Korg Nautilus 61

Korg Nautilus - Following In The Footsteps Of The Titans. All In One Instrument!

Limitless possibilities in musical expression and absolutely easy operation, that’s what the new KORG NAUTILUS stands for. Besides the nine well-known and now further developed KORG sound engines, which naturally derive from KRONOS technology, the Nautilus combines the best and newest sounds available on the market with a completely new control concept.

The wide-ranging sound and effect selection and the comprehensive technical features make the Nautilus unique in the world of music workstations alongside its sleek and elegant design. Along with a polyphonic arpeggiator, traditional sampling and audio recording functions, and many other refinements, the Nautilus is technically at the highest level.

The very simple and efficient design of the instrument houses the latest processor generation that ensures the contemporary demands of musicians and producers in the studio and on stage can be met. The consistent technological advancement has brought forth this beautifully designed and high-quality synthesizer: the KORG NAUTILUS.

Nine Different Sound Engines For Maximum Expressiveness

The NAUTILUS offers nine different sound engines with astonishingly realistic grand piano, electric piano, organ, and many other tones. The enhanced SGX-2 grand piano sound engine shines with finely responsive piano nuances. Additionally, the NAUTILUS offers far more piano sounds than all its predecessors.

To sound absolutely realistic, the new pianos provide 12 different dynamic layers (velocity layers), string resonance, and many other details. The EP-1 sound engine offers comparable flexibility but focuses on electric piano sounds of all kinds.

The CX-3 sound engine—the heart of our classic CX-3 organ from the past—delivers sounds for the drawbar organ section. Alongside are the MOD-7 VPM/FM synthesis, the PolysixEX and MS-20EX for high-quality analog modeling, and the STR-1 for physical modeling applications.

Each of the nine different sound engines has its own character, providing suitable sounds for every musical taste. Combining these in program or combination mode results in a refreshingly diverse sound palette.

Brand-New Sounds Divided Into Three Main Categories

The starting point for the sounds included in the NAUTILUS was the idea that Korg wanted to break away from preconceived notions about what sounds a conventional music workstation should contain. Instead, the boundaries in sampling and programming were expanded because all programs had to meet at least one of the following criteria:

"Unique" Sounds: The NAUTILUS contains distinctive sounds, some based on phrase loops, prepared pianos, household percussion, and more. Numerous instruments known only in certain cultures require special playing techniques that don’t even need to be simulated on the NAUTILUS: factory-ready phrases are already available. These phrases can be quickly and highly effectively integrated into songs.

Many NAUTILUS sounds were sampled for the first time in history: tonal colors based on pianos prepared with all sorts of objects, "household percussion" with anything not nailed down but somehow groovy. These fresh sounds give your songs a new flair and are also suitable for film and TV music.

"Current" Sounds: Additionally, the NAUTILUS offers sounds suitable right out of the box for today’s popular music genres, including synthesizers, drum kits, and many other sound effects. The EDM, electro, and chiptune areas stand out especially among the synth sounds.

Furthermore, the NAUTILUS contains over 50 drum kits with sounds that definitely don’t remind you of yesterday or the day before. The sound effects include drum sounds with dance backing for beat creation that can be used immediately. The Nautilus is not only up-to-date but ahead of its time.

Standard Sounds: Of course, this workstation also includes bread-and-butter sounds like grand piano, piano, electric piano, guitar, bass, and much more. For the new grand piano sound, we also sampled the studio acoustics, whose level can be effectively dosed relative to the actual grand piano sound.

A new electric piano model with a wonderfully solid sound is ideal for funk music. Look forward to numerous phrases with typical guitar and bass parts so keyboardists can "properly" play guitar or bass.

The DYNAMICS Control For Unlimited Expressiveness

The DYNAMICS control lets you instantly vary the keyboard’s response, whether bright and wide or more reserved and narrow. Real-time changes to these settings can be used quickly and easily as a new expressive tool on stage and in the studio. This can go so far that the chosen basic sound is barely recognizable. First, find the ideal setting for your playing and then experiment with the creative possibilities you’ll find on the NAUTILUS.

When you activate the DYNAMICS control and turn it left, the response to your touch becomes more differentiated, leading to an extended range. This lets you play even subtler and more expressive piano solos and accompaniments, where dynamics naturally play the main role. Turning the control right reduces the dynamic range, resulting in a more powerful basic sound. This is especially necessary in a band or ensemble where you don’t want to get lost in the noise.

Real-Time Knobs For Fast And Detailed Sound Editing

The six real-time knobs on the left side of the control panel allow flexible real-time control of sounds in program and combi mode. Each knob can be assigned desired sound aspects: filter frequency, effect amount, note length, arpeggiator tempo and swing, drum track snare type, and much more.

In combi mode, timbres can be linked, allowing comfortable balance changes with these knobs. The real-time rotary knobs can also be retracted by simply pressing them, both to lock them and to prevent unwanted setting changes. Of course, only those knobs needed in exceptional cases can be retracted if desired.

New And Intuitive Control Concept

Despite the versatile settings, the NAUTILUS has received a completely new and very tidy user interface. An elegant and intuitive control concept lets every user easily keep track. The menu navigation on the display clearly shows the desired path to each setting without getting lost in the densely populated control panel.

The MODE button on the right side of the control surface takes you to a display showing all modes available on the instrument (Program, Combi, Set-List, Sampling, Sequence, and Global). Each mode displays different parameters clearly over several tabs at the bottom of the display, while the PAGE button allows further detailed editing of the respective mode.

Thanks to the new control concept, the setting procedures are the same everywhere. The user-friendly navigation of the NAUTILUS also means you can return to the starting point, the mode selection, at any time with the MODE button. There’s even a dark mode where the display mainly shows black areas—your eyes will thank you.

Six quick access buttons on the right side of the control panel can be assigned desired shortcuts to keep paths to a direct menu point or function short. Four suggested assignments are provided from the factory to choose from.

If you want to use your own shortcuts for various menu pages or functions, you can program up to four user assignments. Functions like recording or the sequencer transport buttons can be configured here alongside, for example, different mode areas. This way, you can always have the most frequently needed functions "at hand." An absolutely brilliant control concept.

Arpeggiator And Drum Track Function

There are 4 "scenes" with arpeggio patterns and drum track sets that perfectly match the respective factory sound in program and combi mode. Such scene changes can be used creatively, facilitate improvisations, and expand horizons when writing new songs inspired by the currently selected sound.

Color TouchView Display

The control center of the NAUTILUS is a 7" (800 x 480 pixels), color WVGA TouchView display. Thanks to the TouchView display, sounds or other parameters can be selected by simply tapping and values adjusted with drag movements surprisingly precisely. Interactive instrument and control panel graphics invite you to, for example, lift/lower the grand piano lid or plug patch cables on a semi-modular synthesizer model. The TouchView display also offers a practical search function to find (and preview) specific sounds.

Set List Function For Flexible Live Operation

The NAUTILUS prepares all resources you need for complex song structures or a complete concert on request—that’s exactly the purpose of the set list function. In set list mode, the TouchView display shows up to 16 color-coded buttons that you only need to tap to select the required sound, the corresponding combination, or a MIDI or audio recording. No matter which operating mode you’re in, the desired setup is set with the push of a button.

The colors of the individual buttons in the set list can be freely selected, which is practical for easier recognition of different memory locations during live use. After all, everything on stage has to happen lightning fast. The set list mode even includes a graphical 9-band EQ, allowing you to adjust the overall output signal to the acoustic characteristics of the respective venue.

Open Sampling System

KORG’s open sampling system allows easy sampling of external audio sources, whether you are in program, combination, or sequencer mode. In open sampling mode, you can even sample signals played by the NAUTILUS itself. The user sample bank, part of the EXs sample library, allows loading and playing user samples, which can be used without restraint thanks to the huge SSD capacity.

Samples of all common formats (AIFF, WAV, SoundFont 2.0, and AKAI S1000/3000) can be loaded from a USB storage device. There is even the option to connect the NAUTILUS to a computer network via a USB Ethernet adapter to drastically speed up data exchange from computer to instrument. Instruments and samples prepared on the computer can thus be integrated and used in the NAUTILUS system in no time.

New 16-Track MIDI Sequencer

The NAUTILUS includes a comfortably equipped recording section with 16 MIDI and 16 audio tracks. This allows you to capture all spontaneous ideas but also realize high-quality productions. The MIDI part is not only suitable for capturing new song ideas but also allows spicing up your arrangements with drum track phrases and RPPR phrases (Realtime Pattern Play/Recording).

The audio part optionally uses a resolution of 16 or 24 bit at 48kHz and stores all data without any compression. Additionally, you can play along with already recorded parts and sample everything the NAUTILUS outputs simultaneously, saving it as a WAV file or reintegrating it into a song. A mixer is also available, as well as extensive automation. Editing individual audio parts is naturally very comfortable as well.

16 Internal Effect Processors

The NAUTILUS contains 16 effect processors that let you give your sounds and productions the final polish. The 12 insert effects can be distributed either across the timbres of a combination or the tracks of a song or linked into a serial chain. Additionally, there are 2 master effect paths accessible via bus send 1 and 2, as well as 2 total effects for the final refinement of the sound at the end of the chain.

A separate 3-band EQ is available for each track of a timbre, each track of the MIDI sequencer, and each audio track. This makes it easy to perfectly adjust everything in the NAUTILUS.

USB-MIDI Connection For Connecting MIDI Controllers

You can connect any standard USB-MIDI controller to the NAUTILUS. With a KORG USB-MIDI controller like the nanoPAD, nanoPAD2, or padKONTROL (with pads), you can play drum parts.

Smooth Sound Transition - Prevents Dropouts During Sound Changes (Mode Independent)

When selecting a sound for the next song and switching from program to combi mode (and vice versa), any notes still ringing out are not abruptly cut off but fade out naturally, whether it’s the actual tone or just the reverb tail. Sudden cutoffs of tones are a thing of the past.

88-Key Model With RH3 Hammer Action, 73- And 61-Key Models With Lightly Weighted Keyboard

The keyboard of the 88-key NAUTILUS model features KORG’s best and four-level graded hammer action keyboard RH3. The Japan-made keyboard offers greater key resistance in the bass range than in the treble range. The 61- and 73-key variants both have a high-quality and lightly weighted keyboard on which not only organ sounds with many glissandi can be performed absolutely easily.

While the 88-key model is equipped with elegant wooden side panels, the 73- and 61-key models feature a completely new design with impressive curves that seem to rise from the depth of the instrument and clearly recall the famous NAUTILUS ancestors: the submarine named Nautilus and the giant squid. This makes the NAUTILUS a real eye-catcher on any stage—a true visual statement.

Free Music Software Bundle

The NAUTILUS comes with several free software packages. These include Izotope’s "Ozone Elements" for audio editing of songs, "Skoove" learning software for keyboard instruments, "Reason Lite" DAW software for your own studio, as well as software synthesizers from KORG and other brands. This lets you be carefree and infinitely creative with this instrument to captivate a steadily growing audience.

Limitless Possibilities In Musical Expression & Absolutely Easy Operation, That’s What The New KORG NAUTILUS Stands For!