Korg EK-50 User manual

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EK-50 Owner’s Manual
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Table of Contents
Main Features .........................................................................3
Part Names..............................................................................4
Front panel.................................................................................. 4
Rear panel ................................................................................... 4
Control panel.............................................................................. 5
Display......................................................................................... 6
Preparing to Play ....................................................................7
Using the AC adapter ................................................................ 7
Using this instrument with baeries ....................................... 7
Turning the power on/o.......................................................... 7
Adjusting the volume................................................................ 8
Using the sheet music stand ..................................................... 8
Using headphones ..................................................................... 8
Using a pedal .............................................................................. 8
Basic operations .....................................................................9
About modes .............................................................................. 9
Other functions........................................................................... 9
Selecting sounds and changing values.................................... 9
Playing the EK‑50 (style mode)............................................10
Selecting a grand piano........................................................... 10
Selecting the keyboard set ...................................................... 10
Selecting a set list ..................................................................... 10
Changing the sounds on the le and right (split)................ 11
Playing in time with the metronome..................................... 11
Muting parts and changing sounds....................................... 12
Seing the key and octave ...................................................... 12
Adding eects and embellishments to your playing .......... 13
Auto‑accompaniment (style mode) ....................................14
Playing along with auto-accompaniment............................. 14
Making changes to the auto-accompaniment ...................... 15
Choosing a music style and playing...................................... 16
Saving the set list (WRITE) ..................................................... 17
Recording your performance.................................................. 17
Song mode ............................................................................18
Listening to the demo songs................................................... 18
Playing along with a song....................................................... 18
Playing back using dierent methods................................... 18
Editing a song........................................................................... 19
SETTING functions................................................................21
Basic methods of use................................................................ 21
Main SETTING functions........................................................ 21
List of SETTING functions...................................................... 22
MEDIA functions ...................................................................24
Connecting and removing USB ash drives ........................ 24
Basic method of use ................................................................. 24
List of MEDIA functions ......................................................... 24
Connecting to an external device .......................................26
Connecting an audio player.................................................... 26
Connecting powered monitor speakers ................................ 26
Connecting to a computer....................................................... 27
Appendix...............................................................................28
Restoring the EK‑50 to factory default seings.................... 28
Calibrating an expression/volume pedal .............................. 28
Troubleshooting ....................................................................... 28
List of chords recognized ........................................................ 30
Specications........................................................................31
MIDI Implementation Chart.................................................32

Main Features 3
Thank you for purchasing the Korg EK‑50 Entertainer keyboard.
To help you get the most out of your new instrument, please
read this manual carefully.
About this manual
The EK‑50 comes with the following manuals.
• Quick Start Guide (printed)
• Owner’s Manual (this document, PDF)
• Voice Name List (PDF)
Quick Start Guide (booklet)
Read this manual rst. This guide explains the basic operations
and other features of the EK‑50.
Owner’s Manual (this document, PDF)
This explains how to use the detailed functions of the EK‑50.
Voice Name List (PDF)
This is a list of the styles, keyboard sets, demo songs and other
data used on the EK‑50.
Download the PDF from the following Korg website.
www.korg.com
Conventions in this manual
Symbols ,
Note
,
Tip
These symbols respectively indicate a caution, a supplementary
note, or a tip.
Example screen displays
The parameter values shown in the example screens of this
manual are only for explanatory purposes, and may not
necessary match the values that appear in the screen of your
instrument.
Lists shown at the top of the panel
The styles, songs, and keyboard set categories are listed at the
top of the panel.
Main Features
Playing with dierent sounds
The EK‑50 lets you play many dierent kinds
of instrument sounds in addition to piano,
violin, sax, drums and so on. ..............page 10
Playing along with a style (auto‑
accompaniment)
You can select from dierent genres of
“styles,” which are like a backing band
or rhythm accompaniment. Try playing a
melody in your right hand while playing a
chord with your le hand. .................. page 14
Playing back a sound source from a USB
ash drive
The EK‑50 lets you play back MP3, WAV and
SMF les contained on a USB ash drive.
Select the sound you want and enjoy playing
along. ......................................................page 18
Connecting to an external
device and playing back audio
You can play the audio from external devices, such as MP3
players, smartphones and other mobile devices, computers and
so on, and hear it through the built‑in speakers of the EK‑50.
................................................................................................. page 26
Adding eects to sounds
You can add distortion or reverb to sounds, giving the sound a
dierent character. ............................................................... page 13

Part Names
4
Part Names
Front panel
Rear panel
1.
Cable hook
....................................................................................... page 7
2.
DC 12V jack ( )
..................................................................... page 7
3.
USB TO DEVICE port, USB TO HOST port ( )
........................................................................................................ page 24, 27
4.
FOOT CONTROLLER jack
.............................................. page 8, 29
5.
OUTPUT L/MONO and R jacks
........................................ page 26
6.
AUDIO IN jack
........................................................................... page 26
7.
Headphones jack ( )
................................................................... page 8
8.
Baery compartment
................................................................. page 7
Built-in speakers
(page 8)
Built-in speakers
(page 8)
KeyboardJoystick (page 13)
Display (page 6) Sheet music stand insertion holes (page 8)
1234567
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Part Names 5
Control panel
1.
MODE section
................................................................................ page 9
STYLE/[MUSIC STYLE] buon
..................................... page 10, 16
SONG/[DEMO SONG] buon
............................................. page 18
2.
KEYBOARD SET/[STS] buon
..................................... page 10, 15
3.
GRAND PIANO buon
.......................................................... page 10
4.
SPEAKER EQ/[SPEAKER OFF] buon
..................... page 13, 26
5.
SETTING/[EFFECT] buon
............................................ page 13, 21
6.
MEDIA buon
............................................................................. page 24
7.
[SHIFT] buon
When seing a function enclosed in white lines for a buon,
hold the [SHIFT] buon down and press that buon.
You may sometimes need to hold down the
[SHIFT] buon and then press another
buon or turn the dial.
This icon is used in these cases.
8.
Dial
..................................................................................................... page 9
9.
CATEGORY buon t, u
......................................................... page 9
10.
Numerical buons, + buon, – buon
............................. page 9
11.
ENSEMBLE buon
.................................................................... page 13
12.
SPLIT buon
................................................................................ page 11
13.
TAP TEMPO/[TEMPO LOCK] buon
.................... page 11, 12
14.
METRONOME/[BEAT SELECT] buon
........................ page 11
15.
TRANSPOSE ♭, ♯/[OCTAVE –, +] buon
.......................... page 12
16.
SET LIST section
.................................................................. page 10, 17
• BANK/WRITE buon
• Buons 1–4
17.
STYLE/SONG section
STYLE section
............................................................................ page 15
• VARIATION 1/2, 3/4 buons
• FILL buon
• COUNT IN/BREAK buon
• INTRO/ENDING buon
• Start/stop buon ( )
• SYNCHRO START/STOP buon
• Record buon ( )
SONG section
............................................................................ page 18
• LOOP buon
• A1
B buon (A1 B)
• Rewind buon ( )
• Fast‑forward buon ( )
• Pause buon ( )
• Start/stop buon ( )
• ERASE buon
• Record buon ( )
18.
PART MUTE/[SOUND SELECT] section
................. page 12, 16
Keyboard part
............................................................................ page 10
• LOWER buon
• UPPER 1 buon
• UPPER 2 buon
• UPPER 3 buon
Accompaniment part
............................................................... page 14
• DRUM buon
• PERCUSSION buon
• BASS buon
• OTHER PARTS buon
15
2 3 4 56 7 8910
11
12
13
14
16
17
18
1
Style list Song list Keyboard list
Power buon ( )
(page 7)
VOLUME knob (page 8)

Part Names
6
Display
Chord
Displays the name of the chord played
within the chord recognition range.
USB icon
Displays when a USB ash drive is
plugged into the USB TO DEVICE
port.
: Displays when the style or
song have stopped.
The octave and transpose state are
displayed to the right.
Octave Transpose
: Displays when a style or
song is being played back.
The current measure position or
remaining number of measures are
displayed to the right.
: Displays the tempo
of the style or song.
: Lights up to display the beat
of the style or song.
Tempo lock icon (page 12)
Displays when the tempo is
locked.
Split point (page 11)
Baery indicator
Displays the remaining amount of
baery power when running on
baeries.
Bank
Displays the bank of the currently
selected set list.
Keyboard display
Displays the keys currently played
on the keyboard, and the split point.
These show the current mode and function. When the display is blinking, the
blinking items indicate what operations are in eect.
: Displays when using style mode. The style name and number appear
below on the display.
: Displays when using song mode. The song name and number appear
below on the display.
: Displays when a music style is selected. The music style name and
number appear below on the display.
: Displays when style mode or song mode are in use. The keyboard
set name and number used by the style or song appear below on the display.
: Displays when the sound for each part used in the keyboard set is
selected. The sound name and number appear below on the display.
: Displays when accessing the SETTING functions. The parameter
name, number, value and so on that are being set appear in the display.

Preparing to Play 7
Preparing to Play
Using the AC adapter
1. Make sure that the power on this instrument is turned o.
2. Connect the DC plug of the included AC adapter to the
DC 12V jack located on the rear panel of the EK‑50.
Be sure to use only the included AC adapter. Using any
other AC adapter may cause malfunctions.
Hook the AC adapter cord onto the cord hook. Do not use
excessive force when pulling the cord o the hook.
Cord hook
AC adapter (included)
When hooking the cord onto
the cord hook, be careful not
to bend this part any more
than necessary.
3. Connect the plug of the AC adapter to an AC outlet.
Be sure to use an AC outlet of the correct voltage for
your adapter.
Using this instrument with batteries
You can use eight AA alkaline or nickel‑metal hydride baeries
to power this instrument.
Zinc‑carbon baeries cannot be used.
Note:
Baeries are not included, so please obtain them
separately.
Installing batteries
1. Make sure that the power on this instrument is turned o.
2. Push the two tabs on the baery compartment cover that is
located on the boom of this instrument to open the cover.
Note:
When turning the
instrument upside down,
place it on a blanket or similar
material to prevent damage to
the display, joystick and so on.
3. When inserting the baeries,
be sure to observe the correct polarity (“+” and “–”).
Do not mix new and old
baeries, or baeries of dierent
types. Failing to observe this
guideline might cause the
baeries to leak or burst.
4. Close the baery cover.
Note:
To make sure the correct
baery level is displayed, make the seing on this instrument
for the type of baery you are using (see page 21 “Seing the
baery type”).
Replacing the batteries
The baery indicator is displayed at the top right‑hand part of
the display.
Note:
This indicator will not be displayed while the AC adapter
is plugged in.
When the indicator is blinking, this means that the baeries are
nearly depleted, so replace the baeries as soon as possible or
connect an AC adapter to power this instrument.
Remove depleted baeries immediately. Leaving depleted
baeries in could result in malfunctions caused by baery
electrolyte leakage or similar problems. Also, remove the
baeries if you will not be using the EK‑50 for a long time.
Turning the power on/o
1. Turn the VOLUME knob all the way to the le, so that the
volume is down.
2. Press the power buon to turn the instrument on.
When turning o the power, hold the power buon down
until the backlight on the display goes dark.
Note:
The EK‑50 will automatically turn o if it has not been
played or operated for a certain amount of time (via the auto
power‑o function).
The time interval is set to 30 minutes at factory default. This
interval can be changed (see page 21 “Changing the auto
power‑o function”).
1
2

Preparing to Play
8
Adjusting the volume
yTurn the VOLUME knob on the front panel to adjust the
sound to the optimum level.
The VOLUME knob sets the volume of sound coming from
the built-in speakers, the headphones jack and the OUTPUT
jacks.
Using the sheet music stand
Insert the sheet music stand into the two holes for the same on
the front panel.
Using headphones
yConnect the stereo mini‐plug of a pair of commercially
available headphones to the headphones jack on the rear
panel.
Headphones
Note:
The built-in speakers will not make a sound if a pair of
headphones has been connected to the headphones jack (but
sound will still be outpued from the OUTPUT jacks).
Using headphones at high volume for an extended time
may cause hearing damage. Avoid excessively high volume
levels.
Using a pedal
You can plug an optional pedal (sold separately) into the FOOT
CONTROLLER jack on the rear panel to use as a damper pedal,
or to control the volume.
Use the SETTING function to make the pedal seings, according
to which kind of pedal you will connect (see page 21
“Changing the pedal polarity” and page 21 “Changing the
pedal function”).
Damper pedal, pedal switch, etc.
• When using a Korg PS‑1 or PS‑3 pedal switch, this will
function as a damper switch to change how much the
damper takes eect, according to how far down you press
the pedal. As with the damper pedal on a piano, you can use
a pedal with this instrument to sustain the notes you play,
even aer taking your ngers o the keyboard. You can also
make seings for quarter tone playing.
Note:
Note that the damper eect does not work on the
lower part.
• Connect a Korg DS‑1H damper pedal to use as a half‑
damper switch. This will give you ne damper control
when playing sounds like piano and electric piano on this
instrument.
• Connect a Korg XVP‑20 or XVP‑10 expression/volume
pedal, or an EXP‑2 foot controller to control the volume of
the keyboard part (see page 10 “Selecting the keyboard
set”).

Basic operations 9
Basic operations
About modes
The EK‑50 features two dierent modes, a style mode and a
song mode.
Press the appropriate MODE section buon on the front panel
to enter one of the modes.
When turning on the EK‑50, the instrument will automatically
enter style mode.
Style mode
Style mode lets you select a sound in this instrument and play
it together with another sound you like on the keyboard, as
well as play along with auto‑accompaniment (style). You can
also record your playing when using the auto-accompaniment
function.
Song mode
In song mode, you can play back demo songs and user songs as
well as music data les (MP3, WAV and SMF), and play along
with them. You can also edit the user songs easily.
Other functions
SETTING functions
These functions include global seings for the instrument like
keyboard touch, master tune, scale, pitch bend variable range
and so on. There are also seings for pedals that you connect, as
well as MIDI‑related seings.
MEDIA functions
These functions are for saving or loading set lists to/from USB
ash drives, as well as for saving user songs. This also includes
functions for formaing USB ash drives and for system
updates.
Selecting sounds and changing values
Use the dial, the numerical buons, the + and – buons and
the CATEGORY buon when selecting sounds or changing the
values of the seings.
1.
Dial
This is used to change numbers and values.
Turn the dial clockwise to increase the value, and turn the
dial counter‐clockwise to decrease the value.
2.
Numerical buons
Use these buons to directly input numbers and values on
the EK‑50.
To input a two-digit number using the three-digit display
(for example, “36”), press “0”, “3” and “6”.
3.
+ and – buons
• Press either the + or – buon once to increment or
decrement a number.
• Hold down the + or – buon to continually change the
number.
4.
CATEGORY buons t, u
When you press the CATEGORY buon to select a style,
keyboard set, sound and so on in style mode or song mode,
the rst digit of the number group corresponding to the
category or genre will be selected.
When using the SETTING or MEDIA functions, press the
CATEGORY buon to select a page.
1
2
43

Playing the EK‑50 (style mode)
10
Playing the EK‑50 (style mode)
Selecting a grand piano
yPress the GRAND PIANO buon.
This will quickly select the grand piano sound.
Selecting the keyboard set
The keyboard set is a group of sounds used in keyboard
performance.
There are over 170 keyboard sets, divided into 17 groups.
Four parts are allocated to the keyboard set (the lower part
and upper parts 1–3), which include sounds like piano, strings,
synthesizer, drums and so on. These four parts together are
called a keyboard part.
Lower part Upper parts 1–3
Left side Right side
Split point
Keyboard
part
Tip:
See the “Voice Name List” (PDF) for a list of the keyboard
sets and sounds.
1. Press the KEYBOARD SET/[STS] buon.
will blink on the display, and the keyboard set
name will be displayed.
2. Select the keyboard set by using the dial.
Use the CATEGORY buons to switch to dierent keyboard
sets within each category.
yTo revert to the original keyboard set, press the
KEYBOARD SET/[STS] buon while holding down the
[SHIFT] buon.
“” (Single Touch Seings) will be shown in front of the
keyboard set name.
Selecting a set list
Set lists are used to save and quickly recall your favorite seings
(style, keyboard set, tempo, eects and so on; see page 17
“Saving the set list (WRITE)”).
The recommended set lists are stored in locations 1–4 of bank A.
Bank A‑1 will be selected right aer the power is turned on.
1. Press the BANK/WRITE buon several times to select the
bank.
The bank will change in sequential order (A"B"C...J"A...)
with each press of the BANK/WRITE buon.
Tip:
Pressing this buon while holding down the [SHIFT]
buon will select banks in reverse order.
2. Use buons 1–4 to select the set list.
2
1