Korg Pa3X 76-keys, Pa3X 61-keys User Manual

User’s Manual

ENGLISH

OS Ver. 1.1

MAN0010038

4E

Important safety instructions

• Read these instructions.

• Keep these instructions.

• Heed all warnings.

• Follow all instructions.

• Do not use this apparatus near water.

• 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.

• WARNING – This apparatus shall be connected to a mains socket outlet with
a protective earthing connection.

• Turning off the power switch does not completely isolate this product from
the power line so remove the plug from the socket if not using it for extended
periods of time, or before cleaning. Please ensure that the mains plug or appli­ance couple remains readily accessible.

• 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.

• Install this product near the wall socket and keep the power plug easily acces­sible.

• Do not install this equipment on the far position from wall outlet and/or con­venience receptacle.

• WARNING – Date/time Lithium button cell battery inside. Danger of explo­sion if battery is incorrectly replaced. The internal date/time Lithium button
cell battery is not user replaceable. The unit should be returned to a Korg
Authorized Service Center when the date/time Lithium button cell battery
needs replacing.

• CAUTION – Battery Pack NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride). Danger of explo­sion if NiMH battery-pack is incorrectly replaced. Replace only with the same
type (KORG BAT0001002).

• Do not expose batteries to excessive heat, such as direct sunshine, fire or the
like.

• Dispose of used batteries according to the battery manufacturer’s instructions.

• Do not install this equipment in a confined space such as a box for the convey­ance or similar unit.

• Do not put your fingers under the display while it is moving, or you will risk
to pinch them under the display!

• 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.

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).

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO CONSUMERS

This product has been manufactured according to strict specifications and voltage
requirements that are applicable in the country in which it is intended that this
product should be used. If you have purchased this product via the internet, through
mail order, and/or via a telephone sale, you must verify that this product is intended
to be used in the country in which you reside.

WARNING: Use of this product in any country other than that for which it is
intended could be dangerous and could invalidate the manufacturer's or distributor's
warranty.

Please also retain your receipt as proof of purchase otherwise your product may be
disqualified from the manufacturer's or distributor's warranty.

Notice regarding disposal (for EU only)

If this “crossed-out wheeled bin” symbol is shown on the product or in the operating manual, you must dispose of the product in an appropriate way. Do not dis­pose of this product along with your household trash. By disposing of this product correctly, you can avoid environmental harm or health risk. The correct
method of disposal will depend on your locality, so please contact the appropriate local authorities for details.

Data Handling

Data in memory may sometimes be lost due to incorrect user
action. Be sure to save important data to the internal hard disk
or to an external USB device. Korg will not be responsible for
damages caused by data loss.

Example screens

Some pages of the manuals show LCD screens along with an
explanation of functions and operations. All sound names,
parameter names, and values are merely examples and may not
always match the actual display you are working on.

Cleaning the display

Use a soft cotton cloth to clean the screen. Some materials, such
as paper towels, could cause scratches and damage it. Computer
wipes are also suggested, provided they are specifically designed
for LCD screens.

Do not spray any liquids on the LCD screen directly. Always
apply the solution to your cloth first, then clean the screen.

Trademarks

Akai is a registered trademark of Akai Professional Corporation.
Mac is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. MS-DOS and Win­dows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. TC­Helicon is a registered trademark of TC-Helicon Vocal Technol­ogies Ltd. PurePath is a registered trademark of Texas Instru­ments Incorporated. Waves and Maxx are registered trademarks
of Waves Audio Ltd. All other trademarks or registered trade­marks are the property of their respective holders.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this manual have been carefully
revised and checked through. Due to our constant efforts to
improve our products, the specifications might differ to those in
the manual. Korg is not responsible for any eventual differences
found between the specifications and the contents of the instruc­tion manual – the specifications being subject to change without
prior notice.

Liability

Korg products are manufactured under strict specifications and
voltages required by each country. These products are warranted
by the Korg distributor only in each country. Any Korg product
not sold with a warranty card or carrying a serial number dis­qualifies the product sold from the manufacturer's/distributor's
warranty and liability. This requirement is for your own protec­tion and safety.

Service and User’s Assistance

For service, please contact your nearest Authorized Korg Service
Center. For more information on Korg products, and to find
software and accessories for your keyboard, please contact your
local Authorized Korg distributor. For up-to-date information,
please point your web browser to www.korg.com

Copyright © 2011 KORG Italy Spa. Printed in Italy.

.

Warning

The 76-key model features a motorized display that includes moving parts. The motorized

display includes a safety system that prevents the display from closing (and automatically

raises it) when fingers or an external object are detected in its path. However, inadver-

tently activating the motorized display may cause physical harm, in particular to children.

Be very careful when using the motorized display, and keep children away while using it.

This instrument is not a toy, so please don't let children play with the display.

Keep your keyboard up-to-date

Your instrument can be constantly updated as new versions of the operating system are
released by Korg. You can download the operating system from www.korg.com

read the instructions supplied with the operating system.

. Please,

The BALANCE and X-FADER sliders

When turning the instrument on, please be assured the BALANCE and X-FADER slider
are set to the center position. This sets both Player 1 and Player 2 to their maximum level,
and balances between the keyboard and Style/Song tracks. This will prevent that you start

a Style or Song, or to play the keyboard, without hearing anything.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

1

Introduction

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Welcome! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Live Performing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Easy Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Useful links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

What’s in the box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

About this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Making a backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Restoring the original data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Loading the Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Start up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Connecting the AC power cord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Turning the instrument on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Controlling the Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

The X-Fader slider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Loudspeakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Audio Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Audio Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

MIDI connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Damper pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Assignable pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Demo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

The music stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Keyboard tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Sequencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The LOGO decoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Interface basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

The Color TouchView™ graphical user interface . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Operative modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Selected, highlighted items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Non-available, grayed-out parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Easy Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

The Style Play page in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

The Song Play page in detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Quick Guide

Turning the instrument on and listening to the demos . 38

Turning the instrument on, and viewing the main screen . . . 38

Playing the demos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Playing Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Selecting a Sound and playing it on the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . 40

Playing two or three Sounds at the same time . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Playing different Sounds with your left and right hand . . . . . . 45

Changing the split point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Raising or lowering the Upper octave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Digital Drawbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Selecting and saving Performances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Selecting a Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Saving your settings to a Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Selecting and playing Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Selecting and playing a Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Intro, Variation, Fill, Break, Ending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Single Touch Settings (STS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

The Pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Adjusting balance between the Style and the keyboard . . . . . . 60

Adjusting the volume of each track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Turning the Style tracks on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Adding harmony notes to your right-hand melody with

the ENSEMBLE function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

The Chord Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Song Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Selecting a Song to play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Playing back a Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Changing the tracks’ volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Turning the Song tracks on/off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Soloing a track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Removing the voice from an MP3 file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Removing the Melody track from a Standard MIDI File . . . . 75

Mixing two Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

The SongBook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Selecting the desired entry from the Main List . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Displaying Artist or Genre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Sorting entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Searching entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Adding entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Creating a Custom List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Selecting and using a Custom List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Selecting a SongBook STS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Introduction

2

Table of Contents

Singing with a microphone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

Connecting a microphone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Setting up your voice tone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Choosing a Voice Processor Preset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Applying harmony to your voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Applying doubling to your voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Soloing your voice (Talk) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Locking the Voice Processor settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Recording a new Song (Standard MIDI File) . . . . . . . . . . . .96

Accessing the Backing Sequence (Quick Record) mode . . . . . 96

Preparing to record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Second-take recording (Overdubbing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Saving a Song to disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Recording a new Song (MP3 file) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Reference

Selecting elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Sound Select window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Performance Select window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Style Select window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Pad Select window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

STS Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Song Select window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Searching files and musical resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

How to use the Search function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Notes on searching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Style Play operating mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Start-up settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

How Styles, Variations, Performances and STSs are

linked together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Master Volume and Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Factory, User and Favorite Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Main page (Normal view) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Style Tracks view page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

STS Name panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

Volume panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Pad panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Split panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Mic panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Sub-Scale panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Edit menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Edit page structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Mixer/Tuning: Volume/Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Mixer/Tuning: FX Send . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

Mixer/Tuning: EQ Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Mixer/Tuning: EQ Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Mixer/Tuning: Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Mixer/Tuning: Sub Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Effects: A/B FX Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Effects: IFX 1…3, Master 1…3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Track Controls: Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

Track Controls: Drum Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Track Controls: Easy Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Keyboard/Ensemble: Keyboard Control 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

Keyboard/Ensemble: Keyboard Control 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

Keyboard/Ensemble: Key/Velocity Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Keyboard/Ensemble: Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Pad/Switch: Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Pad/Switch: Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Style Controls: Drum/Fill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Style Controls: Keyboard Range On/Off / Wrap Around . . .135

Preferences: Style Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135

Preferences: Style Play Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

Page menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

Write Performance dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

Write Single Touch Setting dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

Write Style Settings dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

Write Global-Style Play Setup dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

The Favorite banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

Song Play operating mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Transport controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

MIDI Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Tempo Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Master Volume, Balance, X-Fader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Track parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Standard MIDI Files and Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Keyboard, Pad and Player tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

Main page (Normal view) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

Song Tracks 1-8 and 9-16 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

STS Name panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

Volume panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

Pad panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Split panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Mic panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Sub-Scale panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Jukebox panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Edit menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Edit page structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Switching between players during editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Mixer/Tuning: Volume/Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Mixer/Tuning: FX Send . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

Mixer/Tuning: EQ Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

Mixer/Tuning: EQ Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153

Mixer/Tuning: Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Effects: A/B FX Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Effects: IFX 1…3, Master 1…3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

Track Controls: Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

Track Controls: Drum Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

Track Controls: Easy Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

Keyboard/Ensemble: Keyboard Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

Keyboard/Ensemble: Keyboard Control 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155

Keyboard/Ensemble: Key/Velocity Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Keyboard/Ensemble: Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Pad/Switch: Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Pad/Switch: Assignable Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Jukebox Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Preferences: General Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157

Preferences: Play Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157

Page menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158

Write Global-Song Play Setup dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

SongBook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160

Custom List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

List Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

Book Edit 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164

Book Edit 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

Book Edit 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167

Page menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

Lyrics, Score, Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Lyrics page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169

Score page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

3

Table of Contents

Markers page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Sequencer operating mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Transport controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

The Songs and the Standard MIDI File format . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Sequencer mode and the MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Songs and Voice Processor Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Sequencer Play - Main page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Entering Record mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Record mode: Multitrack Sequencer page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Record mode: Step Record page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Record mode: Backing Sequence (Quick Record) page . . . . 181

Record mode: Step Backing Sequence page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Edit menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Edit page structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Mixer/Tuning: Volume/Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Mixer/Tuning: FX Send . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Mixer/Tuning: EQ Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Mixer/Tuning: EQ Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Mixer/Tuning: Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Mixer/Tuning: Sub Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Effects: A/B FX Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Effects: IFX 1…3, Master 1…3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Track Controls: Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Track Controls: Drum Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Track Controls: Easy Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Event Edit: Event Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Event Edit: Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Song Edit: Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Song Edit: Transpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Song Edit: Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Song Edit: Cut/Insert Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Song Edit: Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Song Edit: Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Song Edit: Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Song Edit: RX Convert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Preferences: Sequencer Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Page menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Write Global-Sequencer Setup dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Song Select window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Save Song window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Global edit mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

What is it, and how the Global is structured . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Main page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Edit menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Edit page structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

General Controls: Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

General Controls: Transpose Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

General Controls: Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

General Controls: Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

General Controls: Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

General Controls: Clock & Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Controllers: Pedal/Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Controllers: Assignable Sliders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Controllers: EC5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

MIDI: MIDI Setup / General Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

MIDI: MIDI In Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

MIDI: MIDI In Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

MIDI: MIDI Out Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

MIDI: Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Audio Setup: Style/Kbd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Audio Setup: Player 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Audio Setup: Player 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Audio Setup: Drums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Audio Setup: Audio In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Audio Setup: Metro / MP3 / Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Voice Processor Setup and Preset sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Video Interface: Video Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

MaxxAudio: MaxxEQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Maxx Master EQ: MaxxAUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Maxx Default Preset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Touch Panel Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Page menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Write Global - Global Setup dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Write Global - Midi Setup dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Write Global - Voice Processor Setup dialog box . . . . . . . . . . 221

Write Global - Voice Processor Preset dialog box . . . . . . . . . 221

Write Global - Maxx Preset dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Write Quarter Tone SC Preset dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Media edit mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222

Storage devices and internal memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Supported device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Selecting and deselecting files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Searching files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

File types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Media structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Main page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Page structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Navigation tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Erase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

USB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Page menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Care of mass storage devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Merging PCM samples from various sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242

What is MIDI? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

What is MIDI Over USB? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Standard MIDI Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

The General MIDI standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

The Global channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

The Chord 1 and Chord 2 channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

The Control channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

MIDI Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Connecting Pa3X to a Master keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

Connecting the Pa3X to a MIDI accordion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

Connecting the Pa3X to an external sequencer . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Playing another instrument with the Pa3X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Introduction

4

Table of Contents

Appendix

Installing the Pa3X Amplification System (PaAS) . . . . . 248

Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248

Installing the Video Interface (VIF4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

NTSC, PAL, SECAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250

Connections and setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Installing additional Sampling RAM (EXB-M256) . . . . . 253

Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253

Installing an Hard Disk (HDIK-2) (only 61-key model) . 255

Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255

Formatting the Hard Disk and installing the Operating

System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256

Replacing the Sample RAM backup battery . . . . . . . . . . 258

Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258

Installing the Korg USB MIDI Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Connecting the Pa3X to a personal computer . . . . . . . . . . . . .260

KORG USB-MIDI Driver system requirements . . . . . . . . . . .260

Please note before use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260

Windows: Installing the KORG USB-MIDI Driver . . . . . . . .260

Mac OS X: Installing KORG USB-MIDI Driver . . . . . . . . . . .261

Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

MIDI Implementation Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Technical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

6

Overview

Pa3X 76-keys

Pa3X 61-keys

Overview

Overview

Front Panel

Front Panel

Phones connector

7

Connectors and controllers

The left side of the front panel contains the manual physical con­trollers and the headphones connector.

PHONES

Connect a pair of headphones to this output. You can use head­phones with an impedance of 16-200 Ohms (50 Ohms sug­gested). Use a headphone splitter to connect more than one pair
of headphones.

Volume controls and assignable sliders

Use these sliders to control master and section volumes, draw­bars or assignable functions. Press the SLIDER MODE button to
choose the assigned functions.

Introduction

ASSIGNABLE SWITCH

These are freely assignable switches (see “Pad/Switch: Switch” on
page 133 for information on how to assign functions to them).

JOYSTICK

This joystick triggers different functions, depending on the
direction it is moved towards. The joystick can be separately
turned on or off for each track (see “Keyboard/Ensemble: Key­board Control 1” on page 130).

X (+/–) Move the joystick towards the left (–) to lower the

pitch, or towards the right (+) to raise it. This is
also called Pitch Bend.

Y+ Move the joystick forward to trigger Modulation.

Y– Move the joystick backward, to trigger the func-

tion assigned in Sound mode.

RIBBON CONTROLLER

This strip controls a Sound parameter. Slide towards the left (–)
to decrease its value, or towards the right (+) to increase it.

You can set the ribbon’s sensitivity in the Global > Pedal/Switch
page (see “Sensivity” on page 209). To assign the ribbon to a
sound’s parameter, assign it as an AMS control for the corre­sponding parameter (see the “Sound” chapter in the “Advanced
Edit” manual, available in the Accessory Disk).

MASTER VOLUME

This slider controls the overall volume of the instrument, both of
the (optional with the PaAS system) integrated speakers, the
LEFT and RIGHT Audio Outputs, and the PHONES output. It
does not control the volume of the 1 and 2 sub-outputs.

BALANCE

While in Style Play and Song Play mode, this slider usually bal­ances the volume of the Keyboard tracks, against the Style
(Accompaniment), Pad and Song tracks. This is a relative con­trol, whose effective maximum value is determined by the MAS­TER VOLUME slider position.

It can be programmed to work as the volume control for the
Accompaniment/Song tracks only (leaving the Keyboard tracks
unchanged). See “Balance Slider” on page 206 for more informa­tion.

When moved, a magnified version of the virtual slider appears in
the display, for more accurate positioning.

Note: This does not work in the Sequencer and Sound modes.

ASSIGNABLE SLIDERS

The first slider acts either as an MP3 volume controller in most
cases, or as the 16’ footage when in Drawbar mode. When con­trolling the MP3 volume, it starts working only when the current
volume level is reached.

The other eight sliders act as volume controls or drawbars, or are
freely assignable sliders (see “Controllers: Assignable Sliders” on
page 209 for information on how to assign functions to them).
Four slider modes are available, and can be selected by pressing
the SLIDER MODE button (see below).

Gbl

8

Overview

Front Panel

SB

While in Style Play or Sequencer mode, with the sliders
in Volume mode, you can use the physical sliders to change the
volume of several tracks at once. Keep the SHIFT button pressed,
and move one of these sliders to proportionally change the vol­ume of all similar tracks.

Note: In Song Play mode, this does not work on the Song tracks,
but it still works on the Keyboard tracks.

• In Style Play and Song Play mode: Keep the SHIFT button

pressed and move one of the UPPER sliders, to proportion­ally change the volume of all Upper tracks at the same time.

• In Style Play mode: First press the TRACK SELECT button

to see the separate Style tracks in the display. Then keep the
SHIFT button pressed and move one of the sliders, to pro­portionally change the volume of all Style tracks at the
same time.

• In Sequencer mode: Keep the SHIFT button pressed and

move one of the sliders, to proportionally change the vol­ume of all Song tracks at the same time.

SLIDER MODE

Use this button to select one of the four available operating
modes for the sliders. The sliders can be freely programmed in
Global mode (see “Controllers: Assignable Sliders” on page 209).

VOLUME When in this mode, each of the sliders controls

the volume of the corresponding track or device
in the display.

DRAWBARS Each slider controls the corresponding drawbar

of the selected Digital Drawbars Sound.ASSIGN.
A/BTwo sets of eight freely assignable controls,
that can be programmed in Global mode. The
first slider (labeled MP3 Vol) always controls the
volume of the MP3 player. For information on
how to program them, see “Controllers: Assign­able Sliders” on page 209.

MODE section

Each of these buttons recalls one of the instrument’s operating
modes. When selected, each mode excludes the others.

In the main page, Keyboard tracks are shown in the right half of
the display. You can reach the main page by pressing EXIT from
any of the Style Play edit pages. If you are in a different operating
mode, press STYLE PLAY to recall the Style Play mode. If Key­board tracks are not shown in the display, press the TRACK
SELECT button to see them.

This operating mode is automatically selected when turning the
instrument on.

SONG PLAY

Song Play mode, where you can play back Songs in Standard
MIDI File (SMF or KAR) and MP3 format. Since the Pa3X is
equipped with two players, you can even play two Songs at the
same time, and mix them with the X-Fader.

In addition to the Song tracks, you can play up to four Keyboard
tracks and four Pads along with the Song(s). In the main page,
Keyboard tracks are shown in the right half of the display. You
can reach the main page by pressing EXIT from any of the Song
Play edit pages. If you are in a different operating mode, press
SONG PLAY to recall the Song Play mode. Use the TRACK
SELECT button to cycle between Keyboard and Song tracks.

SEQUENCER

Sequencer mode, where you can play, record or edit a Song (in Stan­dard MIDI File format). The Backing Sequence mode lets you
record a new Song based on the Keyboard and Style tracks, and save
it as a new Standard MIDI File.

SOUND

Sound mode, to play single Sounds on the keyboard, or edit
them. By pressing RECORD you can access the Sampling mode,
Pa3X full-featured sampler.

User Sounds may be based on User PCM Samples that are
loaded into the dedicated Sample RAM memory. Pa3X includes
128 MB of Sample RAM as standard; this memory can be
increased by installing the (optional) EXB-M256 expansion
board.

Please note that the actual amount of User PCM Samples that
can fit the Sample RAM varies depending on the amount of
compression applied to the Samples, and may be up to 200%
over the non-compressed size. Therefore, the full 256 MB Sam­ple RAM could contain the equivalent of over 500 MB or Sam­ples.

User PCM Samples are stored in a battery-backed Sample RAM
memory when the Pa3X is turned off or put to standby mode.
See “Turning the instrument on and off ” on page 25for more
information).

Information about the Sound and Sampling modes can be found
in the “Advanced Edit” manual, contained in the Accessory Disk.

STYLE PLAY

Style Play mode, where you can play Styles (automatic accompa­niments) and play up to four Keyboard tracks and four Pad
tracks.

DEMO

Press the STYLE PLAY and SONG PLAY buttons together to
select the Demo mode. This mode lets you listen to some Demo
Songs, to let you understand the sonic power of the Pa3X. To exit
from this mode, press any of the MODE buttons.

9

Overview

Front Panel

Special Mode Buttons

These buttons are used to recall settings, file management and
record modes.

GLOBAL

This button recalls the Global edit environment, where you can
adjust various global settings. This edit environment overlaps
any operating mode, that still remains active in the background.
Press EXIT to go back to the underlying operating mode.

MEDIA

This button recalls the Media edit environment, where you can
execute various operations on files and storage devices (Load,
Save, Format, etc…). This edit environment overlaps any operat­ing mode, that still remains active in the background. Press
EXIT to go back to the underlying operating mode.

Please note that the 76-key model is fitted with a hard disk as
standard, while the 61-key model includes a flash-memory mod­ule, that can be replaced with a hard disk by using the (optional)
HDIK-2 kit. Both storage devices are shown as “HD” inside the
Media and Song Select pages.

The internal hard disk or flash-memory module contain both
the Factory data (inside the SYS area) and User-editable data
(inside the HD area).

RECORD

This button sets the instrument to the Record or Sampling mode
(which one depends on the current operating mode).

You can keep the SHIFT button pressed and press this
button to open the “MP3 Record” dialog box (see “Recording a
new Song (MP3 file)” on page 101).

Style Section

Here you can select a Style, and activate the automatic selection
of STSs and/or Fills.

Introduction

STYLE SELECT section

Use these buttons to open the Style Select window and select a
Style. See “Style Select window” on page 105.

The USER button gives access to three User Style banks and
twelve Favorite Style banks. You can use User locations to load
new Styles from an external device, or save newly created or
edited Styles.

Favorite locations, too, can be used to load new Styles from an
external device, or to save newly created or edited Styles, but in
addition you can edit the names of these Sound banks, so that
you can create a custom set of Styles. See “The Favorite banks”
on page 140.

Each button (Style banks) contains five pages, each with up to
eight Styles. Repeatedly press a STYLE SELECT button to cycle
between the available pages.

You can keep the SHIFT button pressed and press one of
the buttons of this section, to make the “Write Style Settings”
window appear in the display. Then, you can save the current
Style Setup (see “Write Style Settings dialog box” on page 139).

STS MODE

This button cycles between the following functions.

On When a different Style (or the same again) is

selected, STS 1 is automatically selected. The
Keyboard sounds and effects will change, along
with the Style sounds and effects.

Flashing Variation/STS Link function activated. This func-

tion makes each Variation recall the correspond­ing STS when selected. For example, select
Variation 2, and STS 2 will be automatically
recalled; select Variation 3, and STS 3 will be
automatically recalled.

Off When you select a different Style (or the same

again), the Style sounds and effects will change.
The Keyboard sounds and effects will not change.

AUTO FILL

This button allows to turn the Auto Fill function on or off.

Note: This function is automatically turned off when turning the
instrument off.

On When selecting a different Variation, the Fill hav-

ing the same number of the previous Variation is
automatically selected. For example, if going from

10

Overview

Front Panel

SB

SB

SB

Variation 2 to Variation 3, Fill 2 is automatically
selected.

Off When choosing a Variation, no fill is automati-

cally selected.

Memory, Bass Controls, Chord Sequencer

These buttons lets you decide what should remain in memory,
and how the bass is played back.

MEMORY

This button allows you to choose if the Lower track and/or the
accompaniment chords must remain in memory even after rais­ing your hand from the keyboard.

On Depending on the setting of the “Memory Mode”

in the “Preferences: Style Preferences” page (Style
Play mode, see page 136), the sound on the left of
the split point (Lower), and/or the chords for the
automatic accompaniment can kept in memory
even when you raise your hand from the key­board.

Off The sound and chords are released as soon as you

raise your hand from the keyboard.

Note: This function can be automatically activated by playing the
keyboard harder. See “Velocity Control” on page 136.

button again, or one of the CHORD SCANNING
buttons.

Off The bass track is automatically played by the Style.

Note: When you press the MANUAL BASS button, the Bass track
volume is automatically set to its maximum value. The volume is
automatically set back to the original value when the MANUAL
BASS button is deactivated.

CHORD SEQUENCER (PLAY/STOP AND RECORD)

While a Style is in play, you can use this section as a Chord
Sequencer and record a looping sequence of chords. The chords
will drive the arranger, leaving your hands free for solo playing.

RECORD (BASS INVERSION + MANUAL BASS): Press these
buttons together to start recording the Chord Sequence (starting
from the next measure). Press these buttons again to stop
recording.

PLAY/STOP (MEMORY + BASS INVERSION): Press these but­tons together to let the Chord Sequence play in loop, and drive
the arranger. Press them again to stop the sequence.

The Chord Sequence will remain in memory up until you record
a new Chord Sequence, or you turn the Pa3X off.

Pads

Here you can play (and stop) the Pads, i.e. single sounds or loop­ing sequences.

You can jump to the Style Play > Style Preferences page

by keeping SHIFT pressed, and pressing the MEMORY button.

BASS INVERSION

This button turns the Bass Inversion function on or off.

On The lowest note of a chord played in inverted

form will always be detected as the root note of
the chord. Thus, you can specify to the arranger
composite chords such as “Am7/G” or “F/C”.

Off The lowest note is scanned together with the

other chord notes, and is not always considered
as the root note.

Note: This function can be automatically activated by playing the
keyboard harder. See “Velocity Control” on page 136.

MANUAL BASS

This button turns the Manual Bass function on or off.

On The automatic accompaniment stops playing

(apart for the Drum and Percussion tracks), and
you can manually play the Bass track on the
Lower part of the keyboard. You can start the
automatic accompaniment again by pressing this

PAD 1-4
STOP

Each Pad button corresponds to a dedicated Pad track. Use these
buttons to trigger up to four sounds or sequences at the same
time.

• Press a single PAD button to trigger a single sound or
sequence.

• Press more PAD buttons to trigger several sounds or
sequences.

The sequences will play up to the end. Then, they will stop or
continue repeating, depending on their “One Shot/Loop” status
(see the “Pad Type” parameter in the Pad Record mode).

You can stop all sequences, or just some of them, by pressing the
STOP button of the PAD section:

• Press STOP to stop all sequences at once.

• Keep STOP pressed and press one (or more) of the PAD
buttons to stop the corresponding sequence(s).

• Press one of the ENDING buttons to stop both the accom­paniment and the Pads at the same time.

11

Overview

Front Panel

Set

Set

Note: Pads share polyphony voices with the other tracks, so avoid
using too many of them together with a dense Style or Song
arrangement.

About Pad synchronization. In Style Play mode, Pads are syn­chronized to the Style’s Tempo. In Song Play mode, they are syn­chronized to the latest Player you set to play. For example,
assume you pressed PLY2-PLAY; when pressing one of the PAD
buttons, it will play in sync with Player 2.

Note: There is no synchronization with MP3 files. Pads can only
be synchronized to the Tempo of the last selected Standard MIDI
Files. Therefore, when an MP3 file is assigned to the last select
Player, Pads will synchronize to the Tempo of the last Standard
MIDI File that has been played back.

About Pads’ and the Players’ Play command. When you press
one of the PLAY buttons to start the corresponding Player, all
Pads will stop playing.

You can jump to the Style Play > Pad/Assignable Switch
page by keeping SHIFT pressed, and pressing one of the PAD
buttons.

Style Elements

This section contains the separate elements of a Style (Fill, Varia­tion, etc.).

Note: This function can be automatically activated by playing the
keyboard harder. See “Velocity Control” on page 136.

Note: If the Auto Fill function is activated, a Fill will be automati­cally selected when choosing the corresponding Variation.

You can jump to the Style Play > Drum/Fill page by

keeping SHIFT pressed, and pressing one of the FILL buttons.

BREAK

This button triggers a break. Press it twice (LED blinking) to let
it play in loop. Press it again or select any other Style Element
(Fill, Intro, Variation, Ending) to exit from the loop.

ENDING 1-3 buttons

While the Style is running, these three buttons trigger an End­ing, and stop the Style. Press one of them, and the Style will stop
running with an Ending.

Press them twice (LED blinking) to let them play in loop, and
select any other Style element (Fill, Intro, Variation…) to exit the
loop (or press the same button again).

Note: Ending 1 plays a short sequence with different chords, while
Ending 2 plays on the latest recognized chord. Ending 3 starts
immediately, and is just two measures long.

Introduction

INTRO 1-3/COUNT IN buttons

These buttons turn the corresponding Intro on. After pressing
one of these buttons, start the Style, and it will begin with the
selected intro. The INTRO LED automatically goes off at the end
of the intro.

Press them twice (LED blinking) to let them play in loop, and
select any other Style element (Fill, Intro, Variation…) to exit the
loop (or press the same button again).

Note: Intro 1 plays a short sequence with different chords, while
Intro 2 plays on the latest recognized chord. Intro 3 is usually a
one-bar Count In.

VARIATION 1-4 buttons

Each of these buttons selects one of the four Variations of the
current Style. The higher the Variation number, the denser the
arrangement.

You can jump to the Style Play > Drum/Fill page by
keeping SHIFT pressed, and pressing one of the VARIATION
buttons.

Set

Set

FILL 1-4 buttons

These buttons trigger a fill-in. Press them twice (LED blinking)
to let them play in loop, and select any other Style element (Fill,
Intro, Variation…) to exit the loop (or press the same button
again).

Style Controls

Use these buttons to start/stop the accompaniment.

FADE IN/OUT

When the Style or Song is not playing, press this button to start it
with a volume fade-in (the volume goes from zero to the maxi­mum).

When the Style or Song is playing back, press this button to stop
it with a volume fade-out (the volume gradually decreases).

You don’t need to press START/STOP or PLAY/STOP to start or
stop the Style or Song.

Note: This does not work in Sequencer mode.

You can jump to the Global > Basic page by keeping

SHIFT pressed, and pressing the FADE IN/OUT button.

TAP TEMPO/RESET

This is a double-function button, acting in a different way
depending on the Style status (Start/Stop).

Note: This button only works while in Style Play mode.

Tap Temp o: When the Style is not playing, you can “beat” the
tempo on this button. Tap as many times as the Time Signature’s
numerator (for example, four times with a 4/4 Time Signature, or

12

Overview

Front Panel

three times with a 3/4 one). At the end, the accompaniment
starts playing, using the “tapped in” tempo.

Reset: When you press this button while the Style is playing
back, the Style pattern goes back to the beginning of measure 1.

START/STOP

Starts or stops the Style.

Note: This function can be automatically activated by playing the
keyboard harder. See “Velocity Control” on page 136.

You can reset all ‘frozen’ notes and controllers on the Pa3X

and any instrument connected to its MIDI OUT or the USB
Device port, by using the “Panic” (SHIFT + START/STOP) key
combination. Just press SHIFT + START/STOP to stop all notes
and reset all controllers.

SYNCHRO START / STOP buttons

These buttons turn the Synchro Start and Synchro Stop func­tions on or off. This lets you decide if you must press START/
STOP to start and/or stop a Style, or just play the keyboard in the
Chord Scan area.

Start On, Stop Off

In this situation, just play a chord in the chord
recognition area (usually under the split point,
see “Chord Scan and Keyboard Split” on page 17)
to automatically start the Style. If you like, turn
one of the INTROs on before starting the Style.

Start Off, Stop On

In this case, raising your hands from the keyboard
stops the Style running.

Start On, Stop On

When both LEDs are lit, raising your hands from
the keyboard momentarily stops the Style running.
If you play a chord again, the Style starts again.

Start Off, Stop Off

All Synchro functions are turned off.

Display and controls

In the 76-key model, the display tilt angle can be adjusted either
using the motor, or manually.

COLOR TOUCHVIEW™ GRAPHICAL DISPLAY

Use this display to interact with the instrument. To set the dis­play brightness, keep the MENU button pressed, and turn the
DIAL counter-clockwise to decrease the brightness, or clockwise
to increase it.

In the 76-key model, you can use the UNLOCK and LIFT but­tons to change the display tilt angle by using the motorized dis­play controls (see below).

Wa r ni n g : Before moving the Pa3X, always lower the display com­pletely down, or you will risk to damage it!

Wa r ni n g : Do not put anything over or under the display, or you
will risk to damage the motor or the display!

Wa r ni n g : Do not put your fingers under the display while it is
moving, or you will risk to pinch them under the display!

UNLOCK

(76-key model only) Use this button to disconnect the display
from the motor. Keep it pressed while gently adjusting the tilt
manually, then release the button to reconnect the motor. This is
particularly useful when you turned the instrument off, and for­got to lower the display down.

Wa r ni n g : Do not force the display if it does not move! Press the
button and try again.

Note: The last position is recalled when turning the instrument on
again.

LIFT

(76-key model only) Use this button to alternatively tilt the dis­play up or down. Keep it pressed until the display is in the
desired position.

Wa r ni n g : Do not force the display while the motor is engaged!

13

Overview

Front Panel

Second Function Controls

Use the TRACK SELECT and SHIFT buttons to choose alternate
functions.

TRACK SELECT

Depending on the operating mode, this button switches between
the various track views.

STYLE PLAY MODE

Toggles between Keyboard and Style tracks.

SONG PLAY MODE

Toggles between Keyboard tracks, Song tracks 1­8, and Song tracks 9-16.

SEQUENCER MODE

Toggles between Song tracks 1-8 and Song tracks
9-16.

SHIFT

With this button held down, pressing certain other buttons gives
access to a second function. For a list of the available shortcuts,
see “Shortcuts” on page 262.

STS Section

Use the STS (Single Touch Settings) buttons to select sounds for
the keyboard.

selected, and you can save the current keyboard track settings in a
STS (see “Write Single Touch Setting dialog box” on page 139).

Players Controls

Pa3X is equipped with two players (Player 1 and Player 2), each
with its own set of transport controls. The Player 1 group is also
used for the Sequencer mode.

SELECT

Press this button to open the Song Select window and choose a
Songs.

<< and >>

Rewind and Fast Forward commands. If you use them while the
Song is in play, they make it scroll back or forward.

When pressed once, these buttons move the Song to the previous
or following measure (with a Standard MIDI File) or to the previ­ous or next second (with an MP3 file). When kept pressed, they
make the Song scrolling continuously, until you release them.

In Sequencer mode, if you set a Locate Measure other than 1,
when pressing the << button the Song rewinds up to that mea­sure instead of the first one (see “Locate measure” on page 174).

In Jukebox mode (Player 1), keep the SHIFT button
pressed, and press these buttons to scroll to the previous or next
Song in the Jukebox list (see “Jukebox Editor” on page 156).

(HOME)

Sends the Song Position back to measure 1 (i.e., the beginning of
the Song).

In Sequencer mode, if you set a Locate Measure other than 1, the
Song Position goes back to that measure (see “Locate measure”
on page 174).

Introduction

STS 1-4 buttons

These buttons allow to select up to four Single Touch Settings
(abbreviated as STS). Each of the Styles and SongBook entries
includes four Single Touch Settings (STS), to automatically con­figure Keyboard tracks and effects, and the Voice Processor, at
the touch of a finger. When the STS MODE LED is lit, an STS is
automatically selected when selecting a Style.

If you keep the SHIFT button pressed, and press one of
the buttons of this section, the “Write Single Touch Setting (STS)”
window appears in the display, with the current STS already

(PLAY/STOP)

Starts or stops the Song from the current Song Position.

In Song Play mode, pressed while keeping SHIFT

pressed, starts both players at the same time.

X-FADER

In Song Play mode, this slider balances the volume of the two
on-board Players. When fully on the left, only Player 1 can be
heard. When fully on the right, only Player 2 can be heard.
When in the middle, both Players play at full volume.

This slider also selects the Lyrics, Score and Markers from one of
the Players.

Note: This slider does not work in Style Play, Sequencer or Sound
mode.

14

Overview

Front Panel

SongBook

The SongBook is the music database of the Pa3X.

SONGBOOK

Press this button to recall the SongBook mode. While in this
mode, you can browse through the music database.

You can jump to the SongBook > Custom List page by

keeping SHIFT pressed, and pressing the SONGBOOK button.

Lyrics, Score, Markers, Search

Use these buttons to access the Lyrics, Markers or Search pages.

Data Entry and Navigation

The VALUE DIAL and the DOWN/- and UP/+ buttons can be
used to assign a different value to the selected parameter in the
display, or to scroll a list of files in the Song Select, Search and
Media pages.

VALUE DIAL

Turn the dial clockwise to increase the value of the selected
parameter. Turn it counter-clockwise to decrease its value.

LY RI C S

This button recalls the Lyrics page for the active Player, the Style
or the SongBook entry. You can use the X-Fader to select either
Player 1 or Player 2.

SCORE

Press this button to open the Score page (in Song Play or Song­Book mode). You can use the X-Fader to select either Player 1 or
Player 2.

MARKERS

Press both the LYRICS and SCORE buttons together to open the
Markers page. You can use the X-Fader to select either Player 1
or Player 2.

SEARCH

Press this button to open the Search window, and look for a
specified file or musical resource. The Search window appears
slightly different depending on the current context. For informa­tion on how to use this function, see “Searching files and musical
resources” on page 109.

When used while pressing the MENU button, this con-

trol always acts as a Display Brightness control.

UP/+ and DOWN/-

UP/+ increases the value; DOWN/- decreases it.

EXIT

Use this button to perform various actions, leaving from the cur­rent status:

• exit the edit menu page, without selecting any item

• make the page menu disappear, without selecting any
item

• return to the main page of the current operating mode

• exit the Global or Media edit environment, and return to
the current page of the current operating mode

• exit from the SongBook mode

• exit from the Lyrics, Score and Marker pages

• exit from a Style, Pad, Performance or Sound Select win­dow

MENU

This button opens the edit menu page for the current operating
mode or edit mode. After opening an edit menu, you can jump
to one of the edit sections by touching the corresponding button
in the display.

Otherwise, press EXIT to return to the main page of the current
operating mode, or the current page of the underlying operating
mode.

See the relevant chapter devoted to each operating mode or edit
environment, to see their “maps” in detail.

15

Overview

Front Panel

Temp o S ec tion

The TEMPO– and TEMPO+ buttons can be used to control the
Te mp o .

TEMPO +/– buttons

TEMPO– decreases the Tempo value; TEMPO+ increases it.

Press both buttons together to reset the Tempo to the value
memorized in the selected Style, Standard MIDI File or MP3.

TEMPO LOCK

This button turns the Tempo Lock function on or off.

On When you select a different Style or Performance,

or select a different Song, the Tempo does not
change. You can still manually change it, by using
the TEMPO +/– buttons, or select the Tempo
value and change it using the VALUE controls.

Off When you select a different Style or Performance,

or select a different Song, the memorized Tempo
is automatically selected.

Note: This button does not work with MP3 files.

Set

level so that this LED remains on green most of the time, with
orange appearing at signal peaks. Never go to red.

Off: No signal entering.

Green: Low- to mid-level signal entering. If the LED

turns off too often, the input gain is too low. Use
the MIC GAIN control and/or the source device’s
volume to increase the input level.

Orange: Slight overload in the signal path. This is fine if it

turns on only on signal peaks.

Red: Clipping is occurring in the signal path. Use the

MIC GAIN control and/or the source device’s
volume to lower the input level.

See “Audio Input Section” on page 19 for more
information on the AUDIO INPUTs.

MIC VOLUME

Use this knob to set the volume of the [lead voice].

HARMONY/DOUBLE

Use this knob to set the volume of the Harmony and Double sec­tions of the Voice Processor.

DELAY/REVERB

Use this knob to set the volume of the Delay and Reverb sections
of the of the Voice Processor.

MIC ON/OFF

Press this button to turn the microphone input on or off. The
LED shows the status of the microphone section.

Introduction

You can jump to the Global > Lock page by keeping

SHIFT pressed, and pressing this button.

Mic Setting Section

Use these buttons to check the microphone input level, set the
volume of the various sections, and turn the various voice sec­tions on or off in the Voice Processor.

If you keep the SHIFT button pressed, and press this but­tons, the Voice Processor Setup > Mic Setup page will appear
(see “Voice Processor Setup: Setup” in the Advanced Edit Man­ual).

HARMONY

Turns the Voice Harmony effect on or off. This adds up to four
harmonization voice to the lead voice.

If you keep the SHIFT button pressed, and press this but­ton, the Voice Processor Preset > Harmony page will appear (see
“Voice Processor Preset: Easy Preset” in the Advanced Edit Man­ual). This adds choir voices in unison to the lead voice.

DOUBLE

Turns the Double effect on or off.

If you keep the SHIFT button pressed, and press this but­ton, the Voice Processor Preset > Double page will appear (see
“Voice Processor Preset: Double” in the Advanced Edit Manual
contained in the Accessory Disk).

AUDIO IN LED

This LED shows the level of the audio signal entering the
AUDIO INPUT connectors (both MIC and LEFT/RIGHT line
in connectors, see “Audio Input Section” on page 19). Three dif­ferent colors (green, orange, red) show the level. Try to keep the

16

Overview

Front Panel

Standby

Use the Standby function to “pause” the instrument, rather than
turning it off.

STANDBY

When the instrument is in standby (LED colored red), press this
button to exit from standby mode (the LED becomes green).
When the instrument is completely turned off (LED off), press
the POWER button, then press the STANDBY button to turn the
instrument on.

To turn the instrument off, you can keep the STANDBY button
pressed for 2 seconds to put it in standby mode, or you can press
the POWER button to completely disconnect it from the power.

When the Pa3X is completely turned off via the POWER button,
the internal battery preserving the Sample RAM memory is not
recharged, and will discharge after three-four days. When the
battery is discharged, turning on will take a longer time (since all
Samples will have to be reloaded).

Note: It is advisable to put the instrument in standby mode instead
of turning it off, if you want the internal battery to recharge, and
let the Pa3X start-up quickly. On the contrary, it is advisable to
completely turn it off to save power.

“General Controls: Clock & Battery” page (see

page 207).

Help

The multi-language context-sensitive Help lets you learn about
the current page, and more.

HELP

Press this button to open the context-sensitive Help.

Real Time Tracks Section

Use these buttons to select and turn on/off the Sounds assigned
to the keyboard (Real Time tracks).

Standby Power Off

Battery Recharged Discharged after

three-four days

With battery charged Fast boot-up time

With battery discharged Slow boot time

Wa r ni n g : When the instrument is in standby mode, it is still con­nected to the power line. Accessing the inside of the instrument can
be dangerous.

Hint: You can check the battery charge level by going to the Global
> General Controls > Clock & Battery page (see “General Con­trols: Clock & Battery” on page 207).

STANDBY LED and battery status

The STANDBY LED let you see the status of the backup battery.

Off No power. Instrument completely turned off.

Green Power on, battery fully charged.

Green flashing Power on, batter y charging.

Red Standby, battery fully charged.

Red flashing Standby, battery charging.

Red and green alternating (even in standby mode)

Malfunctioning, or batteries exhausted and to be
replaced. Please read the error messages in the

SOUND SELECT

Press the button corresponding to the Upper 1-3 or Lower track
to open the Sound Select window, and assign a Sound to the cor­responding track.

Sounds of the “FACTORY” type are standard sounds, that can­not be modified.

Sounds of the “LEGACY” type are standard sounds allowing
greater compatibility with older Pa-Series instruments.

Sounds of the “GM/XG” type allow for compatibility with Gen­eral MIDI sounds and XG Drum Kits.

Sounds of the “USER” type are locations where you can load new
Sounds from an external device, or save new or edited Sounds.

The “USER DK” type is where you can load new Drum Kits, or
save new or edited Drum Kits.

For each type of Sounds there are several Sound banks, that can
be selected using the side tabs.

Each Sound bank contains various pages, each with up to eight
Sounds, that can be selected using the lower tabs.

ON/OFF

Use these buttons to turn on/off the corresponding track.

On The track can play.

Off The track is muted.

17

Overview

Front Panel

Gbl

Set

Ensemble

The Ensemble function automatically harmonizes the right hand
melody.

ENSEMBLE

This button turns the Ensemble function on or off. When on, the
right-hand melody is harmonized with the left-hand chords.

Note: The Ensemble function works only when the keyboard is in
SPLIT mode, and the LOWER Chord Scan mode is selected.

You can jump to the Style Play > Ensemble page by

keeping SHIFT pressed, and pressing the ENSEMBLE button.

Performance Select Section

Use these buttons to select a Performance.

STYLE CHANGE

This button turns the Style Change function on or off.

On When you select a Performance, the Style might

change, according to which Style is memorized
onto the Performance.

Off When you select a Performance, the Style and

Style track settings remain unchanged. Only Key­board track settings are changed.

PERFORMANCE SELECT section

Use these buttons to open the Performance Select window, and
select a Performance. See “Performance Select window” on
page 104.

Each Performance bank contains four pages, each with up to
eight Performances. Repeatedly press a PERFORMANCE
SELECT button to cycle between the available pages.

All Performances can be freely customized. See the “Style Play
operating mode” for more information.

SB

If you keep the SHIFT button pressed, and press one of
the buttons of this section, the “Write Performance” window
appears in the display, and you can save the current track set­tings into a Performance (see “Write Performance dialog box”
on page 138).

Chord Scan and Keyboard Split

Use these buttons to choose chord recognition and keyboard
splitting.

SB

CHORD SCAN section

In Style Play, Song Play and Sequencer-Backing Sequence mode,
use these buttons to define the way chords are recognized.

LOWER Chords are detected below the split point. The

number of notes you should play to form a chord
is defined by the Chord Scan Mode parameter
(see “Chord Recognition Mode” on page 135).

UPPER Chords are detected above the split point. You

must always play three or more notes to let the
arranger recognize a chord.

FULL (both LEDs On)

Chords are detected on the full keyboard range.
You must always play three or more notes to let
the arranger recognize a chord. (You can use this
mode even when the Split keyboard mode is
selected). The “Fingered 3” Chord Recognition
Mode is automatically selected (see “Chord Rec­ognition Mode” on page 135).

OFF No chords detected. After pressing START/STOP,

only the Drum and Percussion accompaniment
tracks will play.

SPLIT

In Style Play, Song Play and Sequencer-Backing Sequence mode,
use this button to define how the four Keyboard tracks are posi­tioned on the keyboard, and how chords are recognized by the
arranger.

Note: One of the Chord Scan options must be selected for the
accompaniment to play.

On The Lower track plays below the split point, while

the Upper 1, Upper 2 and Upper 3 tracks play
above it. This is called the Split keyboard mode.

By default, turning on the Split mode automati­cally selects the Lower chord scanning mode (see
above). In this mode, chords are detected below
the split point. The number of notes you should
play to form a chord is defined by the “Chord
Recognition Mode” parameter (see page 135).

Introduction

SB

SB

18

Overview

Front Panel

SB

Set

Off The Upper 1, Upper 2 and/or Upper 3 tracks play

over the whole keyboard range. The Lower track
does not play. This is also called the Full key­board mode.

By default, turning off the Split mode automati­cally selects the Full chord scanning mode (see
above). In this mode, chords are detected over the
full keyboard range. You must always play three
or more notes to let the arranger recognize a
chord (see “Chord Recognition Mode” on
page 135).

You can jump to the Style Play > Key/Velocity Range
page by keeping SHIFT pressed, and pressing the SPLIT button.
See “Keyboard/Ensemble: Key/Velocity Range” on page 131.

Transpose

Use these buttons to transpose the Sounds.

(Just Fifth Up) shown in the display, but the MP3 will actually play
5 semitones lower (Just Fourth Down).

♭ Lowers the Master Transpose in steps of one

semitone.

♯ Raises the Master Transpose in steps of one semi-

tone.

You can jump to the Global > Transpose Control page by
keeping SHIFT pressed, and pressing one of the TRANSPOSE
buttons. See “General Controls: Transpose Control” on page 202.

Front USB connector

Use this connector to connect USB mass storage devices.

UPPER OCTAVE section

Use these buttons to transpose the selected track in steps of one
whole octave (12 semitones; max ±3 octaves). The octave trans­position value is always shown (in octaves) next to the Sound’s
name.

Press both buttons together, to reset the Octave Transpose to the
saved value.

– Lowers the selected track by one octave.

+ Raises the selected track by one octave.

You can jump to the Style Play > Tuning page by keeping
SHIFT pressed, and pressing one of the UPPER OCTAVE but­tons. See “Mixer/Tuning: Tuning” on page 123.

TRANSPOSE section

These buttons transpose the whole instrument in steps of one
semitone (Master Transpose). The transpose value is usually
shown on the page header in the display.

USB HOST(F) CONNECTOR

This is a USB Type A (Master/Host) connector, USB 2.0 compli­ant (High Speed). Use it to connect to the Pa3X an USB Flash
Memory stick, an external CD-ROM drive, an USB hard disk. To
access the connected device, go to the Media edit mode (see
“Media edit mode” on page 222).

Press both buttons together, to reset the Master Transpose to zero.

Note: You can also transpose MP3 files. Keep in mind, however,
that transposition always remains inside the range -5…+6 semi­tones. This range is enough to cover all keys, but allows to avoid
excessive audio degradation. Any further transposing will be
reversed to fit the range. So, you might see a +7 transpose value

Overview

Rear Panel

Rear Panel

Pa3X 76-keys

Pa3X 61-keys

(a)

(b)

19

Introduction

Music stand and speakers

Music stand / Amplification bar support

This guide can be used to connect either the supplied music
stand or the optional PaAS amplification system.

A music stand comes standard with your Pa3X. For instructions
on how to install it, see on page 27.

The (optional) PaAS – Amplification System can be installed,
adding a three-way amplification system, a pair of integrated
speakers and a bass-reflex box. For instructions on how to install
it, see “Installing the Pa3X Amplification System (PaAS)” on
page 248.

Speakers connector and pin hole

The connector and pin hole are used when the (optional) PaAS –
Amplification System is installed. See “Installing the Pa3X
Amplification System (PaAS)” on page 248.

Note: Since the Pa3X must recognize the new circuit, the inte­grated speakers will start operating only a few seconds after the
speaker box has been installed.

The output volume of the integrated loudspeakers can be con­trolled via the MASTER VOLUME slider.

Note: Speakers are automatically deactivated when connecting the
headphones. You can manually deactivate them by using the
“Speakers On/Off ” parameter of the “Audio Setup” section of the
Global mode (see “Speakers On/Off” on page 216).

Audio Input Section

Use these connectors to connect a microphone, another key­board/synthesizer, or a CD player.

MIC

Only active when the “Input Routing” parameter is set to “Mic In
to Voice Processor” (Global > Audio Setup > Audio In page, see
page 215).

Connect your microphones, guitars, or any other musical instru­ment, to the AUDIO INPUTs on the back of the instrument. A
microphone connected to the MIC input is also sent to the Voice
Processor for sophisticate processing.

This is a combo connector, featuring an XLR and a 1/4” jack on
the same connector. Use the balanced XLR jack to connect a
condenser microphone, or the 1/4” jack to connect a dynamic
microphone.

The internal +48V Phantom Power on the MIC input also allows
to connect any condenser microphone. After having connected a
condenser microphone, use the “+48V Phantom Power” soft
switch to turn the +48V phantom power on (in the Global mode,

20

Overview

Rear Panel

see page 215). Phantom power is only supplied to the balanced
XLR jack.

When disconnecting a microphone from the XLR jack, the
phantom power is automatically turned off. Phantom power is
also automatically turned off each time you turn the Pa3X off.

Use the MIC GAIN knob to adjust the input gain, and set the
volume level using the MIC VOLUME knob, while watching at
the AUDIO IN LED on the control panel (see “Mic Setting Sec­tion” on page 15).

MIC GAIN

Use this controls to adjust the input sensitivity of the MIC con­nector (from 20 to 55dB). You can check the input level by
watching at the AUDIO IN LED on the control panel (see “Mic
Setting Section” on page 15).

LEFT, RIGHT

Always active. Use these balanced/unbalanced connectors to
connect a line-level input source, such as a CD player or a syn­thesizer. Depending on the status of the “Input Routing” param­eter (Global > Audio Setup > Audio In page, see page 215), the
signal goes directly to the Left and Right outputs or to the MP3
Recorder. In the latter case, the volume is controlled by the
MASTER VOLUME slider.

Set the input level by adjusting the source’s output volume. You
can check the input level by watching at the AUDIO IN LED on
the control panel (see “Mic Setting Section” on page 15).

Note: The MIC VOLUME knob has no effect on these inputs.

mono channel of your mixer, a powered monitor, or a single chan­nel of your CD, LINE IN or TAPE/AUX input of a hi-fi system (you
will hear that channel only, unless you can set the amplifier to Mono
mode).

OUT 1, 2

These are the sub outputs. Use them to create a stereo sub-mix of
just some tracks, or to output just a single instrument to be
mixed alone, or to be processed or amplified externally. Adjust
the volume of these outputs with the mixer’s or external speaker’s
level controls.

Multitrack audio connection. You can connect your Pa3X to
four channels of a mixer. This is very useful when recording, or
if you want to send a player’s or backing track to a separate chan­nel. For example, by using the separate outputs, you may send
the Drum or Bass track to an external compressor or reverb unit,
or mix the separate tracks on an external mixer.

Connect four mono cables to each of the main (LEFT, RIGHT)
and sub (1, 2) outputs. To feed the sub-outputs (1, 2) you must
program the track(s) you wish to send them (see the “Audio Out­put” section in the Global, starting from page 213).

Note: When a track is sent to OUTPUT 1 or 2, it is removed from
the main mix going to the LEFT & RIGHT OUTPUTS.

Note: OUTPUTs 1 & 2 carry a dry sound with no effects applied.
The volume of these outputs cannot be controlled with the MAS­TER VOLUME slider.

Note: The MASTER VOLUME slider has no effect on these out­puts. Signal is sent dry, with no effects applied.

Audio Output Section

Use these balanced/unbalanced connectors to send the audio
signal (sound) to a mixer, a PA system, a set of powered moni­tors, or your hi-fi system.

To assign an audio output to each track, or set the routing for the
audio inputs, see the “Audio Output” section, starting from
page 213.

LEFT, RIGHT

These are the main stereo outputs. Use them to send the final
stereo mix to an external device. Connect either of them to out­put the signal in mono. Adjust the output level with the MAS­TER VOLUME slider.

Stereo audio connection. Connect two mono cables to the main
(LEFT, RIGHT) OUTPUTs. Connect the other end of the cables
to a stereo channel of your mixer, two mono channels, two pow­ered monitors, or the CD, LINE IN or TAPE/AUX input of your
audio system. Don’t use the PHONO inputs of your audio sys­tem!

Mono audio connection. Connect a mono cable to either the LEFT
or RIGHT OUTPUT alone. Connect the other end of the cable to a

DIGITAL OUTPUT

Use this 48 kHz S/PDIF output to digitally connect the Pa3X to
the S/PDIF input connector of another digital device, like a digi­tal mixer, audio card, or stand-alone recorder. The same signal
output from the internal speakers (with the optional PaAS
Amplification System) or the Left and Right connectors is sent
by this connector.

MIDI Interface

The MIDI interface allows your Pa3X to be connected to exter­nal controllers (master keyboard, MIDI guitar, wind controller,
MIDI accordion…), to a series of expanders, or to a computer
running a sequencer. For more information on how to use the
MIDI interface, see the “MIDI” chapter.

IN

This connector receives MIDI data from a computer or a con­troller. Connect it to an external controller’s or computer’s MIDI
OUT.

21

Overview

Rear Panel

OUT

This connector sends MIDI data generated by Pa3X’s keyboard,
controllers, and/or the internal player. Connect it to an
expander’s or computer’s MIDI IN.

THRU

This connector sends an exact copy of the data received on the
IN connector. Use it to cascade the Pa3X with other MIDI
instruments.

Pedals

Use these connectors to connect various types of pedals.

EC5

This connects to an (optional) Korg EC5 multiswitch pedal­board, to control many functions in realtime. To program the
EC5, see “EC5-A…E” on page 209.

ASSIGNABLE

Use this port to connect a continuous- or footswitch-type pedal,
like the (optional) Korg EXP-2, XVP10, or PS-1. To program and
calibrate it, see “Pedal/Footswitch” on page 208.

MIDI over USB is supported, so you can use this connector
instead of the MIDI ports (see “What is MIDI Over USB?” on
page 242). The drivers for PC and Mac needed for full use of this
function are supplied in the Accessory Disk that comes with the
instrument, or can be downloaded from our web site
(www.korg.com

).

HOST(R)

This is a USB Type A (Master/Host) connector, USB 2.0 compli­ant (High Speed). Use it to connect to the Pa3X an USB Flash
Memory stick, an external CD-ROM drive, an USB hard disk. To
access the connected device, go to the Media edit mode (see
“Media edit mode” on page 222).

Video

VIDEO OUT (optional)

If an optional VIF4 video interface is fitted, you can connect the
Pa3X to a TV or video monitor. See “Installing the Video Inter­face (VIF4)” on page 250 for more information.

Power

This section is where you connect the Pa3X to the power line.

Introduction

DAMPER

Use this to connect a Damper pedal, like the (optional) Korg PS­1 or DS1H. To change its polarity and calibrate it, see “Damper”
on page 209.

Note: Half-pedalling on Piano Sounds is available when connect­ing a DS1H damper pedal.

USB Connectors

Use these connectors to connect USB devices, or a personal
computer.

DEVICE

This is a USB Type B (Slave/Device) connector, USB 1.1 compli­ant (Full Speed). Use it to connect the Pa3X to a personal com­puter, and transfer data to/from its internal devices (Hard Disk,
Flash-memory SSD). See “HD Connection” on page 238 for
more information.

ACV cable connector

Plug the supplied AC cable into this connector.

POWER switch

Use this switch to supply power to the instrument, or to discon­nect it from the power circuit. This does not turn the instrument
on: after pressing it, press the STANDBY button to boot the sys­tem.

To turn the instrument off, either keep the STANDBY button
pressed for 2 seconds to put it in standby mode (STANDBY LED
colored red), or press the POWER button to completely turn it
off (STANDBY LED off).

For more information about how the POWER and STANDBY
buttons are related, see “STANDBY” on page 16.

22

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome to the world of Korg Pa3X Professional Arranger!
Pa3X is the most powerful arranger available today, both for pro­fessional and home entertainment use.

Here are some of the features of your new instrument:

• Two keyboard version, 61 and 76 semi–weighted keys with

velocity and aftertouch.

• New aluminum cabinet with elegant design.

• TFT graphic touch screen display. Motorized tilting for the

76 and fixed for the 61 keys.

• Professional TouchView™ graphic interface with a Search

facility for quickly find files and musical resources.

• High quality optional PaAS – Amplification System with

Easy Connection systems (no support, no cables, no power
supply needed).

• RX (Real eXperience) Technology, the cutting edge engine

that drives every aspect of the Pa3X – from the synthesis to
the display and how it all works together.

• Powerful EDS (Enhanced Definition Synthesis) Korg

sound generation system, as seen in our best professional
synthesizers.

• DNC (Dynamic Nuance Control) Sounds, more realistic

and vivid than ever including Ambience Drums and Pianos
from the acclaimed SV-1 Stage Vintage Piano.

• Up to 256 MB of User PCM Samples, equivalent to 512 MB

(with compression), together with the huge internal mem­ory provides one of the most powerful sound engine avail­able for the best sound quality possible.

• Self refresh memory backup battery for User PCM Sam-

ples, supported by an Intelligent re-charging system,
ensures fast startup operations.

• Onboard sampling to create and edit new sounds and audio

grooves.

• General MIDI Level 2 Sound-compatible. Enhanced Sound

compatibility for GM Songs.

• More than 1100 Sounds, plus 90 Drum Kits.

• 512 Performance locations, and more than preloaded Sin-

gle Touch Settings (STS), for fast setting of keyboard
sounds and effects.

• 120 voices of polyphony.

• OPOS (Objective Portable Operating System) multitasking

operating system, to let you load data while playing your
instrument.

• Operating System updates, to load new features and

enhancements from disk. Don’t let your instrument get old!

• Eight fully-programmable sliders, plus one MP3 Volume

slider, can be used as volume control or organ drawbars.

• Three assignable switches, joystick and ribbon strip ensure

total control for all the various levels of articulation of the
sound.

• Improved Style and Performance selection. Over 400 Fac­tory Styles with 4 Variations and 4 Fill In + Break, plus 15
Favorite and User Style banks for unlimited storage of your
custom Styles and settings.

• Style and Pad Record, including the enhanced “Guitar
Mode 2” for even more realistic guitar parts.

• “Chord Sequencer” function to record on-the-fly any chord
progression.

• Double MP3/Standard MIDI File player and recorder with
Advanced Vocal Remover.

• Enhanced compatibility with Lyrics in graphical format
(+G) for Standard MIDI Files and MP3 files.

• New “Audio Chord Detection” function that automatically
extracts chords to send to the Vocal Processor from MP3
files.

• Double MP3 player and MP3 recorder as standard.

• XDS Double Player with X-Fader. Lyrics, Score and Marker
display.

• Full-featured 16-track sequencer.

• Fully editable music database, for fast song retrieving, sup­plied by the SongBook.

• Up to 8 Stereo Effects including flexible Master and Insert
routing for styles and songs. New vintage effects from the
acclaimed SV-1 Stage Vintage Piano.

• Sophisticated TC-Helicon Voice Processor, with dedicated
professional effects, including pitch correction, doubling,
and a 4-voice harmonizer.

• High-quality microphone preamplifier, with a balanced
XLR/1/4” jack combo connector and +48V phantom power
on the XLR connector.

• “Adaptive Mic Setting” which provides a virtual sound
engineer who automatically sets the best EQ/Compressor/
Gate settings for your voice.

• Professional Final Mastering tools from Waves audio
plugins Maxx Suite.

• High-quality input (ADC) and output (DAC) audio con­verters.

• Optional hardware expansions, to add a video out board,
more Sample RAM and a kit to install an internal hard disk
(61-key model only). Get more and more for the money!

• Standard hard disk (optional on the 61-note model), for the
widest space to your data. Standard flash-memory SSD
(Solid State Disk) in the 61-note model.

•2 x USB 2.0 High Speed Host ports, for connecting external
devices like hard disks, CD-ROM drives, USB memory
sticks, etc.

• USB 1.1 Full Speed Device port, to connect a personal
computer to your Pa3X. This port can be used for file trans­fer, and for MIDI connection (without the need of a dedi­cated MIDI interface for the personal computer).

23

Welcome!

Live Performing

Live Performing

Pa3X has been carefully designed to be used live. The “realtime”
word has its full meaning in this instrument. Performances
allow the instant selection of all the tracks on the keyboard and a
suitable Style; STSs allow an instant selection of the keyboard
tracks; Styles are the realtime backing companions for your real­time playing; Pads are looping sequences or single hit sounds;
Songs can be mixed in realtime; the SongBook is the quick way
to select a song from a sophisticated music database; the Search
function allows for instant localization of all the files and musi­cal resources of the instrument.

Easy Mode

If you are the kind of musician that prefers to play, more than
deal with technical matters, you can use the Pa3X in Easy Mode,
and forget all its most powerful features, and let them out of your
way.

Useful links

Your preferred Korg dealer not only carries this keyboard, but
also a whole bunch of hardware and software accessories. You
should ask him for more Sounds, Styles, and other useful music
materials.

Each Korg distributor can give you useful information. Just give
them a call for additional services. In the English-speaking
world, here are the relevant addresses:

USA KORG USA, 316 South Service Road, Melville,

New York, 11747, USA

Tel:[phone], Fax:[phone]

Canada KORG CANADA, a division of Jam Industries,

21000 Trans-Canadienne, Baie D'Urfé, Quebec,
H9X 4B7

Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

UK KORG UK Ltd, 9 Newmarket Court, Kingston,

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK10, 0AU

Tel.: [phone]

UK Technical Support Tel: [phone], Fax:
01908 857199

E-mail: [e-mail]

Many Korg distributors also have their own web page on the
internet, where you can find infos and software. Useful web
pages in English are the following:

Introduction

Korg USA www.korg.com

Korg UK www.korg.co.uk

Korg Canada www.korgcanada.com

Other useful information in various languages can be found
worldwide by accessing the other Korg web sites, like the follow­ing:

Korg Inc. (Japan) www.korg.co.jp

Gaffarel Musique (France) www.laboitenoiredumusicien.com

Korg & More (Germany and Austria) www.korg.de

Eko Music Group (Italy) www.ekomusicgroup.com

Letusa (Spain) www.korg.es

24

Welcome!

What’s in the box

Set

What’s in the box

After you buy your Pa3X, please check all the following items are
included in the package. If some of them are missing, immedi­ately contact your Korg dealer.

•Pa3X

•Music stand

•Power cable

•Owner’s Manual

• Accessory Disk (containing the USB driver, additional
manuals, the Bonus Software, and various other support
files)

About this manual

This manual is divided in four sections:

•An Introduction, containing an overview of the instru-
ment and of basic operations.

•A Quick Guide, containing a series of practical guides.

•A Reference Guide, with each page and parameter
described in detail.

•An Appendix, with a list of data and useful information for
the advanced user.

In addition, in the Accessory Disk and in our web site, you will
find:

•An Advanced Edit Manual, containing information on the
Style and Pad Record mode, the Sound mode, Sampling,
the Voice Processor and the Effects’ editing parameters.
This manual also includes tables listing all Factory data and
assignable controls.

Within the manual, you will find the following abbreviations:

The parameter can be saved to a Performance by
selecting the Write Performance command from
the page menu.

The parameter can be saved to one of the Single
Touch Settings of the current Style, or to a Single
Touch Setting of a SongBook entry. To save it to a
Style, select the Write STS command from the
page menu of the Style Play mode. To save it to a
SongBook entry (either of Style or Song type),
check the Write STS option in the Book Edit 1
page of the SongBook mode.

The parameter can be saved to the current Style
Settings by selecting the Write Style Settings com­mand from the page menu.

The parameter can be saved to the Global, by
selecting one of the available Write Global com­mands from the page menu. Several Global areas
are available, and a smaller symbol after the GBL
abbreviation will appear for each relevant param­eter. More information is given in each Reference
chapter.

The parameter can be saved to a SongBook entry.

Making a backup

In case you customize your Musical Resources (Sounds, Perfor­mances and Styles), we suggest you make frequent backup copies
of them, to avoid accidental loss. See “Full Resources Backup” on
page 235.

Restoring the original data

In case you want to restore the original data, you can use the
“Factory Restore” procedure. See page 236.

Loading the Operating System

Your Pa3X can be constantly updated as new versions of the
operating system are released by Korg. You can download the
operating system from www.korg.com
tions supplied with the operating system on the site.

You can see which version of the operating systems is installed in
your Pa3X by going to the “Utility” page of the Media mode (see
“OS Version Number” on page 236).

Wa r ni n g : Do not install an OS other than the official OS supplied
by Korg for the Pa3X. Trying to install an OS created for different
models or downloaded from unofficial web sites may cause data
loss and permanent damage to the instrument. Korg is not respon­sible for any damage caused by improper installation of the OS.

. Please, read the instruc-

Start up

Connecting the AC power cord

Start up

Connecting the AC power cord

25

While in standby mode, the internal battery is recharged, there­fore PCM Samples will not be deleted as long as the instrument
is connected to a power socket and the battery is charged.

Introduction

Connect the supplied power
cord to the dedicated socket on
the rear of the instrument.
Then, plug it into a wall socket.
You don’t need to worry about

the local voltage, since the Pa3X uses a universal power adapter.

Turning the instrument on and off

Power on

When the STANDBY LED is off, the instrument is completely
turned off. In this case, to turn the Pa3X on you must press the
POWER button on the back of the instrument, then press the
STANDBY button in the control panel.

The STANDBY LED will become green, and the display will
light up, showing the boot procedure. Loading times vary
depending on the status of the battery charge:

Battery discharged (or not yet charged) – If it is the first time
you turn the instrument on, or the internal battery has been
completely discharged (after a power off of three-four days),
Factory and User PCM Samples will be loaded from the internal
storage memory to the battery-backed Sample RAM memory.
This procedure might take about two minutes, and varies
depending on the number of User PCM Samples to be loaded.

Battery charged – If Factory and User PCM Samples have
already been loaded, and the internal battery is still charged,
PCM Sample will not have to be loaded again, and the boot pro­cedure will take a shorter time.

Exit from standby

When the STANDBY LED is red, the instrument is in standby
mode. In this case, to turn the Pa3X on you must press the
STANDBY button in the control panel.

The STANDBY LED will become green, and the display will
light up, showing the boot procedure. Factory and User PCM
Samples will not be loaded, since they already are in the battery­backed Sample RAM memory.

Put the instrument in standby

If you want to let the internal battery recharge, put the instru­ment in standby instead of powering it off.

Keep the STANDBY button pressed for two seconds to put the
instrument in standby mode. The STANDBY LED become red.
Factory and User PCM Samples are not removed from the bat­tery-backed Sample RAM memory.

Power off

If you want to save power, turn the instrument completely off.

Press the POWER button on the back of the instrument to com­pletely turn the instrument off. The STANDBY LED turns off.
Factory and User PCM Samples are not deleted from the battery­backed Sample RAM memory.

While the instrument is powered off, the internal battery is not
recharged. PCM Samples in the battery-backed Sample RAM
memory will be preserved for about three or four days (depend­ing on the condition of the battery, and the size of the Sample
RAM). When the battery discharges, PCM Samples are deleted
from the Sample RAM memory, and must be reloaded the next
time you power the instrument on.

Wa r n in g : When turning the instrument off or putting it in
standby mode, all data contained in the volatile RAM area (Song
recorded or edited in Sequencer mode, PCM Samples in edit and
not yet saved) will be lost. MIDI Grooves generated by the Time
Slice function will be lost, too.

On the contrary, data contained in the SYS area of the internal
storage memory (Factory data, User Sounds, Performances, Styles,
Pads and Multisamples) will be preserved. Saved PCM Samples
will also be preserved.

Controlling the Volume

Master Volume

Use the MASTER VOLUME slider to control
the overall volume of the instrument. This
slider controls the volume of the sound going to
the integrated speakers (when the optional
PaAS – Amplification System is installed), the
main (LEFT & RIGHT) OUTPUTs and the
HEADPHONES connector.

The 1 & 2 OUTPUT connectors are not affected
by this slider. So, use the mixer’s or speaker’s
level controls to adjust the volume.

Note: Begin with a moderate level, then raise the
MASTER VOLUME up. Don’t keep the volume at an uncomfort­able level for too long.

26

Start up

The X-Fader slider

Player 2Player 1

Keyboard, Style and Song Volume

By default, this slider balances the volume of the
Keyboard (RT, Realtime) tracks, against the
Style (ACC, Accompaniment), Pad and Song
(SEQ) tracks.

• When in Style Play mode, this slider bal­ances between the Keyboard tracks, and
the Style and Pad tracks.

• When in Song Play mode, this slider bal­ance between the Keyboard tracks, and the
Player and Pad tracks.

As an alternative, the slider can be used to con­trol the Style/Song Volume without affecting the Keyboard
tracks (see “Balance Slider” on page 206 for information on set­ting the slider’s behavior).

This is a relative control, whose effective maximum level is
determined by the MASTER VOLUME slider position.

When moved, a magnified version of the virtual slider appears in
the display, for more accurate positioning.

Note: This slider only works in Style Play and Song Play mode; it
does not work in Sequencer mode.

The X-Fader slider

Loudspeakers

Connect the optional PaAS – Amplification System to make it
the integrated loudspeakers of the Pa3X, adding a three-way
amplification system, a pair of dual-coil integrated speakers and
a bass-reflex box.

To install the amplification system, see “Installing the Pa3X
Amplification System (PaAS)” on page 248.

After installation, the overall volume can be controlled via the
MASTER VOLUME slider.

Speakers can be deactivated with the “Speakers On/Off” param­eter, that you can find in the “Audio Setup: Metro / MP3 / Speak­ers” page of the Global mode (see page 216 for more
information).

Note: When connecting the headphones, the speakers are automat­ically deactivated.

Audio Outputs

Audio outputs allow for connecting the Pa3X to an external
amplification system. See “Audio Output Section” on page 20 for
more details.

The X-Fader slider sets the relative volume of the two onboard
players (Player 1 and Player 2).

• Move it fully to the left to set Player 1 to the maximum level
and Player 2 to zero.

• Move it fully to the right to set Player 1 to zero and Player 2
to the maximum level.

• Move it to the center to set both Players at the same level.

This slider also selects the (see “Harmony Control” on
page 157), and may select the Lyrics, Score and Markers of one
of the two players.

Note: When moving this slider fully to the right or to the left, the
Lyrics, Chords, Markers and Score page shown may change.

Note: When turning the instrument on, move this slider to the cen­ter, to avoid starting a Song at the minimum level.

Headphones

Connect a pair of headphones to the PHONES output, under the left
part of the keyboard (just under the joystick). You can use head­phones with an impedance of 16-200 Ohms (50 Ohms suggested).
Use a headphone splitter to connect more than one pair of head­phones.

Audio Inputs

Audio inputs allow for connecting a microphone and other
audio source to the Pa3X. See “Audio Input Section” on page 19
for more details.

Use the MIC GAIN knob next to the MIC input to set the input
sensitivity. Use the MIC SETTING section in the control panel
to set the input volume and other parameters.

See the “Singing with a microphone” chapter on page 88, and the
“Audio Setup: Audio In” section on page 215, for more informa­tion on connecting and setting the inputs and the audio source.

MIDI connections

You can play the internal sounds of your Pa3X with an external
controller, i.e. a master keyboard, a MIDI guitar, a wind control­ler, a MIDI accordion, or a digital piano.

You can also control other MIDI devices with the Pa3X, or con­nect it to a computer for use with an external sequencer.

As an alternative to the MIDI connectors, you can use the USB
Device port for direct connection to a personal computer.

See the “MIDI” chapter on page 242 for more information on
MIDI connections.

Start up

Damper pedal

Damper pedal

Connect a Damper (Sustain) pedal to the DAMPER connector
on the back panel. Use an (optional) Korg PS1 or DS1H foot­switch pedal, or a compatible one. With the Korg DS1H, half­pedalling can be used on some Grand Piano Sounds. To calibrate
and switch the Damper polarity, see “Damper” on page 209

Assignable pedal

Connect either a footswitch or an expression pedal to the
ASSIGNABLE PEDAL connector. Use an (optional) Korg PS1
footswitch pedal, a Korg EXP-2 expression pedal, a Korg XVP-10
volume pedal, or a compatible one,

Demo

27

• If the (optional) PaAS – Amplification System is installed,
make it rest over the nylon supports in front of the PaAS, as
shown in the illustration.

Introduction

Listen to the built-in Demo Songs to appreciate the power of the
Pa3X. There are several Demo Songs to choose from.

1. Press the STYLE PLAY and SONG PLAY buttons together.

Their LEDs start blinking.

At this point, if you don’t press any other button, all the
Demo Songs will be played back.

2. Select one of the available options, to listen to a specified

Demo Song.

3. Stop the Demo by touching the STOP button on the display, or

by exiting the Demo mode by pressing any MODE button.

The music stand

A music stand comes standard with your Pa3X.

• If the (optional) PaAS – Amplification System is not installed,
insert the music stand into this dedicated guide on the back of
the Pa3X, as shown in the illustration:

The music stand can be freely adjusted, by sliding it to the left or
the right of the standard central position.

28

Glossary of Terms

Sound

Glossary of Terms

Before you begin, take a few moments to familiarize yourself
with the names and terms we will be using to talk about the vari­ous elements of the Pa3X.

In this section, you will find a brief description of various key
elements of the Pa3X. A professional arranger (Pa) keyboard
uses different terminology than a traditional synthesizer or
workstation. By familiarizing yourself with the names and func­tions in this section, you will get a better understanding of how
all the different parts of the Pa3X work together to create a real­istic musical performance. This will also help you to get the most
out of the rest of the User’s Manual.

Sound

A Sound is the most basic unit of an Arranger Keyboard perfor­mance. A Sound is basically a playable instrument timbre (piano,
bass, sax, guitar…) that can be edited, saved, recalled and
assigned to any track. An individual Sound can be played on the
keyboard in the Sound mode. In the Style Play, Song Play or
Sequencer mode, Sounds may be freely assigned to Sequencer
tracks, Style tracks, or Keyboard tracks.

Variation

For each Style, there are four Variations. In general, each Varia­tion is a slightly different version of the others. As you progress
from Variation one to Variation four, the arrangements will
become more complex, and more parts (Tracks) may be added.
This allows your performance to have a more dynamic arrange­ment, without losing the original “feel” of the Style.

Fill-in & Break

During a performance, a drummer may often perform a “fill” ­such as when transitioning from a verse to a chorus – adding
extra dynamics and keeping the beat from getting too repetitive.
The Pa3X offers four Fill-ins specifically programmed for each
Style. A Fill-in may be drums alone or drums with instrumenta­tion. Then, there is even a silent “break”.

Intro & Ending

Each Style also allows you to embellish your performance with a
set of musical introductions and endings. A long and short ver­sion of the Intro and Ending are usually provided, with the for­mer more harmonically elaborated, and the latter with a fixed
chord. A “count-in” style Intro is also provided, as well as the
quick Ending 3.

Style

The Style is the heart of a professional arranger keyboard. At its
basic level, a Style will consist of up to eight parts, or “Tracks”.

Drums

The Drum track will provide a repeating rhythmic phrase,
played by the standard instruments of a Drum Kit.

Percussion

An additional rhythmic phrase played by various percussion
instruments (conga, shaker, cowbell, etc.) is provided by the Per­cussion track.

The Drum and Percussion tracks will play the same phrase
repeatedly, regardless of the notes and chords being played on
the keyboard, although it is possible to assign a different Drum
Kit to either part, or to edit the Kit itself.

Bass & Accompaniment

The Bass track and the (up to) five additional Style tracks will
each play musical phrases that are musically related to and in
sync with the Drum and Percussion tracks. However, the notes
being played by these tracks will change to follow the chord pro-
gression that you play on the keyboard.

Again, any Sound you choose may be assigned to any track in a
Style.

Pad

Pads are like single-track Styles, that can be triggered by using
the dedicated PAD buttons. They can be used to play in realtime
single sounds, as well as short, cycling sequences that play in
time with the Style or Standard MIDI File, and are transposed
according to the recognized chords.

Keyboard tracks

In addition to the Style and Pad tracks, up to four additional
parts can be played on the keyboard in real-time. Each of these
Keyboard tracks can be limited to a particular range of keys or
velocities, but in general three can be assigned to play above the
split point (Upper), and one below (Lower). This allows the
Upper Sounds to be layered together. The split point can be set
to any note on the keyboard. In addition to performing along
with a Style, these same Keyboard tracks will allow you to play
along with the Player.

STS (Single Touch Settings)

Single Touch Settings allow you to instantly change the sounds
assigned to each of the Keyboard tracks with a single button
press, allowing for wide variation in sounds during a perfor­mance. Four STS (Single Touch Settings) can be saved with each
Style or SongBook entry.

Glossary of Terms

Performance

Ensemble

By turning the Ensemble feature on, a single note played on one
of the Keyboard tracks will be embellished by additional notes to
create a complete chord voicing. The Ensemble knows which
notes to add by looking at the chord that you are playing. In
addition, the Ensemble parameters allow you to select the type of
voicing that will be added – from a simple one-note harmony to
a full “Brass” section – even a marimba-style trill!

Performance

29

The LOGO decoder

On the front panel of your Pa3X you have probably noticed five
logos, and may have even wondered what they stand for. Well,
here is a quick explanation of each one.

RX Technology is the cutting edge engine
that drives every aspect of the Pa3X –
from the synthesis to the display and how
it all works together.

Introduction

The Performance is the most encompassing setting on the Pa3X
– a single setting that can remember a Style (with all the appro­priate sounds), the Keyboard tracks (with all the appropriate
sounds) and all their Settings, Tempo, transposition, effects,
etc… A Performance can be stored in one of the Performance
bank locations, or it can be saved in a “database” format using
the SongBook function.

Sequencer

The Sequencer acts as a recorder, so you can capture and play­back your performances. The Pa3X sequencer can function in
different modes. In the Backing Sequence mode, each Style ele­ment and each Real-Time (Keyboard and Pads) element can be
recorded on a separate track in a single pass. This can be a big
help in getting a song recorded quickly. The sequencer can also
behave as a traditional 16-track linear sequencer, where each
track is recorded individually one at a time.

Player

The two Players act as two music player, so you can playback
your performances or any Standard MIDI File or MP3 file. Like
a DJ console, you can mix two songs with the X-Fader slider.

A variety of professional
vocal effects are provided by

the Pa3X – including reverb,
delay, compression, hard tune, doubling, modulation, filtering,
and even four-part vocal harmonies! All of the vocal effects are
provided by TC-Helicon, the leader in vocal processing technol­ogy.

Waves, the celebrated maker of world­renowned professional studio effects,

provides a set of mastering-level tools,
called the MaxxAudio suite. This suite increases the perceived
loudness and sizzle of the output, either amplified by the
(optional with PaAS Amplification System) integrated speakers
or by any external amplification system.

General MIDI (GM) is a standard that
ensures the compatibility of sounds and
messages between GM compatible instru-

ments available from different manufactur­ers. For example, sequenced songs created on any GM equipped
product and saved in the GM format will playback correctly on
the Pa3X.

General MIDI 2 extends the basic features of the General MIDI,
allowing for 256 Sounds and 9 Drum Kits (instead of 128 and 1).

DNC (Defined Nuance Control) is the way of
fine-controlling Korg’s powerful synth sound
engine. Every nuance and every detail of the

sound can be assigned to a different control, be it
the keyboard velocity or a physical controller. Play the sound live
using all of your body, as if you were interacting with an acoustic
instrument.

30

Interface basics

The Color TouchView™ graphical user interface

Interface basics

The Color TouchView™ graphical user
interface

Pa3X features an easy-to-use graphical user interface, based on
Korg’s patented Color TouchView™ interface. Here are the basic
elements of the user’s interface.

Pages

Parameters are grouped into separate pages, to be selected by
touching the corresponding tabs on the lower area of the display.

Overlapping windows

Several windows, like the Style Selection, the Global, the Media,
or the Lyrics, overlap the current window. After you select an
item in the window, or press the EXIT button, the window
closes, and the underlying page is shown again. (The following
example is the Sound Select window).

Menus and sections

Pages are grouped in sections, to be selected by touching the cor­responding buttons in the Edit menu that opens up when you
press the MENU button.

Dialog boxes

Similar to selecting windows, dialog boxes overlap the underlay­ing page. Touch one of the button on the display to give Pa3X an
answer, and the dialog box will close.

Page menus

Touch the icon on the upper right corner of each page, and a
menu with suitable commands for the current page will appear.
Touch one of the available commands to select it. (Or, touch any­where else on the screen to make it disappear, with no command
selected).

31

Interface basics

The Color TouchView™ graphical user interface

List

Scrollbar

Pop-up menus

When an arrow appears next to a parameter name, touch it to
open a pop-up menu. Select any of the available options (or any­where else on the screen to make the menu disappear).

Checkboxes

This kind of parameters are on/off switches. Touch them to
change their status.

Editable names

When the (Text Edit) button appears next to a name, touch
it to open the Text Edit window and edit the name.

Introduction

The virtual keyboard works exactly as a personal computer’s
keyboard. Some of the symbols are context-sensitive, and only
appear when they can actually be used.

Lists and scrollbars

Files on storage media, as well as other kinds of data, are shown
as lists. Use the scrollbar to scroll the list content.

Numeric fields

When a numeric value can be edited, touch it a second time to
open the Numeric Keypad.

The virtual numeric keypad works exactly as the numeric key­pad of a personal computer.

As an alternative, touch a numeric field and keep it held. Then
move your fingers up (or right) to increase the value, or move it
down (or left) to decrease it.

This also includes the Tempo numeric field in the main page of
the Style Play, Song Play, and Sequencer modes.

Keep the SHIFT button pressed while touching one of the
arrows, to scroll to the next or previous alpha-numeric section.

Virtual sliders

To change a virtual slider’s position, select it, then use the
VALUE controls to change its position. As an alternative, touch a
slider with your fingers and keep it held; then move it up or
down to change its position.

The position of the virtual sliders often corresponds to that of
the physical sliders, so move these latter to change the virtual
slider’s position.

32

Interface basics

Operative modes

Virtual knobs

To change a virtual knob’s position, select it, then use the VALUE
controls to change its position. As an alternative, touch a knob
with your finger and keep it held; then move your fingers up (or
right) to rotate it clockwise, or move it down (or left) to rotate
the knob counter-clockwise.

The position of the virtual knobs often corresponds to that of the
physical knobs, so move these latter to change the virtual knob’s
position.

Virtual drawbars

Operative modes

Pa3X pages are grouped into various operating modes. Each
mode is accessed by pressing the corresponding button in the
MODE section on the control panel.

Each operating mode is marked with a different color code, that
helps you understand at first sight where you are.

Three special modes (Global, Media, and SongBook) overlap the
current operating mode, that remains active in the background.
The SongBook mode can recall the Style Play or Song Play
modes.

The Record mode can be accessed from the Style Play, Sequencer
and Sound modes, and allows for creating new Styles, Songs or
Samples.

The MP3 Record mode can be accessed by keeping the SHIFT
button pressed and pressing the RECORD button, and allows for
recording a Song in MP3 format.

To change a virtual drawbar’s position, use the physical sliders
on the control panel (provided they are in Drawbars mode).

As an alternative, you can change a drawbar position in the dis­play. Select it, then use the VALUE controls to change its posi­tion.

Also, you can touch a drawbar with your fingers and keep in
held. Then move it up or down to change its position.

Icons

Various icons help identifying the type of a file, a Song, a folder.
For example:

Folder

Selected, highlighted items

Any operation carried on on parameters, data or list entries, is
executed on highlighted items. First select the parameter or item,
then execute the operation.

Non-available, grayed-out parameters

When a parameter or command is not currently available, it is
shown in grey on the display. This means it cannot be selected,
but may become available when a different option is selected, or
you switch to a different page.

Shortcuts

File of Style bank

Standard MIDI File

Some commands or pages can be recalled by keeping the SHIFT
button pressed, and pressing other buttons or elements in the
display. See the “Shortcuts” chapter on page 262 for a list of avail­able shortcuts.

Easy Mode

Easy Mode

The page menu

33

If you have never used an arranger before, we suggest you to
switch to the Easy Mode. Easy Mode allows you to play Styles
and Songs with a simple user interface, free from the many
advanced parameters that you will want to learn at a later date.

Turning the Easy Mode on

Touch the little rectangle on the top right corner of the display,
to open the page menu:

Touch the “Easy Mode” menu item, to make the checkmark
appear:

Introduction

At this point, the Easy Mode has been activated, and the ele­ments in the display appear less cluttered:

Note: The Easy Mode will remain active even after turning the
instrument off and on again.

Turning the Easy Mode off

The instrument will stay in this mode even after having been
turned off. Repeat the above operation when you want to deacti­vate the Easy Mode.

34

Easy Mode

The Style Play page in detail

Sound icon and status. If the

icon appears, the Sound
is in mute and cannot be heard. If
the icon does not appear, the
Sound is in play and can be
heard. See page 42

Sounds assigned to the right hand (UP1 to UP3) and to
the left hand (LOW). Touch the Sound’s name to open
the Sound Select window and choose a different Sound.

See page 104

Style name and info. Touch the Style’s name to

open the Style Select window and choose a dif-

ferent Style. See page 105

Tempo. Use the

TEMPO buttons to

change it.

Length of the accompaniment pat-

tern, and current beat.

Performance or STS. Touch it to open

the Performance Select window and

choose a different Performance.

Sounds on the keyboard will change.

See page 104

Single Touch Settings (STS). Touch one of them to choose it, or use the dedicated buttons on

the control panel. Sounds on the keyboard will change. See page 106

Split Point. Touch here and play a
note to set the new split point.

See page 46

Voice Processor Preset. Touch
here to change preset, therefore
the microphone’s effects and
doubling/harmonization. See

page 92

Talk On/Off. Turn it on to talk with your

audience. See page 95

The Style Play page in detail

To see this page, press the STYLE PLAY button.

Notes:

• There are three Sounds for the right hand (Upper 1, Upper 2,
Upper 3), and only one Sound for the left hand (Lower). Their
names are abbreviated as UP1, UP2 UP3, LOW, and are shown
in the right side of the display.

• Right hand (Upper) and left hand (Lower) Sounds are sepa­rated by the Split Point.

• Performances and STSs are collections of Sounds. Just choose
one of them to change all the Sounds of the keyboard (and, when
the STYLE CHANGE LED is lit on the control panel, of the
Style).

• Choose a Style to change the musical style of the accompani­ment patterns. Touching the Style name in the display is the
same as to press one of the buttons of the STYLE section on the
control panel.

Easy Mode

The Song Play page in detail

The Song Play page in detail

Sound icon and status. If the

icon appears, the
Sound is in mute and cannot
be heard. If the icon does not
appear, the Sound is in play
and can be heard. See

page 42

Sounds assigned to the right hand (UP1 to UP3) and to
the left hand (LOW). Touch the Sound’s name to open
the Sound Select window and choose a different Sound.

See page 104

Song assigned to Player 1. Touch it to open the

Song Select window and choose a different Song.

See page 106

Tempo. Use the

TEMPO buttons to

change it.

Song assigned to Player 2. Touch it to

open the Song Select window and

choose a different Song. See page 106

Performance or STS. Touch it to open

the Performance Select window and

choose a different Performance.

Sounds on the keyboard will change.

See page 104

Single Touch Settings (STS). Touch one of them to choose it, or use the dedicated buttons on

the control panel. Sounds on the keyboard will change. See page 106

Split Point. Touch here and play a
note to set the new split point.

See page 46

Voice Processor Preset. Touch
here to change preset, therefore
the microphone’s effects and
doubling/harmonization. See

page 92

Talk On/Off. Turn it on to talk with your

audience. See page 95

To see this page, press the SONG PLAY button.

35

Introduction

Notes:

• As in Style mode, there are three Sounds for the right hand
(Upper 1, Upper 2, Upper 3), and only one Sound for the left
hand (Lower). Their names are abbreviated as UP1, UP2 UP3,
LOW, and are shown in the right side of the display.

• Right hand (Upper) and left hand (Lower) Sounds are sepa­rated by the Split Point.

• Performances and STSs are collections of Sounds. Just choose
one of them to change all the Sounds of the keyboard.

• Available STSs depend on the Style or SongBook entry you last
selected.

• Since there are two onboard Players, you can play two Songs at
the same time. Mix them using the X-Fader on the control panel.

• Touching a Song name in the display is the same as to press one
of the SELECT buttons on the control panel. Each Player has its
own SELECT and transport buttons.

36

Easy Mode

The Song Play page in detail

38

Turning the instrument on and listening to the demos

Turning the instrument on, and viewing the main screen

Power switch DisplayDemo buttons

Real Time (Keyboard) Tracks

Turning the instrument on and listening to the demos

First of all, turn the instrument on and familiarize yourself with the main screen. You can also listen
to the demos.

Turning the instrument on, and viewing the main screen

1 Turn the Pa3X on by pressing the POWER button, located on the back panel, then the

STANDBY button located in the control panel.

After you turn the instrument on, a welcome screen is shown for a few seconds, and then the
main display appears.

Note: The POWER button
connects the Pa3X to the
power line, while the
STANDBY button turns it on.

2 When you want to turn the Pa3X off, keep the STANDBY button pressed for two sec-

onds, and put it in standby mode.

The preferred way to turn the Pa3X off is to put it in standby mode, so that the internal battery
will continue charging and preserve the Sample RAM content intact. If you prefer to save some
power, turn the Pa3X off by pressing the POWER button instead. Please note that in the latter
case the internal battery preserving the content of the Sample RAM will discharge in three-four
days, and loading PCM Samples with then take longer.

Turning the instrument on and listening to the demos

Playing the demos

Playing the demos

A variety of demo songs have been included to demonstrate the sonic power of the Pa3X.

1 To open the Demo page, press the STYLE PLAY and SONG PLAY buttons at the same

time.

2 Follow the instructions in the display. That’s it!

39

Quick Guide

40

Playing Sounds

Selecting a Sound and playing it on the keyboard

Performance Select section

Split button

Sound Select section

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A selected track is shown with a white back­ground. In this example, the Upper 1 track is
selected. If it is not selected, touch it once to

select it.

The fact that there isn’t a icon
over the bank icon means that the
Upper 1 track is set to play. If it is

muted, touch the bank icon to set it
to play, or use the ON/OFF buttons
in the REAL TIME TRACKS section of
the control panel.

(Full) Upper

Playing Sounds

You can play up to three sounds at the same time on the keyboard. You can also split the keyboard
into two parts, to play up to three sounds with your right hand (Upper), and one with your left hand
(Lower).

Selecting a Sound and playing it on the keyboard

1 Be sure the Upper 1 track is selected and set to play.

2 If you want to play the Sound on the whole keyboard, be sure the keyboard is in Full

Upper mode (i.e., no SPLIT LED turned on). If it is split in two parts, press the SPLIT but­ton to turn its LED off.

Note: Be sure tracks
Upper 2 and Upper 3 are
muted, and are not playing. If
you hear more than one
sound, see also page 42 for
how to mute tracks.

Playing Sounds

Selecting a Sound and playing it on the keyboard

3 Touch the Upper 1 track’s area in the display, to open the Sound Select window.

The selected Sound is highlighted.

Touch a Sound’s name to select it.

Touch one of the side tabs to select a

different Sound bank.

Touch one of the lower tabs to select

a different Sound page.

A Previous and Next Page pair of button
may appear in this area, when more than
five pages are available.

The currently
selected Sound
appears in the page
header.

Target track for the
selected Sound

Sound bank icon

Sound’s name

Type of Sounds.

The Sound Select window closes,
and the main screen appears again,
with the selected Sound assigned to
the Upper 1 track.

41

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Note: You can also open
the Sound Select window by
pressing one of the SOUND
SELECT buttons in the REAL
TIME TRACKS section.

4 Select a Sound from the Sound Select window, then press the EXIT button to close the

window.

5 Play the Sound on the keyboard.

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Note: Selection windows
may automatically close
after a selection. To do this,
uncheck the “Display Hold”
box in the Global > General
Controls > Interface page. In
this case, press the EXIT but­ton only if you don’t make
any selection but want to
close the window.

Quick Guide

42

Playing Sounds

Playing two or three Sounds at the same time

Please note how the
icon appears in the Upper 2
and Upper 3 status boxes.
These tracks will not be heard.

After touching in this
area, the icon
disappears. The
Upper 2 track will be
set to play and will be
heard.

Note how the ‘Dark Pad’ sound (assigned to the Upper 2 track) has been layered
with the ‘Grand Piano’ (assigned to the Upper 1 track).

Playing two or three Sounds at the same time

You can layer all three Upper tracks and play them on the keyboard.

1 Either press the UPPER 2 ON/OFF button in the REAL TIME TRACKS section of the con-

trol panel, or touch the
play.

icon in the Upper 2 status box, to set the Upper 2 track to

2 Play the keyboard.

Playing Sounds

Playing two or three Sounds at the same time

3 Either press the UPPER 3 ON/OFF button in the REAL TIME TRACKS section of the con-

As above, after touching
in this area, the
icon disappears. The
Upper 3 track will be set
to play and will be heard.

Note how the ‘StringEns2’ sound (assigned to the Upper 3 track) has been added
to the ‘Dark Pad’ (assigned to the Upper 2 track) and the ‘Grand Piano’ (assigned
to the Upper 1 track).

trol panel, or touch Touch the icon in the Upper 3 status box, to set the Upper 3
track to play.

43

4 Play the keyboard.

5 Either press the UPPER 3 ON/OFF button in the REAL TIME TRACKS section of the con-

trol panel, or touch the bank icon in the Upper 3 status box, to mute the Upper 3 track
again.

Quick Guide

44

Playing Sounds

Playing two or three Sounds at the same time

Note how the ‘StringEns2’ sound (assigned to the Upper 3 track) has been muted
again. Only tracks Upper 1 and Upper 2 can be heard at this time.

Note how the ‘Dark Pad’ sound (assigned to the Upper 2 track) has been muted
again. Only track Upper 1 can be heard at this time.

6 Play the keyboard.

7 Either press the UPPER 2 ON/OFF button in the REAL TIME TRACKS section of the con-

trol panel, or touch the bank icon in the Upper 2 status box, to mute the Upper 2 track
again.

8 Play the keyboard.

Playing Sounds

Playing different Sounds with your left and right hand

Playing different Sounds with your left and right hand

Lower

Upper

If the Lower track is muted, touch its icon
to make it disappear from this area, or press the
LOWER ON/OFF button in the REAL TIME TRACKS
section of the control panel (its LED must turn
on).

Note how the keyboard is split into two parts, each playing different
sounds.

Lower Upper

You can play a single Sound with your left hand, in addition to playing up to three Sounds with your
right hand.

1 Press the SPLIT button to turn its LED on, and split the keyboard into Lower (left hand)

and Upper (right hand) parts.

45

2 Be sure the Lower track is set to play.

3 Play the keyboard.

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Hint: You can sel ect a di f­ferent Sound for the Lower
part by pressing the LOWER
SOUND SELECT button in the
REAL TIME TRACKS section of
the control panel, and follow­ing the same procedure used
for the Upper 1 track. See
page 40.

Quick Guide

46

Playing Sounds

Changing the split point

(Full) Upper

Note how the keyboard once again plays the Upper tracks for the entire
length of the keyboard.

Upper

4 Return to the full keyboard playing mode by pressing the SPLIT button to turn its LED

off.

5 Play the keyboard.

Changing the split point

If you are not comfortable with the selected split point, you may set the split point to any key.

1 Touch the Split tab to see the Split Point panel.

Playing Sounds

Changing the split point

2 Touch the keyboard in the display, then play the lowest note of the Upper section on

the keyboard.

47

Lower

Upper

3 As an alternative, touch the Split Point parameter to select it, and use the VALUE con-

trols to select the new split point.

4 Touch the STS Name tab to go back to the STS Name panel.

Quick Guide

48

Playing Sounds

Raising or lowering the Upper octave

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Each press of this button will

lower the pitch by one octave.

Each press of this button will
raise the pitch by one octave.

The Upper 1 track is set to play
and selected.

Upper 2 and 3 tracks are
muted (they cannot be heard).

Raising or lowering the Upper octave

If all Upper tracks sound too high or too low, you can quickly change which octave they are playing
in.

1 Use the UPPER OCTAVE buttons on the control panel, to transpose all Upper tracks at

the same time.

2 Press both UPPER OCTAVE buttons together to reset the octave to the value saved in

the current Performance.

Note: The Octave Trans­pose value for each of the
keyboard track is shown
under the Sound’s name.

Digital Drawbars

A special Sound in the Pa3X is the “Digital Drawbars”. This sound emulates the classic tonewheel
organs of the past. You can use the Assignable Sliders of the Pa3X to adjust the position of each draw­bar, and then save these settings to a Performance (see “Saving your settings to a Performance” on
page 52).

1 Mute all Upper tracks, apart for the Upper 1 track. Select the Upper 1 track.

2 Touch the Sound name to open the Sound Select window.

Playing Sounds

Digital Drawbars

3 Select the Organ bank, then choose the Digit.DRAWBARS Sound.

After you select the Digital Drawbars

Organ Sound, the Drawbars Setting

page appears.

To change the Digital Draw­bar Organ settings by using
the Assignable Sliders, the
DRAWBARS LED must be
turned on. This automatically
happens when recalling the
Drawbars page.

Due to the nature of this Sounds, there is only one Digital Drawbar Organ Sound. Different
drawbar settings may be stored with each Performance. So, selecting a different Performance
will select different settings for the Digital Drawbar Organ.

49

4 As soon as the Drawbars Setting page appears in the display, the Assignable Sliders

will function as if they were organ drawbars (the slider’s DRAWBAR LED will be lit).
Move the Assignable Sliders to change the various drawbar settings.

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Note: You don’t need to
be in the Digital Drawbars
page to use the Assignable
Sliders to change the sound.
When a Drawbar Organ is
assigned to a Keyboard track,
the sound can also be modi­fied while in the main page,
provided that the DRAWBARS
LED is turned on.

Quick Guide

50

Playing Sounds

Digital Drawbars

Check this checkbox to turn Per­cussion on. Percussion will make

the sound more aggressive

Experiment with the
Percussion’s settings

Turn the Rotary effect on or off, and
listen to how much more lively it
makes the sound

Experiment with the
Rotary speed

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Leakage from adjacent tone-

wheels, making the sound richer

Timbre

Volume of the noise
generated when
pressing or releasing
the keys

5 Select different parameters in this page, and change their settings to see how each set-

ting affects the sound.

6 Touch the “Tone/Noise” tab, and try the sound parameters of the second page.

Hint: As an alternative to
using Assignable Sliders to
change drawbar values, you
can touch a drawbar in the
display and use the VALUE
controls to change it, or just
drag it in the display.

7 When you have found some settings that you like, you can save them to a Performance,

as described later in this section.

8 Press the EXIT button to go back to the main page.

Selecting and saving Performances

Selecting a Performance

Selecting and saving Performances

Performance Select sectionSingle Touch Settings (STS) section

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The selected Performance is high-

lighted. Touch a Performance name

to select it.

Touch one of the side tabs to select a

different Performance bank.

Touch one of the lower tabs to select a
different Performance page.

The Performance is the musical heart of the Pa3X. Unlike selecting single Sounds, selecting a Per­formance will recall several Sounds at the same time, the needed effects and transpositions, a suitable
Voice Processor preset, plus many more parameters useful for playing in a musical situation.

You can save all control panel settings to a Performance memory location (including your Digital
Drawbar Organ settings). While many Performances are already supplied with the instrument, you
can customize each of them to your own taste, and then save them in their customized version.

Similar to Performances, you can also save your settings to a Single Touch Setting (STS), which will
store all the settings for the Keyboard tracks. Four STSs are supplied with each Style and SongBook
entry, and can be selected with the four dedicated buttons under the display.
Please note that settings saved in Performance 1 of bank 1 are automatically selected when the
instrument is turned on. This means you can save your preferred startup settings to Performance
1-1.

51

Note: As for Style tracks, they
are saved to a third object
called the Style Settings.

Selecting a Performance

1 Touch the Performance area in the display, to open the Performance Select window.

Quick Guide

Note: You can also open
the Performance Select win­dow by pressing one of the
buttons in the PERFOR­MANCE SELECT section. This
will let you jump directly to
the desired Performance
bank.

52

Selecting and saving Performances

Saving your settings to a Performance

The Performance Select window
closes, and the main screen appears
again. Sounds, Effects, and other
settings, change according to the
setting memorized in the selected
Perf ormance .

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Settings memorized in the selected Performance have been
selected. Sounds, effects and other settings have been recalled.

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Page menu icon

Page menu

2 Select one of the Performances in the Performance Select window, then press the EXIT

button to close the window.

Note: Selection windows
may automatically close
after a selection. To do this,
uncheck the “Display Hold”
box in the Global > General
Controls > Interface page. In
this case, press the EXIT but­ton only if you don’t make
any selection but want to
close the window.

3 Play the keyboard.

Saving your settings to a Performance

All the control panel settings, plus the Keyboard track settings, selected effects and Voice Processor
Preset, can be saved to a single Performance, to be quickly recalled at a later time.

1 Touch the page menu icon to open the page menu.

Note: If the
LED of the
STYLE CHANGE
button is
turned on,
selecting a Performance may
automatically select a differ­ent Style and its settings
(Sounds, Effects, Drawbar
settings for the Style
tracks…)

Note: To open the Write
Performance dialog box, you
can press the SHIFT + one of
the PERFORMANCE SELECT
buttons.

Selecting and saving Performances

Saving your settings to a Performance

2 Select the ‘Write Performance’ command to open the Write Performance dialog box.

After choosing the Write Performance

menu item, the Write Performance dialog

box appears.

Touch the (Text Edit) symbol to open the

Text Edit dialog box.

Use the alphabetic
characters to enter
text.

Use the ‘<–’ and ‘–>’

buttons or the DIAL to

move the cursor.

Use the SHIFT button to
switch between capitals

and small characters.

Touch the ‘Backspace’ symbol to delete
just a single character, ‘Clear’ to delete
the whole string.

When done, touch OK to
confirm the new name,
or Cancel to abandon all
changes.

3 If you like, you may assign a new name to the Performance.

53

Quick Guide

54

Selecting and saving Performances

Saving your settings to a Performance

To select the target bank and
Performance location, select the
bank and Performance parame­ters, and use the VALUE controls.

A)

B)

The selected Perfor­mance location is high­lighted. Touch a
Performance’s name to
select it.

Touch one of the side tabs to select a
different Performance bank.

Touch one of the lower tabs to select
a different Performance page.

or…

Note: A Performance
can be saved to an
‘Empty’ location. An
‘Empty’ locations cur­rently contains no data.

!

4 Select a bank and Performance location in memory, where you would like to save the

Performance.

5 When you have edited the name to the Performance, and selected the target location,

touch OK to save the Performance to memory (or cancel to stop the operation).

Warn ing : Saving a Per­formance to an already used
location overwrites any exist­ing data at that location. The
old data are lost. Make a
backup of all your important
data.

Selecting and playing Styles

Selecting and playing a Style

Selecting and playing Styles

Style Select section

Style Controls

Style Elements

The selected Style is highlighted.

Touch a Style’s name to select it.

Touch one of the side tabs to select a

different Style bank.

Touch one of the lower tabs to select

a different Style page.

Type of Style.

Pa3X is an arranger, i.e. a musical instrument providing automatic accompaniments, or arrangements.
Each arrangement style is called, as a consequence, “Style”.

A Style is made of several Style Elements (Intro, Variation, Fill, Break, Ending), corresponding to the
various sections of a song. By selecting Style Elements, you can make your playing more varied and
musical.

When selecting a Style, Style Settings for the Style tracks are also selected. If the STS MODE LED is
turned on, the first of the four Single Touch Settings (STS) associated with the Style is also selected,
and Keyboard tracks, Pads, Effects and some other useful parameters are automatically configured.

Use the Style controls to start or stop the Style.

55

Selecting and playing a Style

1 Touch the Style area in the display. The Style Select window appears.

i

Note: You can also open
the Style Select window by
pressing one of the buttons in
the STYLE SELECT section.
This will let you jump directly
to the desired Style bank.

Quick Guide

56

Selecting and playing Styles

Selecting and playing a Style

The Style Select window closes, and
the main screen appears again, with
the selected Style ready to go.

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For chord scanning to work, either of both LEDs must be turned
on. Lower: chords are recognized on the left of the split point;

Upper: chords are recognized on the right of the split point; Full
(both LEDs on): chords are recognized on the whole keyboard.
Off: only the Drum track can be heard.

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When the Syncho-Start function is turned on, the Style starts
playing as soon as you play a note or chord in the chord recogni­tion area. Play chords with your left hand, and the melody with
your right hand. The arranger will follow your playing.

2 Select a Style from the Style Select window.

3 Be sure one of the Chord Scan modes is selected.

Note: Selection windows
may automatically close
after a selection. To do this,
uncheck the “Display Hold”
box in the Global > General
Controls > Interface page. In
this case, press the EXIT but­ton only if you don’t make
any selection but want to
close the window.

4 Press the SYNCHRO-START button to turn its LED on.

5 Play the keyboard.

6 Press START/STOP to stop the Style.

Note: You could simply
press START/STOP to start the
Style, but the Synchro-Start
function allows you to make
the Style start in sync with
your playing on the key­board. Therefore, it may be
considered a “more musical”
way of starting a Style.

Selecting and playing Styles

Tempo

Te mp o

While a Tempo setting is saved with each Style or Performance, you can change it to be whatever you
like. You can use either of the following two methods.

• Use the TEMPO + or – buttons to change the Tempo value.

• Press the TEMPO– and + buttons together to recall the saved Tempo value.

57

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Hint: As an alternative to
using the TEMPO buttons,
hold the Tempo value in the
display, then move your fin­ger up/down or left/right (or
change the value with the
VALUE controls).

• As an alternative, keep the SHIFT button pressed, and use the DIAL to change the

Tempo. The selected tempo will be shown in a small window.

Intro, Variation, Fill, Break, Ending

When playing Styles, you can select various “Style Elements” to make your playing richer. A Style is
made of three Intros (or two Intros and a Count-In), up to four basic patterns (Variations), four Fills,
a Break, and three Endings.

1 Make sure the SYNCHRO-START LED is turned on (otherwise, press the button to turn it

on).

Quick Guide

Activating the Synchro Start function is not mandatory, but it might be handy.

2 Press one of the INTRO buttons to set the corresponding Intro to play.

58

Selecting and playing Styles

Single Touch Settings (STS)

The Style starts with the selected Intro. When the Intro is com­pleted, the basic pattern (selected Variation) starts to play.

i

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When the Fill ends, the selected Variation
will start playing.

When the Ending is fin­ished, the Style automati­cally stops.

3 Play the keyboard.

4 While playing, press one of the FILL buttons to select a Fill.

5 Before the Fill ends, press one of the VARIATION buttons, to select a different variation

of the basic pattern.

Hint: Tu rn the AUTO FIL L
LED on to let the Pa3X auto­matically select a Fill when
selecting a Variation.

Note: You do not need to
select a Fill before selecting a
different Variation, but
selecting a Fill makes the
transition “smoother” and
more musical.

Note: You do not need to
select a Variation during a
Fill, since a Variation may
already be automatically
recalled at the end of the Fill.
See “Fill Mode (1…4, Break)”
on page 134.

6 When you like to stop playing, press one of the ENDING buttons to stop the Style with

an Ending.

Single Touch Settings (STS)

Each Style or SongBook entry may come with up to four Keyboard track and Voice Processor settings,
called the STS (short for “Single Touch Settings”). STSs are very similar to Performances, but they are
fine-tuned to the Style or SongBook entry they are associated to.

STS #1 is automatically selected when choosing a Style, provided the STS MODE LED is turned on.
STS #1 is also recalled each time a SongBook entry is selected.

59

Selecting and playing Styles

Single Touch Settings (STS)

Settings memorized in the selected STS have been selected.
Sounds, effects and other settings have been recalled.

1 Press one of the four STS buttons under the display, or touch the name of an STS in the

STS panel in the display.

2 Play the keyboard.

3 Try all the other STSs, and see how settings change with each of them.

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Hint: Yo u can al ways see
the name of the four avail­able STSs for the current
Style, by touching the STS
Name tab from any other
panel.

Quick Guide

4 You can also link the STSs to the Variations. First of all press the STS MODE button, to

make its LED flash.

5 Then press the various VARIATION buttons, and see how an STS is automatically

selected when the corresponding Variation is selected.

6 Press the STS MODE again to turn its LED on (or off ).

60

Selecting and playing Styles

The Pads

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The Pads

Each Style can assign different sounds or patterns to the four PADS. These sounds or patterns can be
played along with the Keyboard and Style tracks.

1 Press one of the four PADS.

2 If the selected PAD triggers an endless sound or pattern (i.e. an applause, or a guitar

arpeggio), pressing STOP will stop that sound.

Hint: You can see which
sounds or patterns are asso­ciated to the four Pads for the
current Style, by touching the
Pad tab.

3 Select a different Style, and see how the sounds or patterns assigned to the PADS

change.

You can even press more Pads at once, and play two or more sounds or patterns at the same time.
Pressing STOP stops them all at the same time. Keeping STOP pressed and pressing one of the
PAD buttons only stops that sound or pattern.

Adjusting balance between the Style and the keyboard

Balancing between the Keyboard and Style tracks may be useful, to gently fade them and adjust their
respective volume.

• While the Style is playing, use the BALANCE slider (next to the MASTER VOLUME slider)

to balance between the Keyboard and Style tracks’ volume.

Hint: You ca n open th e
Pad Select window to assign
a different sound or pattern
to the Pads, by pressing SHIFT
+ one of the PADs.

Selecting and playing Styles

Adjusting the volume of each track

Adjusting the volume of each track

In Normal view, all Style

tracks are seen as three

‘grouped’ tracks.

To control the volume, the VOL­UME LED must be turned on. If it is
off, repeatedly press the SLIDER
MODE button to change it. Please
note that the SLIDER MODE sta-

tus is saved with each Perfor­mance or STS.

The LED indicator of

“grouped” Style

tracks and Keyboard

tracks turns on.

You can adjust the volume of each of the Style and Keyboard tracks, for example to soften the bass a
little, or to make the keyboard solo louder.

1 Touch the Volume tab to see the Volume panel.

While you do not need to see the Volume panel to change the volume, doing so will let you see
the internal mixer of the Pa3X and visualize the status and volume of each track.

61

2 Use the Assignable Sliders (be sure the VOLUME LED is turned on) to adjust each Key-

board track’s volume, as well as ‘grouped’ Style tracks.

Quick Guide

62

Selecting and playing Styles

Turning the Style tracks on/off

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In Style view, all separate

Style tracks are shown,

and can be controlled

using the corresponding

Assignable Sliders.

The LED indicator of

single Style tracks

turns on.

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3 To separately adjust each Style track, press the TRACK SELECT button to change the

track’s view.

Hint: As an alternative,
you can change each track’s
volume, by touching a track’s
area to select it, then using
the VALUE controls to change
the volume. Also, you can just
touch a track’s slider in the
display, then move your fin­ger up/down.

4 To return to the Keyboard/Grouped Style Tracks view, press the TRACK SELECT button

again.

Turning the Style tracks on/off

You may easily turn on or off any Style track while you are playing. For example, try muting all
accompaniment tracks, while drums and bass continue to play.

1 Be sure the Volume panel is shown, or touch the Volume tab to show it.

Note: While in the Nor­mal view of the Style Play
mode, you can see Style
tracks grouped in just three
“grouped” tracks. To see each
Style track as separate, indi­vidual tracks, just press the
TRACK SELECT button.

Selecting and playing Styles

Adding harmony notes to your right-hand melody with the ENSEMBLE function

2 While the Style is playing, touch anywhere in the ACCOMP track’s channel strip to

Mute the ACCOMP track.
All accompaniment tracks
will go silent (apart from
Drum, Percussion and
Bass).

Set the ACCOMP track
to Play. All accompani­ment tracks will return
to their original vol­umes.

i

select the track (volume value highlighted), then touch it again to set the track to
Mute.

3 To set the tracks back to the Play status, touch the Mute icon on the ACCOMP track.

63

4 To mute/unmute each single Style track, first press TRACK SELECT to switch to the Style

Tracks view, then repeat the above procedure.

slider of a muted track, the
track is automatically set to
On again.

5 Press the TRACK SELECT button again to go back to the Normal view.

Adding harmony notes to your right-hand melody with the
ENSEMBLE function

Chords played with your left hand may be applied to the right-hand melody.

1 Press the SPLIT button to turn its LED on and split the keyboard.

The Ensemble function only works in Split mode.

Quick Guide

Hint: When moving the

2 Press the ENSEMBLE button to turn its LED on.

64

Selecting and playing Styles

Adding harmony notes to your right-hand melody with the ENSEMBLE function

Notice how the right hand is automatically harmonized, accord­ing to the chords composed with your left hand.

While the Ensemble parameter is
selected, use the VALUE controls to select
one of the available harmonization types.

While in an edit page, press EXIT
to go back to the main page of the
current operating mode.

3 Play chords with the left hand and single notes in the right hand.

4 To select a different harmonization style, keep the SHIFT button pressed, and press the

ENSEMBLE button to open the Ensemble page.

This is a fast ‘shortcut’ to recall this page. The longer would have been entering the Edit mode by
pressing the MENU button, touching the Keyboard/Ensemble section, and then going to the
Ensemble page.

5 When the right harmonization type has been selected, press the EXIT button to go

back to the main page.

6 Press the ENSEMBLE button again to turn its LED off. The automatic harmonization will

be turned off.

Selecting and playing Styles

The Chord Sequence

The Chord Sequence

In case you need both hands free for playing a solo while a Style is playing, you can record a Chord
Sequence and let Pa3X play the chords for you.

1 Press the START/STOP button to set the Style to play.

2 Press the BASS INVERSION and MANUAL BASS (RECORD) buttons together to start

recording.

65

3 Start recording your Chord Sequence at the beginning of the next measure.

While recording, you will see a red flashing icon in the display.

4 Play the chords in the Chord Scan area.

5 When the Chord Sequence is done, press the BASS INVERSION and MANUAL BASS

(RECORD) buttons together again to stop recording.

6 Press the MEMORY and BASS INVERSION (PLAY/STOP) buttons to start playback.

The LED of the two buttons will start flashing. The Chord Sequence will be played back in loop
starting from the next measure. Recorded chords will be sent to the arranger, and the Style will
play with the recorded chords.

Quick Guide

7 Play your solo part, while the Chord Sequence plays the chords for you.

During Chord Sequence looping, you can freely select any Fill or Variation, as if you where play­ing chords with your hands.

66

Selecting and playing Styles

The Chord Sequence

8 Press the MEMORY and BASS INVERSION (PLAY/STOP) buttons together again to stop

playback of the recorded Chord Sequence.

The last chord played by the Chord Sequence remains in memory. The Chord Sequence will
remain in memory up until you record a new Chord Sequence, or you turn the Pa3X off.

Song Play

Selecting a Song to play

Song Play

Players controls

The SONG PLAY button

The Songs area of the
Style Play main page.

After pressing the SONG PLAY but-

ton, the main page of the Song

Play mode appears.

Pa3X is equipped with two onboard players that can be run at the same time to mix between different
Songs. Pa3X can read Songs in Standard MIDI File (MID), Karaoke™ (KAR) and MP3 format.

It may be of great interest to singers and guitar players to know that if a Standard MIDI File or an MP3
file contains lyrics and chords, they can be seen in the display. Lyrics can also be seen on an external
video monitor, provided you have the (optional) VIF4 Video Interface installed.

In addition to lyrics and chords, you can also see the score and the markers of a Standard MIDI File.

67

Selecting a Song to play

1 Press the SONG PLAY button to switch to the Song Play mode.

i

Hint: In Style Play mode,
you can pre-select the Songs
to be assigned to both play­ers. This way, you will be
ready to start them, as soon
as you switch to Song Play
mode.

Quick Guide

68

Song Play

Selecting a Song to play

i

The selected Song is highlighted.

Touch a Song’s name to select it.

Use the scroll bar to see all Songs in
the list. Keep SHIFT pressed and
touch the Up/Down arrow to scroll
to the next/previous alphabetic sec­tion. As an alternative, you can use

the VALUE section.

Use the Open and Close buttons to
browse through the folders.

Use the Device pop-up menu to select one of

the available mass-storage devices.

Use the Sync P. (Synchronized Path) button
to see the selected Song again.

Touch the Select button to select the high­lighted Song, and assign it to Player 1.

After touching the Select button in the display, the
main page of the Song Play mode appears again.

Selected Song

2 Touch the Player 1 area to open the Song Select window.

3 Scroll through the list and select the Song to play.

Hint: As an alternative,
you can open the Song Select
window by pressing the
SELECT button in the PLAYER
1 section on the control
panel.

4 When the Song is selected, touch the Select button to confirm your selection; this will

automatically close the Song Select window.

Song Play

Playing back a Song

Playing back a Song

After pressing the (PLAY/STOP) button, the but­ton’s LED turns on, and the measure counter begins to
show the current measure number.

Press the REWIND button once to go back. Keep it

pressed to go back more.

Press the FAST FORWARD button once to go for­ward. Keep it pressed to go forward more.

Press the PLAY/STOP button to stop the Song at the
current position. Press it again to resume playback.

Press the HOME button to move the

Song to the beginning.

When the Song is stopped,
the LED on the PLAY/STOP
button goes dark.

Once a Song has been selected, it may be played back by the player.

1 Be sure the X-Fader is completely moved to the left (toward Player 1).

2 Press the (PLAY/STOP) button in the PLAYER 1 section to start playback.

69

3 Use the PLAYER 1 control section to control the Song’s playback.

4 When you want to stop the song and go back to the beginning, press the (HOME)

button.

i

Note: In any case, the
player will automatically
stop when the end of the
Song is reached.

Quick Guide

70

Song Play

Changing the tracks’ volume

To control the volume,
the VOLUME LED must be
turned on. If it is off,
repeatedly press the
SLIDER MODE button to
change it. Please note
that the SLIDER MODE

status is saved with
each Performance or
STS.

The LED indicator of

the controlled group

of tracks turns on.

Use the TRACK

SELECT button to

cycle between differ-

ent groups of tracks

Changing the tracks’ volume

While playing back a Standard MIDI File, you may wish to change each track’s volume, to create a mix
“on the f l y”.

1 Be sure the Volume panel is shown, or touch the Volume tab to show it.

2 As seen for the Styles, you can use the Assignable Sliders (when the VOLUME LED is

turned on) to adjust each track’s volume. Use the TRACK SELECT button to cycle
between track groups.

Song Play

Changing the tracks’ volume

3 Otherwise, you can use the display to change each track’s volume. In Normal view, you

Keyboard tracks

In Track 1-8 view, the first 8 tracks

of the selected Song are shown.

In Track 9-16 view, the second

group of 8 tracks of the selected

Song are shown.

can adjust each Keyboard track’s volume. Touch a track and use the VALUE controls to
change its volume.

4 Press the TRACK SELECT button once to see tracks 1-8 (Track 1-8 view).

71

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Hint: As an alternative to
using the VALUE controls,
hold the track slider in the
display, then move your fin­ger up/down.

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Note: Changes to Song
tracks will not be saved, and
will be reset each time you

press the (Home) button.
They may also be reset while
pressing the << (Rewind)
button. To save changes, you
must edit the Song in
Sequencer mode.

Quick Guide

5 Press TRACK SELECT once again to see tracks 9-16 (Track 9-16 view).

72

Song Play

Changing the tracks’ volume

Keyboard tracks

Selected track Assigned Sound. Touch it to

open the Sound Select window.

Sound bank Program Change

6 Press TRACK SELECT again, to return to the Normal view (Keyboard tracks).

7 Press the (PLAY/STOP) button to start the Song.

8 While listening to the Song, switch from Normal view to Track 1-8 and Track 9-16 view,

to see which tracks are playing.

To see if a track is playing, look at its name, and see if it changes color.

• Touch each track’s channel strip, to see each track’s detail in the Track Info line.

Song Play

Turning the Song tracks on/off

• Alternatively, you can see which type of Sound is assigned to each track in the Sound

Octave Transpose

Sound bank icons. Touch to open the
Sound Select window.

area of the Track 1-8 and Track 9-16 views.

73

Turning the Song tracks on/off

While playing back a Standard MIDI File, you may wish to mute one or more tracks, for example to
sing along with the Song, or play an instrumental part live on the keyboard.

To mute/unmute Song tracks you simply touch the Play/Mute icon in the Volume panel, as seen for
the Style tracks. See “Turning the Style tracks on/off” on page 62 for more information.

Soloing a track

Contrary to the above, you may want to make a single track of a Standard MIDI File play alone. This
is called the Solo function.

1 While the Song is playing, keep the SHIFT button pressed and touch the track you want

to listen to in Solo mode.

2 To set all tracks back to the Play status, keep the SHIFT button pressed again, and

touch the track that is currently in Solo mode.

Please remember that you can also use the Solo function in Style Play and Sequencer mode. The
Solo command can also be selected from the page menu.

i

Note: These changes will
not be saved to the Song. To
save changes, edit the Song
in Sequencer mode.

Quick Guide

Removing the voice from an MP3 file

If you want to sing along with a Song in MP3 format, you can try to remove the vocal part from the
MP3 file. This features may be more or less effective, depending on the Song.

1 Program one of the Assignable Switches as the Vocal Remover.

74

Song Play

Removing the voice from an MP3 file

i

Press the MENU button, and choose the “Pad/Assignable Switch” section. Then touch the
Switch tab to open the “Switch” page. While in this page, assign the Vocal Remover function to
the ASSIGNABLE SWITCH 2:

2 Press the EXIT button to return to the main page of the Song Play mode.

3 Assign an MP3 file to one of the players.

4 Start the player with the MP3 Song assigned.

5 Press the ASSIGNABLE SWITCH 2 to activate the Vocal Remover, and remove the origi-

nal singer’s voice.

Listen to how the original singer’s voice is reduced or totally removed.

6 Keep the SHIFT button pressed and press the SONG PLAY button to open the “Prefer-

ences: General Setup” page.

Note: The Vocal Remover
only works on a single player
at a time. To switch from a
player to the other, please use
the X-FADER.

7 Experiment with the various settings of the “MP3 Vocal Remover Preset”.

Each setting is optimized for a particular kind of voice. Find the one that better fit the original
singer’s voice.

8 When done, press the ASSIGNABLE SWITCH 2 to deactivate the Vocal Remover, and

make the original singer’s voice appear again.

9 Stop the player.

Song Play

Removing the Melody track from a Standard MIDI File

Removing the Melody track from a Standard MIDI File

If you want to sing along with a Song in Standard MIDI File format, you can remove the Melody track
from the Song.

1 Assign a Standard MIDI File with a Melody track to one of the players.

2 Start the player with the Standard MIDI File Song assigned.

3 Press the ASSIGNABLE SWITCH 3 to mute the Melody track.

The Melody track disappears. If it is the wrong track, continue to the following step to select a
different track.

4 Keep the SHIFT button pressed and press the SONG PLAY button to open the “Prefer-

ences: General Setup” page.

75

5 Choose a different Melody track.

6 When done, you can press the ASSIGNABLE SWITCH 3 switch to unmute the Song’s Mel-

ody track and let the original MIDI instrument play the Melody line again.

7 Stop the player.

Quick Guide

76

Song Play

Mixing two Songs

i

Mixing two Songs

You can select two Songs at the same time, and mix between them using the X-FADER slider.

1 Touch the Player 1 area to open the Song Select window and select the Song to be

played by Player 1. Touch Select to confirm.

2 Once a Song is assigned to Player 1, touch the Player 2 area once to select it, and a sec-

ond time to open the Song Select window. Select a Song to be assigned to Player 2, and
touch Select to confirm.

3 Keep the SHIFT button pressed, and press any of the two (PLAY/STOP) buttons, to

start both Players at the same time.

4 During playback, move the X-Fader, to mix between the two Songs.

Hint: You don’t need to
start both players at the
same time. You can start the
first Song – then start the sec­ond one when the first one is
near to the end. This way, you
can use the X-FADER slider to
gently crossfade between the
end of one Song and the
beginning of the following
one.

5 During playback, you may control each Player separately, by using the dedicated

Player controls.

6 Press the relevant (PLAY/STOP) button to stop the corresponding Player.

The SongBook

Mixing two Songs

The SongBook

The SONGBOOK button

One of the most powerful features of the Pa3X is the onboard music database, that allows you to orga­nize your Styles and Songs (in the MID, KAR and MP3 formats) for easy retrieving. Each entry of this
database may include the artist, title, genre, number, key, tempo, and meter (time signature) of a spec­ified song. When selecting one of the entries, the associated Style, Standard MIDI File or MP3 file – as
well as the Style Play or Song Play mode – is automatically recalled.

In addition to helping you organize your shows, the SongBook allows you to associate up to four Pads,
and up to four STSs to each Standard MIDI File or MP3 file. This way, it is easy to recall a complete
setup for Keyboard tracks, effects, and the Voice Processor, for realtime playing over a Standard MIDI
File or MP3 file.

Also, you can link a text file to a Standard MIDI File, MP3 file or to a Style, to read the Lyrics in the
display or on an external monitor, even if there are no Lyrics events in the Standard MIDI File or MP3
file, or if you prefer to play the song live with the help of the Styles.

You can add your own entries to the SongBook, as well as edit the existing ones. Korg has already sup­plied some hundred entries as standard. Furthermore, the SongBook allows you to create various cus­tom lists, that may suit your different shows.

77

Quick Guide

78

The SongBook

Selecting the desired entry from the Main List

Tou ch t his c heck box

to turn the view filter

on.

Touch this button to

edit the view filter.

Adds the selected entry to
the Custom List (if acti­vated – see page 84).

Touch this button to
select the current entry to
play.

Use the scroll bar to see all
Songs in the list. Keep SHIFT
pressed and touch the Up/
Down arrow to scroll to the
next/previous alphabetic
section. As an alternative,

you can use the VALUE
DIAL.

SongBook Main List

Style, Standard MIDI File(s) or MP3 file(s) currently

assigned to the arranger or player(s)

i

Selecting the desired entry from the Main List

A large database is already included with the instrument, and you can later customize it. You may
browse through this database in a variety of ways.

1 While you are in Style Play or Song Play mode, press the SONGBOOK button to open

the SongBook window.

2 Browse through the entries.

Icons in the Type column will help you identify the type of the entry. The Genre column is
shown by default, but you can switch to the Artist column (see “Displaying Artist or Genre”
below).

3 When the entry you are looking for becomes visible in the display, select it and touch

the Select button in the display.

After selecting an entry, the corresponding Style, MID, KAR or MP3 file will be recalled,
together with the relevant operating mode (Style Play or Song Play). Up to four STSs will also be
recalled. Any TXT file associated with the entry can be seen in the Lyrics page.

The selected Style, MID, or KAR file, or MP3 is shown in the higher part of the screen.

Displaying Artist or Genre

For space matters, either the Genre or Artist column can be seen in the display. You cannot see both at
the same time.

1 Touch the page menu icon to open the page menu.

Note: The Artist and Key
fields of all supplied entries
have been intentionally left
empty.

The SongBook

Sorting entries

2 Choose Show Artist (now Genre) to switch from Genre to Artist in the List view. The Art-

Touch the Name label…

…to alphabetically reorder the names in the

list. Each time you touch the same label, the

order changes between Ascending and

Descending.

ist column will be shown.

3 Open the page menu again, and choose the Show Genre (now Artist) item. The Genre

column will be shown again.

79

Sorting entries

You can change the order entries are shown in the display.

1 You can change the sorting order by touching one of the labels in a list of names.

You can do the same by touching the Type, Name, Genre, Artist, Key, Number, Tempo or Meter
label.

Quick Guide

2 Each time you touch the same label again, the order changes between ascending and

descending.

80

The SongBook

Searching entries

Available search
criteria. “Genre”
and “Artist” are
both consid­ered, even
though only one
of them may be
shown in the List

Searching entries

The SongBook database may be really huge. You can, however, look for (say) specific artists or song
titles, using the filtering functions.

1 Touch the Filter button in the display, to open the Filter dialog box.

2 Touch the (Text Edit) button next to the search criteria (even more than one) you

want to enter.

For example, you may want to find all songs containing the word “love” in the title (in any posi­tion in the string). If so, select the ‘Name’ criterion, and enter the word ‘love’. Capitals are not rel­evant for the search.

3 Touch OK in the display, and close the Text Edit dialog box. The entered text is now the

search criteria.

The SongBook

Searching entries

4 Touch OK to close the Filter dialog box and return to the SongBook page.

Once the Filter dialog box has been closed by touching OK, the Filtered check box is automati­cally checked, and the filter is activated. Only entries matching the entered criterion are seen in
the Main List.

5 To see the whole SongBook database again, touch the Filtered check box again, to

make the check mark disappear.

81

Quick Guide

82

The SongBook

Adding entries

Entry’s name

Name of the Style, MID, or KAR or MP3 file, memorized
with the entry.

When checked, current settings for Style tracks,

or the path for the MID, KAR or MP3 file, are

saved with the entry. If unchecked, the original

Style track settings are saved with the entry.
This parameter is mandatory when creating a
new entry by touching the New Song button.

When checked, you can save the current Key-

board tracks and Voice Processor settings into
one of the four STSs available for each entry, or
save all the current Style STSs to the SongBook

entry.

One of the four STS available for
each entry, where you can save the
current settings for Keyboard
tracks and the Voice Processor.

Touch New Song to cre-

ate a new entry.

Currently selected resource. If a dif­ferent Style, MID, KAR or MP3 file
has been selected, it may differ
from the saved resource (shown on
top of the page).

Song Selection number (ID number
for numeric selection)

Choose All Current Style STS to save the four STSs
(recalled by the latest selected Style ) with the new
entry.

Adding entries

You can add your own entries to the SongBook database.

1 Go to the Style Play or Song Play mode, depending on the type of entry you want to

add to the SongBook database.

2 Select the Style, Standard MIDI File or MP3 file to be added to the SongBook.

Assign the selected Song to Player 1. (Only Songs assigned to Player 1 will be saved in the Song­Book entry. Songs assigned to Player 2 will not be saved).

3 Edit Keyboard and Style tracks as you prefer, by selecting different Sounds and Effects,

or editing any other parameter.

Please note that changes to Standard MIDI File’s tracks will not be saved as SongBook data. Only
data included in the Standard MIDI File will always be used.

4 If you like, select a different Voice Processor Preset.

The Voice Processor Preset selection will be saved in a SongBook entry, only if you will also save
an STS. So, please don’t forget to check the “Write” checkbox in the “STS” area.

5 When your entry is ready, press the SONGBOOK button, then the Book Edit 1 tab to see

the Book Edit 1 page and link a Musical Resource to the SongBook entry.

6 Touch the New Song button in the display to add a new item to the SongBook list.

The SongBook

Adding entries

7 When done with this page, press the Book Edit 2 tab to see the Book Edit 2 page and

Database entry’s
parameters

Track from which to take notes to be sent

to the Voice Harmony.

Text file linked to the entry. This
text will be seen as Lyrics in the dis­play (or in the external monitor,
with the VIF4 option installed). See
“Viewing lyrics and chords in the
Song Play and SongBook modes”
on page 169.

Synchro (for Style) and Memory (for Style

and Songs) On/Off status

edit the SongBook database details.

8 Touch the (Text Edit) button next to the field(s) you want to edit. Set all other

parameters.

You can write the genre and artist name. If you are saving a single STS, you can assign it a name
(this is not possible if you are saving all STSs). Select a Tempo matching the song’s tempo, and
select the Meter (time signature) and Key of the song. You can also specify a Master Transpose
value, to be automatically selected when selecting the entry.

9 When done with this page, touch the tab to go to the Book Edit 3 page, where you can

and set the Synchro and Memory parameters, link a text file to the entry, and choose
the Harmony Control.

83

Quick Guide

10 After having filled up all the desired fields (be as comprehensive as you can), touch the

Write button in the display to open the Write dialog box.

84

The SongBook

Creating a Custom List

Entry’s name. By default it is the same name of the associated Standard

MIDI File of MP3 file, or the associated Style. The name can be up to 16 char-

acters long.

Select Rename/Overwrite to overwrite

an existing entry. Warning: the older

entry will be deleted!

Select New Song to add a new entry to

the SongBook database. This option is

automatically selected when a new entry

has been created (by touching the New

Song button while in the Edit 1 page).

After you check the ‘Enable

List Edit’ item, the List Edit

page becomes available.

11 Touch the (Text Edit) button to assign a name to the new entry, then touch OK to

save the entry to the SongBook database.

Creating a Custom List

You can create several Custom Lists in the SongBook, to make a set of entries suitable for your various
shows. Before starting a new Custom List, be sure you have added all needed entries to the SongBook
main database (see “Adding entries” above).

1 While in SongBook mode, open the page menu and check the ‘Enable List Edit’ item.

2 Select a Custom List to be edited.

To edit an existing list, touch the Custom List tab to open the Custom List page, and select one of
the available Custom Lists. To create a new list, touch the List Edit tab to open the List Edit page,
and touch the New List button to create a new, blank list.

The SongBook

Creating a Custom List

3 Touch the Book tab to open the Book page and see the full database. Use the various

Touch this checkbox

to turn the view filter

on (if any).

Touch this button to edit the

view filter.

Use the scroll bar to
see all Songs in the
list. Keep SHIFT
pressed and touch the
Up/Down arrow to
scroll to the next/pre­vious alphabetic sec­tion. As an

alternative, you can
use the VALUE DIAL.

SongBook list

Adds the highlighted entry to the
Custom List.

Use the vertical arrows

to move the selected

entry up or down in the

list.

Touch Del Song to delete

the selected entry.

Touch New List to create a new Custom List. Touch
Del List to delete the current Custom List. Warning:
Del List will delete the current Custom List.

Touch Write to save the cur­rent Custom List.

Select an entry on the list to
edit

List name

Scrollbar

sorting, searching and filtering options (seen above) to find the entries you are looking
for. Touch the Add to List button when the desired entry has been selected.

4 When finished adding entries to the Custom List, touch the List Edit tab to go to the List

Edit page, and use the various commands to edit the list.

85

Quick Guide

86

The SongBook

Creating a Custom List

Touch the ( Text Edit) symbol to open the

Text Edit dialog box.

Use alphabetic char­acters to enter text.

Use the arrows or the

DIAL to move the cur-

sor.

Use the SHIFT but-

ton to switch

between capitals

and small charac-

ters.

Touch Delete to delete just a
single character, Clear to
delete the whole string.

When done, touch OK to

confirm the new name,

or Cancel to abandon all

changes.

5 When the Custom List is ready, touch the Write button in the display to save it to mem-

ory. Assign a new name to the Custom List.

The SongBook

Selecting and using a Custom List

Selecting and using a Custom List

Use the List pop-up menu to select

one of the available Custom Lists.

Touch Next to select the next entry in the list.
(This command can also be assigned to an
Assignable Switch).

Touch Select to set the
highlighted entry to play (if
different than the one auto­matically selected).

Entry in play. To select a dif­ferent one, highlight it and
touch the Select button in
the display.

STSs associated to the
current entry.

After creating one or more Custom Lists, you can select one and use it for your show.

1 Touch the Custom List tab to select the Custom List page.

2 Use the List pop-up menu to select one of the available Custom Lists.

87

3 Select one of the entries in the list (it turns dark red), then touch the Select button in

the display to confirm selection (the selected entry turns green). Press the PLAY button
to start playing back the selected Song.

Selecting a SongBook STS

Up to four STSs can be associated to any SongBook entry. It doesn’t matter if it is based on a Style, a
Standard MIDI File or an MP3 file.

1 Press the LYRICS button to open the Lyrics/STS page and see the four STSs associated

to the current SongBook entry.

Quick Guide

2 Select the desired STS by pressing the corresponding STS button on the control panel.

As an alternative, touch its name in the display.

The STS is selected. Keyboard tracks and Voice Processor settings may change.

88

Singing with a microphone

Connecting a microphone

Microphone inputMicrophone controls

Microphone, Harmony and Double switches

i

Singing with a microphone

Pa3X is fitted with a powerful digital voice processor, based on technologies developed by TC Heli­con, including innovative effects and four-part harmonization. While very powerful, the Pa3X’s voice
processor is also extremely easy to use, automatically adjusting its settings to your particular voice and
the way you sing at different times of your performance.

Connecting a microphone

To sing along with the Pa3X, you must first connect a suitable microphone to the MIC input (the one
that goes into the Voice Processor). Both dynamic and condenser microphones are directly sup­ported. Phantom power is available to condenser microphones.

1 Lower the Mic volume by using the dedicated MIC VOLUME knob on the control panel.

2 Connect a microphone.

Note: Lowering the Mic
volume helps avoiding feed­back. Feedback is caused by
audio generated by the Pa3X,
returning to the audio cir­cuitry via the microphone.

Singing with a microphone

Connecting a microphone

3 In case you are using a condenser microphone connected to the XLR MIC input, press

Touch this checkbox to turn

phantom power on on the

XLR MIC input, and switch a

condenser microphone on.

Mic panel. To test the micro­phone level, be sure the
“Talk” button is ‘pressed in’
(On).

Adjust the input level by using the MIC GAIN knob next to

the MIC input. Sing into the microphone, and watch at the

AUDIO IN LED on the control panel – it ought to stay green. If

it goes orange too often (or even red), turn down the input
gain; if it turns off too often, increase the input gain. No hint
of distortion should be heard in the audio system when you

sing.

While you adjust the gain,

gradually increase the Micro-

phone volume, by using the

MIC VOLUME knob.

the GLOBAL button, choose the Audio Setup section, then go to the Audio In page to
see the microphone settings, and turn the phantom power on.

4 Press the EXIT button to return to the main page of the Style Play or Song Play mode.

5 Touch the Mic tab to see the Mic panel, then touch the Talk button in the display to

remove all the effects from the microphone.

You can also check the status of buttons, and the status of the Talk function, in the Mic panel.
Press the EXIT button to go to the main page of the Style Play or Song Play mode, then select the
Mic tab.

89

Quick Guide

6 Sing into the microphone, and adjust the input gain and the Microphone volume, until

you achieve the correct settings.

i

Note: You h a ve a c orre c t
microphone volume setting
when the AUDIO IN LED stays
green most of the time. The
MIC VOLUME knob must be
set accordingly, to compen­sate a too loud or weak
incoming signal.

90

Singing with a microphone

Setting up your voice tone

Be sure the “Talk” button is
‘pressed out’ (Off ).

7 Try the MIC ON/OFF button in the MIC SETTING section, to turn the whole microphone

section on/off.

8 If you like, start a Style or Song. Adjust the microphone’s final volume by using the

dedicated MIC VOLUME knob.

9 Touch the Talk button in the Mic panel to reactivate all the effects.

10 Adjust the other settings, balancing the Style/Song and microphone with the BAL-

ANCE slider and the MIC VOLUME knob.

The settings for the BALANCE slider and the MIC VOLUME knob are not saved in memory, so
they remain consistent when selecting different Styles, Performances, Songs or Voice Processor
settings.

Setting up your voice tone

You can add pitch correction, equalization, compression and gate to the microphone signal, to make
your voice perfectly in tune, tonally pleasant and dynamically even. In case your microphone empha­sizes them, de-essing will remove sibilants. While these effects cannot be considered a replacement
for some good training, they can fix a few common problems in a live context.

1 Press the GLOBAL button, then touch the Voice Processor Setup button in the display,

and then (if it is not selected) touch the Mic Setup tab.

The Mic Setup page appears in the display.

Hint: You c a n keep t h e S HIFT
button pressed, and press the
MIC ON/OFF button, to jump
to the Voice Processor Setup
page.

Singing with a microphone

Setting up your voice tone

2 Check the “Auto-Chromatic Amount” box, and adjust the correction amount while

singing and listening to your tuning.

Try first with a setting of 50%, that should work in most situations. A lower value will make cor­rection less effective, a higher value will make the correction more evident.

3 Touch t h e Mic To n e tab.

The Mic Tone page appears.

91

4 Be sure that the “Adaptive” box in the EQ section is checked, and use the Shape knob to

adjust the brightness of your voice, and the Warmth checkbox to add warmth to the
sound.

The Adaptive setting automatically adjusts the EQ parameters. The Shape control adds an airy
brightness, or “sizzle” to your voice while reducing “mud” due to the proximity effect from sing­ing closely into a cardioid microphone. The Warmth control further reduces the mud, while
adding warmth to the sound.

5 Be sure that the “Adaptive” box in the Compress/DeEss section is checked, and use the

Compress knob to adjust the amount of compression while singing and listening to
your dynamics.

The Adaptive setting automatically adjusts the Compressor parameters. In this mode, the com­pressor listens to your singing over time and adjusts the internal parameters accordingly. You
can use the Compress knob to increase or decrease the amount of compression.

6 In case you also want to keep the sibilants under control, play with the DeEss knob to

fix them.

There is a side effect that comes from adding high frequencies and compression to your voice,
and that’s excessive sibilance. The DeEss control monitors the level of sibilance and, when it is
detected, will quickly and transparently reduce it.

Quick Guide

To reduce the risk of feedback and the amount of environmental noise (from other musicians on
stage, from the audience…) use the Gate control. Be sure the “Adaptive” option is selected in the

92

Singing with a microphone

Choosing a Voice Processor Preset

Use this pop-up menu to select a
Voice Processor Preset

Mic panel lock

Gate section. Use the “Lead Atten.” and “Harm. Atten.” to separately control the amount of gat­ing in your voice and in the harmony voices.

The Gate analyzes your singing style to automatically reduce the other noises or the feedback
from the loudspeakers.

7 Press the EXIT button to return to the main page.

Choosing a Voice Processor Preset

You can add several effects to your voice, and you can set them up quickly through the Voice Proces­sor Presets. These are memories containing all the settings for the Voice Processor effects. You can
customize these memories at will.

1 Touch the Mic tab to see the Mic panel, and select one of the available Voice Processor

Presets.

Voice Processor Presets are settings for the various Voice Processor sections. By selecting a Pre­set, all processing parameters may change.

A Voice Processor Preset is assigned to each Performance or STS. When selecting a different
Performance or STS, the Voice Processor Preset may change (depending on the Mic panel lock
status), changing the type of processing applied to your voice.

2 Sing into the microphone to listen to the effects.

3 Adjust the level of the Reverb or Delay effect, by using the REVERB/DELAY knob in the

MIC SETTING section of the control panel.

4 Choose a different Preset, and listen to how the effects changed.

Singing with a microphone

Applying harmony to your voice

5 Use the “Filter”, “HardTune”, “uMod” and “Delay” buttons to turn the various effect sec-

Use these buttons to turn the
effect sections on/off

tions on/off, and listen to the resulting sound.

Applying harmony to your voice

You can let Pa3X add automatically-generated harmonize your lead voice with up to four backing
voices. Each Voice Processor Preset may contain a different harmonization style (for example, chang­ing the number of voices, or the way notes from the keyboard, the Style or the Song are received).

1 Select a Voice Processor Preset containing the desired harmonization style.

By default,

• Preset #1 expects you play chords, and receives notes from the keyboard (the recognition zone
depends on the Chord Scan section);

• Preset #2 expects notes from a track of the Standard MIDI File. To choose the track go to the
Song Play mode, press the MENU button, touch the Preferences item, be sure the “General
Setup” page is selected, and choose a track from the “Harmony Control” parameter. (Usually,
harmony notes are contained in Track #5).

• Preset #3 is meant for use with an MP3 Song. Choose this preset when playing an MP3, and the
Pa3X will recognize chords by analyzing the file.

93

Quick Guide

2 Press the HARMONY button in the control panel to turn its LED on.

3 Play some chords, to let the Voice Processor create new voices based on their notes.

Contrary to doubling, harmonizing adds chord notes, or counterpoint notes, to the note you
sing.

4 Sing along with the chords and melody you play on the keyboard.

5 Adjust the level of the harmony voices by using the HARMONY/DOUBLE knob in the

MIC SETTING section of the control panel.

6 While in the Mic panel, choose the various Voice Processor Presets to test the various

harmonization styles.

7 If it is playing, stop the Style.

8 Press the HARMONY button again, to turn its LED off.

94

Singing with a microphone

Applying doubling to your voice

Applying doubling to your voice

You can let Pa3X add automatically-generated unison chorus voices to your lead voice. Each Voice
Processor Preset may contain a different doubling style (usually changing the number of doubling
voices and the spread between them in the stereo panorama).

1 Press the DOUBLE button in the control panel to turn its LED on.

2 Sing into the microphone, and listen to how other voices are added in unison to your

melody line.

Doubling does not play chords: it just adds the other voices (in unison) to the same note you
sing.

3 While singing, adjust the level of the choir voices by using the HARMONY/DOUBLE

knob in the MIC SETTING section of the control panel.

4 Press the DOUBLE button again, to turn its LED off.

Singing with a microphone

Soloing your voice (Talk)

Soloing your voice (Talk)

Lock on. Voice Processor
settings will not change
when selecting a differ­ent Performance or STS.

Lock off. Voice Processor
settings will change
when selecting a new
Performance or STS.

Sometimes, during a live show, you might like to talk to your audience. Use the Talk function to atten­uate the music, and let your voice pass through clean and clear.

1 While in the main page of the Style Play or Song Play mode, touch the Mic tab to see

Voice Processor’s settings.

2 During playback, touch the Talk button to turn the TalkBack function on.

3 Sing or talk into the microphone.

You’ll hear that background music has been made softer, while your voice will be heard loud and
proud.

95

4 To turn the TalkBack function off, touch the Talk button again.

The background music returns to the original volume.

Locking the Voice Processor settings

If you like the selected Voice Processor Preset, you can “lock” them, to prevent them from changing
each time you select a Performance, Style or STS that may be saved using different settings.

1 While the Mic panel is shown in the display, touch the lock icon to freeze it.

2 To unlock the settings, touch the lock icon again.

Quick Guide

The lock status can be saved into the Global Setup (see “Write Global - Global Setup dialog box”
on page 220).

96

Recording a new Song (Standard MIDI File)

Accessing the Backing Sequence (Quick Record) mode

Style Select section

Style Controls

Style Elements

Player 1 controls

SEQUENCER button

After pressing the

SEQUENCER button, the main

page of the Sequencer mode

appears.

Press the RECORD button, to open
the Song Record Mode Select dia-

log box

Recording a new Song (Standard MIDI File)

There are several ways to create a Song on the Pa3X. The easiest and fastest is to use the Styles to
record what you are playing in realtime on the keyboard, while the arranger gives you the accompani­ment tracks.

Accessing the Backing Sequence (Quick Record) mode

1 Press the SEQUENCER button to switch to the Sequencer mode.

2 Press the RECORD button to open the Song Record Mode Select dialog box.