The Korg M50 takes much of the M3's sonic power and packs it into a
lightweight, affordable music workstation! Whether you seek
natural-sounding acoustic instruments or hard-hitting synthesizer
sounds, Korg's M50 puts a sonic world beneath your fingertips. You can
easily navigate between sounds and tweak its generous effects section
using the Korg M50's intuitive and interactive touchscreen and four
multi-function knobs. Available in 61- and 73-key synth-action styles
and as a full, 88-key RH3 Graded Hammer Action keyboard, take the best
of Korg - to go - with the killer Korg M50.
Over 600 individual sound programs
When you want sounds, the Korg M50 is brimming with them. It has over
600 individual sound programs all tweaked up to Korg standards, and a
robust 256MB of sample data. From rich, natural acoustic instrument
articulations to lush or aggressive synth sounds, it's all in the Korg
M50. Though, first and foremost, the Korg M50 is a stellar keyboard and
piano instrument. It boasts three layers of stereo switching and an
additional resonance layer for excellent piano dynamic range
reproduction. Onboard are the popular Korg SG-1 Sample Grand, premium
electric pianos and clavs, and even striking string and flute sounds.
Plus, the M50 is loaded with Korg's REMS cabinet/amp/pickup technology
and ToneAdjust lets you tweak each sound to your own ear's delight.
Stack, split, layer, and zone up to 16 sound programs
So, you've got intense sonic power, thanks to the 600 sound programs -
but, as always, Korg couldn't leave it at that. To multiply the breadth
of your creativity exponentially, you can stack, split, layer and zone
up to 16 sound programs across the keyboard or to individual MIDI
channels. And nearly 400 "combis" come preloaded, so you have
great-sounding setups for live performance from the get-go. All presets
are fully editable, and with 512 spaces for saved combinations onboard,
you've got a ton of room to develop and modify your own signature
sounds.
Superb effects
The Korg M50 certainly doesn't let down when it comes to effects - this
puppy's packed with over 170 top-quality effects, including Korg's
proprietary REMS modeling effects. You can assign and route five insert
effects and two master effects simultaneously. Offering up everything
from lush reverb to warping modulation effects, the Korg M50 lets you
take each sound into another dimension or fatten it up to achieve the
right tone. Plus, D-Mod, or Dynamic Modulation, even lets you control
various parameter effects on the fly and you can sync effect parameters
to the two common LFOs, or a MIDI clock source, for further effects
integration. What more, each effects program is equipped with its own
3-band EQ, for sculpting and refining your tone.
Touchscreen, joystick, and multi-function knobs and buttons
Find, select, and tweak the vast landscape of sounds and effects on the
Korg M50, thanks to the intuitive TouchView screen. The screen is
backlit, so you're set to go for playing even the most dimly lit gigs.
And while you can tweak away at in-depth functions and parameters using
the touch-screen the Korg M50's also loaded with real-time buttons and
controls, so you can have your way with various functions on the fly.
The four knobs can control functions such as gate, velocity, length,
and octave, for really shaking up your sound as you go, but you can
also set them to control whatever parameters you want to get your hands
on. Then, go ahead and get crazy-creative using the four onboard chord
trigger buttons. Just lay a chord and quickly assign it to one of the
buttons, then press the button to hear it played back - exactly as you
stored it.
Drum samples, kits, and grooves
Korg injected the M50 with over 1,600 drum and percussion samples that
you can personalize into full-on drum kit programs. There are 32 drum
kits onboard already and space to manhandle up to 48 more of your own.
And the Korg M50 even has 670 onboard drum grooves for jamming along
with or jump-starting your own creativity into a new song. Each of the
Korg M50's individual sound programs has a matching drum track
pre-assigned, for grooving straight out of the box and into creative
bliss.
Korg-wicked arpeggiators
It wouldn't be a Korg without serious attention to arpeggiators - after
all, Korg's been on the forefront of arpeggiator technology since the
1980s. Following its long lineage, the Korg M50 gives you all the
standard up-down and random arpeggiation patterns you'd expect, but the
dual polyphonic arpeggiators also deliver killer chords, bass lines,
picking patterns, and accents, for really turning up the heat. When
you're in the sequencer or combination modes, both of the arpeggiators
can run at the same time, each addressing different timbres. Make one
kick out killer drum grooves while the other walks around with fat bass
patterns - the Korg M50 even lets you use velocity to switch between
patterns on the same sound.
16-track sequencer plus song templates
Wherever you are with your M50, you're only a button-press away from
stepping into full-on record mode. This Korg offers up a 16-track
onboard sequencer, and can handle an impressive 200,000 notes on 16
MIDI tracks and up to 128 songs. Plus, its enhanced 480 ppq resolution
ensures your performance is captured accurately, however you input
notes. Easy onboard editing features let you take your song from a
quick creative sketch to a fully realized production. And when
creativity strikes, you can quickly capitalize using the Korg M50's
Song Templates. Spanning virtually every musical genre, each template
gives you the right kinds of sounds and effects already selected and
routed for you - just start playing in the parts and you're on your
way. Korg also gave the M50 the unique RPPR Real-time Pattern
Play/Recording function, so you can call up any onboard drum pattern
and assign out patterns and phrases to individual keys - you can even
loop each track to quickly build up the perfect groove before you stack
it with sounds. An onboard Cue List function also makes it easy to try
different arrangements on for size without committing to any
hard-to-undo changes. And Auto Song Setup is a one-touch record feature
that puts all the settings you've got setup straight into a new song,
then starts up the sequencer.
Enhanced Definition Synthesis, borrowed from the M3
The EDS or Enhanced Definition Synthesis is Korg's most advanced
hardware engine - ever. And it's at the heart of the Korg M50. Each
voice has two stereo oscillators, two amp sections, four filters, five
Low Frequency Oscillators, and five time-variant Envelope Generators.
Every stereo oscillator can achieve 4-way velocity switching,
crossfading, or layering. Each voice also has access to multi-mode
(highpass, bandpass, band reject, and lowpass filters), two filters per
oscillator running side by side, stacked, or in series.
Seamless computer integration - RTAS, VST, AU plug-in
The Korg M50 and your computer make the perfect team, as the M50
includes both standalone and plug-in sound editing software, so you can
easily get into your M3 and tweak parameters. Just connect up the M3
via USB and load up the standalone software or your favorite DAW - the
plug-in supports AU, VST, and RTAS formats. Your edits and changes live
as a part of the song file, and you don't have to switch applications
just to tweak a sound. Beyound USB connectivity, your M3 also uses SD
cards for reliable data storage.
Lightweight for the gigging musician
Despite the massive amount of sounds, effects, performance controls,
and general music possibilities loaded into the M50, Korg managed to
keep this sonic beast ultra lightweight. The 61-key version weighs
under 15 lbs. - less than a full backpack! - and the 73-key version is
just 17.9 lbs. Because the 88-key features a premium Korg RH3 Graded
Hammer Action keyboard it weighs a bit more - but at under 46 lbs. the
88-key M50 is a pleasure to bring to the gig compared to most
large-scale, 88-key workstations.
Upcoming KARMA support via KARMA lab software
Given the Korg M50's tremendous feature-set and insanely awesome price
tag, Korg's given serious musicians even more reason to invest in this
portable wonder: KARMA software is on its way to the M50. The same
technology found on Korg's flagship OASYS and M3 workstations, KARMA
allows for incredible, expressive control over effects, instrument
nuances, so you can make the most out of your real-time performances.
KARMA opens up the doors for a heightened realm of creativity and
expression - and it's well on its way to the M50.
Features:
- 88-key, RH3 Graded Hammer Action keyboard
- Uses the same EDS (Extended Definition Synthesis) as the M3 for superb sound
- 256 MB ROM, with plenty of new samples including 4-way acoustic piano, new electric pianos, clavs, and more!
- 896 Programs (873 preloaded) / 512 Combinations (384 preloaded) / 5 Insert, 2 Master, 1 Total Effect
- TouchView display (monochrome)
- 80 voice polyphony, 88-key RH3 graded action weighted keyboard
- Dual polyphonic arpeggiators with 4 Chord Trigger buttons
- Drum Track provides "real feel" grooves to play along with
- Classic and intuitive 16-track Korg high-resolution sequencer
- Convenient and affordable SD format card storage
- 4-knob control surface with realtime, external and arp control modes
- Plug-in editor works standalone and with RTAS, VST, and AU
- USB MIDI
- 55.47" (W) x 12.91" (D) x 5.94" (H)
- 45.86 lbs.