Korg Karma

Well i can tell from the reviews that this seems to be a hate it or love it machine and i'm sort of stuck in the middle. the Karma's interface is diverse in that it's easy to use if you just want to pop up a program or combination and start hitting out notes, but it can be a humongous headeache when you get into the details, especially of the karma function. But overall i would say that this interface is VERY intuitive and well laid out. the manual is pretty cut and dry, the info is there but not very friendlyishly.

62 voice polyphony. The keyboard on this thing sucks, it's worse than my Alesis QS6.1 that i traded in on it (which i miss dearly - great keyboard, but the keys sucked and several broke after like 4 months) i can just feel the cheapness of them. however, all the actual features of this thing are amazing. for the price they are not bad at all. let's compare to the yamaha cs6x which is $400 less. the cs6x has about 2 more knobs (the ads say 19 but 5 are for moving through menus, actual effect knobs are 14 vs the karma's 12) and an onboard sampler plus smartmedia storage, as for the size of libraries i'm not sure what the difference is. well, the karma has a wonderful onboard sequencer, a floppy disk drive (which in my opinion beats smartmedia), the humongous karma function, and chord trigger keys (which are very useful). they even out for their prices i'd say. the karma can read the pcm expansions for the triton and also the moss expansion (which could be loads of fun). also for each song or combi there can be a total of 5 individual effects (102 to choose from!!) and 2 master effects, however each individual program for the combi or song can only have 1 effect applied to it except drum kits for some reason get 2, when i bought it i thought each program could have up to 5 individuals. oh well. i imagine that the karma function can do some REALLY funky stuff, but i haven't gotten into it beyond listening to the presets simply because i have a life. the fact they included a seperate 52 page manual -just- for this function should say something. however if you got into it i imagine it could be wonderful, and for those who say it's for wannabe's who have no talent, i say things like this are for original composers who simply lack the talent of a pianist and want a simply enough method of performing live. in hand with this is the RPPR function, where you can make a loop phrase with a program and then play it back by hitting a specified key on the keyboard - VERY useful. there may be a way to do this without having to hold the key down, i haven't looked yet but i hope there is.

the sounds on this thing absolutely suck. if it sounds like a triton then i'm never buying a triton. the guy who talked about how korg offers 20,000 crappy samples instead of 10 good ones was right on the money. i've been scrolling through the programs just playing randomly and i've found about 4 good useful samples so far. sure i can take care of the samples with a jv-1080 but doesn't that defeat the purpose?? i'm not sure cause i haven't tried it yet but i think the karma function generates midi data with everything it does so that you can use it on other sound modules. i certainly hope so at least. in that case, the karma does pretty much make the ULTIMATE master keyboard controller if you already have some good sound modules. also i wish i could find out how good the pcm and moss expansion cards are before i waste my money on them.

i can't really give this a "low" score without having actually experienced a problem since my keyboard is still new and i haven't played with it live, but the casing feels very cheap and so do the keys. hopefully it won't crap on me during a gig, i'm just afraid of the keys breaking or coming loose. kind of defeats the purpose of being a master controller huh.

never dealt with korg though i am very happy with my EA-1, that's why i went with korg when i decided to get a big beef keyboard.

it's kind of a mixed bag. there are some great functions on this beast, the onboard sequencer is good, plenty of knobs to keep you busy, plenty of room to process fx and mess with the lfo and oscillator crap, very useful chord trigger keys and i know some psychogenius is going to revolutionize music with the karma function. but, the sounds suck almost completely and some of the parameters can be a little confusion. i got this thing by trading in my whole life story, so i can't really say if it's worth the money exactly. if stolen i'd cry, try to get the money from insurance or whatever but probably wouldn't buy it again. it may be right for you so give it a chance, but a load of its extra goodies are useless for my purposes of live application. however it's fresh and original and i imagine it will inspire a lot of people. i just wish the sounds didn't suck so bad.

Never used it

Ok - so i havent used a KARMA yet - but you know, Korg take WEIRD steps - whever they move forward - they take 5 steps backwards! WHY?!?! Follow the path - >

Some examples:

Korg O1Wfd - this was a great workstation! The BEST. I mean, the allround it was so good for the time and it had a rocksolid sequencer - the sounds were allright but it really shines with pads etc etc.. so what to Korg do?? They take a good idea and ruin it - with the release of the X and N series.

I mean comon! SAME sounds, Garbage interface, cheaper construction. Same with the N - based of the same architecture and just biult cheap. Why would anyone want a diskdrive on the side of the keyboard?! wtf!

When the Trinity came out - it was phenominal! (a tad expensive though!) - but when fully loaded with the hard disk i/o, flashrom and MOSS dboards, this workstation is still amazing!! It had some weak sounds (Piano) and AMAZING sounds - it certainlly wasnt designed for every music style but it was very usable. The touch screen was a slow and bugs were weeded out with later os fixes - but defiantly the most amazing workstation concept.

OK - So Korg Follows this with the Triton - ok - so its sounds pretty much the same (argue all you want) - the drum sounds are from the trinity PBS dance library and LOTS of it is identicall but it has a sampler which is great. Only thing is, they leave out cool stuff again - like the hard disk recorder - it was so easy to do preproduction with a vocalist - plugin and go! That, and its a chunky keyboard with no style :) But - great board with tons of expansion options - and as for compatibily - can the triton read trinity stuff? Kinda.

Now - the Karma is released - using the new KARMA and HI architecture... but wait - the new creme Korg keyboard looks like a toy!! - And has an external power supply!!! That is not a Pro spec Korg! WHere did the touch screen go? Where did the metal chassis go? The whole concept of the machine seems to a blurred vision - possibly an I series on supersteriods - with a cheap shell??

Korg - if you're in the market to sell pro keyboards - stop building them like toys!

I coulndt beleive the SP100 has a wall wart power supply - its biult soooo solid - and you're telling me there was NO room for a real plug?? Cmon - WAKE UP!

Seems like the cool stuff (wavestation, the prophecy, OASYS, (Trinity) and Z1?) were in a league of their own - but that is kinda true isnt it... that mysterious department from sequential circuits?? I dunno.

Just a rant,

cheezemachine@hotmail.com

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software vers. 1.01
The presets are awesome( for the most part ). Disappointed in the pianos, but i have a jv-2080 that more than makes up for that. the only problem so far is that the combinations are soooo cool I havent tried to edit any patches. I could waste days just jamming to the grooves generated by this thing. The manual is pretty thorough although you may have to read it a couple of times so as not to be overwhelmed by karma functions( which kick ass! )Of course, i can't think of one manual that has ever been a joy to read....

the polyphony is only 62 voice, which suprisingly so far seems decent. It would be a good idea to have at least another sound module or seperate sampler if you are into creating elaborate sequences with tons of stuff going on. I love the effects( 5 assignable, 2 master fx )...very clean. I kind of dig the r&b album noise effect. very cool for breaking down a song to sound like its off an old radio or record then kicking back in to the groove head on. it does have expansion room( only 2 slots and the moss board ), but i havent tried their cards so i have no comment on that. it is good to know that i can boost it up a little later on though. everything is sent to midi...and i do mean everything. you want to apply a karma to that whacked out sound on your sampler? no problem. As far as the sequencer goes, i have an old Peavey DPM3 that i used for sequencing(that should have been blown up years ago) so I am more than impressed with all the functions here. It's like having my own digital recording studio minus the audio inputs, i can do everything, modify in real time( including karma functions, knobs, rpprs, time signatures, etc...)and routing all the effects is actually pretty easy. This thing is so great i want to cry. Of course i have never used the triton...but the os on it is several years old. I can always get my samples from something else.

brass sounds are exceptionally good. when run through the karma, it is very hard not to think that you have a real brass section pumping it out. synth sounds are great also...acoustic piano sucks. i think the karma is probably best suited for electronica and techno, but you could do anything with this whether you are into rock, metal( the lead synth sounds will rock your socks off!) or jazz. Some of the woodwind sounds are very good, but not quite as realistic as some found on the roland. I cant really notice much aftertouch here, but I have never really understood how to make a noticeable difference with it anyway. maybe im just ignorant on that fact.

Cant comment on reliability. no problems as of yet.I read some people think the keys feel like they are flimsy. I wouldnt disagree...i certainly dont feel at ease whacking at them like i would at my piano. but as of yet, it has been pretty damn sturdy. My experience is to never gig without a backup. But that said, it just doesnt seem to sturdy( but it sure looks cool as hell! )

no opinion, although everyone i read about seems to have good things to say about Korgs support staff. makes me feel better.

if it were lost or stolen, i would probably buy it again...if nothing else, but for the karma function( once this thing really opens up, watch out! )It would be perfect if it were available in a 76 key or with a sampler. I love the way it looks and sounds...it just stands out from everything else. i hate the external power supply( why is it there? )I looked at triton pro also, but its a couple of years old already and i just know that i would somehow screw up that touch screen with all the crap i put my keyboards through. I love the fact that they will be coming out a way to modify karma and other systems through the computer also. Im going to be using it for jingles and ads, i think the bar has just been raised. Looking for inspiration out of nowhere, just punch in a combi and shazam! Ive just been inspired! As much as i love my roland jv2080...Korg has a way of making the cleanest sounds with great seperation.

Software Version: 1.01

The preset sounds are pretty decent, nothing to complain about. I used the preset sounds in the first batch of songs I wrote.

The KARMA is not the easiest synth to use as there are so many buttons and options you have to go through, but after using it for a while I got use to it. I have never done any patch editing (will do it soon!) so no comment on that part.

I have dealt with Korgs before and their manuals aren't the greatest. Its not very clear, but you have to read it many, many times before understanding what to do. Not too bad, but have patience.

Polyphony is 62 notes, which isn't too bad, I think its enough. The keyboard action is okay, like the N364, but feels a little flimsy and I'm afraid if I press the keys too hard it'll break.

I have not really used the effects that much, but will use them soon, so no comment so far. There are the EXB expansion boards which I think it is good because the amount of sounds can be expanded.

The sequencer is decent, nothing to complain about. It's pretty similiar to the one on the N364 so I have gotten used to it. But, its kinda of hard in the beginning because of all the buttons and menus you have to go through.

The preset sounds are pretty decent. All of them are good except the guitars. I think some of the guitar samples are weak. Also, the string sounds are good, but I'd rather pick up a synth with the AI2 synth engine just for the string sounds. The synth works well for, I think, all kinds of music from pop, techno, industrial, rock, etc..

The KARMA feature is the best thing on the synth as you get some very cool background rhythms or rhythms that would be normally hard to play. I have not touched the KARMA editing parameters, but will try soon.

As stated before, I have not really used the onboard effects. But, the EQ on the KARMA is good as I can adjust the highs, lows and mids in real time to get the song the way I want to sound.

Its lighter than the N364 I used, but it seems durable. I'm gonna be using it in a performance soon, so I'll see how it holds up.

I called KORG tech support on a few minor sequencing problems and I got through pretty quickly. The guy knew his stuff and helped me solve my problem quickly. Thumbs Up!

Tech Support number is (516)-333-8737 as it is not listed on the KORG web site or in any of the manuals.

Excellent synth. Better than the N364 I used and the 01w/fd I used for a few months. If it got stolen, I would hunt the damn guy down take it back and beat the hell out of him. If I could not do that, I'll definitely buy another one.

Guys, if you are looking for a pedal mashing, high-performance real keyboard synth, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. BUY A TRITON. You buy this for the KARMA functions, and for those it is the best ever offered. I have NO NOISE PROBLEMS.

Don't cluuter this review board with YOUR MISTAKES. Know what you are buying before you do, But hey, we're musicians!

I have some very serious news about the KARMA (IMO). I just bought one, and despite the fact that I think it sounds reaally cool, I am probably going to return it for one critical (but unpublicized) reason: Notes which have been released (by way of the keyboard) will be re-sustained at their current release point if you press the sustain pedal again at any point during their release cycle. This seriously EATS UP Polyphony, man! No joke. If you are playing a string pad or instance, with a 1-2 second release, and you let go of the keys, then hit the sustain pedal (intended to hold your NEXT chord), it will also hold the previous chord, even if the notes are practically inaudible. You just cut your polyphony in half! Do it again, quick enough, and you cut it in half again...not to mention the muddy-ness that it creates with all of those stray notes being held. This is totally and completely unacceptable. I expect a software update to fix it. The only instance when it MIGHT be handy is with a basic piano sound (to emulate the way a real piano's sustain works). But this synth is not about emulating real pianos.

If you bought one of these, or plan to, please re-consider. Better yet, hassle KORG about it. I'd love to keep mine, but it is damn near worthless. I use sustain pedal like crazy.

1.0.1 is the software version I had. I got one of the original manufacturing run of the Karma. These units had a noise problem caused by some of the IC chips on the board. More about his later. The presets and manuals are good. Programming Karma setups is not easy.

62 Voice polyphony. This is a Triton engine so it sounds like Triton as along as you don't have one of the initial defective boards. If you do have a defective board, get Korg to fix it! Built in effects are plentiful enough and sound good. Expansion capabilities are great for a synth of this price. Sequencer is good.

Sounds just like triton for the most part. Works well for all types of music. Keyboard action is okay.

Okay, my Karma was defective out of the box, and Korg tells me I actually discovered the problem. My unit was no. 444. After about a month, they told me to take it to an authorized repair center, which I did. The noise problem was fixed, but the board worked only for about four hours, then it wouldn't turn on. I am sure the repair guys screwed up somewhere.

The company was okay about the whole noise recall deal, but they should have cross shipped me a new board immediately. I did a lot to get my Karma in working shape and then it just blew! I had to haul it back and forth a lot. What a pain. Cross-ship replacements Korg! The guy at Korg was very nice about the problem, and agreed to have a replacement cross shipped after the first (repaired) board blew, but he couldn't do it in a timely fashion, especially considering I had gone through the ordeal of getting the first board repaired, so I just returned it and got Triton... The guys at Korg were nice, but their own strategy really bit them in the ass here. They had me take the board to a service center where they had probably never opened a Karma before. How did they think this would produce good results?

SO I took the Karma back and all they had to replace it was triton. They sold Triton to me for $1975 to make up for the problems, which is a good deal. After using Triton for a few days all I can say is "BUY A TRITON". My feeling is that this is a much better peice of equipment. The key action is better, it has an internal power supply with an industry standard cable, the moss expansion slot is not cramped at all (Karmas is), and the touchscreen makes the workstation eminently more usable. I didn't need a sampler, but after playing with it for an hour or so it is great fun and super easy to use. The graphical waveform editing is a cinch! I have owned a sampler for sampled sound playback of orchestral instruments for some time, but Triton has convinced me to start sampling for myself. Karma is a neat product, and gives you some of the power of Triton for a 400-500 savings, but once you use Triton you'll understand the reason it costs more. I also have to say that I thought I'd miss the fun of "Karma" because it was fun to just jam and fool around with the Karma Combi's. Triton makes up for it in other indescribable ways!

Well, on one level this is very simple. But the Karma functions add an entirely different level. The manuals are a little off-putting at first, but now I have them mastered, and they contain a lot of information. I actually want more on the Karma GE's, but I see we may get to edit these in the future (April Keyboard Mag)

Imagine a state of the art Korg synth with a hardware version of the old "M" or "Mpc" software installed. The depth of the KARMA function is incredible. The sequencer is a little hard to grasp at first, but now it is easy (in 3 days)

For me, this has all of the expressiveness I need, but then I am not playing out with it. Ths sounds seem very good, with a lot of techno orientation.

I have a 17 year old Korg synth that is still playing away. I assume this will perform as well as that one.

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On sale at Sam Ash in NYC. 10% off the normal price. This synth is the ultimate algorhythmic composer/keyboard. I was an electronic music major ooh so many years ago, and I would have killed for this machine 20 years ago. Listen to the electronic music collection "OHM", and you will read comments about people who were trying to achieve what KARMA can do with a twist of a knob.

Pretty intuitive, but having the manual helps. (Keep in mind this is my first synth outside of software synths.) It was a bit frustrating having to do the "copy combi" to get the combination sounds in sequencer mode. I'd rather see it take your last modes preset as an option. Software v1.01

The presets are awesome!

Editing patches is fairly straightforward

The 64 note poly is nice. The action is of course not as cool as weighted keys, but excellent when compared to like synths.
You can add in any of the triton expansion modules which makes it very appealing. It has all the standard items (velocity, aftertouch, etc)
The on-board sequencer seemed fairly straight forward, but as always having a computer based software midi program is easier.

This is where Karma really shines. There are all kinds of interesting things to be discovered. I'm primarily electronic on the composition side, but after working through the presets I have all kinds of ideas for soundscapes and orchestral. I'm a guitarist with enough piano skills to be dangerous, but not as much chops on the keys. So the Karma function was ideal for me there.

The onboard effects are pro and sound very clean and crisp.

Seems solid and the majority of it is metal (the ends are plastic). As with my personal beefs though I treat all my musical hardware with great care, so I will hold to no opinion.

Haven't had to deal with them yet and hopefully I won't. :)

I love this synth! I think that the addition of either the MOSS or the Vintage Archives EXB would totally complete my sound needs. I had looked at the trinity and was considering it (Triton was a bit out of my price range), but once the Karma came out there was no contest. I had no need for a sampler because my computer handles all that. The Karma function is pure bliss. For grins I sat down and toyed with the Triton's arpeggiator and while cool, I still got musically more for me from the Karma. If anyone knows of a good user community forming online please let me know. I'd love instrument definitions for Cakewalk or other cool utilities like exist for the Triton. (though since this has the same sound banks some may be compatiable) I also preferred Korg's sounds over Rolands, etc.

Final ruling, if you absolutely need a sampler get a triton...but if not KARMA!

software ver.1.01
The presets are fantastic.
Patch editing is something i really havent done on this board yet,although it seems from the manual to be easy utilizing the available knobs and menus.
There are 4 books with the board. One is a basic manual and three are supporting manuals and soundlists. The manual is too wordy, confusing and repetitive.

The polyphony is 62.
The keyboard action is ok.
It has many built in fx. You can use up to 5 insert fx and 2 master fx. The fx are a challenge to set up.
The Karma has 2 topside expansion bays and 1 on the bottom.
The unit has all of the standard midi capabilities and also sends Karma arp info via midi.
The sequencer is totally stupid the way it works. Korg should have found a more sensible user friendly sequencer format.

In preset and combi mode this board is incredible. In sequencer mode you basically have a 1980's Casio pt-1 until you painstakinly try and add fx and eq and tweaking to each track instrument. In preset and combi mode you can do all music types. The fx in this unit are great. Some patches have intermittent noise in them which is not there on purpose. Korg has informed me that they have a fix for this that is covered under warranty. Problem is i dont want a brand new 8 day old synth to require shop servicing already.

Korg tech support has been very accesible thus far.

If it were lost or stolen i would get something else.