth, but it gives nothing new and great anymore. (I had this feeling with Triton)

But, then you really learn, how this synth work, and after that you can make almost whatever sound with it. Believe me.. :) So, editing those patches isn't very easy. But I don't believe this kind of deep editing can be. Editing other synths, like Yamaha Motif, is actucally quite identical.

Manuals.. Well, they are quite informative but really boring.. Not used them very much, but they are still useful, sometimes..

Keyboard action is *light*. Not for pianists.. Really.. Triton had much better action. Polyphony 62 is enough, I think. I had some lag when used triton, but had no problems with karma.

Five Insert effects and two masters are enough indeed. Additional outputs and flexible routing are cool if you use external effects.

Anyway, KARMA is the reason to have this keyboard. Many ppl have told about basics of KARMA, so I only add some opinions. It's really hard to configure and master KARMA. I can't do it very well, and I've had 9 months time just to learn that (I could use other features quite well already when I bought this, because of two years experience with Triton). So I use KARMA more to just zone out with combis than creating music. Using it live is also hard as with any arpeggiator (and KARMA is definitely more!) because sync problems. Still, it's really useful with drum loops, guitar riffs etc. I hope I could use it well some day..

I don't have much experience about those expansion cards. I had moss board with triton, but I never really used it. But still, I really believe in physical modeling, and I'm sure you could get really great sounds with moss.

Karma has great sounds, in general. Acoustic piano isn't very good. I hate organs. (though EXB01 has some great organ patches) Sound set is similar to Triton's with few new preset patches. KARMA takes some sound alive. (Try B115 Harmonica for instance)

Generally I think Yamaha Motif sounds better. Emu Proteus2000 also beats Karma in some sounds. I don't have much experience of Roland (except stage pianos) so I can't compare to them.

I've done many styles of music with karma. Classical, rock, new age, pop, etc. I think this is best suited for techno etc, but I'm not great technofreak so don't know.

Onboard effects are quite great. Using EQ with other effects can bring your sound to another level, try it out. Again, Motif has better amp simulations and distortion. I use POD for that so I have no complaints.. :) (try it out in store, you'll be impressed)

Keyboard aftertouch is crappy. I recommend using other keys as controller anyway. You can get expression with those sounds, but it needs tweeking. Playing out with that keyboard is quite hard.

I've had no problems, but then, I've had this keyboard just for 9 months.

I haven't dealt with Korg,(and hopefully won't need to) but I haven't seen better support than I see in korgkarma yahoogroup. You can get answers to your questions in no time from the creator of KARMA and that is really great support!

I would definitely bought it again if were lost of stolen. It's worth the price.

I'm not professional pianist. I've played piano for about 7 years. I really can't play classical piano. Violin is actucally my main instrument and I've been playing for 13 years or so. So I use my karma mostly to compose music. I can get almost every sound out of it. And for piano touch (and to control karma, often) and sound I use Roland RD-600 which has great action but little oldish sound.. Then I have that Line6 PODxt, which gives me variety of great effects and not just for guitar sounds. It's completely differend thing to play organs throught pod's leslie simulation than karma's rotary effect.

I love in karma that I can do everything with it. If I needed to play koto or kalimba sound in a band, no problem (I've done that ;), if I need to make music of any style, no problem. And it's lightweight.. :D

I choose Karma because of KARMA and the fact I already knew how to use Triton.

I would love, if Karma told me it's time to go sleep, when I play "voice of karma" 3am, but maybe that is too much to hope. More sound ROM would definitely be great addition.

Operating System v1.0.4 (have not bothered to upgrade to the latest 2.0 OS yet). Shares the same PCM sound data as the Triton, but with modified Programs and Combis tweaked to take advantage of the KARMA technology. Presets are a mixed bag, but for the most part very lush and warm sounding. Navigating through the Karma is simple for anyone with basic computer skills or experience with any other synths. Includes 3 manuals, with the Parameter Guide alone filling up nearly 300 pages. This is a serious instrument, not a toy.

62 polyphony. The Karma features the same HI synthesis system which is present in the Triton Classic, but with CPUs 3x faster than the Triton Classic. Includes all of the standard HI synthesis effects and filters. If you're reading this you're probably already familiar with all of its capabilities. When loaded with the same Program or Combi (without arps/GEs), the Karma and the Triton sound identical.
It has room for 2 EXB-PCM expansion boards, as well as a dedicated slot for EXB-MOSS (a DSP tone generator/physical modeling board) which is located under the workstation. The on-board sequencer is the same sequencer found in the Triton series. I am familiar with PC-based sequencers, so this only took me a few minutes to get acquainted with. There is no sampler or sampling option - at its core, this is basically a Triton with updated, faster CPUs, and without some expansion options - namely the sampler, internal hard drive, and CD-ROM. It also lacks an arpeggiator (not missed, because in its place is KARMA) digital outs and a ribbon controller. Standard MIDI in/out/thru options are present. A floppy drive is present for loading MIDIs, tone data, etc.

And of course, it includes the breakthrough KARMA technology created by Stephen Kay. For those not in the know (or who may be ignorant), this is not a simple 'advanced arpeggiator' or auto-accompanyment feature, but rather an advanced algorithm which generates complex musical phrases in MIDI, all in real-time based on user input of notes and chord patterns, etc. If you want to view a really long description on what KARMA is, then see the Karma Lab page at http://www.karma-lab.com/KARMA/What_Is_KARMA.html

Without the KARMA technology, the rating for this category would be a 7.

This is a 61 key Fatar (Studiologic) keyboard with velocity sensitivity and aftertouch. Throughout my search for a solid 'all-in-one' workstation solution (I am a minimalist by nature), I came across the Karma and found that it fits my needs very well. There are a lot of great Programs to be found here - very full, convincing strings, reeds, and pads, realistic B3 organs, striking orchestral hits and basses, as well as some classic analog sounds that you may be familiar with (Poly Sixual, anyone?). Programs and Combis respond very well to velocity and aftertouch with many variations - vibrato, tremolo, pronounced drum strikes, etc. There also lays a good foundation to create very strong lead sounds (for those of you here who may be into progressive rock-style music) by editing Programs Combis. Pianos are sub-par as with ANY stock synth (yes, even YAMAHA and KURZWEIL) and I recommend getting the EXB-PCM08 Concert Grand Piano expansion board ($99) to use with this if you want a collection of good piano Programs and Combis.

The KARMA technology itself is quite impressive and does what it advertises to do - you can create complex arpeggiation movements and generate realistic harp glisses and guitar strumming, all controllable via 8 knobs to the left of the main LCD.

Here is a snippet from karma-lab.com which discusses KARMA GEs (Generated Effects) and how they are used:

A KARMA GE has over 400 internal parameters, many of which may not actually be used depending on the particular effect that is being generated. KORG and Stephen Kay (KARMA?s creator) wisely chose not to burden users with screen after screen after screen of arcane parameters (in a hardware product) that only an engineer could love, and instead designed a system where up to 16 of the most important and useful parameters are provided for editing in each GE. You can edit those 16 parameters and create many variations and new effects that may sound completely unlike the original GE. That means that in a combi, there may be up to 64 GE parameters available to be edited, and also available to be assigned to the 8 KARMA realtime control knobs and 2 switches. This is in addition to the numerous other parameters on the ?modular? level that are completely programmable on the KARMA keyboard, such as the key zones that KARMA GEs are in, the means/modes of triggering them, quantization, Dynamic MIDI effects (i.e. sweeping notes with a Joystick), etc. So there is quite a lot of editability built into them.

As of OS version 2.0 you can create your own Karma GEs from the ground-up using the KARMA MW software, sold seperately.

I am primarily into very progressive music, such as early Genesis, Yes, ELP, Pink Floyd, Planet X, Dream Theater, and Ayreon, just to name a few. For those who have said that the Karma can only fit in well with dance or techno-like music, they obviously have not explored the library of sounds beyond the first dozen Combis in Bank A. I can see the Karma fitting into any genre of music.

I have not gigged with it and have no plans to in the near future.

Stephen Kay, the creator of KARMA, maintains his own website and user group at www.karma-lab.com and atttempts to answer each question personally. His enthusiasm for the Karma is infectious and he has been incredibly helpful with every query I've passed on to him. As far as Korg USA support itself, I have not dealt with them and don't plan to unless I am experiencing hardware problems.

This is my first serious music workstation, and as such I came into the world of synthesizers from an unbiased perspective - there appears to be a lot of anti-Korg zealots floating around on the Internet, but from what I gather there will always be a group out there who is anti-something/anything no matter what, whether it be Yamaha, Roland, and even Kurzweil. Everyone complains about companies (and Korg in particular, for some strange reason) reusing, and repackaging old technology as new synths. Hello. From what I understand, Kurzweil has done the same thing with VAST for the past 11 years. It appears to be a trend in this industry, along with complacency. I hope that KARMA will shake the foundations some and get people, and corporations in particular, to open their eyes. There appears to be a great controversey going on regarding KARMA and its supposed ability to turn anyone into an 'instant musician'. To those people, I say this - get a clue. As I mentioned before, many people dismiss KARMA as a simple arpeggiator or auto-accompany device without actually reading about the technology in depth. It is much, much more than that. What is a music workstation if not a tool for creativity? Create your own combis, your own GEs, and you will eventually find your own voice that speaks over those who cheese out the presets all of the time. I can understand some people's point of view - some people just can't abide change, or are 'old-fashioned'. That's fine. It takes an open mind to understand and apply KARMA to whatever it is that you wish to create, but in the end the results are more than worth the trouble. Your choice for a music workstation, IMO, reflects who you are and what you want to do. The Karma may or may not be what is best for your needs, and I encourage every reader to explore the websites of every synth company out there. Go to stores and try various boards out for yourself. Research thoroughly online so you won't be disappointed with what you get, and most importantly, follow your heart.

Cheers.

Karma is a very user friendly keyboard and for me that's the main pro...Is an adequate keyboard for beginners/starters.Like most of Korg keyboards.

Well, good polyphony, effects are somewhat verstaile, expansion capabilities are limited...Excellent techno/electronic sounds,also good ambient/fat sounds. Didn't like the keyboard.

Like I said in the last issue, the pro of this machine is techno and ambient sounds, don't expect good results for other sound or music fields...Buy a Kurzweil or an Ensoniq if u want to go further into another levels (like I did, well...I konw a Kurzweil is almost 4 times de price of Karma but, it depends on your requirements)

Never tried it live (I use a k2500X) but I am planning to use both. Looking to the keyboard controllers, combinations and thinking in its edit capabilities I guess this is a good live gear

Korg support is good and nice.

Well, I bought this machine just because of the great opportunity I had (1500$). Since I have a Kurzweil 2500X my use of Karma is not that often, but is a funny keyboard with interesting sounds...Ideal for beginners and for initiate keyboard students...Also good for techno freaks and loop maniacs.

Version 2.0

Los sonidos son realmente excelentes. Actualmente en mi KARMA tengo todos los programas del TRITON CLASSIC, el TRITON LE y el TRION STUDIO, asi que tengo una extensa libreria de donde escoger.

Las teclas no son excelentes (se sienten mejor las del TRITON) pero funcionan muy bien.
El secuenciador es fantastico, sin embargo creo que es algo tedioso "navegar" por la interfce del KARMA.
Algo QUE DETESTO es que el KARMA no tenga bateria interna para almacenar en la memoria los datos de las secuencias.

Lo uso para todo tipo de musica.
Las guitarras son extraordinarias,
los metales y las maderas son fantasticos,
las campanas son algo pobres,
los pianos nos muy buenos pero no tanto como se espera de KORG.
Los efectos son excelentes.

La curva 4 de aftertouch no responde muy bien, creo que la curva "ideal" seria la "4.5" pero no existe.

Odio la pantalla color naranja porque despues de un buen rato de utilizar el KARMA te lastima la vista.
En general es un extraordinario teclado aunque sea un poco complicado utilizar los menus. Definitivamente KORG es la mejor marca de workstations en todo el mundo!!

Its very easy to go through the programs and combinations through the various banks. The real trick is in the menu system to do any editing, that where it gets difficult.

Ok polyphony (62), it can go quickly when using all 4 karma modules and holding down complex chords. AWESOME EFFECTS! The best I have seen/heard in a workstation. 5 inserts with chaining, 2 masters, and three band eq. Lots of room for onboard sounds. 8 banks of 128 combinations and programs. Can have up to 8 programs per combination.

I think it is very expressive. For example, a program can have 2 multisounds assosciated with it. Each has a low sample and high sample that you set crossfades for. So it does sample switching on the fly as you play. It has lots of controller features as well. 4 assignable knobs for what ever CC you want. 8 Karma control knobs for whatever karma module functions you want to assign to them. Also has a tempe control knob for realtime control. A data slider, joystick with +-X and +=Y assignable functions, multiple scenes, assignable buttons. Just check it out. Some say the multisounds are thin, I thought that in the store as well, but once you get the effects going and start mixing lots of sounds, the multisounds play well together, dont get muddy, output is relatively flat where you want it. Once you mix down and eq your music, you will be very satisfied. This thing was made for production.

It doesnt seem to be as reliable as the 01w or others from years gone by. Its constuction is very cost reduced. Hasnt failed me yet, but get a hardshell case if you are going to gig with it.

Let me say that Karma-Labs has awesome customer support. I dont like Korgs customer support though. I havent had to use it on the Karma, but I did make some attempts in the past on other products and did not get satisfied.

Its definately worth what I paid. I tried some other synths out at the time of my purchase and found this had the most revolutionary features. It was enough for me to sell my O1W/fd and buy this one. I always believed that dedicated samplers were the way to go if you needed that functionality anyway, so i dont miss having one on the karma. Motif sounded good, and was competitively priced, but I was looking for someting more. If you want to push the envelope on your music, you can definately do it with this synth. The ability for Karma to generate CC messages allows it to do some very interesting things with your rack mount gear as well as the internal sounds. The presets are R&B, Hip-Hip, etc like most synths today so if you are into that you should like the presets. The key for me is to use this as a spring board into evolving pads, backing tracks for my music. If you liked the Wavestation, you should like this board.

I have owned a Karma now for a little over a year. It is very easy to use once you get use to it. I would highly recommend joining the users group at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/korgkarma

also check out the Frequently Asked Questions at

http://www.karma-lab.com

The Korg manuals that come with the keyboard are not well written but the response you get from the user group is very good. I might add that Stephen Kay, the creator of the Karma software, generally response personally, so you don't have to deal with support people that are not as familiar with the product as they should be.
Be prepared to spend some time learning this board. Your not going to sit down for a couple of hours, or days and be able to use all the functionality of it. If your not willing to invest the time in it stay away as you will be frustrated trying to just "play" with it.

Polyphony is 62 voice. Not available with weighted keys. The keyboard is good for gigging. It's light and easy to haul around.
The keyboard is capable of adding 2 expansion and 1 Moss DSP synthesizer board. So far I have only added the MOSS. The MOSS has a very realistic flute sound, both single program and combinations. Also it gives you some very nice "analog" sounding synths.
Has Midi:in, out, thru. 2 master effects, 5 insert effects, 1 master EQ (3 band stereo). Sequencer.

The piano sounds are just ok. You can adjust the effects on the presets and dial them in better but they still are just average. I will probably buy the PCM08 expansion card (Concert Grand Piano). From what I heard of the demo off Korgs web site I think this will satisfy the issue here. The strings, pads are excellent. I belief the guitars are pretty good too. There is a very good patch for leads and some good acoustic sounds too. Organs are good. Drums are excellent in my opinion. For a portable keyboard it does very well.

When it first came out there were a few bugs in the operating system. Since then there have been 2 upgrades that fixed the problems I experienced. I have never had a problem performing with it.

I have never used Korg support. As I stated in the "ease of use" section, I get my support thru the users group and from Stephen Kay's Karma web site. I have always gotten the answers I needed.

If your into performing live the Karma is a great keyboard. I have heard several people say that the Korg sounds are "thin". I would agree that if you just play the pre-sets and don't tweak them that is the case, however my experience is that you can get most of the timbres to sound better if your willing to play with them. Also you can spend extra $$$$ and upgrade the keyboard. (I do wish Korg would include the Concert Grand Piano expansion board standard on the Karma). Compared to other gigging/portable keyboards I would rate the Karma 1st or 2nd. The Yamaha Motif (61 keys, you have to compare apples to apples)is a very good keyboard too. If it had been out when I bought my Karma that would have been a very difficult decision. Yamaha makes a very good keyboard too. I think with either one you can't go wrong.
There is a new operation system coming out for the Karma (2.0) very soon. If you upgrade to that you can also get software to run on your PC so you can create your own Karma GE's (generated effects). This is primarly the reason I went with the Karma. The software system make it possible to grow and expand, and this is a good direction for Korg to be going in.

Well I don't actually own a Karma, nor would I want to. So, if you are reading this review hoping to find another owner who loves thier Karma board, stop reading here <--. Although I will admit the ease of use is up there, as is most Korg gear nowadays.

Well, it does have a lot of features, including the famous/infamous Karma feature. I've heard many say things like "Wow! It has a mind of it's own." or "Cool! It plays itself." That's about all the Karma will do for you. The underlying technology is a great idea and will prolly lead to better gear, but it's a huge gimmick for now. Midi capability is standard. The sequencer is good actually, I wish more boards were like it. There are a lot of toys here to distract you from the fact that this board is not all that.

Damn! These sounds suck, to put it plainly. I remember the vintage Korg gear sounding great. What happened to all of those great synths like the MS200 and PolySix. Those were great sounding boards. This Karma, including the Trinity/Triton line, are awful sounding. So very thin and uninspiring. If I were buying a Korg it would be a MS2000, but there are still better boards out there like the Motif, or a real synth, like the Nord Lead 2 (o my god...). This board is a marketing extension of the Triton. It is most definitely aimed at commercially viable hiphop and dance musicians, so you can guess at the originality you would have using this (for those who don't get it, it don't sound original.) This board would make a better sampler than a synth, and there are better samplers on the market as well.

I'm sure you can rely on it. Seems to be built OK as most Korg gear is, but nothing special. Again, I don't own one.

I've never dealt with Korg. I use an EA-1 and PolySix extensivley and not had any problems. Hopefully you won't either.

I have to restate that I don't own this board. I have seen it plenty in my local music stores. It reached right out and grabbed my attention the first time I saw it. Definitely stands out from the crowd. Many people are always gathered around it, playing with the presets and such. My limited experience with it was all I needed to be able to tell that this unit is not for a musician with a serious interest in creating original music, you just can't impart enough creativity into this thing. It was made with cookie cutter dance and hiphop musicians in mind. At least Korg knows what will sell.

I had been looking to get a synth for a while now and every time I went out looking the Karma was there. Compared to a Waldorf Q, Nord Lead 2, Yamaha Motif, Emu MK-7, the Karma pales in comparison, seriously so. I hate the presets, and almost every other sound in it as well.

So if you got this far into my posting you obviously are taking real consideration into the Karma. I figured most people would see that I don't like this board and skip it looking for some posting telling them how great this unit is and to buy one today. This isn't that posting. Buy something else, I did.

Easy if you learn to use it......or take the time

has a new form of sequencing that WILL open up new boundary's in music....but as the last idiot he ranted on says..it will mean you approaching music from a different direction.It good be seen as a gimmick but its capabilities beyond most stuff in some respects.Its
does offer something new in the ge's.

AGAin after reading the last idiots opinions i have to say i do degree in some respects ..nameley that i little verb or external fx unit is nice.I think saying theat korg stuff sounds crap and thin is
true in some respects also(to my ears!) but i also think there are some sounds the trinity/triton and karma stuff can do that i don't find elsewhere.I think all in all the last reviewer is a bit of a wanker nad i think it stands out a mile away......i have used over 40 analogue synths nad digital synths and loads of expensiove outboard here nad there and personally i cant see whats motivating him....the business about capitalismand korg just on the make etc is relative....much like musicians whol just make Fashion music.....

For the record if korg were selling crap then why do so many people buy it? and i don;t know any musician ( and i know loads ) who don't use korg gear ...triton/z1 prohecy/karma etc somewhere in a mix.....
and just to set the record straight......all my mates atre signed on dance and chilled and 'contempory' labels and sell electronic based music......whats the big deal with the last guy....

cool

shite as are all manufactureres...last guy is dead right about this!

A definate new concept....and without a doubt capableof somecreative stuff that can't be done elsewhere unless you want to programin logic etc for hours.Triton/kyma soundset is fine ....but like on all synths..the best stuff needs some clever programming.Karma i would say is one of 2 ultimate controller synths that will give good sounds
and control rack stuff well.....the other is a the triton.