Korg Pa5X 88 International

Inspiring Sounds, Fresh Workflow - A 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 ensure easier and better operation, delivering a new sonic experience that will ignite your creativity and performance!

The Pa5X contains thousands of inspiring sounds and several hundred new styles that you can call up 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—whether on stage, in the studio, or at home.

Premium Quality in an Elegant Design

Both appearance and durability played key roles in the Pa5X’s development: the robust aluminum housing is fitted with real wood side panels, giving it a correspondingly classy look. All keyboard variants of the Pa5X offer authentic response and expressive control for every application.

The 88-key keyboard, for example, delivers authentic piano touch, while the 76- and 61-key versions are lightly weighted. All keyboards feature aftertouch!

Contemporary, Uncluttered User Interface

At the center of the Pa5X is a large and clear 8" touchscreen display with a completely revamped GUI (graphical user interface). This lets you access all sounds and functions of the Pa5X in a flash during live and studio use.

The color coding on the display is mirrored by the LEDs on the programmable buttons. This simplifies operation and adds color to your music.

Powerful EDS-XP Sound Generation 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) uses the technology introduced with the Pa4X but combines it with high-end hardware and a powerful operating system. The result: the Pa5X sounds even richer than its predecessor.

With 24 stereo oscillators and 160-voice polyphony, it offers lush, high-quality sounds for a wide range of musical styles. Additionally, the EDS-XP sound engine features groundbreaking functions like drum and percussion parts with round-robin technology, smooth sound transitions, three sound controllers, and more. The Pa5X’s sounds are correspondingly authentic and expressive.

Real-Time Control

The Pa5X is equipped with a control section containing 9 buttons and 9 sliders. Any functions can be assigned to these: mixer volume, drawbars, mute/activate microphone, bass inversion, lyric scrolling, and much 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 the ribbon controller are available for modulating virtually all parameters. This is one reason why the Pa5X’s sounds feel so authentic.

Advanced Chord Recognition and Numerous Chord Sequences

The Pa5X’s chord recognition system is one of the most advanced available. It offers an expert mode where nearly all jazz piano harmonies are possible. The chord recognition can be as simple or sophisticated as you want—even allowing you to play chords with just one finger if desired!

With automatic harmony voices, a chord sequencer, and groundbreaking chord recognition, the Pa5X provides the tools for perfect arrangements in virtually any musical genre.

Seamless Transitions Between Sounds, Styles, and Songs

The Pa5X also uses Korg’s Smooth Sound Transition technology (SST), which ensures seamless transitions between tones, styles, and songs. When selecting a different style element, sounds, effects, and parts fade out naturally: no abrupt note cutoffs or clipped effects.

Powerful Player with Crossfades

The Pa5X can play two styles, MIDI files, or MP3 files simultaneously thanks to two independent players—in any combination (Korg XDS, Crossfade Dual Sequencer/Player). The crossfader allows real-time blending between two styles/files and even lets you prepare a song while the previous one is still playing.

The Pa5X’s sound generation is designed so that both the effect processors and polyphony rarely get pushed to their limits.

Lyrics, chords, notation, and markers can be displayed either on the large Pa5X display or on an external screen with HDMI input. Numerous lyric formats are recognized instantly, and the instrument can show the notes of a MIDI song as sheet music in real time.

Using markers, you can jump repeatedly to marked passages with the style element buttons, which is invaluable when learning new songs, rehearsing, jamming, or performing live.

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, recording all parts (including MP3 songs) in the popular MP3 format is recommended.

The SongBook: Your Musical Library

Songs and styles can be saved in the so-called "SongBook," a database whose entries can be easily synchronized with lyrics or notation on a tablet. This allows you to control the Pa5X with a "digital songbook."

The songs in the music database can be saved in additional setlists for different occasions (tour playlists, dance rounds, 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 Situation

The internal sounds include not only realistic acoustic tones but also electric vintage keyboards, synth classics, and novel sounds and effects for gaming, multimedia, and film productions. The tones cover several centuries and cultures and can be expanded if needed.

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 borrowed from the legendary KORG CX-3 combo organ.

The new drum kits use a new round-robin technology, making every hit sound different at every dynamic level. These usually subtle differences contribute decisively to a natural-sounding drum part. It’s guaranteed that no sample (up to 32 samples per drum instrument) ever sounds twice in a row!

If the immense sound selection still leaves wishes unfulfilled, a sampler is available for additional sounds, drum kits, and audio loops. You can either 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, 3 master, and 1 finalizer effect are available for each of the two players. Keyboard sets also get 3 insert and 3 master effects.

Right 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 Audio, the studio reference for professional effects.

Separate Microphone and Guitar Inputs, Each with Suitable Effects

The Pa5X offers separate inputs for a microphone and a guitar. Both signals can be processed with suitable effects: vocal harmonies in Korg quality and powerful guitar effects.

The new algorithms use the Pa5X’s technology for convincing voice 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 custom sounds are included as a starting point.

These new guitar effects let guitarists play carefree, 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 a guitar preset to enable quick changes.

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

The Pa5X offers numerous audio, control, and storage connections. Controllers and storage media can be connected to the MIDI jacks or USB ports.

The HDMI connection allows linking to an external display. For audio connections, XLR, jack, and mini-jack sockets are available for external keyboards, condenser or dynamic microphones, guitars and basses, smartphones, and tablets.

The instrument can also be connected to active speakers or a PA system via the balanced outputs. Four additional balanced individual outputs with line level allow separate output of desired parts.

For control, there are connections for a damper pedal (including "half-pedal" models), a footswitch, and a volume or expression pedal. Simply use your existing pedals or choose the right ones from Korg’s extensive accessory range.

Standard File Formats

The file formats .MID, .MP3 as well as .WAV, .AIFF, and .SF2 for samples are supported by virtually all instruments and external players, allowing easy data exchange.

The MIDI and USB ports are intended for connecting external storage media, computers, smartphones, tablets, and external controllers. The HDMI port supports current displays and video networks, which is invaluable for live use of the Pa5X.

Elegant, Powerful, User-Friendly

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 offerings with an intuitive user interface and a rich feature set makes the Pa5X a standout.

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

KORG Pa5X: The Most Impressive Generation of Arranger Keyboards!