Korg Oasys

Bought my board "used" but in mint condition. I have had now for about 6 weeks, and have only had to look at manuals once or tice. It's so easy to use and preset sounds are unbelievable!

Every feature that I have discovered so far, surpass any other keyboard I have ever owned...and that's comparing about 30 top boards.

So clean and pristine. The effects are A+++.

I have the 88, so it's not reasonable to haul around unless I buy a case. But, I use this just in my home studio, so will not be moving. It's built like a tank, so no worrys about how it's built or reliability.

Korg was very helpful to get register me as the new owner. Thought that might be a pain, but it was easy. Did take about a week since you fill out paperwork, and they submit to Japan for approval. Guess if you bought a used board, and previous ownner had not reistered or would not agree, it could be complicated.

I think I'll be selling most of my current boards and focus on the Oasys. I've owned about everything, but this one (in my opinion) will be hard to ever replace by anything else...unless there will be an Oasys-2 or something. Even though production has ceased on the Oasys, I know there will be continued support...and I'm guessing that there will be a new version of Oasys coming out (probably a bit more $$$ than this one, though).

I didn't buy an Oasys for its ease of use. On the surface it is very easy, just pick a combination or program and start playing. But to really get your money's worth you have to dive into the interface. Considering how many parameters you can modify, the sounds interface is excellent, I really don't think it could be better. One knob per function would require thousands of knobs. If you love technology you'll love the interface.

Presets are very good, there are excellent pianos, organs, strings, orchestral, leads, basses, guitars, etc. But it's worth downloading some of the free programs out there to get the best set of sounds. Third party libraries are also available which are well worth it for professional use.

The control surface makes editing patches relatively easy. There are plenty of knobs and sliders which you can assign to just about any parameter. Add to that a joystick, vector joystick, ribbon, velocity, step sequencer and aftertouch - and you can get exactly the performance capabilities that you want.

Manuals are awesome - total of about 1500 pages that will keep you busy for years to come. Not required reading - but the more you read the more you will get out of this instrument.

Polyphony varies but there are enough voices available that voice stealing only happens when you really go over the top with layering sounds. The 88 key model has very nice action, like a high end piano. There are almost 200 effects available, with hundreds of presets to pick from. Effects can be applied to external audio inputs which is really neat. The ability to stack lots of effects and modulate them in different ways is incredible.

Expansion is theoretically unlimited, but Korg has now discontinued the Oasys. Nevertheless, third parties and users continue to make new sounds available. Audio and MIDI input and output is so powerful that there is really nothing to expand.

The on board sequencer is good enough for me, although I would think some type of DAW is needed for serious studio work. It's very easy to set up by picking a song template, with each of your 16 MIDI tracks assigned to a different sound. Then you just pick one of the channels, hit record and start playing. Reset to the beginning and add another track until you have a completed song.

KARMA - this is reason alone to buy an Oasys. Karma lets you have up to 4 generated things happening at once, which can be varied in real time. But you can also use it to generate MIDI events, and countless other things. I've only begun to scratch the surface - and now you can buy Karma Oasys software which allows you to customize every imaginable aspect of Karma.

Sampling is very powerful, giving you the ability to record sounds, or load existing ones and edit them as needed. After creating a song you can record it as a .wav file on the hard drive and then burn a CD.

Sounds are what a synth is all about, and you really can't beat the Oasys. If you don't like the presets you can create your own sounds or sample something else. With software version 1.3 you have tons of sound modules to work with. The HD-1 is based on samples, and you can then layer, velocity-switch, wave sequence, etc. This gives you some amazing pianos, guitars and orchestral sounds.

The AL-1 is great for analog sounds. You can layer many voices for super fat sounds, and the filters/envelopes are great. There is also the MS-20 and PolySix modules that go beyond even the originals. The MS-20 has virtual patch cords. :) There are extra LFOs and envelope generators, plus you can modulate just about anything with anything. One nice touch is the modulation mixers - imagine combining 4 LFOs or EGs and using them to modulate a filter in real time.

The CX-3 gives you amazing organ sounds, and the STR-1 can emulate just about any stringed instrument. The newest module is the MOD-7 which can load existing DX-7 patches, but goes far beyond that in terms of capabilities.

Effects include chorus, phaser, delays, reverbs, compressors, limiters, expanders, etc., and all can be layered, applied to external audio and modulated in real time.

Reliability is excellent. Since upgrading to 1.3 I have not seen any lockups at all. I use mine live, and it really shines on stage. You can simply blow people away with this thing. It's also been used live by Jordan Rudess, Herbie Hancock, John Paul Jones, Keith Emerson and Tony Banks, to name a few.

Korg offers the best support around. The user forums are excellent, and you will often get official answers to questions within a day. Since upgrading to 1.3.x I have not seen any lockups at all. I've never needed service, but I have seen people get answers to their problems on the forums, and Korg really seems to care about keeping people happy.

I have had my Oasys for 3 years now, and have no regrets. If stolen I would buy another - could probably get one for under $6000 now. This is the only keyboard I use now - with splits and layers there is no real need for anything else - the Oasys can do it all. The only thing you might want is a synth/organ action MIDI controller, and maybe some MIDI pedals for your live rig. Sure, it's heavy, but I move and transport it by myself - no roadies needed.

I wanted a keyboard to keep me busy for many years - and clearly the Oasys is designed for the true synth enthusiast. It's fun just to sit down with the manual and then play with some obscure feature I haven't tried yet. You could never get bored. I do wish the sequencer was better, but in another way I'm glad that Korg focused on sounds and modulation.

One drawback is that whenever I listen to some other synth now, it just sounds cheesy by comparison. Good stereo speakers or headphones really make a difference. I honestly think the Oasys sounds better than any other keyboard.

I was making songs and recording CD's within 5 days of purchase. It is very easy for me to use. The hardest part is reading those long manuals.

I have never ran out of polyphony on this thing. It's got loads of effects and you can run up to 12 inserts and 2 send/masterfx and 2 totalfx simultaneously. It has excellent expansion capabilities if you can dream it you can make it on this board. The sequencer is the only weakness. But I still do very well with it. You can record your whole album on this thing vocals included. You still need the mastering house but that's it. Plug in a good mic w/ a good preamp and your ready to go!

This instrument has superior sound the best I've ever heard the only weakness is in the perussion. But that can be fixed w/ a expansion. O-verb is wonderful the track eq's are wonderful.

The oasys has been fairly stable. A couple of freezes out of hundreds of uses. I don't gig just record with it. It has never frozen up or crashed during recording. I trust it.

Customer support is wonderful. I accidently initialized the hard disk they had me up and running in 4 days. Saved me about a month of time with the keyboard in the shop.

It is worth well more than I paid for it. I have been playing for 14 yrs. I own a xp-80 also. of course the xp is dated so there is no comparison there. I compared it to yamaha motif, korg M3, triton, and a fantom. I chose the Oasys because it's capabilities far exceeded that of the other keyboards. It helps alot in making music. The only thing that I wish it had was 24 bit recording. It already has 24 bit adc and dac.

I've only had my "O" for two weeks now. The first time I used it I was not blown away but the sound etc. but sever O users told me to trust them and that I would love this board. Lots of trust for $7,200. I got a great price on this baby. After the first day of playing with a few presets I wasn't blwon away, but after a few weeks I have to wonder if the negative reviewers here are decent programmers or just play presets? It's seem like we own different gear or something. The O is deep, very deep and if you don't dig into it you will probably be dissapointed. Seems like there are some haters rather than reviewers on this board.

1.3.0

The presets are very good but some sound very "Korgish" think Triton series. The AL-1 Module and Organ module come with some very good presets.

Editing patches (tweaking) them is very very easy. There are tons of real-time controllers on board and a large color touch screen at your fingertips. To make a specific sound from scratch is a bit taller order. You have so many different synthesis engines and you have to learn how each works (i.e. the HD-1 is sample synthesis and just like the Tritons but the AL-1 is a virtual analog synth, through in the Poly 6 and MS-20 mods (LAC-1) and you have a bit of a learning curve with those two synths, and then there is the FM synthesis module (MOD-7) which I still don't understand (I never got the hang of FM synthesis programming, but I can get new sounds for it very easily more on that later).

The manual is huge. I've heard it's very well written but I haven't read it yet. For any questions I just go to the OASYS section in Korg Forums and so far my questions have already been asked. Unlike one of the previous reviewers, I've found it very easy to find answers to questions in the forum because there is a search function and you can specify to search only the OASYS forum. Pretty simple. I only rate this a 7 because while tweaking is easy, understanding Karma is difficult and I'm still trying to get through thing myself. Freidns have told me that there is an unofficial DVD that you can find links ot on the Korg forum that is very helpfull in unlocking the power of the O. Simple stuff like using the vocoder is hidden in the O.

Polyphony is huge with the updates. I run this through SONAR and have tons of programs playing on about 8 to 10 channels. I can't see how voice stealing would be a problem. I haven't run across that problem at all even using 10 simultaneous programs.

There are plenty of effects and they are pretty straight forward.

Expansions are limited to what Korg provides, you can't add yoru own VSTs. So far they have provided some great expansions with the legacy collection and the FM module. What's great about the FM module is if you scour the internet for great DX-7 sounds, you can plop them into the OASYS no problem. If you don't feel like programming your own sounds there are tons of DX-7 sounds on the internet for free. Memory can be upgraded with little effort. The max is only 2GB though. One issue is that with the add ons I've made quite a few new sounds and found a bunch of free sounds; and my banks are filling up. Not to mention Korg provides additional banks of sounds for the Legacy collection and FM modules, plus all the free sounds on the Korg forums... Many users are running out of bank space. Hopefully Korg addresses that with an OS update.

Midi capabilities are what you would expect.

The sequencer I really do not use much at all. I've never liked workstation sequencers. Karma is a blast though. When you really take the time (and you must take time to do this, it does not happen in an hour), you can do some incredible things with Karma. I've only scratched the surface and it is amazing the results that I have managed thus far. Stephen Kay has new Karma software to change the Karma GE's and tweak them as you wish expanding the capabilities even more. You cna make your own Karma GE's from scratch. You can use Karma with SONAR or any other midi DAW package and record the midi data to build songs out of. It really is incredible stuff. Unsing a Karma scene, importing the midi to SONAR and then changing indiviual tracks and chord progressions. Save the file in SONAR and then play back to the OASYS as a full song. It really is incredible and easy. Easy only if you take the time! It only gets an 8 here since any workstation Korg/Roland/Yammy all have crappy sequencers IMHO. I have a Fantom and Triton Extreme and still use a computer for sequencing (aside from Karma on the OASYS).

Some sounds are stock Korg sounds and very similar to my Triton Extreme or Z1 but others are simply warm and unlike what I heard on other boards. I really dig the AL-1 sound capabilities. It is not hard to get very useable sounds out of that module. I own a real MS-20 and the LAC-1 isn't quite as fat and nasty as the original but the sound is still pretty close. Plus the LAC-1 is more of a true modular and does not have as restrictive modular capabilities as the original MS-20. And it's polyphonc... MOD-7 sounds great as well. DX-7 is pretty much there if you want it. If you don't, then don't purchase the mod.

I use it for New Age with a lot of classical piano, soundtrack/scoring work and a churn out a few dance tracks every now and again. It seems to work well with all genres due to the vast sounds that it is capable of producing.

Onboard effects are good and can fatten up your sounds rather easily.

It reacts well to playing with after touch if you want to program sounds that do. It's flexible, but you have to dig under the hood to adjust the after touch to your liking.

Well... I've had two lock ups in two weeks. Luckily it has not frozen on me during recording via midi. This was a demo model so I should do due diligence and re-install the latest OS which is I believe 1.3.1

I would never gig with this thing because it is a monster and any roadie would kill me. There are people that do gig with it though. I bet their roadies luv them.

Haven't done that yet.

I ran out of room in the other section so here is a list of what other gear I own:

Alesis - Fusion, Andromeda, Ion
Roland - D50, Fantom X6, MC-808
Moog - Minimoog, MemoryMoog
Oberheim - Matrix 1000, OBXa, Xpander
Korg - MS-20, Triton Extreme, MS 2000
Eminent - Solina String Ensemble

SoftSynths - CS-80V, Jupiter8, ImpOSCar, Arp 2600

I'd probably get another one if it was stolen. Hard to say if it's worth nearly 8k but I am really impressed with this board. It offers so much in one unit that I find I'm spending less time with my other gear. Like all other boards it's not about presets, it's about what the board can do. Some of the presets are lame and others are incredible. Once you start creating your own sounds, you really understand the sheer depth of this board. I think a lot of the negative reviews out there are from people that have not jumped into programming this beast or they are just interested in presets and an instant wow factor. Programming the MS-20 is a blast since you have a touch screen with virtual patch chords all on a touch screen. You really get a feel that you are programming a modular plugging in patch chords. I love analog gear and this is the first board that really gives me the feel of programming a modular synth. Not to mention the sounds are very convincing. Karma is a huge plus and is somewhat complicated. Take the time to learn Karma and the doors are really opened up on this board. What I don't like is that the last free mod was the STR-1 mod. The rest you have to pay for. That is a bummer when you already paid 8k for a board and have to pay a few hundred bucks for an expansion.

I compared it to the Neko and to the Alesis Fusion. I bought a Fusion because they are giving those things away. I tried the Neko and while it's a good concept it just basically a controller keyboard with a CPU and a bunch of free VSTs that you get. You have to load any real synth engines into the board. If it was truly portable that would be great. Basically it would be like taking your entire studio with you, but it really isn't a portable machine to travel on an airplane with. In the end, the OASYS offered different synth engines already in one machine.

I wish it had more banks because they are filling up fast for me even after only 2 weeks! That just shows if you like to make your own soundsthis thing is a dream. Plus you can find plenty of very good free sounds too. I wish it had the option to add different instruments (i.e instead of classic korg synths how about a Modular Moog or Arp 2600 emulator). It already has an analog modeling synth on board but it would be nice to have classic analog filters emulated such as Moog, Arp, Oberheim, Juno, Jupiter etc. There are commercial issues here but Alesis got around it with the Ion by renaming the filters with simple names MG, OB, RP, etc.

I do wish it had a better sampler. Something like the what the Fusion has is very novel and simple to use. 40GB hard drive that you save 24bit samples to striaght form your computer and turn them into programs. Very simple. Maybe the OASYS can implement this at a later update? The Fusion was initially released with only a 16bit capability.

It definitely helps make music. You can use Karma with midi to create songs in SONAR that I would have never even dreamed of. THIS IS NOT A BEGINNERS BOARD! If all you are about is presets and cannot be bothered to create you own sounds an delve into your gear to find out what it can do, just go buy an expensive arranger keyboard with nice presets and auto accompaniment . For those that say they'd rather have a Virus, go ahead and buy your Virus. That's a nice board but you can't do what the OASYS does with just a Virus and some software. The OASYS does much more. You will need a few other boards if you want to do one shot recording of 8 tacks with different instruments complete with drums. You can to the same with a Fantom, Motif, or Triton but you will not have the sonic flexibility with those boards that you have with the OASYS. You won't have Karma either. If you want the flexibility of having a ton of different synth engines in one board, the benefits of Karma 2, a slick large touch screen interface... and have the bank account... then the OASYS is probably for you.

Its easy to use if you just want to play the piano or other interments, Its also quite easy to use if you simply want a karma or wave station effect to jump around with the preset you picked. However when it comes to deep editing, recording, sequencing or sampling forget it! Its a total nightmare!!! I have had this unit for several months and the more I learn about his machine the more I fine it to be a nightmare do to lack of a flowing interface. I have mastered just about every piece gear worth owning. I have been a working musician for years in the studio and in bands playing and recording. Some of the big mountains to get over were the DX7, Nord Mod, Spectralis, Quasi Midi Serious to name a few. If you put them all together and added their owners manuals the Oasys is still more to come to grips with with lower results and a thicker manual then all the above put together!

Features are over the top, if you are a piano player who has a bar gig and dose cover songs for a living, or if you are a sound designer working in a jingle house doing commercials and or film scores. However if you are buying this to be an all in one work station and think for a minute your going to be able to work with out a computer you are so SOL. You will still need your computer because the sequencer and HD recorder are absolutely worthless unless of course your one of the type???s who can nail a first take every-time. My QY 20 has a better sequencer and I would take a MPC 500 over the O for sampling and as far as the HD recording goes,editing is, just well worthless! Do not sale other gear to buy this all in one workstation you will still need it!!! Good luck upgrading. RAM max is 2 GIG???s and once you load an instrument or two this is eaten up quick and it leave???s little for sampling. On top of this the USB is 2.0 B only meaning you can not connect it to your computer only HD???s for storage or back up. Korg did give you 4 of these As if you will need more then one! Touch screen is cool and an absolute to navigate the system but it is menu driven (not musical) and its really nothing other then a POS system like in any Bar (no drag and drop!!!) No mouse expansion this is a major flaw they should have put a track pad on the deck for mouse function and then let it function as a KAOSS Pad when needed but this might happen in Oasys extreme after Korg drop the price on these when sale drop.

Sounds are good, some quite good and some are total crap! They are Korg sounds all day long they don???t just sit there they jump out at you if your using a string patch or woodwind till you switch out of combi mode and or drop the effects then they fall through the floor boards. If you are a piano player you will love this rig but if you know the difference between a Moog and a Nord you are going to fall over laughing,,, No Joke. For analogue emulation I would rather have a Alesis Micron! The MS-20 and Poly 6 are cool but they cost extra and I would take Virus TI over them both any day of the week!

She is stable 1 plus here. Froze one time.

Korg are quite good here and you can use the the Oasys form although it has about 2000 threads and can be overwhelming to find what your looking for and why should you need to anyway its an instrument for music not an IT router for IBM.

Would I buy another one **** no I cant even sale mine for 1/2 the price a paid for it on Ebay. IM not kidding I paid $8K 6 months back and I cant even get $4K for it now. She is in brand new condition never left the home studio. In ten years of checking this site for info and what not I have only posted 2 reviews both super positive for other gear. I fade in and out of gear a lot, and for me to bother to post shit it needs to be extreme. Now days music is just a hobby for me, I opted to buy the Oasys after playing her for a bit but not taking the time to really dig into her. The sounds sold me and the idea that I might at last be buying a bit of gear that would not need to talk to any of my other gear and would not need countless updates and and when one OS change it would not work with the new one and so on (IM a logic user sense the Notator dayz) seemed to good to be true and it was. I was wrong I should have done my home work and saved my self $8K! Just updating this thing is nightmare!!! Korg should have market this boat anchor as what it is re hacked version of gear from the past ten years a Wave Station, Karma, 01W, Triton and soft ware MS-20/Poly 6 in a Windows/Linux based box with a Point of Sale touch screen for Piano players who do Barry Manilow cover and want to split there key section into 4 zones.

1.2.3
Guys I mean I never had a Triton and I figured out splits and combs without opening the manual.It is really very easy to do the basic stuff and gets you going.Also combis out of the box are very usabe and well thought.

I will skip repeating what you already know and say that my Oasys replaced a Fantom X + a gigastudio PC and Logic on a mac.No need for mousing aroung anymore or configuring this terrible invention called the environment.After I got the Oasys I havent used my mac for anything at all.Who needs kontakt or giga?I certainly dont.

This is an easy one.Far ahead from the competition.Extremely realistic in all areas i will mention though Brass and solo strings which blow away my giga libraries.

Absolutely has anyone ever calculated the time spend resetting a computer or downloading new drivers and all that.Since I got it all I do is practice write music and have fun.Seriously Im starting to have chops again!

havent dealt with but Sweetwater and Yuval Fuchs are the best and will answer my questions!

People wake up! This is it!!!!.Throw it all away and get one!!!! too expensive?I dont believe so put together all those synths,fxs,audio ,sampler and features and you are already there!
But the key word is INTEGRATION !!!! AND WORKFLOW!!! and no one can beat this .Even if the sound was ok (which is teriffic!!!) this screen and worflow are what makes it come together.I guarantee this will be your best purchase ever!!!!

1.1
This is a follow up review I penned a year ago.

Apparently the newer OS adds polyphony. I think any OS upgrades should have concentrated on the user interface, which unfortunately,is exclusionary and arrogant to presume I have time to learn a Korg-only dialog.

The "back check" is obnoxiously slow. You cant play fast repeated notes at all- it simply won't respond.

It crashed on me the 1st time in over a year- note hangs switching from patch to patch- in local MIDI mode.

The upgrade from 1.0 to 1.1 took 3 hours of my time. There was extensive protocal you had to follow- sort of a drag.

Maybe I'm just stupid.No really. I'd like to think that I as a programmer who worked extensively on a Fairlight, Synclav, large subtractive modulars, and true FM, would be able to tackle the Oasys with reasonable aplomb, but alas, I can't. I find there is no fun working on the Oasys.It demands that I get into ITS head instead of creating out of my own. There are days when I dread turning it on, because I know I will waste time doing the simplest of task that have been embedded in sub pages with dozens of abbreviations(despite having the largest touch screen ever on a synth) and indegenous terminology.It has sadly been reduced to just another MIDI module at this point.The Oasys presumes a great deal.

I bought the OASYS about a year ago. I have OS 1.2.2. The only reason I don't give Ease Of Use a higher score is because of the complexity of the OASYS. The Parameter Guide is about 1,000 pages, plus there is a 212 page Operation Guide. If you have previous experience with another Korg workstation, like the Triton, you will find a lot of familiar features and layouts.

On the plus side, the 10.4" touchscreen makes everything manageable and is essential for getting around the OASYS. However, the selection tabs change, depending on which page you are on. Still, it didn't take long, before I knew what tabs were located where.

Editing Programs and Combis is fun, thanks to the big screen and all of the graphic displays. Filter envelopes are colored, for optimal visual feedback.

The new Legacy synths (Polysix, MS20), come with new displays, which show all the knobs. Press Tone Adjust and the onscreen knobs move, as you adjust the physical controllers.

Tone Adjust allows you to make quick edits, by moving the knobs and sliders, or pressing buttons. This is great, if you don't feel like going through the onscreen menus.

The Help button brings up onscreen directions, corresponding to what page you were in, when you pressed it. I rarely have to consult the manual, because of this.

Features? Tons of them! 16 FX processors, with 185 algorithms. All 16 can be single stereo or dual-mono effects. In addition, the Polysix synth has Ensemble, Chorus and Phase effects. You can feasibly have 32 Polysixes playing in a Combi, with 2 in each program, so that can add up to a lot of effects. There is also 3 band EQ on every program and track. Drum layers can have an EQ for each of the 4 layers, so 4 per key. Times that by 76 or 88 keys and you have a lot of EQs!

I have the 76 key version, which has nice keyboard action. I believe you can assign Aftertouch ranges, using the AMS mixers.

Polyphony has been upped with OS 1.2.2.
HD-1 (Rompler part), Polysix and CX3 are 172 voices.
AL-1 (VA synth) is 96 voices
MS-20 and STR-1 (Plucked String) are 48 voice.

MIDI capabilities seem pretty straight forward. KARMA and the rubber pads will transmit MIDI and there are many filtering options.

The sequencer is based on the Triton sequencer, except it is missing the Cue List feature, which can string song parts together. I hope to see an update that includes this and better implements Velocity and Gate functions, among other things. That's not to say that it isn't useful. The sequencer records sys ex messages, so that quick edits, faders, pan knobs, etc. are all recordable. The Hard Disk Recorder is tied in very closely with the sequencer and it does take some time to figure out. Once you do, it can be very powerful.

Expansion-wise, you can up the RAM to 2 gigs and you can purchase a keycode to unlock the Legacy synths. Karo Sound Development supplies some excellent sample library material. The rest is up to Korg, themselves. They have been very good about releasing regular OS updates and synth engines (STR-1 and Legacy synths).

Factory samples are uncompressed and offer excellent sound quality. I believe the VA synths and effects are 32 bit. Korg has long tauted the lack of aliasing. Compared to my other synths, the OASYS sounds the best. The strings and choir stand out. There are over 2,000 drum samples, so there are plenty of long cymbals and variety.

With 3 Virtual Analogue synths, electronic sounds are well covered. I'm into electronic and film score type music. The OASYS does those styles, very well.

Along with the FX and EQs, the OASYS generates a lot of full range presence.

Much more reliable than my computer. That's not to say that the OASYS is perfect. It has froze up, in the past.

I have communicated with the Korg reps, on several forums. They answered whatever questions I have had. It was their availability which prompted me to put the money down on an OASYS. I felt comfortable, knowing I could get a quick response.

Also had good experience with other company reps, who helped me with OS discs, etc.

I've been playing synths/keyboards for 22 years. I have been through quite a few synths - Access, Yamaha, Roland, E-MU, Alesis and Korg. I sold several synths, to help pay for the OASYS. It's a lot of loot, but I think it is worth the cost. I would get another one, if something happened to this one.

I compared the OASYS with everything the music store had, including the Alesis Fusion. There was no contest.

If I dislike something about it, it might be how heavy it is. Then again, the weight, build and quality makes everything else look like a toy.

If I could add anything to it, it would be a sequencer upgrade and an FM synth engine.

Does it help me make music? Definitely. It has been a long time since I felt this way about a synth. It's a pleasure to play and operate. While polyphony and effects aren't unlimited, I can use just the OASYS to lay down tracks. With all the multiple synth types, there is much to explore and utilize.

I do not own the Oasys! I played it quite extensively at my local music shop here in Melbourne Australia. It's worth $15,000AUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Boy for that money you could put together a killer G5/PC based music set up with cash to spare. However IMHO that is not what the Oasys is about. It is a new breed of keyboard workstation based around a computer CPU. My 1st initial response upon seeing it in the shop was one of major TEKNOLUST and the instrument looks trully fantastic. It really looks like a work of art and its the 1st time Ive looked at an electronic instrument being almost like some kind of electronic Steinway, Bosendorfer or Stravivarius etc etc etc!!!!!
The presets (programs and combinations) are on the whole very good although you really need to spend time playing them all extensively to get the most out of them with all the extra real time things you can do with them such as adjusting all the real time parameters and Karma etc etc etc. Editing on this thing seems very very easy and that 10.4 colour touchscreen is like a small laptop monitor built into the instrument. I have bad eyesight and I had no problems using it. I honestly can't see any great advantage using a dedicated patch editor. I didn't check out the manuals.

The polyphony varies depending on how complex the sound/fx setting is. The PCM based HD part theoretically has up to 172 notes of polyphony. The AL modelling section has up to 84 notes and the CX3 organ section up to 172 notes. However complex fx etc etc can eat into the polyphony. Of course the huge amount of polyphony currently beats any other hardware instrument out there. The fx sound brilliant and you can have up to 12 stereo in stereo out insert fx, 2 stereo master fx and 2 stereo final mastering fx at once. This amount is shared between the midi and audio parts of the sequencer. Yes it can be expended with new expansion instruments and fx and up to 2gig of sampling memory can be added. It also comes with a built in 40gig hard drive. I can only assume it has a thorough midi implementation. Its sequencer consists of 16 midi tracks and 16 audio tracks. I did some basic sequencing and it was all self explanatory to me having used Korg worksations since the T3, through to the O1WFD, Trinity and Triton. I must admit though that the sequencer is one area where Korg really need to update. They now have the screen real estate to make it much more capable. I for one cannot understand why they took cuelists away. It was something that was so fantastic in the Triton sequencer. I was also expecting a higher note resolution than 192ppqn. The idea of HD audio tracks is also great but honestly basic things such as extra virtual tracks need to be implemented. Im sure that Korg realise the limitations in this area of the machine and are working at developing and improving what is currently on offer. Frankly a $15,000 workstation should not come with a sequencer that offers less featuers than there previous $6,000 workstation! Im also mythed why Korg has limited the track count to only 16 midi and 16 audio tracks. Surely at least 32 of each (if no more!) should be the case in this day and age???? Saying that I had no problems using the sequencer for the basic piece of music I recorded in the shop. If Korg continue to add features and functions to the Oasys, then the other manufacturers better watch out in a big way even if the Oasys is so expensive! This keyboard really is something special at the moment!

The acoustic sounds are certainly a big step up from the older Tritons and anyone not hearing this certainly has cotton wool in their ears. However saying that, IMHO I didn't find such a MASSIVE improvement from the older Tritons or from keyboards or other manuafacturers. The pianos and acoustic drums are absolutely top notch, as are the saxes. I was expecting better acoustic guitars although they are a big step up from the older Tritons. IMHO I still think that the Yamaha Motif ES series has the edge here. Yamaha have really nailed the guitar and bass sounds! However saying that, I must admit to not spending nowhere near enough time playing around with all the real time controllers available. The string, choir and other orchestral layers were fantastic as were all the out of this world type sounds, pads, wavesequences and all the sounds using the Karma 2 funcitons. IMHO, Ive never gotten into Karma but Ive heard the amazing things that can be achieved with this system. The Oasys is perhaps the most flexible sounding synth Ive heard and could adapt to all styles of music. The onboard fx are fantastic and I loved the reverbs. I only hope Korg continue to add more fx including more 'vintage' sounding fx such as old compressors, preamps and eqs etc or even modelled versions of classic fx pedals etc. Whilst we are at it, how about adding vocal pitch correction and TC Helicon like harmonizing functions. I also found the 88 note keyboard to be a bit stiff IMHO. I loved the piano sounds but it was a tad to stiff for playing organ, brass and drum parts which I much prefer playing on an unweighted keyboard myself. The keyboard (both versions 88 weighted and 76 unweighted) respond to velocity and channel aftertouch (but why not POLY AFTERTOUCH like the older Ensoniq instruments????).

This keyboard looks built like the proverbial tank! But it is HUGE! Too big to transport around unless you have an enthusiastic roadie and a van of some sort. I doubt this instrument would fit into a normal car- smaller cars FORGET IT! This is the kind of instrument the rich and famous musicians will take to just like they took to the older Kurzweil 250 20 years ago and things such as the Oberheim Matrix 12 which was also a massive keyboard. I actually ask myself the question if the Oasys really needs to be that big???? However it does look magnificent but be prepared to invest in a heavy duty keyboard stand for either model. Im sure I would play it at a gig without a backup because I couldnt afford a backup(!).

Musiclink Australia (Korgs reps here) are always excellent to deal with.

I have been playing and producing music for 26 years and have my own project studio based around a Mac and various bits of hardware and software. I have owned many Korg instruments over the last 16 years including a T3 (which is still own and love), an O1WFD, Wavestation AD and SR, Trinity Plus, DW8000 and I still own a fully expanded classic Triton and 18 voice Z1. I also have a fully expanded Roland XV3080 which really compliments the Korgs very nicely. The Oasys is the 1st keyboard in a long time that Ive gotten very excited over. However I would not pay $15,000AUD for this one board only because history has shown that technology gets cheaper and cheaper and this is what has happened over the years with all manufacturers bringing out cheaper and better version of their instruments that are spun off from the same technology. Heck a new Korg X50 synth has superior waveforms to my older Triton Classic but costs a fraction of the price of what my Triton cost. I honestly believe that Korg will release cheaper versions of their instruments based on the current Oasys technology in the same way they have repackaged instruments based on the Triton and Trinity technologies. Sorry if I sound like a cynic but history has proven this scenario time and time again with all the main keyboard manufacturers doing the same! So much as Id love to own an Oasys because it is soooo sexy and sounds so good, I honestly can't justify spending $15,000AUD on this one keyboard! Whilst Ive always been an advocator of buying what you need straight away rather than waiting, in this very expensive case, Id rather wait and seeing what Korg does with this new technology.
Don't get me wrong! If the Oasys cost half the price, I would seriously consider one and sell off all my other hardware to get one! However $15,000. Id really need to work very very hard in my studio to justify the cost!
If the Oasys had no limitations (which Korg is claiming that it theoretically doesn't) then perhaps $15,000AUD would be worth it. But no instrument is without limitations and the more primitive aspect of the Oasys' sequencer/hard disk recorder shows this. I hope I don't offend those who have spend big bucks on this dream machine (yes I loved playing it!). But $15,000AUD is simply too much mula to spend on one workstation in 2006 even if it is the latest and greatest thing to hit the market.
Im a big fan of Korg and have been so for 20 years! I also have great faith in this company and am sure that they realise that they are not going to move truckloads of these keyboards at that massively high price! But Im excited about what Korg are going to do with this new Oasys technology as they release newer and CHEAPER instruments in the future. Whilst I love my Triton Classic, I believe that Korg have milked the Triton technology to the extreme(!) and now have to go that next step- the Oasys technology is that next step!
I love the fact that Korg have bought out something new that we can get trully excited about. I don't love the fact that it is so expensive and out of reach of the average person. I compared the Oasys to the Motif ES, S90ES, Fantom X and Triton Extreme sitting in the shop nearby. IMHO the Oasys sounded overall 'better' than all of these instruments. Of course none of these instruments could compare in terms of hardware control and user interface (GUI). I wish it had certain features that Im sure Korg will develop in future OS upgrades- namely real time time stretching in the sampler (like the Fantom X and Motif ES), improved and more software like functions in the sequencer/HD recorder section including more tracks, dedicated vocal correction and harmonising fx (like is available almost anywhere now) and all this packed into a smaller body. Hey why not even a 61 note version for performers on the go or even a rackmount/tabeltop version. Im sure that if I had an Oasys in my studio it would become its centrepeice and help me make heaps of new music. I dont think Id give up using Logic and Protools so quickly though unless Korg added some real new radical features to the Oasys.
I apologise if I may have offended anyone with any comments. In no way am I bagging this current Mother of all workstations! It really is an instrument to get very excited over but it does cost too much and Korg need to continue developing new functions and updates, offering them for free as much as possible to all those dedicated people who have forked out the huge financial outlay to buy the Oasys.
If the Oasys could trully replace my computer based recording setup, Id sell all I own yesterday and by an Oasys. Currently this is certainly not the case. So ill wait and see what Korg does with the Oasys. I for one am very excited and have very positive feelings about this new instrument! Time will tell as to whether the Oasys will become a white elephant or whether it will represent the most poerful and flexible keyboard worksation ever made by any manufacturer. :)

After reading through the previous reviewers comments, I cannot help but think that the two of us own very different instruments... or maybe he just demo'd the Oasys in a store with bad monitoring and little time to fully explore all the attributes of the Oasys properly.. Having owned one for over 6 months, here is my own set of opinions based on the almost 24/7 use within my studio

What software version are you using?

V1.1.1

How do the presets sound?

The sound quality is amazing.. far exceeds any other keyboard I own, (and I have a wide range of other keyboards and modules ranging from the ES through to the Minimoog..) The preset programs.. cover a very wide range of sounds and the Combi's combine the various programs (along with the incredible Karma 2) into very useable and inspiring performances.

How hard is editing patches? Does a patch editor make a big difference?

No patch editor is needed as the Oasys has an excellent touch screen in full color. Editing patches is very simple to do though the patches themselves, due to the complexity of all the different types of sound sources is, by the very nature of the beast, not a simple thing in itself, However, there are so many ways to create, edit, modify and alter the presets that programming becomes a joy.

How is the manual?

Two large manuals, both of which are quite readable and present the info needed to understand the Oasys in a straightforward manner. Note: I am currently using the updated manuals provided by Korg wiuth the V1.1 update. These manuals are in PDF format with full search facilities included which makes the whole thing quicker and easier to look up and find the particular info you need.

Also, the Oasys provides help pages for almost everything you might want to do, right on the touch sensitive screen.. Great stuff!

What is the polyphony?

This depends on what functions of the Oasys you use.. The main polyphony for the Primary sound source is 172 notes. Utilizing different Expansion Instruments (EXi's) or expansion effects (EX'fx) will lower that polyphony but the voice allocation system is a highly advanced form of such a system and so far, I have never managed to put such a big enough strain on the available resources to notice anything missing from any piece I have written and/or performed.

How is the keyboard action?

I have the Oasys 88 note version and the keybed and action is nothing less than superb. I have heard great things from other owners about the 76 note version too!

Does it have any built in effects? Are they easy to use?

Yes... and the ability to have new effects in the form of EXf's is something I truly look forward to.. The ones provided are of a very high quality and cover almost every type of fx I need at this time. Very simply and easy to use thanks to a simple to use matrix type voice to fx system and the O's touch sensitive screen.

Does it have expansion capabilities?

You can easily double the memory to 2 gigs.. using standard 1 gig PC mem chips.. and add an internal ADAT/Digital I/O board to increase the digital I/O of the O, very easily. The O itself, is infinitely expanable due to it's open architecture and it's ability to be upgraded with new sounds, fx, types of instruments, OS updates and anything you can think of..

What MIDI capabilities are there?

Full Midi spec instrument, as you would expect.

Does it have an on-board sequencer? How flexible is it? Easy to use??

Full 16 track sequencer and 16 track Audio recorder built in. The sequencer is based upon the same one used in the Triton range.. so it's a little old fashioned and basic compared to a software sequencer such as Cubase etc.. but Korg have the ability to upgrade the onboard sequencer themselves to whatever the users might wish for.. All it takes is a push in the right direction for KKorg to do so and I believe they are aware of this and will work on upgrading this small part of the Oasys to make it easier and better to use.

Expressiveness & Sounds...

As I have several keyboards in my studio.. I have the ability to A/B the Oasys with a wide range of different makers equipment.. as well as A/B'ing the O against the Trion and Karma range... Here is my take on the main differences;

Firstly, yes.. the O has a lot in common with the Triton and Karma keyboards in terms of sounds.. and that's no bad thing at all. But, the quality of sound produced by the Oasys, and the variety of sounds that can be produced.. far exceed anything you can produce with the Karma & Triton range. There is a certain soimething very special about the way the Oasys sounds that is hard to put your finger on exactly until you spend time working with it but once experienced, you never want to go back to 'lesser' keybaords.. My clients at my studio, rarely ask to use any of the other keyboards I have available for their use once they have played and recorded using the Oasys.. becuase the end results of using the Oasys are that much better than using anything else currently available. That's not to say that the Oasys has every hardware/software package beaten in terms of range of sounds.. because it doesn't.. but what it does have, is a very special quality of sound that is.. simply put.. superb.. and it results in a quality of recording that stands out from the rest of the crowd, whenever it is used.

The latest upgrade, as an example of Korg's commitment to providing new types of sound sources.. was the STR-1.. a Plucked String Modelled Instrument and this EXi produces some of the most realistic guitar sounds I have ever used or heard. The ES always ruled the roost for me, in terms of guitar sounds.. until the STR-1 was released.. Now, because of the way these guitar sounds are modelled and are not just samples being played back.. the Oasys allows the user to play one guitar program for example. and perform with a degree of expression and constantly changing tones and timbres.. that the end result is a vastly more realistic performance that is hard to indentify at times as not being the real thing. Of course, it's not perfect.. and you can still tell it's not a real guyitar player.. yet.. but it's getting there.. and I know from my own ears.. that with careful playing in a real guitarist style.. you can fool a lot of people into thinking they are hearing the real thing being played!

Karma 2 - Probably the most misunderstood part of the Oasys.. Many non Oasys (and Karma) owners think of the Karmna system.. as nothing more than a glorified Auto Accompliment system.. and they couldn't be further from the truth! Yes, it can produce the most amazing backing tracks.. that react to anything you might play.. and follow you lead.. but also, and expecially with the latest Karma 2 built into the Oasys, help the player perform amazingly realistic articulations for different instruments.. that increase and improve the 'believability' of the programs and emulations being used. An example would be a straight forward electric guitar program. Sounds pretty good on it's own but turn on Karma 2 and sudeenly, depending on how you play it.. and what Karam scenes you have selected.. (and Karma 2 compared to the original Karma is at least 4-5 times more powerful in terms of scenes available..and types of GE's..!) suddenly you can do the most realistic bends, runs, trills and other guitar playing effects, without any difficultly at all.. It really does make such things so simple even for the less able and less technically capable players like myself!

Together, Karma 2 and the Oasys's available sound sources.. current and future, make it one hell of a Keyboard!

Ok.. Here is, what I think, about the Oasys in terms of build and reliability.

The O.. is a very complex and relatively expensive keyboard.. and being based upon a PC running a highly customised version of the Unix OS.. it is subject to the usual problems a PC running complex software has from time to time.. The odd crash.. Nothing Earth shattering.. and so far I have never lost any data.. other than maybe a program I was editing at the time.. and a quick reboot is all it took to get everything back up and running but it does crash on very rare occasions. With every software update these crashes have become fewer and father between for me.. and I should say that I have had just 3 crashes over the last 5 weeks..of almost constant use, 24/7 by myself and my studio's clients.. but it can and does occasionally crash.. Its a simple fact of life and one, an owner should expect due to the way the Oasys works.

Having said that, I have found it many times more stable than the Neko I used for several weeks.... (and returned!) and many hundreds of times more stable than any PC + software packages I have used!

Also, the build quality and the design of the Oasys is nothing less than brilliant. As it should be given the cost.. but even so, it exudes quality from the first time you sit down in earnest and play it. Everything from the way the sliders and knobs move.. to the way the screen reacts to your touch.. from the way the keyboard plays.. to the way almost everything is to hand, exactly where you need it to be.. results in one amazing experience for a seasoned keyboard player.

Thanks to the constant presence of Dan Phillips and the rest of Korg's R&D department.. and the designer and programmer of the Karma Software, Stephen Kay.. on both Stephen's own Karma Labs website and the ever worthy KorgForums site.. along with a very helpful and knowledgeable user base.. Customer support is excellent in my experience. There is always a feel that both Korg and SK.. are working hard to fully support the Oasys.. and it's owners in every way possible.. by answering questions, listening to comments and suggestions as to how to improve the Oasys.. and helping track down the odd bug or two that surface.

I have upgraded my OS three times and each time, it went flawlessly without any issue at all.

So.. final comments..

First, is it worth the price? To me, it is, without a shadow of doubt. The way it has intergrated into my studio.. and the big beaming smiles from many of my customers who use it, (and the fact they return to use it on a very regular basis.. ) makes it probably the best purchase I have made in a long time, keyboard wise. Simply put, you do get what you pay for.. and for an instrument of this quality, you have to pay a premium price. Yes, you could buy several cheaper keyboards.. and still save money.. but you won't get that amazing sound quality and just the way the O feels to work with.. that the O delivers in bucket loads!

Next, it's future? The early owners of the Oasys, took a leap of faith with Korg.. that they would support the Oasys fully and continue to provide these owners with a regular supply of updates and extra instruments.. and so far so good. Maybe a little slow on delivering the goods.. but what has been delivered has been of the highest quality.. and that is well worth the wait in my opinion. As to what is coming up next.. who knows.. but I am certain Korg are working hard at providing the current and future user base with more instrument types.. new effects.. updated facilities.. to keep the Oasys up there.. at the very top of the Keyboard range, for a long time to come.

Now, to finish off.. it may come as no surprise, that after reading the above, I love this keyboard.. and so my review is probably biased to a certain degree.. but I have tried to remain vetry objective when comparing the Oasys to any of the other keyboards and softsynths I have in my studio.. and I have to say, nothing compares.. It simply is that good.. and any keyboard player worth his slat will probably feel, the same way, once he/.she has sat down and played with it for a few weeks.. You "get it' almost immediately.. but you only truly get it 100% after you sit down and play it day in and day out.. and then try to go back to another keyboard.. It's like these other keyboards become.. old and muddy sounding.. or not so well built.. or not so well laid out.. or harder to edit.. than they ever were before you got your Oasys. Of course, they are the same as they used to be.. it's the Oasys that changes your perception!

Would I buy another one?

I have a 76 note on order.. so I can spend more time playing it.. when my studio clients are using the 88.. It becomes too annoying waiting for them to finish their session.. so I can get back to playing and composing using the beast! :)