Players considering a professional, 88-note hammer-action keyboard are in a good position as there are many options to consider. One can choose from several MIDI controllers, opt for one of many professional digital pianos, or step up to a full synthesizer or workstation. The biggest challenge will be deciding which one best suits your needs and budget. Korg's latest entry into this market is named a "Stage Piano/Controller" and seems to have the right stuff in both sound and controller departments. Here is what you can expect from the new, Korg SGpro/X.
The first word that comes to mind when sitting in front of this beast is quality. Korg has always produced reliable, bullet-proof keyboards, and the SG is no exception. Many of you might remember the classic SG1-D stage piano which made its mark as a road-worthy keyboard with studio quality piano samples. This new SG won't disappoint, even when evaluating it with high expectations. I can easily see this as a keyboard a gigging musician could trust every night. The physical keyboard simply feels great! It's a bit heavier than many competing products, but not quite as heavy as Roland's offerings. The action is positive, and easy to play. Especially when used with the sounds provided in the SG, it's easy to be extremely expressive. Aftertouch is also built into this keyboard, which is a nice touch.
The front panel is also laid out nicely. You'll find twin controller wheels to the left above the last few keys. These are traditionally set to pitch and modulation, but can be assigned to many other controller functions. A pair of buttons are also located there, and are assignable. Moving to the right, you'll find a master volume slider, and five additional sliders for the built-in five band equalizer. Immediately to the right is another group of four sliders with buttons, and these are all completely assignable. Centered on the keyboard is a large, 2 by 20 backlit LCD display that is extremely easy to read (a must for live use). Surrounding the display are a few navigational buttons including a layer/split switch, an effect on/off switch, a bank switch, a transpose/master tune button, left and right cursor buttons, and a value slider with value buttons. And finally, to the right of the display are five mode switches (marked Global, Performance Edit, Program Edit, Performance, and Program), and sixteen buttons used to select programs, banks, and to edit displays. The rear panel features the power switch, six MIDI connectors (IN, OUT A (2), OUT B (2), and THRU), two assignable pedal jacks, a damper pedal input, and left and right outputs. In case you're wondering, the headphone jack is conveniently located on the front of the keyboard rather than on the rear like many other machines. Another nice touch is that Korg provides a music stand with each SG, and there are two holes on the rear where that stand is attached. One annoyance is that the jacks are only labeled on the rear panel of the keyboard, so you must be behind the keyboard when connecting cables or pedals.
The specs of the SGpro/X are right in sync where much of the competition is: the SG is 64 voice polyphonic, though many of the programs are "stereo," which results in 32 notes of polyphony. Korg provides a handy list of the programs which lets you know which sounds are stereo, and which are monaural. The tone generator is Korg's AI squared synthesis, and the programs are based on PCM 24 megabytes (pretty healthy!). Although the SG is not really multi-timbral...you do have layer and split modes, and two programs are the most that can be pulled out simultaneously.
So how does this thing sound? In a word...excellent. The SG has 4 banks, with each bank containing 16 sounds (called programs, in Korg's language). When the unit is first powered on, the sound you're greeted with is a stereo grand piano sound called "Concert." The sample is accurate and true, and quite expressive. There are 7 other straight piano programs to listen to, each with different characteristics. Korg has made sure to include samples that will work in all musical settings. Moving to the electric pianos, you'll find nine of these to choose from ranging from classic Rhodes to FM tines. These are especially nice...there is a program called "Dyna-Stage" that I had a hard time moving past! It can be played at very soft levels and be real pretty, but would almost bark as you played more aggressively. Another nice electric was called "FM EP 1" and is a fat, warm electric that's beautiful. But the sounds don't stop with piano related sounds. There are many nice organs, including both Hammond types and pipe organs. The pads and string programs were also typical Korg, and were quite nice. For splits, you'll have your choice of 4 different bass programs including acoustic, fretless, finger, and synth. Overall the SGpro/X has a nice array of sounds for many different applications. In addition, there are two clean effects processors available that greatly enhance the sounds. Reverbs are added to the pianos, reverb and chorus can be placed on the electric pianos and pads, and a nice rotary speaker simulator makes the organs quite realistic. These effects can be turned on or off with the touch of a button, and in "Program Edit" mode, the sounds and effects can be edited to your liking. Another nice touch is that the four assignable sliders are preset to a few different parameters and can be moved in real-time. For example, one slider may control the brightness of the sound while another gives you control over the level of reverb. This adds to your ability to be more musical when playing.
That wraps up "Program" mode, and now we'll move to "Performance" mode. This is where you'll set up the unit for controlling multiple keyboards or modules. Performance mode allows for setup of two programs within the unit, and as many as eight timbres from external instruments. As you'll recall, the SG has several MIDI connectors; there are two connectors labeled MIDI output A which transmit 16 MIDI channels, and two connectors labeled MIDI output B which also transmits data on 16 MIDI channels. This essentially gives you 32 MIDI channels. When configuring your performance, you are able to select which timbre will go to which MIDI output, and you're able to make bank and program selections, choose keyboard ranges, volume changes, and much more. The assignable sliders can also be set here to nearly anything you want. These are great for live use, as you can set the sliders to control the volume of your modules for quick edits. The ease of which all of this is done is noteworthy. The programmer uses the Cursor buttons to move from page to page, finally ending up at a spot where you're able to rename and save the performance.
One complaint of many users of these keyboard controllers is that performing simple splits and layers are just to darned complicated and time consuming. Korg has addressed this with a simple Layer/Split switch that makes these tasks fast and easy. Another thoughtful addition is the Transpose/Master Tune button for easy transposing. The SGpro/X is one of the few keyboards of this caliber that can be used by both a professional player, who is familiar with the technology, and also by a novice who may not have as much experience with these machines.
As I mentioned earlier, there are many choices in the pro digital piano/controller market. So how does the SGpro/X stack up? In most areas, very well. If the SG has a downfall, it's that it isn't more flexible in multi-timbral mode. As for the competition, Roland has two offerings to consider, including the A90 EX Master Controller. This model has more in the way of controlling, and the sound engine is similar in concept to the SG. But the extra controlling functions command a higher price as well. Roland's new RD600 is more of a direct competitor to the SGpro/X. The RD has more patches (128), is 16 part multi-timbral, and offers similar quality and effects. But you won't find aftertouch, or the extensive controlling functions and ease of use found on the Korg. Alesis is also in the hunt with their QS8. This keyboard is both less money and more complete in the sound department with 640 sounds and two expansion slots. But the Korg is easier to use and may be built a bit better. The bottom line is how the keyboard sounds move you, and what your application is. As a professional digital piano and master controller, the SG doesn't take a back seat to anybody. Let your ears and fingers decide, but make sure you spend some time with the SGpro/X!
For more information, visit http://www.korg.com.
Ben Kraft, Kraft Music ben@kraftmusic.com
Kraft Music is a retailer specializing in keyboards, MIDI hardware/software, and recording gear. Their dedication to service and product knowledge matched with competitive pricing has made the company one of the leaders in on-line mail-order sales. Visit their site at http://www.kraftmusic.com.