Korg Oasys User manual

Operation Guide
Operation Guide
Operation Guide
Please read this guide first
5

i
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
• Read these instructions.
• Keep these instructions.
• Heed all warnings.
• Follow all instructions.
• Do not use this apparatus near water.
• Mains powered apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or
splashing and that no objects filled with liquids, such as vases,
shall be placed on the apparatus.
• Clean only with dry cloth.
• Do not block any ventilation openings, install in accordance with
the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat
registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that
produce heat.
• Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-
type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than
the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third
grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided
for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet,
consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet. (for
U.S.A. and Canada)
• Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched
particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point
where they exit from the apparatus.
• Only use attachments/accessories specified by the
manufacturer.
• Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused
for long periods of time.
• Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is
required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way,
such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been
spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus
has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate
normally, or has been dropped.
• Do not install this equipment far from a power outlet and/or
power strip.
• Do not install this equipment in a confined space, such as a
moving box or other enclosure.
• Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified
by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is
used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination
to avoid injury from tip-over.
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol
within an equilateral triangle, is intended to
alert the user to the presence of uninsulated
“dangerous voltage” within the product’s
enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude
to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral
triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of important operating and
maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the product.
CAUTION
Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.
Replace only with the same or equivalent type.
THE FCC REGULATION WARNING (for U.S.A.)
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits
for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment
generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If
this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by
one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different
from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for
help.
Unauthorized changes or modification to this system can void the
user’s authority to operate this equipment.
CE mark for European Harmonized Standards
CE mark which is attached to our company’s products of AC mains
operated apparatus until December 31, 1996 means it conforms to
EMC Directive (89/336/EEC) and CE mark Directive (93/68/EEC).
And, CE mark which is attached after January 1, 1997 means it
conforms to EMC Directive (89/336/EEC), CE mark Directive
(93/68/EEC) and Low Voltage Directive (73/23/EEC).
Also, CE mark which is attached to our company’s products of
Battery operated apparatus means it conforms to EMC Directive
(89/336/EEC) and CE mark Directive (93/68/EEC).

ii
Handling of the internal hard disk
Donotapplyphysicalshocktothisdevice.In
particular,youmustnevermovethisdeviceorapply
physicalshockwhilethepoweristurnedon.Thiscan
causepartorallofthedataondisktobelost,ormay
damagetheharddiskorinteriorcomponents.
Whenthisdeviceismovedtoalocationwherethe
temperatureisradicallydifferent,waterdropletsmay
condenseontheharddisk.Ifthedeviceisusedinthis
condition,itmaymalfunction,sopleaseallowseveral
hourstopassbeforeoperatingthedevice.
Donotturnthepoweronandoffrepeatedly.This
maydamagetheX2100.
Thisdevicebeginstoaccesstheharddisk
immediatelyafterthepoweristurnedon.
Neverturnoffthepowerwhiletheharddiskisbeing
accessed.Doingsocancauseallorpartofthedataon
theharddisktobelost,ormaycausemalfunctions
suchasharddiskdamage.
Iftheharddiskhasbeendamagedduetoincorrect
operation,powerfailure,oraccidentalinterruption
ofthepowersupply,afeemaybechargedfor
replacementevenifthisdeviceisstillwithinits
warrantyperiod.
Handling of the cooling vents
Theopeningsontheleftandrightsidesoftheunit
arecoolingvents.Ifthecoolingisinadequate,
operationmaybecomeunstableandthepowersupply
mayshutdown.Besuretoplacetheunitsothatthe
sidesareatleast10cmfromawallorsimilarobject.
Donotplaceanyobjectnearthecoolingventsthat
mightblockthem.
Cautions when using the CD-R/RW
drive
•DuringCDreadingandwritingoperations,keepthe
unitinahorizontalposition.
•Donotusetheunitinextremelycoldorhotlocations.
•Donotusetheunitinextremelyhumidlocations.
•Donotusetheunitindustyorsmokylocations.
•Donotsubjecttheunittovibrationorstrongphysical
shock.Inparticular,thisunitisvulnerabletoshock
duringCDreadingandwritingoperations.
• Normally,youwillbeabletoopentheCDtrayby
pressingtheejectbutton.Howeverifthisfails,you
canforciblyejectthetraybyinsertingathinobject
(suchasastraightenedpaperclip)intotheemergency
ejecthole.
•Donotstoretheunitinhotorhumidlocations.
• Nevertouchthefocusinglens.
•Donotusecommerciallyavailablelenscleaners.
•Donottransporttheunitwithadiscleftinthetray.
•Donotleavetheunitwiththedisctrayopen.
CD-R/RW handling
Pleaseobservethefollowingpointswhenhandlingdiscs.
Failuretoobservethesepointsmaycauseproblemssuch
asdatanotbeingwrittencorrectly,lossofrecordeddata,
ordrivemalfunction.
•Donotleavediscsindirectsunlight,orinlocationsof
hightemperatureorhighhumidity.
•Donottouchthesurfaceofadisc.Holdadiscbyits
edges.
•Removedustordirtfromthesurfaceofadisc.To
removedust,useanairdusterorcleaner.
•Donotaffixlabelstoadisc,orwriteonadiscin
locationsotherthanspecified.
•Donotusechemicalsordetergenttowipeadisc.
•Donotbendordropadisc.
Responsibility for loss of data
KorgCorporationwillacceptnoresponsibilityforany
damages(directorindirect,whethersustainedbythe
customerorbyathirdparty)resultingfromlossofor
damagetodatawrittenonaCD‐RorCD‐RWdisc.
Regarding the LCD screen
TheLCDscreenoftheOASYSisaprecisiondevice
createdusingextremelyhightechnology,andcareful
attentionhasbeenpaidtoitsproductquality.Although
youmaynoticesomeoftheissueslistedbelow,pleasebe
awarethattheseareduetothecharacteristicsofLCD
screens,andarenotmalfunctions.
•Theremaybepixelsinthescreenthatarealwaysdark
(unlit)oralwaysbright(lit).
• Dependingonthedisplayedcontent,thebrightness
ofthescreenmayappearuneven.
• Dependingonthedisplayedcontent,horizontal
stripesofshadingmaybevisible.
• Dependingonthedisplayedcontent,flickeringor
moirepatternsmaybevisible.
CAUTION FOR LASER
This product utilizes a laser.
Use of control, adjustment or performance of
procedures other than those specified herein
may result in hazardous radiation exposure.
Do not open covers and do not repair yourself.
Refer servicing to qualified personnel.
Laserdiodeproperties
Material SemiconductorlaserGaAlAs
Laseroutput LessthanHHSandIEC825‐1Class1
Limit
Wavelength 784nm
Location of the required label.

iii
Data handling
Incorrectoperationormalfunctionmaycausethe
contentsofmemorytobelost,sowerecommendthat
yousaveimportantdataonaCDorothermedia.Please
beawarethatKorgwillacceptnoresponsibilityforany
damageswhichmayresultfromlossofdata.
Also,whendigitallyrecordingcopyrightedaudio
materialfromaDATorCDetc.,youmustobtain
permissionforuse.PleasebeawarethatKorgwillaccept
noresponsibilityforanycopyrightviolationswhichmay
occurthroughyouruseofthisproduct.
Korg OASYS Notice: Use of GPL and
LGPL software
ThisproductusestheLinuxkernelandsomeGNU
utilities.Thissoftwareislicensedbyitscopyrightholder
accordingtotheGNUGPL(GeneralPublicLicense).
TheKorgOASYSsoftwarecontainedinthisproductis
dynamicallylinkedwithsomesoftwarelibrariessubject
totheLGPL(LesserGPL)license.
CopiesoftheGPLandLGPLlicenses,aswellasthe
sourcecodeforthesoftwarecoveredunderthose
licenses,areprovidedontheincludedCD‐ROMtitled
OASYSRestoreCD1/4,inthefoldernamed“src.”
ThecompletelistofsoftwarecoveredundertheGPL,
LGPL,andotherfreeoropen‐sourcelicenseswhichare
usedintheOASYS,includingtheabovesoftware,is
includedinthesamefolder.
•Thesefilesareprovidedinaccordancewiththespirit
offreesoftware,andarenotrequiredinordertouse
thisproduct.
•Youcannotaccessthesefilesdirectlyfromthe
OASYS.Toreadthem,youwillneedtouseaseparate
computerrunningWindows,MacOS,Linux,orany
otheroperatingsystemcapableofreadingstandard
textfilesandtar,gzip,andbzip2archives.
TheKorgOASYSsoftwareiscopyrightKorgInc.,andis
independentofLinux.ItsuseiscoveredbytheKorg
OASYSSoftwareLicense,describedelsewhereinthe
documentation.TheGPLlicensedoesnotapplytothis
software,anditssourcecodeisnotprovided.
Korgacceptsnoresponsibilityforanydirector
consequentialdamagesthatmayoccurduetotheuseof
ortheinabilitytouseanyofthesystemsoftware
includingtheabovesoftware.
LinuxisatrademarkorregisteredtrademarkofLinus
TorvaldsintheUnitedStatesandinothercountries.
*KARMA
®(KayAlgorithmicRealtimeMusicArchitecture)
TechnologyhasbeenlicensedfromStephenKay,andis
protectedbyU.S.Patents5,486,647,5,521,327,6,084,171,
6,087,578,6,103,964,6,121,532,6,121,533,6,326,538,
6,639,141,and7,169,997.Otherpatentspending.
*KARMA
®andtheKARMALogoareregisteredtrade‐
marks,andGeneratedEffect™(GE),MelodicRepeat™,
DirectIndex™,ManualAdvance™,SmartScan™,Freeze
Randomize™,RandomCapture™,RandomFF/REW™
andSceneMatrix™aretrademarksofStephenKay,
KarmaLabLLC.Thismanualcopyright©1994‐2004by
KORGInc.andStephenKay.Allrightsreserved.
*ScreenshotsfromtheKARMAsoftwarethatappear
throughoutthisguideare©1994‐2004byStephenKay,
KarmaLabLLC.Usedbypermission.Allrightsreserved.
*KARMATechnologycanbelocatedontheinternetat:
www.karma‐lab.com.
*Thisproductwasdevelopedunderlicenseofphysical
modelingtonegeneratorpatents(http://www.sondius‐
xg.com)ownedbyStanfordUniversityUSAandYamaha
Corporation.
* Companynames,productnames,andnamesofformats
etc.arethetrademarksorregisteredtrademarksoftheir
respectiveowners.
COPYRIGHT WARNING
Thisprofessionaldeviceisintendedonlyforuse
withworksforwhichyouyourselfownthe
copyright,forwhichyouhavereceivedpermission
fromthecopyrightholdertopubliclyperform,
record,broadcast,sell,andduplicate,orin
connectionwithactivitieswhichconstitute“fairuse”
undercopyrightlaw.Ifyouarenotthecopyright
holder,havenotreceivedpermissionfromthe
copyrightholder,orhavenotengagedinfairuseof
theworks,youmaybeviolatingcopyrightlaw,and
maybeliablefordamagesandpenalties.Ifyouare
unsureaboutyourrightstoawork,pleaseconsulta
copyrightattorney.KORGTAKESNO
RESPONSIBILITYFORANYINFRINGEMENT
COMMITTEDTHROUGHUSEOFKORG
PRODUCTS.

iv
About this manual
The owner’s manuals and how to use them
TheOASYSincludestwoowner’smanuals:
•OperationGuide
• ParameterGuide
BothmanualsareavailableasPDFsonRestoreCD1/4,
andareincludedintheon‐boardHelpsystem.Aprinted
versionoftheOperationGuideisalsoincluded.
Operation Guide
Pleasereadthisfirst.Itexplainsthenamesandfunctions
ofeachpartoftheOASYS,howtomakeconnections,
basicoperation,anoverviewofeachmode,howtoedit
sounds,howtorecordonthesequencer,andhowto
sample.ThisguidealsoexplainstheKARMAfunction,
effects,wavesequences,anddrumkits.
TheOperationGuidealsocontainstroubleshooting
information,andsupplementalinformationsuchas
specifications.
Parameter Guide
TheParameterGuidecontainsexplanationsandother
informationregardingtheoperationsoftheparameters
andsettingsontheOASYS.
Theexplanationsareorganizedbymodeandpage.
SeparateEffectsandKARMAsectionsinclude
explanationsoftheindividualparametersofeacheffect
andeachKARMAGE.
Refertothisguidewhenanunfamiliarparameter
appearsinthedisplay,orwhenyouneedtoknowmore
aboutaparticularfunction.
TheParameterGuidealsocontainsaVoic eNameList
thatliststhemultisamples,drumsamples,combinations,
programs,drumkits,andKARMAsettingsthatarein
theOASYSwhenitisshippedfromthefactory.
PDF versions
TheOASYSPDFmanualsaredesignedforeasy
navigationandsearching.TheyincludeextensivePDF
contentsinformation,whichgenerallyappearsonthe
sideofthewindowinyourPDFreaderandletsyoujump
quicklytoaspecificsection.Allcross‐referencesare
hyper‐links,sothatclickingonthemautomaticallytakes
youtothesourceofthereference.
On-board Help system*
TheHELPbuttongivesyoubuilt‐in,context‐sensitive
accesstotheusermanuals,rightfromthefrontpanel.
Forinformationonanyfront‐panelbutton,knob,slider,
orreal‐timecontroller,justholddownHELPandthen
pressthebuttonormovethecontrollerinquestion.
ForinformationonthecurrentLCDpage,pressand
releasetheHELPbutton.
Whilethehelppageisonthescreen,youcantouchany
oftheon‐screenlinks(hilightedinbluetext)formore
information.Youcanscrollthroughthetextbyusingthe
on‐screenscrollbars,pressingtheIncandDecbuttons,
orspinningtheValuedial.
ThetopoftheHelppagehas“breadcrumb”links,which
showthehierarchyofpagesabovethecurrentone.
Touchanyoftheselinkstojumptothecorresponding
page.
Thebackwardsandforwardsbuttonsfunctionlikethe
similarbuttonsonastandardwebbrowser.Ifyouuse
linkstojumpbetweenpages,youcanthenusethe
backwardsandforwardsbuttonstomovethroughthe
pagesyou’vealreadyviewed.
TheContentspageletsyouaccessanypartoftheHelp
system,includingalmostallofthetextandgraphicsin
boththeParameterandOperationGuides.TheIndex
containsashorterlistoflinkstoimportantarticles.
*English‐languageonly.
Conventions in this manual
References to the OASYS
TheOASYSisavailableasan88‐keymodelora76‐key
model.Themanualsrefertobothmodelswithout
distinctionas“theOASYS.”Thefrontpanelandrear
panelillustrationsinthemanualshowthe76‐keymodel,
buttheyapplyidenticallytothe88‐keymodel.
Abbreviations for the manuals: OG, PG, VNL
Inthedocumentation,referencestothemanualsare
abbreviatedasfollows.
OG:OperationGuide
PG:ParameterGuide
VNL:TheVoiceNameList,includedintheParameter
Guide
Procedure steps 1. 2. 3. …
Theseindicatethestepsofaprocedure.
Symbols , , Note, Tips
Thesesymbolsrespectivelyindicateacaution,aMIDI‐
relatedexplanation,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LCD
screenofyourinstrument.
MIDI-related explanations
CC#isanabbreviationforControlChangeNumber.
InexplanationsofMIDImessages,numbersinsquare
brackets[]alwaysindicatehexadecimalnumbers.
ThankyouforpurchasingtheKorgOASYSOpenArchitectureSynthesisStudio.Tohelpyougetthemostoutofyour
newinstrument,pleasereadthismanualcarefully.

v
Contents
About this manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Setup.......................................1
PlayingProgramsandCombinations ...........1
Listeningtothedemosongs...................4
New features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Newfeaturesinsoftwareversion1.3...........6
Newfeaturesinsoftwareversion1.2...........8
Newfeaturesinsoftwareversion1.1...........9
Introduction to OASYS. . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Main Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
OpenArchitectureSynthesisStudio ...........11
Front and rear panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Frontpanel ................................21
Rearpanel.................................28
Namesandfunctionsof
objectson the LCD display ...................31
Basic Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
AbouttheOASYS’modes....................34
AbouttheOASYS’PCMmemory.............35
Aboutpolyphony...........................37
Basicoperations............................38
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Connections................................41
Turningthepoweron/off....................44
UsingtheCD‐R/RWdrive ...................45
Playing and editing Programs . . . . . . .47
SelectingPrograms..........................47
UsingControllers ...........................50
UsingChordmode..........................54
QuickEditsusingtheSliders,
KnobsandSwitches.........................56
DetailedEditingwithHD‐1Programs .........59
UsingLFOsandEnvelopes(EGs).............62
UsingAlternateModulation(AMS)
and the AMS Mixers ........................63
ControllingPitch ...........................64
UsingFilters ...............................65
UsingtheAmpsection ......................67
UsingVectorSynthesis......................69
Effects.....................................70
AutomaticallyimportingaProgram
into Sequence mode.........................71
Playing and editing Combinations . . . . 73
Combinationoverview .......................73
SelectingCombinations ......................74
EasyCombinationediting ....................76
Combinationediting .........................77
Layers,Splits,andVelocitySwitches ...........78
MIDISettings...............................79
AlteringProgramstofit
within a Combination ........................79
Effects .....................................80
AutomaticallyimportingaCombination
into Sequencer mode.........................81
Savingyouredits ............................81
Creating songs (Sequencer mode) . . . . 83
Overview - About the OASYS’ sequencer. . . . . 83
Sequencermodestructure....................83
Playing Songs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Playback ...................................85
ThecontrolsurfaceinSequencermode .........86
MIDI recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Preparationsforrecording ....................89
RecordingMIDIinreal‐time..................91
MIDIsteprecording .........................94
Recordingthesoundofa
Combinationor Program.....................96
RecordingmultipleMIDItracksfrom
an external sequencer........................97
RecordingSystemExclusiveevents............98
Recordingpatterns ..........................99
Otherwaystorecord........................101
Audio recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Overview:Aboutthe
OASYS’harddiskrecorder ..................102
Audioinputsettingsand
recordingsourceselection...................103
Recordingprocedure........................106
PlacingaWAVEfileinanaudiotrack .........114
Songediting...............................115
UsingRPPR(RealtimePatternPlay/Record)....117
SamplinginSequencermode ................120
Savingyoursong ...........................121
Cautionsandotherfunctions
inSequencermode .........................121
Sampling (Open Sampling System) . . 123
SamplingOverview.........................123
Preparationsforsampling...................125
SamplingandeditinginSamplingmode ......130
SamplinginProgram,Combination,
and Sequencer modes .......................145

vi
Settings for the entire OASYS
(Global mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
HowGlobalmodeisstructured .............151
P0:BasicSetup............................151
Globalaudiosettings.......................153
MIDI‐relatedsettingsP1:MIDI..............153
Pedalandothercontrollersettings...........153
Creatinguserscales ........................154
SettingCategoryNamesforPrograms,
Combinations,andKARMA ................154
Using Wave Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
WaveSequenceOverview ..................156
ProgrammingBasics.......................156
Adjustingthesoundofanindividualstep ....157
UsingrhythmicWaveSequences ............159
Creatingsmooth,evolvingtimbres...........161
ModulatingWaveSequences................162
SavingWaveSequences....................163
Using Drum Kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
DrumKitOverview........................164
Beforeyoustartediting…...................164
EditingDrumKits.........................165
SavingDrumKits..........................166
Loading & saving data, and creating CDs
169
Saving data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Typesofdatathatcanbesaved ..............169
Writingtointernalmemory .................170
Savingtodisks,CDs,andUSBmedia.........174
Loading data from disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Loading.PCG,.SNG,and.KSCfiles ..........177
Loadingindividualbanksfroma.PCGfile ....179
Loadingdatabyindividualitemorbank .....179
Creating and playing audio CDs . . . . . . . . . . .181
CreatingaudioCDs ........................181
PlayingaudioCDs .........................182
Other disk operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Viewinginformationaboutmedia–
Disk Media Info...........................184
Settingthedateandtime ...................184
Restoringthefactorysettings................184
Using Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Routingeffectsettings......................189
Dynamicmodulation,MIDI/TempoSync,
and Common FX LFO ......................195
Using KARMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Overview - What is KARMA? . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
PerformingwithKARMA ..................200
KARMAfunctionsettings ..................206
SynchronizingtheKARMAfunction ..........217
Appendices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Powersupply ..............................219
LCDscreen ................................219
Audioinputandoutput .....................220
ProgramsandCombinations .................221
Songs .....................................222
Sampling ..................................223
KARMA ..................................224
Vector ....................................224
DrumKits .................................224
WaveSequences ...........................225
Effects ....................................225
MIDI .....................................225
Disks,CDs,andUSBMedia..................225
Otherproblems ............................226
Disk and Media information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
TypesofmediasupportedbytheOASYS ......228
OperationsthattheOASYS
canperformonmedia.......................228
Specifications and options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

1
Quick Start
Quick Start
TheOASYScontainsanamazingamountof
functionality.ThisQuickStartisprovidedforthose
whojustwanttogetstartedtryingoutthesoundsright
away.
ItexplainshowtosetuptheOASYS,howtoselect
Programsandcontrolthesound,howtolistentothe
demosongs,andthenewfeaturesofthelatestsoftware
updates.
Setup
1. ConnecttheOASYStoyourmixerormonitor
system.
ConnecttheOASYS’AUDIOOUTPUT(MAIN)
L/MONOandRjackstoyourmixeroramplified
monitorspeakers.
Ifyou’remonitoringthroughheadphones,connect
themtotheheadphonejacklocatedontheleftfrontof
theOASYS.Theheadphoneswilloutputthesame
soundastheAUDIOOUTPUT(MAIN)L/MONOand
Rjacks.
2. Connectthepowercable.
FirstconnecttheincludedpowercabletotheOASYS’
powerconnector,andthentothepoweroutlet.
3. LowertheOASYS’sfront‐panelVOLUMEslider.
4. Turnonthepowerswitch.
PresstherearpanelPOWERswitchtoturnonthe
power.Waituntilthestartupscreenhasfinishedbeing
displayed.
5. Playthekeyboard,andgraduallyraisethe
VOLUMEslidertoanappropriatelevel.
Playing Programs and Combinations
Withthefactorysettings,Combinationmodewillbe
selectedwhenyouturnonthepower.
Playthekeyboard,andyouwillhearthesoundof
bankINT‐ACombinationnumber000.
ACombinationconsistsofuptosixteenProgramsthat
aresplitand/orlayered.ItalsousesuptofourKARMA
modulessimultaneously(aProgramcanuseonlyone
KARMAmodule),lettingyouproducefarmore
complexsoundsthanaProgram.
Althoughyoucouldsimplycontinueselecting
differentCombinationsandplayingthem,let’sstartby
selectingandlisteningtothe“basic”soundsofthe
OASYS:Programs.
Selecting Programs by bank and number
1. PresstheMODEPROGRAMswitch(theLEDwill
light)toenterProgrammode.
TheupperleftoftheLCDscreenshowsthenameof
thecurrentpage,PROGRAMP0:Play.Thisisthepage
inwhichyouwillnormallyplayPrograms.
V
ector
J
oystick
S
W 1&2
J
oystick
R
ibbon
Headphone Pads
KARMA Control Surface
Mode
AUDIO OUTPUT (MAIN) L/MONO, RPOWER
Utility
Bank Select
Sequencer
Exit Tempo
Value controllers
LCD screen
V
olume

Quick Start
2
Playthekeyboardorstrikethepadstohearthesound.
2. ThelargecharactersintheupperpartoftheLCD
screenwillbehighlighted.
Thesearethenameandnumberofthecurrent
Program.Whenthesearehilighted,youcanpressthe
/switchestoselectthenextorpreviously
numberedProgram.
YoucanturntheVALUEdialtomovethroughthe
Programsinlargersteps.
Tip:Ifyou’vepressedtheLCDscreentomoveto
anotherpage,pressingtheEXITswitchseveraltimes
willreturnyoutothispage,withtheProgramname
hilighted.
3. UsetheBANKSELECTINTA–GandUSERA–G
switchestoselectprogramsofotherbanks.
Selecting Programs by Category
ThereareotherwaystoselectPrograms,butherewe’ll
explainhowtoselectprogramsbytheircategory,such
askeyboard,organ,bass,ordrumsounds.
ForotherwaystoselectPrograms,see“Selecting
Programs”onpage 47.
1. IntheLCDscreen,presstheCategorypopup
button.
Thisistherectanglelocatedabovetheprogramname.
Amenuwillappear.
2. Usethetabsatthelefttoselectacategory.
Thespaceontherightwillthenshowallofthe
Programsinthatcategory,inalloftheinternalbanks.
Ifyoulike,youcanusesub‐categoriestonarrowthe
selection:
3. Afterselectingacategory,youcanthenpressone
oftheinnertabstoselectasub‐category.
Youwon’tbeabletoselectacategoryorsub‐category
thathasn’tbeenassignedtoanyprogram.
4. Selectaprogramfromthelist.
Youcaneitherpressaprogramwithinthelist,oruse
the/switches.
5. Ifnotalltheitemsinthelistcanbeshowninthe
screen,usethescrollbarstoviewtherestofthe
list.
6. Whenyou’vefoundaprogramyoulike,pressthe
OKbuttontoclosethedialogbox.Thengoahead
andplaytheselectedprogram!
Program Bank Contents
OASYSshipsfromthefactorywithoverathousand
Programsloadedintomemory.Another768Program
slotsareleftopen(“initialized”)foryourown
programming,oradditionalsoundlibraries.Allofthe
factoryProgramscanbeover‐writtenwithyourown
edits,ifdesired–exceptfortheGMbanks.
Asshippedfromthefactory,thecontentsofthe
ProgramBanksareasfollows:
Programbankcontents
*1ThefactoryProgramsinINT‐ErequiretheEXs1
ROMExpansionPCM;similarly,thefactoryPrograms
inUSER‐ArequiretheEXs2ConcertGrandPiano
PCM.IftheappropriateEXsdataisn’tloaded,the
Programswon’tsoundcorrectly.
ThefactoryCombinationsinINT‐CalsorequireEXs1
tobeloaded.
Withthefactory‐installed1GBofRAM,youcanuse
eitherEXs1orEXs2–butnotbothatthesametime.As
shippedfromthefactory,EXs1isloaded,sothe
ProgramsinbankINT‐Ewillplaycorrectly.
FordetailsonhowtoloadEXsdata,see“Selecting
whichEXsPCMdataisloaded”onpage 36.
*2PresstheINTGswitchrepeatedlytocyclethrough
banksGM,g(1)…g(9),andg(d).
Optional EXiand demo mode
TheMOD‐7,MS‐20EXandPolysixEXareoptionalEXi.
Initially,theywillbeindemomode.You’llbeableto
play,edit,andsavePrograms,Combis,andSongs
Category Popup buttonProgram Select
Bank Contents Bank Type
INT-A…D HD-1Programs
HD-1
INT-E *1 HD-1Programs; requires the
EXs1 ROM Expansion PCM
INT-F AL-1 and CX-3 Programs EXi
GM (INT-G) *2 GM2 main Programs
GMg(1)…g(9) GM2 variation Programs
g(d) GM2 drum Programs
USER-A, *1
000…007
HD-1 Programs; requires the
EXs2 Concert Grand Piano
PCM.
Bank type
can be set to
either HD-1
or EXi
USER-A,
009…010
HD-1 Vocoder and demo song
Programs
USER-A,
11…127 Initialized HD-1 Programs
USER-B Initialized HD-1 Programs
USER-C MOD-7 Programs *1
USER-D MS-20EX and PolysixEX
Programs *1
USER-E STR-1 Programs
USER-F AL-1 and CX-3 Programs
USER-G Initialized HD-1 Programs

Quick Start Playing Programs and Combinations
3
whichusetheseEXi–butuntilyoupurchasean
authorizationcode,theirsoundwillfadeout
periodically.
Topurchaseauthorizationcodes,andtodownload
additional,freebanksofsounds,goto
www.korguser.net.Oncepurchased,youcanenterthe
authorizationcodeonthePlug‐InInfopageinGlobal
mode.
Formoreinformation,see“GlobalP6:Plug‐inInfo”on
page 738oftheParameterGuide.
Selecting combinations
1. PresstheMODECOMBIswitch(theLEDwill
light)toenterCombinationmode.
Onceyou’reinCombimode,youcanselectandplay
CombinationsinthesamewayasyoudidPrograms.
Formoredetails,see“SelectingProgramsbybankand
number”onpage 1,and“SelectingProgramsby
Category”onpage 2.
Combination Bank Contents
Asshippedfromthefactory,thecontentsofthe
CombinationBanksareasfollows:
Combinationbankcontents
Using controllers to vary the sound
1. Noticethemanycontrollerslocatedontheleftside
oftheOASYS’frontpanel.
Whileyouplaythekeyboard,youcanalsousethe
groupofcontrollerslocatedatthefarleft–thejoystick,
vectorjoystick,ribboncontroller,andSW1/SW2
switches–tovarythesound.
TheresultwilldifferforeachProgramor
Combination,sotrythemallouttoseewhateach
controllerdoesfortheselectedsound.Formore
details,see“UsingControllers”onpage 50.
2. Next,noticethemixer‐likearrangementofsliders,
knobs,andswitcheslocatedattherightofthese
controllers.
ThisiscalledtheControlSurface.You’lluseitina
varietyofways,suchaseditingsounds,controlling
KARMA,mixing,orsendingMIDImessagesto
externaldevices.
Herewe’llexplainthehowtousethecontrolsurface
forquicksoundeditingandcontrollingKARMA.
3. IntheCONTROLASSIGNsection,pressthe
R.TIMEKNOBS/KARMAbutton.
Thebutton’sLEDwilllight.Nowyoucanusethe
knobstomodifythesoundsandeffects,andusethe
slidersandswitchestocontrolKARMA.
Youcanusethesecontrolsregardlessofthepage
shownontheLCDdisplay.However,thereisapage
whichprovidesmoreinformationabouttheControl
Surfaceassignmentsandvalues.
4. GototheControlSurfacepagebypressingthe
ControlSurfacetab,locatedinthelowerrightof
theLCDscreen.
ThispageshowsalloftheControlSurfacesliders,
knobs,andswitches,alongwiththeircurrent
assignmentsandvalues.Whenyoumoveacontroller,
thecorrespondingobjectintheLCDscreenwillalso
move.
Using knobs to modify the timbre
WhentheR.TIMEKNOBS/KARMAbuttonislit,the
eightknobsatthetopoftheControlSurfacecontrol
variousaspectsofthesoundsandeffects.
Knobs1‐4havededicatedfunctions,asprintedonthe
frontpanel:FilterCutoff,FilterResonance,FilterEG
Intensity,andReleaseTime.
Knobs5‐8canbeassignedtoawidevarietyof
functions.Often(butnotalways),knobs5and6
modulatesynthesisparameters,knob7controlsthe
depthofachorusorothermodulationeffect,andknob
8controlsreverbdepth.
Foradetailedtutorial,see“Editingsounds&effects
withtheRealtimeKnobs”onpage 57.
Bank Contents
INT-A, B Factory Combinations
INT-C Factory Combinations; requires the EXs1
ROM Expansion PCM.
INT-D…G;
USER-A…G Initialized Combinations
Category Popup buttonCombination Select

Quick Start
4
Using controllers to vary a KARMA phrase
WhentheR.TIMEKNOBS/KARMAbuttonislit,
KARMAiscontrolledbySliders1‐8andbothrowsof
buttons.TheslidersareKARMACONTROLS1‐8,the
lowerrowofbuttonsareKARMASWITCHES1–8,and
theupperrowofbuttonsselectKARMAScenes.
DependingontheselectedProgramorCombi,these
controlswillvarythegeneratedphraseorpatternin
differentandusefulways.
1. IftheKARMAfunctionisturnedoff,pressthe
KARMAON/OFFswitchtomaketheLEDlight.
2. Playthekeyboardorpads.
TheKARMAfunctionwillbegingeneratingaphrase.
3. Presstheupperrowofbuttons,onebyone,to
selectdifferentKARMAScenes.
NoticehowthisalsochangestheKARMASWITCH
andKARMASLIDERsettingsshownintheLCD
screen.Inotherwords,youcanmovebetweenentirely
differentsettingsofallthesecontrolssimplyby
pressingaKARMASCENEswitch.
4. Onthedisplay,presstheKARMAGEtab.
ThiscallsuptheKARMAGEpage,whichgivesyoua
moredetailedpictureofthesettings.ItshowstheGE
(GeneratedEffect)that’sselectedfortheKARMA
module,thetimesignatureforthepatternthat’sbeing
generated,andtheKARMACONTROLSassignments.
Fordetailsonthesecontrollers,see“Performingwith
KARMA”onpage 200.
Restoring the sound to its original state
Afteryou’veeditedaprogram,youcanrestorethe
programtothesavedversion,frombeforeyoustarted
editing.Youcanalsocomparebackandforthbetween
theeditedandsavedversions.
1. Pressthefront‐panelCOMPAREswitch.
TheCOMPARELEDwilllight,andtheProgram’s
savedsettingswillberecalled.
2. PresstheCOMPAREswitchagain,toreturntothe
editedsettings.
TheCOMPARELEDwillgodark,andthesoundwill
returntotheeditedversion.Youcanswitchbackand
forthasmanytimesasyoulike.
Resetting individual controllers
Youcanalsoresetindividualcontrollers,suchasthe
thevectorjoystickoranycontrolsurfaceslider,knob,
orswitch.Todoso:
1. Holddownthefront‐panelRESETCONTROLS
switch.
2. Whileholdingdowntheswitch,moveorpressthe
controlthatyou’dliketoreset.
3. ReleasetheRESETCONTROLSswitch.
Thecontrollerwillbereset.
Formoreinformation,see“Resettingcontrolstotheir
savedvalues”onpage 52.
Conclusion
Wehopeyouenjoyedyourquickintroductiontothe
OASYS.Therearesomanyprogramsand
combinationsthatyouprobablydidn’tactuallyfinish
playingthemall,sowhynottakeabreakfromplaying,
andtakesometimetolistentotheOASYS’demo
songs.
Listening to the demo songs
Loading the demo song data in Disk mode
1. PresstheMODEDISKswitch(theLEDwilllight)
toenterDiskmode.
2. AccesstheDisk–Loadpage.PresstheFiletaband
thentheLoadtab.
3. Use“DriveSelect”toselectHDD.
Thecontentsoftheharddiskwillappear.
4. ChoosethePreload.SNGfile.
Thisfilecontainsdemosongdata.
PRELOAD.SNGislocatedinthefollowingdirectory.
FACTORY→PRELOAD.SNG
PresstheOpenbuttontomovetoalowerdirectory,
andpresstheUpbuttontomovetothedirectoryabove
thecurrently‐displayedone. Drive Select
F
ile tab Load buto
n
PRELOAD.SNG
Load tab

Quick Start Listening to the demo songs
5
5. PresstheLoadbuttontoopenthedialogbox.
6. Selectthe“LoadPRELOAD.PCGtoo”and“Load
PRELOAD.KSCtoo”checkboxessothatthe.PCG
fileand.KSCfilewillbeloadedalongwiththe
.SNGfile.
PRELOAD.PCGcontainspreloadeddataforprograms,
combinations,drumkits,andwavesequences.
PRELOAD.KSCcontainssampledatafortheprograms
usedbythedemonstrationsongs.
Setthe“Select.SNGAllocation”and“Select.KSC
Allocation”optionbuttonstoClear.WiththeClear
setting,allcurrentlyloadedRAMmultisamplesand
sampleswillbeerased,andthesongdatawillbe
loadedinthesameconfigurationaswhenitwassaved.
(Incontrast,theAppendsettingwillpreserveany
existingdata,andloadthesongsfollowingtheexisting
data.)
Ifyou’veeditedanyoftheabovedataalready,or
creatednewdata,executingthisLoadoperation
willoverwriteanderasethisdata.Ifthere’sanydata
youneedtokeep,saveitontheinternalharddiskor
aUSBstoragemediabeforeyouproceed.
7. PresstheOKbuttontoexecutetheLoadoperation.
Listening to the demo songs in Sequencer
mode
1. PresstheMODESEQswitch(theLEDwilllight)
toenterSequencermode.
2. GototheP0:Play/REC–MIDITrackProg
Select/Mixerpage.
Ifthispageisnotdisplayed,presstheEXITswitch
severaltimes.Althoughtheexactnumberwilldepend
onthepageyou’rein,pressingtheEXITswitchno
morethanthreetimeswillalwaysbringyoubackto
thispage.
Let’sstartbylisteningtosongS000.
3. VerifythatsongS000isselected.
Ifanothersongisselected,pressthesongnamedisplay
area(“SongSelect”)tohighlightit.Thenpressthe
numerickey0,andthentheENTERswitch.
4. PresstheSEQUENCERSTART/STOPswitch.
TheLEDwillblink,andthesongwillbeginplaying
back.
5. Ifyouwanttostopplaybackmid‐waythroughthe
song,presstheSTART/STOPswitchonceagain.
6. Let’slistentothenextsong.
Pressthesongnamedisplayarea(“SongSelect”).Press
numerickey1,andthenpresstheENTERswitch.
(Song“S001”willbeselected.)
Alternatively,youcanpresstheSongSelectpopup(the
roundbuttonlocatedattheleftofthesongname),and
alistofsongnameswillappear.Selectasong,and
presstheOKbutton.
7. PresstheSEQUENCERSTART/STOPswitchto
beginplayback.Tostopplayback,pressthesame
switchonceagain.
Thiscompletesourquickstart.
OftheOASYS’widerangeoffunctionality,this
operationguideexplainshowtousesomeofthemost
typicaloperations.Wehighlyrecommendthatyou
takethetimetoreaditcompletely.
Whenyou’vefinishedworkingwiththeOASYS,press
therearpanelPOWERswitchtoturnoffthepower.
Whenyouturnoffthepower,theprogramsand
combinationsetc.willreverttothestateinwhich
theywerebeforeyoueditedthem.Ifyouwantto
keepyoureditedsettings,you’llneedtoWritethem.
Formoreinformation,see“Savingyouredits”on
page 59.
Similarly,thesongsanddemosongs,aswellasthe
usermultisamplesandsamplesusedbythese
songs,willdisappearwhenyouturnoffthepower.
Ifyouwanttousethesesongs,usermultisamples,
andsamplesthenexttimeyouturnonthepower,
you’llneedtoloadthemagain.
Popup Song Select

Quick Start
6
New features
New features in software version 1.3
OASYSsoftwareversion1.3addsanumberofnew
features,includingKARMA2.1,loadingandun‐
loadingEXswithoutrestarting,individualtranspose
forEXi1and2,separatesmoothingforattackand
decayinallStepSequencers,losslesscompressionof
EXs1and2(increasingtheRAMavailablefor
sampling),andanewoptionalEXi:theMOD‐7
WaveshapingVPMSynthesizer.NewProgramsusing
theMOD‐7areloadedintoBankUSER‐C.
New EXioption: MOD-7
TheMOD‐7isapowerful,semi‐modularsynthesizer,
combiningVariablePhaseModulation(VPM),
waveshaping,ringmodulation,PCMsampleplayback,
andsubtractivesynthesis.Exceptionallyversatile,the
MOD‐7produceseverythingfromclassicFM
keyboardsandbellstorhythmicsoundscapes,from
cut‐through‐the‐mixsynthbassestosparkling,epic
pads.
VPMreferstoKorg’spatentedcontributionsto
FrequencyModulation(FM)synthesis;formore
information,see“VPMandFMSynthesis”onpage 331
oftheParameterGuide.
Featuresinclude:
•SixVPMOscillators.Eachcanbeusedasasine,
saw,triangle,square,orwaveshapingoscillator
withFMandringmodulation,orasawaveshaping
and/orringmodprocessorforothersignals.
• 101differentwaveshapingtables,whoseresponse
canbecontrolledviamodulatabledriveandoffset.
•APCMsampleplaybackoscillatorusingKorg’s
ultra‐low‐aliasingPCMtechnology,asfirst
introducedintheHD‐1.Thissupportsfour‐way
velocity‐switchingbetweenanymonoROM,EXs,
orRAMsamples.
•Dualmulti‐moderesonantfilters(includingKorg’s
MultiFilter,asfirstintroducedintheAL‐1).
•Threepatchable,modulatable2‐in,1‐outmixersfor
combiningandscalingaudiosignals.
•Noisegeneratorwithdedicatedfilterand
saturation.
•Liveaudioinput.
•PatchPanelallowsfreeconnectionofall
components,includingthesixVPMOscillators,
PCMoscillator,noisegenerator,real‐timeaudio
input,threemodulatablemixers,andtwofilters.
Connectionscanincludemultiplecablesfroma
singleoutput,hybridserial/parallelroutings,and
feedbackpaths.
•“Vast”sample‐manglingcapabilities,with
incredibleflexibilityandpower.UsesamplesasFM
modulators,andcreateincrediblyrichprocessing
environmentscombiningmultiplestagesof
filtering,waveshaping,andringmodulation,
patchedtogetherhoweveryou’dlike.
•Upto52voicesofpolyphony.
•ImportclassicFMsoundsfromtheDX7.
•Fourper‐voiceLFOs,tenre‐triggerableEGs,nine
key‐trackinggenerators,eightAMSmixers,anda
per‐voicestepsequencer.
•AccesstoallstandardEXiProgramfeatures,
includingtheCommonLFO,CommonStep
Sequencer,KeyTrack1&2,KARMA,EQ,and
effects–aswellaslayeringwithanyotherEXi
(includingtwoMOD‐7stogether,for12VPM
oscillators!)
Formoreinformation,see“EXi:MOD‐7Waveshaping
VPMSynthesizer”onpage 327oftheParameter
Guide.
Demo mode and authorization
Initially,theMOD‐7willbeindemomode.You’llbe
abletoplay,edit,andsavePrograms,Combis,and
SongswhichusethenewEXi–butuntilyoupurchase
anauthorizationcode,theirsoundwillfadeout
periodically.
Topurchaseanauthorizationcode,andtodownload
additional,freebanksofMOD‐7sounds,goto
www.korguser.net.Oncepurchased,youcanenterthe
authorizationcodeonthePlug‐InInfopageinGlobal
mode.
Formoreinformation,see“GlobalP6:Plug‐inInfo”on
page 738oftheParameterGuide.
KARMA 2.1
KARMA2.1isamajornewrelease,includingsupport
forUserGEs,newcontroloverSceneandModule
quantization,enhancementstotheNoteMapfeature,
andotherimprovements.
User GEs and GE Creation/Editing
TheOASYSnowsupportsUserGEs,with12banksof
128UserGEseach(foratotalof1536).Youcanalso
saveandload.KGEfiles,whichcontainKARMAGEs
andTemplateData.GEsmaybecreated,edited,and
uploadedtotheOASYSusingtheoptionalKARMA
OASYSSoftware(PC/Mac),availableseparatelyfrom
Karma‐Lab(www.karma‐lab.com).
Display of GE RTC Model in the GE Selection
Dialogs
TheGECategoryandBankSelectDialogsnowshow
theselectedGEʹsRTCModel,providinganindication
ofhowthatparticularGEwillbemappedtothe
ControlSurface,andsomeideaabouthowitis
intendedtooperate.
Quantized/Delayed Scene Changes
Scenechangesmaynowbequantizedtovariousmetric
divisions,froma16th‐notetripletupto4bars.
(Previously,allscenechangeswerequantizedtothe
next16th‐note).Thelargervaluesensureperfect

New features New features in software version 1.3
7
timingforScenechangesatmeasureboundaries,and
allowyoutoselectSceneswellinadvance.Thismakes
iteasiertotimeScenechangesduringlive
performance,andalsomeansthatyoucanbeplaying
withbothhandswhenthechangeactuallyoccurs.
InCombiandSequencermodes,thisquantizationalso
appliesindependentlytoallfivelayers(Masterand
ModulesAthroughD).ThenewSceneStatusdisplay
showsanypendingScenechanges–thosethathave
beenselected,butwhichhavenotyetcompleted.
Formoreinformation,see“SceneChangeQuantize
Window”onpage 115oftheParameterGuide,and“7–
5d:ModuleControlSceneMatrix”onpage 439ofthe
ParameterGuide.
Adjustable Quantize Window per Module
Previously,allModulesthathadtheQuantizeTrigger
settingturnedOnwouldbequantizedtothenearest
16thnote.WhilethisallowedintricateDJ‐style
performances,itcouldalsomakeitdifficulttotrigger
Modulesinperfecttimeduringnormalperformance,
especiallyatfastertempos.Now,youcanselecta
QuantizeWindowindependentlyforeachModule–for
example,usea1/4‐noteor8th‐notevalueforless
chanceofatimingerror,ora16th‐notewhenfancier
retriggeringeffectsaredesired.Triplet‐basedvalues
arealsoprovidedforretriggeringtriplet‐basedgrooves
“off‐beat.”
Evenmorepowerfully,theQuantizeWindowisalsoa
destinationinthePerfRTPpage,sothatyoucan
changeitinreal‐timefromtheControlSurface.For
example,youcouldchangeitduringliveperformance
toallowquickretriggeringinabreakdownsection,
thensetitbacktoaquarternoteformorerelaxed
triggeringduringtherestofthesong.
Formoreinformation,see“7–4:ModuleParameters‐
Trigger”onpage 110oftheParameterGuide,and“7–
6:PerfReal‐TimeParameters”onpage 116ofthe
ParameterGuide.
Copy Note Maps
YoucannowcopyCustomNoteMapsbetween
Programs,Combis,andSongs.Additionally,youcan
copyanyoftheGlobalNoteMapTablesintothe
CustomTable,touseasastartingpointforfurther
modification.Forexample,youcancopyoneofthe
side‐stick/ridenotemapsforuseasadrumkit,and
theneditthekicktobemappedtoadifferentnote.
Formoreinformation,see“CopyNoteMap”on
page 143oftheParameterGuide.
Note Map Display shortcut and enhancements
FromtheKARMAControltab,youmaynowtouchthe
smallNoteMapDisplaytojumptotheNoteMap
page.TheNoteMapcanbechangedhereusingthe
Tableparameter(previously,thisselectedamapfor
viewingbutdidnotassignittotheModule).
Additionally,thenewDisplayModuleparameter
allowstheNoteMapforeachModuletobeviewed
andchangedifdesired.
Formoreinformation,see“7–3:ModuleParameters‐
Control”onpage 105oftheParameterGuide,and
“DisplayModule”onpage 447oftheParameter
Guide.
Enhancements to the Play 0–6 KARMA GE page
TheCurrentSceneandInitial(stored)Scenearenow
displayedonthePlay0‐6KARMAGEpage,inthe
upperleft‐handcorneroftheCCs/NotesActivity
section,rightabovethefiveModulelabelsM,A,B,C,
andD.
Additionally,touchingthoseModulelabelsnow
changestheModuleControlLayersoftheControl
Surface,aswellasthelayerthatyouareviewingand
editingonthescreen.
Improved timing when changing scenes
Previously,theremighthavesometimesbeenaslight
hesitationwhenchangingscenes,especiallyinCombis,
dependingontheCombinationandthemomentat
whichthescenewaschanged.Thishasbeengreatly
improvedinKARMA2.1.
Load and un-load EXs without restarting
YoucannowchangetheEXsconfigurationwithout
restartingtheOASYS.SimplyselectthedesiredEXsas
before,usingtheExpansionSampleSetupmenu
commandontheGlobalmodeBasicpage.Whenyou
exitthedialogbox,theEXswillbeloadedand/orun‐
loadedautomatically.NotethatloadingalargeEXs
maytakesometime.
Lossless compression of EXs1 and 2
EXs1and2arenowloadedintoRAMusinganew,
losslesscompressiontechnique.Thisyieldsamodest
reductioninsize:EXs1nowuses284MBinsteadof
313MB,andEXs2uses464MBinsteadof503MB.With
2GBinstalledandbothEXsloaded,thisincreasesthe
availableusersamplingRAMbyabout68MB.
You’llnoticethatthisismuchmilderthanthedramatic
sizereductionsofmp3,orthePCMcompression
sometimesfoundinothersynthesizers.Thereisa
strongadvantageovertheseothermethods,however:
theOASYScompressioniscompletelylossless,and
causesabsolutelynodegradationinaudioquality.
Other improvements
YoucannowtransposeEXi1and2independently,
usingparametersontheEXiCommonpage.
AllStepSequencersnowincludediscretesmoothing
controlsforattackanddecay,allowingmorecontrol
andthecreationofsimpleenvelopeshapes.This
includestheEXiCommonStepSequencerandtheper‐
voiceStepSequencersintheAL‐1andMOD‐7.
InSequencermode,aplaybuttonhasbeenaddedto
MIDIEventEdit,allowingyoutoheartheresultsof
editswhilekeepingthedialogboxopen.

Quick Start
8
New features in software version 1.2
OASYSsoftwareversion1.2addsanumberofnew
features,includingincreasedpolyphonyfortheAL‐1
andSTR‐1,polyphonicunison,unisonstereospread,
improvedparametersmoothing,andapowerfuland
easy‐to‐usechordfeature.Italsoincludesademoof
thenewLegacyAnalogoption,whichcanbeenabled
viaanauthorizationcodepurchasedfrom
www.korguser.net.
New EXioption: Legacy Analog
TheLegacyAnalogcollectionforOASYSfeatures
enhancedversionsoftwoclassicKorganalogsynths,
usingKorg’sproprietaryCMT(ComponentModeling
Technology):theMS‐20EXandPolysixEX.
Muchmorethansimplere‐creationsoftheiracclaimed
vintagepredecessors,however,theseEXitaketheir
conceptstothenextlevel–withmanynewfeatures
uniquetotheOASYS.
Demo mode and authorization
AdemoversionoftheLegacyAnalogcollectionis
installedwithOASYSsoftwareversion1.2,andnew
ProgramsusingtheMS‐20EXandPolysixEXare
loadedintoBankUSER‐D.
Indemomode,youcanplay,edit,andsavePrograms,
Combis,andSongswhichusethenewEXi–butuntil
youpurchaseanauthorizationcode,theirsoundwill
fadeoutperiodically.
Topurchaseanauthorizationcode,andtodownload
additional,freebanksofLegacyAnalogsounds,goto
www.korguser.net.Oncepurchased,youcanenterthe
authorizationcodeonthenewPlug‐InInfopagein
Globalmode.
Formoreinformation,see“GlobalP6:Plug‐inInfo”on
page 738oftheParameterGuide.
MS-20EX
TheMS‐20EXisaflexible,semi‐modularvirtualanalog
synthesizer.Atitsheartisafaithfulre‐creationofthe
originalKorgMS‐20,includingbothitsmanyfeatures
anditsdistinctive,oftenaggressivetimbralsignature.
Tothiscore,weaddedallofthefeaturesfirst
introducedintheKorgLegacyMS‐20plug‐in,suchas
theExternalModulationroutings,tempo
synchronization,andtheAnalogknob,formodeling
theinherentinstabilitiesofanalogoscillatorsand
filters.
Then,wemadesignificant,OASYS‐onlymodifications
tothePatchPanel,inspiredbytheMS‐20’sbigbrother,
theMS‐50.Theseenablediscreteaccesstoallmajor
components,includingbothVCOs,theHPF,LPF,
VCA,andtheESP’sBandPassFilter,formore
powerfulpatchingcapabilities.
ThePatchPanelitselfisalsomoreflexible,withtwo
newmixersformergingandscalingsignals,and
unlimited“mults,”sothateachoutputcanbe
connectedtomultipleinputs.LiketheoriginalMS‐20,
youcanalsousealiveaudioinputasbothanaudio
andcontrolsource.
Finally,weaddedAMSmodulationforalloriginalMS‐
20controls,plusfouradditionalEGs,fouradditional
LFOs,andfourAMSmixers.Ofcourse,theMS‐20EX
hasaccesstoallstandardEXiProgramfeatures,
includingdualkeytrackinggenerators,theCommon
LFOandCommonStepSequencer,Vector,KARMA,
EQ,andeffects.
Formoreinformation,see“EXi:MS‐20EX”onpage 285
oftheParameterGuide.
PolysixEX
ThePolysixEXisarich‐sounding,easy‐to‐usevirtual
analogsynth.Italsofeaturesveryhighpolyphony–up
to172voices,withroomforeffects!
WhendesigningthePolysixEX,westartedwitha
faithfulreproductionofthefeaturesandsonic
characteroftheclassicKorgPolysix.Theseincludea
VCOandsub‐oscillator,pulse‐widthmodulationwith
adedicatedLFO,afour‐pole,self‐oscillatingresonant
lowpassfilter,anADSRenvelope,aModulation
Generator(akaLFO),anintegratedarpeggiator,and
built‐ineffects.
Next,aswiththeMS‐20EX,weaddedthefeatures
fromtheKorgLegacyPolysix,includingExternal
Modulationroutings,temposynchronization,andthe
Analogcontrol.
Finally,weaddedAMSmodulationforalloriginal
Polysixknobsandswitches,plustwoadditionalEGs,
twoadditionalLFOs,andfourAMSmixers.
Ofcourse,thePolysixEXhasaccesstoallstandardEXi
Programfeatures,includingdualkeytracking
generators,theCommonLFOandCommonStep
Sequencer,Vector,KARMA,EQ,andeffects.
Theseadditionalfeaturesopenupexpressiveand
timbralpossibilitiesfarbeyondtheoriginal
instrument–andyetallofthemainsynthesis
parametersfitontoasinglepageofthedisplay.
Together,thesemakethePolysixEXaperfect
combinationofsimplicity,greatsound,andversatility.
Formoreinformation,see“EXi:PolysixEX”on
page 313oftheParameterGuide.
What is CMT?
Korg’sCMT(ComponentModelingTechnology)
createsvirtualinstrumentsthatareindistinguishable
fromtheoriginal.CMTtakesanorganicapproachto
modeling,reproducingnotonlythesoundbutalsothe
characterandresponsecurveofeachparameter,so
thattheresultsarecompletelyfaithfultotheoriginal
model.
CMT’scloningoftheentireinstrument,basedonan
intimateknowledgeoftheoriginalanalogcircuits,
ensuresthateverynuanceisreplicated–deliveringall
thepowerandsubtletythatupuntilnowonlytrue
analogsynthesiscouldprovide.

New features New features in software version 1.1
9
Increased polyphony for the AL-1 & STR-1
AspartofourcontinuedrefinementstotheOASYS
system,youcannowplaymorevoicesoftheAL‐1and
STR‐1!
TheupdatedAL‐1iscapableofplaying96voices(up
from84),andtheSTR‐1’smaxpolyphonyisnow48
voices(upfrom32–afactorof50%).Naturally,thefull
audiofidelityofthepreviousversionshasbeen
preserved.
Unison enhancements
Unisonhasbeenimprovedinseveralways,forboth
HD‐1andEXiPrograms.Tobeginwith,youcannow
enableunisoninPolymode,aswellasinMono.The
newUnisonStereoSpreadparameterdistributes
unisonvoicesacrossthestereofield,foramoreintense
effect.Finally,therangeofUnisonDetunehasbeen
doubled,toatotalwidthof200cents(100centsupand
down).
Formoreinformation,see“Unison”onpage 35ofthe
ParameterGuide.
Max # of Notes
ThenewMax#ofNotesparameterletsyoumodelthe
voice‐leadingofvintagesynthesizers,suchasthe
Polysix,aswellascontroltheresourcesrequiredby
individualProgramsinCombinationandSequencer
modes.Max#ofNotesisavailableinbothHD‐1and
EXiPrograms,aswellasforeachTimbreinaCombi
andeachTrackinaSong.
Formoreinformation,see“Max#ofNotes”onpage 34
oftheParameterGuide.
Improved parameter smoothing
Sinceitsinitialrelease,OASYShasusedseveral
differentsmoothingprocessestominimize
“steppiness”onknobs,sliders,andcontrols.These
processeshavebeenfurtherimproved,viaanew
adaptivesmoothingalgorithm.
ToneAdjustisnowsmoothedaswell,sothatyoucan
usethisControlSurfacemodeforperformanceaswell
asediting.Manyparametersarealsonowsmoothed
evenwheneditedfromtheLCD.
Chord mode
TheoriginalPolysixhadafun,coolChordfunction,
whichletyoustoreachordandthentransposeitby
playingsinglenotesonthekeyboard.Wethoughtthis
wassuchagoodideathatweintegrateditthroughout
theOASYSsystem.YoucannowenableChordmode
foranyHD‐1orEXiProgram,aswellasforeach
TimbreinaCombiandeachTrackinaSong.
ChordmodeisintegratedwiththeDrum/ChordPads.
Justasbefore,youcanstoreupto8‐notechordsfor
eachPad–butnow,withChordmode,youcanusethe
padstoselectachord,andthenplayitfromthe
keyboard.
AnewChordSWfunctionletsyouenableanddisable
ChordmodefromSW1,SW2,ortheAssignableFoot
Switch.
ChordmodecanduplicatethewaythatthePolysix
chordsworked,butitcanalsousealloftheVoice
Assignoptionstocreatedifferenteffects–suchasmono
legatochordswithfingeredportamento,orpoly
chordsthatoverlaponeanother.
Formoreinformation,see“UsingChordmode”on
page 54,and“Chord”onpage 35oftheParameter
Guide.
New features in software version 1.1
OASYSsoftwareversion1.1addedanumberofnew
features,includingtheSTR‐1PluckedStringEXi,
supportforupto2GBofRAM,anewAMSMixertype,
andmore.
New EXi: STR-1 Plucked String
AsthefirstEXiupdateforOASYS,theSTR‐1Plucked
Stringadvancesthestateoftheartinphysical
modeling,buildingonoveradecadeofKorg’sresearch
withnewinnovationsexclusivetoOASYS.Itoffersa
comprehensiveandsophisticatedsetofsynthesistools,
capableofcreatingbothtraditionalsounds(acoustic
andelectricguitarsandbasses,clavinetsand
harpsichords,harps,bells,electricpianos,ethnic
instruments,etc.)andunique,experimentaltimbres.
Formoreinformation,see“EXi:STR‐1PluckedString”
onpage 239oftheParameterGuide.
Support for up to 2 GB of RAM
OASYSnowsupportsupto2gigabytesofRAM,which
canbeusedforRAMandEXssamples.Amongother
things,thismeansthatyoumaynowloadbothEXs1
andEXs2atthesametime,ifdesired.
Formoreinformation,see“Installingmemory”on
page 1092oftheParameterGuide,“ExpansionSample
Setup”onpage 742,and“SamplingandRAM”on
page 621oftheParameterGuide.
Supported DRAM DIMM modules
TheOASYShastwoDIMMsockets.Oneslotis
occupiedbyfactory‐installedmemory;theotherisleft
openforuserexpansion.
Somecommercially‐availablememorywillnot
workwiththeOASYS.Thefollowingtypesof
memoryaresupported.
Specifications:184‐pinDIMMDDRSDRAM,
unbuffered,non‐ECC

Quick Start
10
PC2700(DDR333CL2.5)
PC3200(DDR400CL3)
CapacityfortheadditionalDIMM:512MBor1GB
DRAMDIMMisnotamanufactureroption.Please
usecommercially‐availablememorysoldfor
computers.
IfyouhaveanyquestionsregardingthetypeofDRAM
DIMMmodulesthatcanbeused,pleasecontactyour
localKorgdistributor.
EXiaudio input
OASYSnowincludesstandardparametersforrouting
audiointoEXiinstruments.Youcanusethisfor
processingliveorrecordedinputsthroughEXi
synthesisengines,orforcreatingfeedbackloops.
Initially,thesefeaturesaresupportedbythenewSTR‐
1.Formoreinformation,see“4–2:EXiAudioInput”on
page 168oftheParameterGuide(Programmode),“2–
6:EXiAudioInput”onpage 422oftheParameter
Guide(Combinationmode),and“2‐6:EXiAudio
Input”onpage 530oftheParameterGuide(Sequencer
mode).
ForinformationonusingaudioinputwiththeSTR‐1,
see“4‐8c:Feedback”onpage 261oftheParameter
Guide.
New AMS Mixer type: Gate
ThisnewMixerTypeletsyousetuptwodifferentAMS
sources(orfixedAMSamounts),andthenswitch
betweenthetwousingathirdAMSsource.
It’ssimilartoanaudiogatewithaside‐chain,butwith
evenmoreflexibility–sinceyougettochoosewhat
happenswhenthegateisclosed(belowthethreshold),
aswellaswhenit’sopen(abovethethreshold).
Amongotherthings,youcanusethistoapplypitch
bendtosomenotes,butnottoothers,basedonthe
stateofacontrolleratnote‐on.
Formoreinformation,see“Gate”onpage 95ofthe
ParameterGuide.
Half-Damper Enable
InthepreviousOASYSsoftware,Half‐Damperpedals,
normalsustainpedals,andMIDICC#64modulated
theAmpEGReleaseTimebydefault.Thisfeaturemay
nowbeenabledordisabledasdesired,onaper‐
Programbasis.
Formoreinformation,see“1–1f:Half‐Damper
Control”onpage 37oftheParameterGuide(HD‐1
Programs)and“4–1g:Half‐DamperControl”on
page 166oftheParameterGuide(EXiPrograms).
Footswitch can control Inc/Dec
Youcannowassignthefoot‐switchtocontrolthe
front‐panelIncorDecbuttons.Thiscanbe
convenientincertainliveperformancesituations.For
moreinformation,see“Usingafootswitchtoselect
Programs”onpage 49,and“FootSwitch
Assignments”onpage 1035oftheParameterGuide.

11
Introduction to OASYS
Main Features
Open Architecture Synthesis Studio
TheOASYSfeaturestheOA(OpenArchitecture)
synthesissystem,whichoffersallthebenefitsofa
variablesoftwaresystembackedbythehardware
integritythatcanonlycomefromafully‐integrated
instrumentdesign.
Currently,theOASYSincludessophisticatedPCM
sampleplaybackincludingWaveSequencingand
VectorSynthesis(theHD‐1HighDefinition
Synthesizer),analogmodeling(theAL‐1Analog
ModelingSynthesizer),tonewheelorganmodeling
(CX‐3TonewheelOrgan),andphysicalmodeling(the
STR‐1PluckedString).
TheoptionalLAC‐1LegacyAnalogCollectionadds
twoCMTModeledAnalogSynthesizers,theMS‐20EX
andPolysixEX,forawealthofadditionaltimbral
capabilities.
TheOASYS‘sOpenArchitectureisdesignedtoenable
futureoptionstofurtherexpandtheinstrument’s
capabilities,includingadditionalEXiexpansion
instruments,EXsexpansionsamples,andEXf
expansioneffects.
TheOA(OpenArchitecture)synthesissystemtogether
withKARMA,asixteentrackMIDIsequencerand
sixteentrackharddiskrecorder,asampler,control
surface,andakeyboardwithgreatresponsearealltied
togetherbyahigh‐speedprocessorintoanorganic
wholeastheOASYS(OpenArchitectureSynthesis
Studio),theperfectinstrumenttofuelyourmusical
creativity.
Detailed Specifications
•Synthesismethods:
HD‐1HighDefinitionSynthesizer
AL‐1(AnalogModelingSynthesizer)
CX‐3(TonewheelOrgan)
STR‐1(PluckedString)
MS‐20EX(CMTModeledAnalogSynthesizer)
PolysixEX(CMTModeledAnalogSynthesizer)
MOD‐7(WaveshapingVPMSynthesizer)
FutureEXi(ExpansionInstruments)
•Maximumpolyphony*1*2:
HD‐1:172voices(172oscillators)
AL‐1:96voices
CX‐3:172voices
STR‐1:48voices
MS‐20EX:48voices
PolysixEX:172voices
MOD‐7:52voices
•PCMsamplingmethod:16‐bit,48kHz;supports
bothuncompresseddataandlosslesscompression
•PresetPCM:314MB(1,505multisamples,1,338
drumsamples)
•EXs1ROMExpansion:313MB(229multisamples,
1,483drumsamples;losslesscompressionreduces
RAMsizeto284MB)
•EXs2ConcertGrandPiano:503MB(10
multisamples;losslesscompressionreducesRAM
sizeto464MB)
•PCMRAM:Uptoabout1.5GB,dependingupon
theinstalledRAMandcurrentlyloadedEXs
samples;see“SamplingandRAM”onpage 123for
moreinformation.
• Wavesequences:374usermemories,150preloaded
*1)Theactualmaximumpolyphonydependsonthe
oscillatorsettingsforstereomultisamples,velocity
crossfading,wavesequencecrossfading,anddouble
mode.
*2)Ifmultiplesynthesismethodsarebeingused
simultaneously,therequirednumberofvoicesof
polyphonywillautomaticallybeallocatedbythe
systemasnecessary.
PCM synthesis engine – HD-1 High
Definition Synthesizer
High-capacity PCM sounds, newly designed
oscillator
TheHD‐1HighDefinitionsynthesizer,whichisthe
PCMsynthesisengineoftheOASYS,usesanewly
designedoscillator.
ThePCMwaveformsare16‐bit48kHz,usingeitherno
datacompressionorlosslesscompressioninorderto
maintainfullfidelity.Theyincludeatotalofmorethan
1Gigabyteofmeticulously‐recordedstereosamples
andlongsamples.
Eachvoicehasoscillators(twooscillatorsallowing
four‐stagevelocityswitching/crossfading/layering)
thatcanuseuptoeight(stereo)multisamples,upto
fourfilters(twofilterseachwithfourmodesandfour
routings),twoamps,fiveLFOs,andfiveEGs,all
availablesimultaneously.
Eachvoice(oscillator,filter,amp,etc.)providesa
generousarrayofmodulationfunctionsand
parameters,lettingyouconstructintricateandrich
sounds.
TheEXs2ConcertGrandPianoextendedPCMlibrary
consistsofalavish503MBoflongstereosamples,
capturedforeachkeyatfourlevelsofdynamics.In
addition,theNote‐OnControlfunctionreproducesthe
sympatheticstringvibrationthatoccurswhenyou
holddownthedamperpedal.Whenyouholddown

Introduction to OASYS
12
thedamperpedalandstrikeakey,thesympathetically
vibratingstringswillalsosound,faithfullyreplicating
thedepthandtransparencyofanacousticpiano.
Stapleensemblesoundssuchasstringsandbrassuse
stereosamplingtocapturetheirnaturalspaciousness,
witharichvarietyofarticulationssuchastremolo,
pizzicato,andsforzando,aswellasfour‐levelvelocity
switchingandcrossfadingtoensureanaturalrangeof
expression.
Reedinstrumentssuchassaxandoboeweresampled
forextendedtimestoincludenatural‐soundingvibrato
producedbytheplayer.
Thedrumsthataresoimportantfortheoverall
characterofatrackalsousestereosampling,withlong
samplesthatcapturethenaturaldecayandfour‐level
velocityswitchingandcrossfadingfornatural
dynamics.
Wave sequencing – generating textured tones or
rhythmic sounds
InadditiontosimplyplayingbackthePCMwaveform,
theHD‐1HighDefinitionSynthesizer’soscillatorsalso
supportKorg’sproprietaryWaveSequencing
functionality.
WavesequencingsuccessivelyswitchesthroughPCM
waveforms,crossfadingbetweendifferentsoundsto
createtexturedtonesorrhythmicsounddesigns.Made
famousonKorg’sWAVESTATI ON,wavesequencing
hasbeenredesignedtobeeveneasierandmore
creativethanever.
Youdon’thavetostopwithsimplyplayingbackPCM
waveformsinsuccession–youcanfreelyspecifythe
timing,length,andpitchofeachwaveform.Thetiming
atwhichwaveformsareswitchedcanevenbe
synchronizedtothetempo.YoucanalsouseAMS
(AlternateModulationSources)toobtainsounddesign
possibilitiesthatarecompletelyunthinkablefora
conventionalPCMsynthesizer;forexample,youcan
usetheoutputofanenvelopegeneratortocontrolthe
timingatwhichwaveformsareswitched.
Advanced Vector Synthesis – create not only
sounds, but also sound fields
TheOASYSincludesAdvancedVectorSynthesis,
whichletsyousynthesizespatialsound‐fields.
InCombinationmode,youcanassigneachtimbreto
oneofthefourdirections(up,down,left,orright),and
usethefront‐panelVectorJoysticktocontrolthe
timbrevolumesoreffects.
InProgrammode,youcanusethisforrealtimecontrol
overthebalancebetweenoscillators1and2orfor
controllingeffects,givingyouapowerfultooltocreate
soundswithdynamicmovement.
InadditiontocontrollingtheVectorpositionmanually
inrealtime,youcanusethefive‐pointVectorEnvelope
tocontrolvectorsautomatically.Foreachpoint,you
canspecifytheVectorposition,howlongtheenvelope
willholdatthepoint,andhowlongitwilltaketo
transitiontothenextpoint.Transitionandholdtimes
canuseeitherabsolutetime,orrhythmicvalues
synchronizedtothesystemtempo.
Ultra high-precision filters are the core of sound
design
Becauseofitspowerandconceptualeaseof
understanding,subtractivesynthesis(thetechniqueof
creatingsoundbyselectivelyremovingportionsfrom
anovertone‐richwaveform)hasbecomethestandard
forsynthesizerstoday.Oneofthemostimportant
componentsofsubtractivesynthesisisthefilter.
ThefiltersectionoftheHD‐1HighDefinition
synthesizerprovidesfourfilteringtypes(lowpass,
highpass,bandpass,andbandreject)andfourtypes
ofrouting(single,serial,parallel,and24dB).
TheamazingpoweroftheOA(OpenArchitecture)
synthesissystemproducesnaturalandbeautiful
filteringthatdoesnotweakenthesound,delivering
smoothfiltersweepsandresonance.
TheampoftheOASYScontainsdrivercircuitrythat
coversawiderangeofdistortion,fromthemildand
warmoverdrivecharacteristicofclassicanalog
synthesizers,tothesharpdistortionproducedby
audiosignalfeedback.
Inaddition,thekeytrackinggeneratorallowsthe
filteringtovaryaccordingtothekeyboardrange;you
canapplysubtlefilteringforconvincingsimulation
sounds,oraggressivefilteringthatproducesdrastic
changesinfilteringasyouplayupordownthe
keyboard.
Dive into an ocean of creative potential – flexible
modulation routing, EG, LFO, and AMS
OASYStakesadvantageofitslavishamountof
availableprocessingpowertoproduceultra‐fastand
ultra‐smoothEGs(envelopegenerators)andLFOs.
EGsallowyoutospecifyhowthesounddevelopsover
time,fromitsonsettoitsend.TheHD‐1High
DefinitionSynthesizerletsyouadjustthecurvatureof
eachEGstage(attack,decay,slope,andrelease),giving
youdetailedcontroloverhowthetoneandvolume
changeovertime,andmakingitpossibletoprogram
anythingfromsimulatedacousticsoundstovintage
synthesizersoundsintheutmostdetail.
TheHD‐1providesacommonLFOforeachtimbre
andtwoLFOsforeachvoice.Youcanchoosefrom
eighteentypesofLFOwaveform,andalsoadjustthe
phaseofthewaveform,thecurve,andthecentervalue
oftheamplitudetocreatedistinctivelymodulated
soundsthathaveneverbeenheardbefore.Sincethe
waveformitselfisgeneratedwithextremelyhigh
precision,youcancreateperfectlysmoothsweeps.
You’llappreciatetheLFO’stightnessandaccuracynot
justathighspeeds,butalsoforlow‐speedmodulation.
Itgoeswithoutsayingthatyoucanalsoapplykeysync
sothatthesamemodulationoccurseachtimeanoteis
played,orsynchronizethemodulationspeedtothe
tempotocreaterhythmicaltonalchanges.
Korg’sAMS(AlternateModulationSources)giveyoua
richarrayofmodulationpossibilities,with52different
modulationsourcesyoucanusetocontrolthesoundin
complexways.TheOASYStakesthisclassicKorg
featureevenfurther,viatheAMSMixers.Theseletyou
createevenmoredetailedmodulationdesigns,suchas