Korg Pa5X 61 International

Inspiring New Sounds, Fresh Workflow Approach, Completely New Arranger!

The Pa5X is the new flagship of the KORG Professional Arranger series packed with countless innovations. The newly developed sound engine and streamlined, color-coded user interface deliver easier and better operation, while providing a new sonic experience that will ignite your creativity and performance!

The Pa5X contains thousands of inspiring sounds and several hundred new styles that can be accessed lightning-fast and accurately thanks to the new user interface. The control panel is completely redesigned, featuring a versatile pad matrix and a new mixer section, multicolored LED buttons, and a large tablet-quality touchscreen for intuitive control over your music. The Pa5X feels right at home on stage and in the studio, inspiring you anytime.

Premium Quality in an Elegant Design

Both appearance and durability played key roles in the Pa5X’s development: the robust aluminum chassis is fitted with real wood side panels for a refined look. All keyboard variants of the Pa5X offer authentic response and expressive control for every application. For example, the 88-key model delivers authentic piano touch, while the 76- and 61-key versions are lightly weighted. All keyboards feature aftertouch!

Contemporary, Streamlined User Interface

At the center of the Pa5X is a large, tiltable 8" touchscreen display with a completely revamped GUI (graphical user interface). This allows lightning-fast access to all sounds and functions in live and studio settings. The color coding on the display is mirrored by the LEDs on the programmable buttons, simplifying operation and adding color to your music.

Powerful EDS-XP Sound Engine for an Inspirational Boost

KORG’s Professional Arrangers have long been the benchmark for musical instruments, thanks in no small part to their outstanding sound quality. The Pa5X’s EDS-XP sound engine (Enhanced Definition Synthesis - Expanded) builds on the technology introduced with the Pa4X, combining it with high-end hardware and a powerful operating system. As a result, the Pa5X sounds even richer than its predecessor. With 24 stereo oscillators and 160-note polyphony, it offers lush, high-quality sounds for a wide range of musical styles. Additionally, the EDS-XP engine features groundbreaking functions such as drum and percussion parts with round-robin technology, smooth sound transitions, three sound controllers, and more. The Pa5X’s sounds are thus authentic and expressive.

Real-Time Control

The Pa5X features a control section with 9 buttons and 9 sliders. Any function can be assigned to these controls: mixer volume, drawbars, mute/activate microphone, bass inversion, lyric scrolling, and more. The assignments are shown on the new strip display, so you always know what each control does.

For expressive playing, there are numerous performance aids and KORG’s DNC (Defined Nuance Control), which lets you access many distinctive articulations of the selected instrument. Faders, buttons, physical and virtual controls, the joystick, and ribbon controller are available to modulate virtually every parameter. This is one reason why the Pa5X’s sounds feel incredibly authentic.

Advanced Chord Recognition and Numerous Chord Sequences

The Pa5X’s chord recognition system is among the most advanced available. It offers an Expert Mode that supports virtually all jazz piano harmonies. The chord recognition can be as straightforward or sophisticated as you want—even allowing you to play chords with a single finger! With automatic harmony voices, a chord sequencer, and pioneering chord recognition, the Pa5X provides the tools for perfect arrangements in nearly every musical genre.

Seamless Transitions Between Sounds, Styles, and Songs

The Pa5X also uses our Smooth Sound Transition technology (SST), ensuring seamless transitions between tones, styles, and songs. When selecting a different style element, sounds, effects, and parts fade out naturally—no abrupt note cuts or clipped effects.

Powerful Players with Crossfades

The Pa5X can play two styles, MIDI files, or MP3 files simultaneously thanks to two independent players—in any combination*. The crossfader allows real-time blending between two styles/files and lets you prepare a song while the previous one is still playing. The Pa5X’s sound engine is designed so that both effect processors and polyphony rarely strain. *KORG XDS (Crossfade Dual Sequencer/Player)

Lyrics, chords, notes, and markers can be displayed either on the large Pa5X screen or on an external HDMI monitor. Numerous lyric formats are recognized instantly, and the instrument can display MIDI song notes as sheet music in real time. Using markers, you can jump repeatedly to marked passages with the STYLE ELEMENT buttons, invaluable for learning new songs, rehearsing, jamming, and live performance.

Create Your Own Styles and Songs

Of course, you can create your own styles and record your creations as MIDI or MP3 songs. Thanks to numerous functions, all recorded events can be edited in detail. The background transposition table ensures that accompaniment parts sound convincing in any key. You can also record your playing with the fully equipped sequencer as MIDI songs. To share your music and vocals with others, we recommend recording all parts (including MP3 songs) in the popular MP3 format.

The SongBook: Your Musical Library

Songs and styles can be saved in the so-called "SongBook," a database whose entries can easily be synchronized with lyrics or sheet music on a tablet. This allows you to control the Pa5X with a "digital music book." The songs in the music database can be saved in multiple setlists for different occasions (tour playlists, dance sets, presentations) in a specific order. Selecting a SongBook entry loads all necessary sounds, the style, the song, effects, and even the chord sequence.

Sounds for Every Occasion

The internal sounds include realistic acoustic tones as well as electric vintage keyboards, classic synths, and innovative sounds and effects for gaming, multimedia, and film productions. The tonal palette spans several centuries and cultures and can be expanded if needed. We put special effort into the piano and electric piano sounds: they come from our acclaimed SV-2 Stage Vintage Piano and can be played with incredible nuance on the 88-key hammer-action keyboard. Selected sounds from our synth workstations KRONOS and NAUTILUS are also included. The brand-new drawbar organ section can be operated exactly like a tonewheel organ thanks to the sliders and buttons on the Pa5X control panel. The matching effects were directly adopted from the legendary KORG CX-3 combo organ.

The new drum kits use round-robin technology so that each hit sounds different at every dynamic level. These usually subtle differences contribute significantly to a natural-sounding drum part. It’s guaranteed that no sample (up to 32 samples per drum instrument) plays twice in a row! If the vast sound library still leaves something to be desired, a sampler is available for additional sounds, drum kits, and audio loops. You can record new sounds yourself or import them from supported formats (AIFF, WAV, and SF2). The samples can also be edited in detail. Highlights include fine-tuning samples and lightning-fast conversion of an audio loop into a percussion kit (time-slice).

Intuitive Mixer with Effects Galore

The Pa5X’s tones can be polished with studio effects on multiple levels: up to 10 insert effects, 3 master effects, and 1 finalizer are available for each of the two players. Keyboard sets get an additional 3 insert and 3 master effects. Just before the Pa5X’s audio outputs, mastering effects provide a high-end studio sound. These effects were developed by KORG engineers in collaboration with Waves MaxxAudio, the studio reference for professional effects.

Separate Microphone and Guitar Inputs, Each with Dedicated Effects

The Pa5X offers separate inputs for a microphone and a guitar. Both signals can be processed with dedicated effects: vocal harmonies in KORG quality and powerful guitar effects. For vocal processing, we collaborated with Shift Audio, a company dedicated to this field for 30 years. As former employees of a globally respected company, Shift Audio’s founders know exactly how convincing vocal processing should sound. Their new algorithms use the Pa5X’s technology for impressive vocal processing. The result: four-part choruses that sound like you’re accompanied by a real vocal quartet. The also new "Auto Pitch" function creates a popular robotic vocal effect.

The separate guitar input naturally has its own gain control. Guitar effects include simulations of vintage pedals and amplifiers for a fat, powerful sound. Numerous guitar presets with up to 4 insert effects and memory for user-programmed sounds are included as a starting point. These new guitar effects let guitarists play freely, as all effect sounds and parameters are managed by the Pa5X at the push of a button. Each SongBook entry can be assigned a vocal and guitar preset to enable quick changes.

MIDI, USB, HDMI, Audio In/Out, and Pedal Connections

The Pa5X offers numerous audio, control, and storage connections. Controllers and storage media can be connected via MIDI ports or USB. The HDMI port allows connection to an external monitor, and audio connections include XLR, jack, and mini-jack sockets for external keyboards, condenser or dynamic microphones, guitars and basses, smartphones, and tablets. The balanced outputs let you connect the instrument to active speakers or a PA system. Four balanced individual outputs with line level allow separate output of desired parts. Control connections include inputs for a damper pedal (including "half-pedal" models), a footswitch, and a volume or expression pedal. Use your existing pedals or choose from KORG’s extensive accessory range to suit your needs.

Standard File Formats

The .MID, .MP3, .WAV, .AIFF, and .SF2 file formats for samples are supported by nearly all instruments and external players, allowing easy data exchange. The MIDI and USB ports are intended for connecting external storage, computers, smartphones, tablets, and controllers. The HDMI port supports current monitors and video networks, invaluable especially for live use of the Pa5X.

The Pa5X is KORG’s most elegant, powerful, and user-friendly Professional Arranger to date, offering a wide range of top-level features. The successful combination of outstanding sound quality with an intuitive user interface and a rich feature set makes the Pa5X a standout instrument.

For more information and the download link for the latest version, visit: Korg Pa5X

KORG Pa5X: The Most Impressive Generation of Arranger Keyboards!