Korg X50

Should be Super Easy for most keyboardists. Iam familiar with Korg,and the way most products work.It operates in the same way as my TritonPro Studio,TritonLE,and TR. The presets on Korg keys always sound amazing,and AWESOME! They have mastered acoustic instruments,and have cutting edge synths,that all can be easily modified.I have not read a Korg manual since 1994 with my X3.

It has all the features you would want in a "PERFORMANCE Synth" which is what it is.So don't listen to the people complaining about it not having a sequencer.This board was built with a specific purpose-Sounds of the Triton,without all the bells and whistles of sampling/seqeuencing-PERIOD! Triton Pro owners know it sucks to take your heavy/pride and joy on the raod,slamming it around in a van!The sounds,FX,and editing are all spot on.Just like the Triton.

It Feels similar to the new stuff Korg has been putting out these last few years. The realness of the Piano,and Organ sounds is impossible to beat! Ilove adding the rotary-speaker FX to the B3,and Wurly patches.

Its new so we will see how long it takes my punishment.However in all honesty,i tend to wear Korgs out,but i gig 17+ shows a month on average. I play in an INdustrial/Goth Band,a Prog-Rock band,and with a Jazz crew.

Who deals with the companies in this day and age of EMAIL/AUTO Response forms.

A++++ I would replace it.Its well worth what i paid for it.I have been playing 28 years(i'm 31 now) i have korg-MicroKorg,Triton ProStudio,TritonLE,TR,M1,X5,EM1X,M3,MS200,MS200,KP3,Roland Vdrums.
I love the sounds of all Korg Items,so this one lives up to the reputation.

The x50 isn't overly complicated, I had a few issues figuring out how to change some of the effects, but after a while of tinkering I believe most people could figure out what they're doing. The manual is okay, not overly helpful, but it's no worse than trying to figure out the manual to a spaceship.

Great sound, quite an array of effects, many ports, and I noticed someone was complaining about not having a headphone jack, well mine does, so that's awesome!

The sounds are good. Many are very realistic sounding, especially the acoustic instruments, eg. flute, cello, etc.

Okay, I recently had a problem, I went to plug mine in a while ago and it wouldn't turn on. I believe it is the power supply, though I can't be sure yet, because I'm waiting on a replacement part which I have to go pick up later today.

Okay, this is where I lost faith. I ordered a replacement power supply for my x50. I was Informed that delivery would take less than a week, this made me quite happy. TWO MONTHS LATER......I phone the store and the part is in. If it turns out that it wasn't the power supply and my actual x50, then I'd imagine it could take them a good 6 months to get it fixed and retuned to me.

I love my x50, apart from having to deal with Korg. I'd rate the x50 itself at a 8.5, but Korg's service is repugnant, thus I am giving it much less.

On a good day, the manual will only make you call it daddy. Other then that, you are in for some work to figure it out but once you get it down then it should'nt be too hard to use.

Ease of editing patches can be a little time consuming but thats mainly due to so many options. If you use the software then editing this synth can be a breeze.

Id give it an 8. It's manual is difficult at times but once you get past that, it shouldnt trouble you too much. And the software it comes with is a huge plus.

Has plenty of polyphony for anyone with all 10 of ther fingers and then some (I havnt run out yet anyway). A good array of midi abilities. Sustain pedal option. Has more back cable jacks then I ever plan to use. Many knobs which are assignable for good live expression. 8 timbres.

Great presets suited for any genre and many of them are good to go as is such as the acoustics and such which anyone can use from the get go.

My main complaint is there's no headphone jack which I would have liked but thats no biggy at all. Theres still some stero out's so all is well.

Its generally a triton without a sequencer or high quality hammer action keybed. But thats the price you pay for going so low cost. But if you have an external sequencer then it dosnt matter.

It sounds great and with aftertouch and velocity... acts even better. Effects seem strong and you have 89 of them to choose from. It would be nice to have a sampler but for another $200 you can get the korg TR61 which is basically the x50 with sampler. I havnt had any static or relics from mine. All seems to be crystal clear.

I use mine for industrial/symphonic/ebm sounds and its capable of making most things ive wanted so far.

And really when I look at the price I paid, I doubt I could get a better soundong board and not pay another $500 or so for it. So it's easily one of the best for it's price. (except maby the micro X which is about $550 and is just an X50 packed into something about the size of the microKORG)

I feel I can depend on it fairly well but I have had an issue with it doing a little number where the screen bugs out with I have bionary code flashing accross it and no sound coming out. I have no idea whats going on with it but apparently its a rare case and this happens to only a few units... Im not sure if theres any updates out there.

Other then that it feels sturdy and I wont lose too much sleep taking it on the road with out a case but I wouldnt drop it more then you have to.

ill give it a decent rateing just because my bugout issue is apparently isolated and not many have it

I havnt tried customer support yet but I think Ill check them out eventually to see more into the bug I have in mine.

Id give it a 10 simply due to the amazing price/sound ratio it has going on. It's got the power of a Triton packed into a board that even a low budget artist can afford.

Its light and fairly durable so its great for a gigging musician.

Id consider buying a new one if my old one, say, spontainously combusted or got stolen. And if I dont get another x50, then ill get it's bigger brother, the tr61 for it's sampleing abilities

Surprisingly easy to use, though the manual is something of a disaster. It doesn't matter.. most of the interface is very intuitive, and the ability to rapidly switch between default effects and assignable effects is a great feature. The presets are amazing... this sounds as good as the Triton/TR series, in fact it really is a TR, just without the sequencer.. and hey, if you've got a halfway decent computer, use that to sequence. You'll save a ton of money over the identical-sounding TR61.

Good polyphony, excellent effects capability for this price range. Expansion abilities are a bit of a mixed bag. You can expand the range of sounds, etc, by syncing with the comp and using Triton libraries... BUT some don't work right, and others have to be edited in a Hex editor before you can use them. And of course none of the regular expansion abilities are there. Also, as mentioned before, they keyboard action is very cheap. For me this isn't an issue, this is a studio machine only, but for a stage performer who needs a more substantial feel, the upgrade to the TR61 for an extra $300 or so is probably worth the money. Still for this money, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything better.

Excellent sounds, absolutely amazing. A few years ago you'd have to pay $2000+ to get sounds like this. This doesn't just sound "like" a Triton, it IS a Triton for all intents and purposes. I imagine you could use this for most any style of music. I use it primarily for trance and techno, but there's a lot of very natural-sounding instruments on here. The piano is quite impressive. If you like the Korg sounds... and aren't made of money, this is the synth for you.

Never had a problem with a Korg, but this does have a bit of a cheap feel to it. If you do a lot of gigs, you might want to spend the extra bones on a TR61 or better, just for durability. If, on the other hand, this is going to be making its home in your studio, it's plenty durable enough. For occasional gigs, though, it is very convenient and lightweight.

Haven't had an issue.

Definitely worth the cash. You won't find any better sounding synth for this money. Some might complain about the cheap feel, but that's the tradeoff for saving money without sacrificing sound quality... and that's what's really important. I've been doing trance for almost 10 years, and here in the states it's hard to make money doing that sometimes, so I'm always on a budget, and this gives me that high-end sound without the high-end cost. Feature wise it's everything I wanted and expected at this price. Sure, we all wish for an OASYS or an M3, but hey... got to live in the real world ;).

Explains everything very good. But in PDF Format.
Presetsounds are exactly the same as TR61.
Very good Programms but Combi Spouns are a little bit extreme.
Very much Hip Hop and Tecno stuff.
Editing the sounds is very easy.
Doesnt work with the freeware archivier lelibby

62 Polyphonic. Keyboard has an cheap fealing. But it works.
( The keys are the badest part of this synthesizer )
No expansion possible. All Midi Functions you need.
No on board sequenzer but 16 CH Multi Mode for external Sequenzer.
Multi Mode has 128 empty Double Combi Sounds in RAM.
You can use them for Performance.
If you dont need a sequencer this is an advantage compared with LE / TR
They need to load the Sounds in SEQUENZER MODE into the RAM.

No aftertouch. Velocity is in spite of the cheap keys ok.
Its funny.
Average opinion here is actually 7.5
Average opinion for the TR61 ist actually 9.7
But both have identical Sounds !
They are not similar, they are exactly the same.
If you dont like a sound just change it. You can produce nearly every sound with this machine. Even Sync Sounds using the decimator effekt.
What shall i say: It sounds like a Triton. ( I own an Triton too)

It doesnt look so. But seems to be very reliable. I am using it one year every week on stage and it still works.
Knobs of my Triton LE were defective after this period.

Not necesarry

I used all kinds of synths over last 25 years.
I like this little synth. Its not the best but weight and design are great. And it sounds exactly like an Triton. It seems, that some user dont believe it. Such a little thing should produce such an flexible great sound.
The reason the same sound engine here gets 7.5 and the Triton TR 9.7.
Must be human. Only big things produce big Sounds :-)
Thats the past, Time has changed :-)
Because of the weight i choose 10

I bought it to play live, and that's exactly what I do with it. For that purpose, it's quite easy to use.

The biggest thing about this keyboard is it's small size and light weight. I'm giving it a 9 because I do agree with other reviewers about the keyboard feeling like a cheep keyboard. I actually don't mind the action as it allows for fast playing, and I play salsa, but it just feels cheep. I like the board though! 64 voice polyphony, 61 keys, 4 banks of 128 patches each plus a GM bank, you can select voices by categories as well.

On board effects and sounds are exactly what Korg intended them to be: great for a good variety of styles. I use it for salsa, and it has a couple of good piano sounds for that: A1 and D89 in particular. Other really good sounds include guitars, drums, and flutes. Also, a very nice harmonica.

I do use it without a backup, but I have other boards at home. As cheep as it feels, it's quite a dependable keyboard. That's really the amazing thing about the X50, it's a workhourse dressed up in a dunkey suit!

Never dealt with the company.

I would definitely buy it again. A client brought it to my studio, and I fell in love with the weight, or lack thereof, and the amazing sounds. I always wanted a board I could throw over my head when doing a solo, and this is it. It's the best keyboard for traveling. The only thing I wish it had is a quick record button to grab ideas. Nothing fancy, just like a digital minirecorder. That doesn't take much. Korg is the king of sequencers, so this would be easy for them. I also own a Korg Karma, a Yamaha S80, and a Yamaha PSR3000. The PSR3000 has a quick record feature. You just press record and play. It records anything you play until you presss stop.

The X50 has the worst keyboard feel I have ever experienced.I've been playing keyboards for over 25 years and never came across a feel like that.My speed is greatly reduced on those soft springy keys.I must weight the keys or its out.I've had the X5 and X5D for years and find it had to replace them with the X50 although the feel is similar and and the sound engine more capable,I can feel the difference.No keyboard should be sold without a weighted or semi weighted keyboard assembly.It's like it sounds good but I can't stand the feel man.Its not all about the sound;where I am concerned the feel plays a big part so I must give a low rating.

The presets are really closed to the trinity and triton series. aren't incredible... but... organs are nice and usefull, in truth the brass are really amazing and some of the pads are nice too... but I think the right angle view is that , in less then 700 euros you have a Pro sound palette, a base set of OSC and Filters as a sinth must do.
the manual is perfect but I don't understand why the parameters manual must be in pdf.
the editor is great

poly is Ok but the keyboard is a little ... unelegant ! Anyway the keyboard is not all... the switches , jobs and the wheels are well done and easy to learn... analog technique!No seq but two easytouse arpeggiators

not bad

light and slim... it's Ok

A pestilence!

if you need a little light key to bring with you tripping around ... It's the best choice at the moment.

The presets are generally good. The pads are a little weak but the brass and organs is very good. My only complaint is that some of the organs have a strange timbral "break." The timbre will have a certain color on the upper octave while having another timbre in the lower octaves. I KNOW it's not just me.

The keyboard action a little "spongey." I read that Korg used a different keybed design. Over time, I could get used to it though. More importantly, the touch is not uniform. Certain presents will require a specific touch while others are radically different. This is common with any keyboard but I find the touch of the X50 particularly difficult to predict and compensate for.

I bought the X50 to compliment my Yamaha S90. Many of its sounds are comparable and it's easy to use.

I have returned the X50 because of future reliability. I gig 3 times a week and I refuse to believe that this keyboard can withstand years of loading and unloading. I bought it thinking that "this is just the way things are made these days (I love the lightness too)." But after using it for week I noticed that the power chord was already showing wear, the jacks in the back "wiggled," and everything else is thin plastic. To me...700 dollars is a lot of money for a keyboard that resembles a Walmart toy.

Never used them.

I'm a little disappointed in Korg. I suppose you must spend over 1500.00 to get a gig-worthy keyboard these days.

Cubase sx 3.0

Editing patches is VERY easy

patch editor is excellent.

Manual is great

64 note
Effects are usual korg
no expansion
great midi
good outputs
no sequencer

Keyboard is a bit light , but what do you want for this price?

Sounds are excellent , in fact the brass sounds , sound better on this than my triton classic

I play all kinds , dance to rock its great for all

Effects are great , lots to choose from and covers all bases

Keyboard is a little bit cheap feeling but once again for the price its great

Excellent , light but well made

Yes and I do.

never needed them for a korg keyboard

Yes I would replace it if it was lost.