I have this unit. I bought it when it first came out. I intended to use it as the bottom keyboard for my live rig. I changed my live rig though (changed to an 88-key master board to play and control the 5 other boards in my live rig), so the i3 does not get much use now. I do enjoy playing it when I take it out of its case and the sounds are not too bad. I like the 'Keyboard Sets' feature that it has, but the problem is that you cannot save the new Keyboard Sets with the sounds that YOU want. If you think of this unit as a revamped EK-50, you will get a better idea of what it is really about. It has a more streamlined workflow than the EK-50 and it is certainly more portable. The addition of the MIDI Out jack is a nice touch for layering with other gear. I did use it for a few gigs as the bottom keyboard (mainly piano and main keyboard sounds) and it performed well. It is lightweight, and I could barely tell that it was in its case when carrying it around. That too is a nice feature. It feels solid on a stand and it did not move around on the stand (as some other lighter keyboards may). If Korg would allow for saving custom Keyboard Sets on this thing, it would certainly be worthy of being an entry level version of the PA Series (of which I also own a PA700). For the price and features, it is a good beginner board. Like I said, I bought it for other reasons and I knew its limitations before buying it. I am not a beginner (been playing professionally most of my life and I am 50 years old now), but had a specific purpose in mind for its use.
@@WoodyPianoShack Quick question a friend of mine has a piano of the same brand can you let me know if there is a way to turn up the volume on the Metronet the metronome Works but cannot be heard is there a way to solve it
The problem I have with the i3, is that it's marketed as a WORKSTSTION....& yet,it has no quantize function, no song-style editing and no sound design capabilities like the Kross 2 does. If all you care about is the auto-accompaniment & the lower cost...then it's a decent board...but for the rest of us,the i3 is a complete shit-box & belongs in a Walmart store.
@@ruiskate3469 I didn't own my Kross 2 for very long(bought it back in 2017)...so I didn't get familiar enough with the keyboard to provide that info. I was unhappy with the size of the display screen...so I foolishly sold it, to buy the Krome. I did however...re-order one recently(but it's on backorder & I don't know when I'll get my hands on one.)
Just commented on your copyright video! I bought this keyboard after this demo. It paid for itself in around 2 hours. It's a lovely little light machine!
@@WoodyPianoShack Yes - needed something in a hurry for one posh Christmas 2021 gig. It had to sound good, be easy to use, and preferably cheap! It weighing nothing was a bonus!
Korg definitely got their money's worth sending you this freebie. This is the best review of the i3 so far. You effectively show how the i3 would be used by the typical user and the sound & style variety it offers. I now have a better opinion of the i3. At first I thought the operating system and interface design to be oversimplified, but now I consider them accessible and approachable. This review could be complemented with another video showing a start-to-finish example of how to create a completed song by setting up tracks, using the sequencer, saving to memory/flash, etc. - the "workstation" aspects of the i3.
Haven't watched the entire video yet, but I just could not hesitate to say that I love your content, Woody. I'm an 18 year old Dane who loves synthesizers, workstations and all that sort of gear, and I love knowing stuff about it all. I've been watching your videos for quite a while and I've learnt a lot from you. I really love the Software vs Hardware comparison, and demo videos. Keep it up, man. :)
Great video Woody. These arranger keyboards dont seem to have moved on much from the 80s/90s. Even some of the stock presets/styles sounded exactly the same. I wouldnt get one of these, and your video probably made it look better than it is. Great vid, unexpiring keyboard.
And why do they insist on smothering bass presets with reverb? Most people will want to dial that out. Some of the reverb and delay effects are servicable, but the amp simulation and overdrive etc hurt my ears 😂
@@davidguest1158 it's because they are designed for a single person band in a box to play live with an amp, where the reverb helps with dynamics in various types of public and open spaces... they are not intended for the purist performer or recording artist
Probably you haven't heard the sounds and the rhythms of high end arranger keyboards such as Yamaha Genos or Korg Pa4x..... when you say they have not changed much from 80s/90s. ..
Woody, I’ve watched this video multiple times. I think this i3 and the EK-50 (essentially they same boards aside from speakers and amp), are extremely effective replacements for the late Lowrey and other brands of Organs. These offer nearly all the options of a $20,000-40,000 Organ for half a grand! The pedal jack even supports an expression pedal!! Brilliant!!
Great comprehensive review. Is it possible to build a short 4-bar phrase and then loop it? some of the midi sequencers on arrangers don't do that too well (they add a hesitation beat, etc). also, is it your sense that Korg will make other styles or "Performance Sets" available for download? not sure how much memory there is here....thanks again.
It’s got some good sounds, like the grand piano on it. The user interface is nicely laid out, looks very intuitive to me. The concept of this keyboard reminds me of on of those Yamaha keyboards you’ve recently reviewed, especially with the way the styles can be customised. This could be an ideal beginner keyboard.
I always loved Korg Pianos, in particular “90s Piano” one. Perhaps not the most realistic, but with a lot of punch for Pop & Rock. Nice video Woody ;-)
The Korg Arranger keyboards from 2000's (like the Pa80, Pa50, Pa60) has the most of sounds from the Triton and this has also some styles same of those keyboards and more new Styles. In my opinion, A portable keyboard with optional battery operation but without speekers isnt very portable, you will need an amplifier. This is for more hours playing anywhere. Would can You compare the Triton vs the i3? I think that the i3 sounds are emulations of a Triton.
Fun video as always, and my takeaway is this is not for me. I can clearly see there's demand for this type of keyboard but it's not made for sound tinkerers and synth nerds. :)
I love the LED work, the boot animation and light going in and out is really nice! Sound wize single tone is a bit of a mixbag I find some really really good sound, some sounds a bit date, but probably would be fine in a more complex sound (aka non solo) The screen is small, but I like the layout, it is readable! The "combi" and arrangement are quite good and probably usable in most situation (pretty sure some are just plain weird as usual :D) Is there is any prog or combi with really weird name like on the Triton? Does it do audio out from the USB port? What about the keybed? It seems as noisy as the Triton, I don't mind the noise, but microphone seems to love to pick it :D
i'll probably do a follow up review after I've used it more, i have many opinions to share and am enjoying the comments section for the viewers opinions! apparently sound is derived from triton, not convinced if that's good or bad thing 20 years down the line :)
LOL, I hear you on noisy keys. I like the feel of the keys on my little Casio arranger, but they clack. I have a bit I recorded (via my phone sitting behind me, I know) where I did a glissando, and it sounds like someone playing a “washboard” 🤡 Using line audio at home, it doesn’t matter.
Roboprogs that’s a valid point! Though on my Triton Extreme they make a slight noise bur it is not that loud. It is more that microphone seems to like to pick and enhance that noise for some reasons...
Great demo, but can you freeze some item like Style, Tempo ... when using Set List with Korg i3 ? Because if i play with Style, i cannot change sound by Set List button, everything change
@@WoodyPianoShack I will. Not only an I just going to play around with the sounds, and the styles, but I have something that connects an instrument to you iPod, or iPad which makes it sound like you're playing along with the music you're listening to.
thanks, you don't see many of the original i3s, they didn't sell in huge numbers I guess, but I really wanted one back in the day. now, the new one will have to do, which probably sounds better anyway.
I enjoyed the vid very much. Fun keyboard at a nice price. An ideal "party" keyboard, even if it won't be seen on many "elite" stages. :) I think it's a winner in its market. Some nice chops on display as well. Kudos. Cheers, Cliff
It would be interesting if you can you compare this to the new Roland Go Keys 3 or 5? its direct budget workstation/arranger competitor. I purchased the Roland last month. Sounds are not bad ... but the arrangement section sounds flat I find.
congrats on your new keys, yeah roland deliberately do not market the GK as an arranger so no surprise if it is no up to the same standard as korg and yamaha, i see it as a budget zencore sounds keyboard with the arranger features as a bonus. hoping to get one in for a review!
Great video as usual. So, if I understand correctly, you can save sound sets to your favorites banks, but you can't create a sound set from scratch, selecting which tones do you want for each of the available parts and choosing a style and saving it in a user memory space? If so, its a shame because it really cuts the usability of the keyboard.
I've never quite understood who arranger keyboards are for? Is it mostly for live gigs? Or for a songwriter to imagine how a full band would track their song? They've intrigued me for the "serviceable" sounds as you call them, sort of a campy interest.
i think most musicians would fine them quite fun compared to synths and pianos, it's enjoyable to practise by jamming along with the styles, you can switch them off and just use the drum oatterns as a more interesting metronome. i've seen plenty of entertainers and duos using them to make a living playing at the tourist resorts. Add some live vocals and guitars and it becomes less sterile and good to listen to.
I like having the drum patterns on my cheapie Casio. BUT, I often turn “local off” on the MIDI settings, and use external gear (iPad, Juno DS) for the actual sounds. I don’t use the left hand accompaniment features much, just the drum patterns and variations. I’m not a real musician, though, just somebody who used to do a few minutes a month at the local open mic night (back when those still happened). Edit: I guess that makes it more of a controller with a built in drum sequencer, more than a synth 😁 Much of the stuff on my SoundCloud account the last 2 years is using the little arranger in the corner of my profile pic with an iPad hooked up. Sometimes I even use its built in sounds (with post processing). soundcloud.com/rob-anderson-104336556
Depending on the model of arranger you have, you can do as much or as little as you want. I have this new i3 (got it when they first came out) and I do not use it much to be honest. I also have the PA700 and that gets use EVERY day, both in my studio and live. I use the PA700 to play at nursing homes for a living, and I also use it for song creation for original material. I also use it for a trio band I am starting up where the PA700 IS the band for myself and two female singers. It outperforms any other arranger/workstation that I have had. I bought the i3 to use as a bottom keyboard in a live rig but since I changed my live rig, the i3 does not see much use. The times that I did use it as the bottom keyboard, it performed well. It is lightweight and has pretty good sounds, especially considering the price. The 5-pin MIDI output also sold me because I have legacy gear that I trigger live. This unit was designed for an extra portable song creation unit and was designed for beginners to be able to make music really quickly. It is basically an EK-50 with more workstation type features.
the arranger users I've seen in person are improvisationists, they gel better with keyboards that follow them, as opposed to workstations like Kross2 and Krome EX where the keyboards are best utilized by recording parts of a performance in their sequencers then the player plays leads, piano, etc., basically the player follows the keyboard instead but over the years, both kinds of keyboards have increased the overlap of features arrangers have their place with some gigging musicians
Woody Piano Shack by all means please review it. It has some interesting features such as integrated speakers, integrated digital audio interface (for the price!), integrated arpeggios. You can also upload styles from the extensive Yamaha styles library. And it's less than half the price of the i3 2020. But the sweet spot, I believe, will be the PSR E473 probably next year.
Good useful video. I want to control this from my 88 key master keyboard but to my dismay I’m told it is not possible. Perhaps you know otherwise and can help me here. I have just bought the I 3 and think it’s a great value keyboard but will have to return it if I can’t do this.
Hi, thank you very much for the video, you helped me a lot. If possible, make a video on how to create your own Auto-Accompaniment Styles, including drum programming and saving to User Bank. Thanks in advance.
I just bought one. I'm surprised that no one said anything about purchasing speakers for it. I bought the starter bundle. No speakers in that bundle. Not sure what sound system to get.
hi angela, ok, too bad if this was unexpected and disappointing! perhaps it seems obvious that they are missing, but I should have made it clearer perhaps. you can use headphones, or a pair of active monitor speakers, or plug it into some pc speakers.
I have the original i3 that I bought in 1976, Just started playing it again and bought this new one to compliment it but sadly it doesn't. You can't even use or even swop the files/styles/accompaniments etc. And there is no ability to modify the styles etc as in the old one. Doesn't get played much, but the old one still works well for me.
Great demo and review Woody .. thanks ..l love my i3 .. good for use with my Yamaha for some great additional korg upper lead and solo Voices on the fly, saved to set list.. It connects easily from headphone output to audio in on Yamaha...plus handy as a stand alone board for a change..I liked the ek50 but this is even better!! Just need korg to offer a pedal function for shift.. hard work on the fly to make changes unless you save to a set list...this is the ONLY pain with this board that shift function!! Thanks again .. Keith
@@WoodyPianoShack just the SX 700 ...had the 900 .. realised I did not need the spec. Cash back paid for i3 with cash over!!! Love the set up ...best of both worlds ... The 700 IMHO is the best value arranger Yam have ever produced... You're vids are great I posted this for you on korg forum ... catch up there, would like to keep in touch ... regards Keith
Woody Piano Shack yeah the 01/W, seemed to remind me, sonically speaking, of where the O1 was at. I notice you called it an arranger keyboard too, maybe schools music departments more a market? I think Korg are a little lost for a hit at the mo, stuck between quality build performance instruments and solid but cheap n’ cheerful creative sound machines. Great review, Woody.
At 5:39 you say that it sounds as great as on the M1. Is that true? I'm just asking because I want to buy a Workstation and I am between a used Korg M1 or a new Korg i3.
I have to say arranger keyboards, are great if you want to be at home, with some headphones on, and have nothing else to do! They really haven't moved on, and generally the sounds are always lacking, this Korg i3 is no different, and I see no real reason for anyone to buy this one. Unless you have never had a keyboard before and have never heard one before. But great video Woody.
This was meant to be a beginner's instrument, in reality. For what it does, it works well. Arranger keyboards, when programmed correctly, will work great for most situations. Depending on the model you get, you have A LOT of flexibility.
Excellent demo. I really like the dedicated buttons for accompaniment instruments, it adds a creative customization feature that is rarely available. I am thinking of getting the Korg Pa1000 arranger because of the large tilltable touch screen display and speakers.
The sequencer is pretty useful for external gear and quite a few of the sounds (Korg vintage, pads and bass stuff) are usable. It's probably a bit overpriced considering the tech in it is from about 10 generations ago and the acoustic emulations don't really sound more convincing than my ancient Yamaha QY70. I'd stick a bit more money in and get a Kross 2 if I was after something like this.
Why are there not specifications on the width from octave to octave on the keyboard? on the micro type there is a issue of hitting other keys. What is the spread between octaves on the I3?
why? perhaps because most people don't care. for me the octave width is the least of concern, many other factors are more important when it comes to action. I adapt quickly to different stretches.
Bought this board after seeing the dreams preset on this channel, sounds on it are really good but its so confusing going from a JDXI to this, don't even know where to start with sequencing stuff, seems so confusing without a step sequencer
@@WoodyPianoShack Yeah I think I'm just gonna leave all of the sequencing and production stuff for a while and focus on my key skills cos going from a mini keyboard to a big one is amazing, finally got room to jam propelry without having to change octaves mid jam :D
amazing video. Reminds me of the first keyboards I played with. Similar to the Yamaha PSR line... yet no built in speakers! I wonder if song styles send MIDI out, and are the keys aftertouch?
athough the i3 feels quite a bit nicer, smoother and quieter, although other reviewers say they are the same action. perhaps my old kross is just a bit worn out? but they feel different to me, neither are premium high-end keybeds, just so you know! :)
I want to buy korg i3 but i scare about one thing. It is really run on 6 x nimh 1900 mAh - It run all time without turn off ? I have one keyboard who need 12 V like this korg, and it can run on 6 x nimh but when i play and play more hard it turn off. I scare to buy unuseful keyboard. Can you tell me what keyboard is best run on nimh? i read about roland juno ds who need 9 v and run on 8 nimh. What about casio or yamaha?
Are the styles, intros and endings copyrighted by Korg? -- Are you free to use them without permission, credits or royalties? Example...Say you want to compose an original song or arrangement and use these features, can you be sued if the song gets picked up and/or played in public? Not just Korg but other arrangers as well from other manufacturers...I've always wondered about that.
To me, some of these sampled sounds remind me of the Trayton. I hear it in the acoustic piano, the piano pad, and even those electric piano sounds. I have to ask, since it is a Korg does it have the M1 piano and the SG1D piano
The soundset from the i3 is from the EK-50 and is based off of the Triton line, for sure. Korg will probably use the Triton (HI Synthesis) soundset for everything they can for the lower-priced gear...
Harry Ebbeson III I actually own and M50 88 and think some of the bread and butter sounds on that synthesis, which if I am correct it is the same engine and everything as the M3, sounds way more realistic than the Trayton. However I’m just kind of a sucker for some of those late 1990s sounds that the triton had. I was hoping over the years that one of the triton rack modules would go down in price. But I don’t think that has happened yet. I mean I wish I could just get an actual hardware instrument that had the triton sound set, was expandable, but yet is a module because I already have an 88 note perfectly good keyboard
@@colbywalsh4610 The M50 is a slimmed down version of the M3. The M50 has the original 256 MB of ROM that the M3 came with (before the eXpanded ROM was released for the M3). I have an M50-61 as well in my studio and the sounds are better than on the Triton. That does not take away the usefulness of the sounds in the Triton series in any way, though. The M3/M50 has the EDS engine in it which is newer than the HI synthesis engine that was found in the Triton series. The EDS engine is basically a version of the HD-1 engine originally found in the OASYS mega workstation that appeared in 2005. The Triton sounds are still desired because they were found in so many songs and such during the 90's and 00's. The M3 made pretty big inroads in the sounds found in music as well, but I suspect not as much as the Triton (as well as the Trinity, which used the ACCESS sound engine). If you look back, you will find a similar synth engine layout that dates all the way back to the M1 (which used AI Synthesis). The Triton racks are still fairly pricey because of the sounds :) The M50-88 has good action on it and you can still get a lot of mileage from it. I would certainly look into rack modules instead of scrapping the M50-88 and getting something newer, if that was any type of consideration for you. I would want to recommend the i3 for the Triton-type sounds, except that it does not have a 5-pin MIDI Input. This means that you would need a PC, or a USB MIDI Host device, in order to have the M50 drive the i3...
Harry Ebbeson III is the Karma M50 software any good? I have been considering dabbling with Karma but again it comes town do the keyboard action that I have. I would like to keep it within the M50 if possible. But haven’t really seen any reviews on that piece of software on how good it is. And also I do have a Trinity rack. And I am X5DR for the classic AI squared synthesis. And I went ahead and downloaded the pro keys program set for the M 50 as well. I think the dino piano in that set sounds a lot like the triton. But I mean there are several other triton sounds to be loved such as 90s piano and phantom of tine and some other goodies that I can’t remember the names of off the top of my head.
I was a bit disappointed with this at first because I thought Korg has finally produced a hybrid of arranger keyboard (PA series) and workstation (Kross/Krome). Turns out it's just an arranger keyboard with no speakers. I guess there are people looking for a lightweight high quality arranger keyboard for under 4kg haha.
from the appearance I also assumed it was a synth arranger workstation hybrid, but more of an affordable and easy arranger it seems. bigger version of the micro-arranger perhaps?
@Brian Szpot Korg haven’t so fat brass and soft and tender strings like Yamaha. Organs are easy to download. Any organs as You wish. But brass and strings (natural, not synthetic) best of all sounds from Yamaha.
@@WoodyPianoShack the new i3 is basically a repackaged EK-50 that adds some features that the EK-50 does not have, but also does not have the speaker system of the EK-50.
i heard it, its an amazing keyboard, but i heard those same acoustic tones like nylon guitar, and r better and more realistic on KORG EK50, and its rare cause are almost same electronics., Greetings from Mexico
As a first timer to the arranger world its ideal but having owned a lot over the years I am not really impressed. Saying that owning the roland G70 and the lower end E50 its a high bar for it to reach
Sounds are a bit dated and cheesy, but hey. For a mid-priced workstation, this is for someone who likes to play keyboards every once in a while and wants to have a bit of fun doing it.
Beautiful sounds and design. However I cannot understand why the piano sound is the first sample of the synths. The piano is a piano as the synth is a synth. :)
@@sauermusicDE Yeah it’s the older Krome. But that’s okay, I have a Nord Stage 2 that sounds way better. I’m trying to get rid of my Krome and possibly trade it for an older Korg keyboard.
@@dylannoalan615 But check out 'Krome Packs' on youtube - it loads actual PCM samples to the Krome, and some of them are amazing. It just might give more life to the synth!
The background music for the "Love Disco" style at around 23 minutes in sounds extremely familiar. It sounds like a clip from a 70s instrumental disco hit but I can't for the life of me remember the title or the artist who put it out. Can anyone remember that song?
It’s a decent beginner keyboard or for someone who wants to add an extra keyboard to their set up for a good price. Korg shouldn’t have called it the i3. The original i3 was amazing, and expensive as hell. The new i3 is a stripped down version of the EK, which is a stripped down version of the MicroArranger. Essentially the same sounds, but the MicroArranger was a miniature PA-50SD.
The EK-50 is Korg's answer to Casio's offerings and Yamaha's PSR offerings. It has the similar soundset (HI type synthesis), but the i3 looks more like an arranger and is geared toward the beginner and portable user... I agree about this version of the i3 not really having anything to do with the original from the 90's, except for the name.
I have this unit. I bought it when it first came out. I intended to use it as the bottom keyboard for my live rig. I changed my live rig though (changed to an 88-key master board to play and control the 5 other boards in my live rig), so the i3 does not get much use now. I do enjoy playing it when I take it out of its case and the sounds are not too bad. I like the 'Keyboard Sets' feature that it has, but the problem is that you cannot save the new Keyboard Sets with the sounds that YOU want.
If you think of this unit as a revamped EK-50, you will get a better idea of what it is really about. It has a more streamlined workflow than the EK-50 and it is certainly more portable. The addition of the MIDI Out jack is a nice touch for layering with other gear.
I did use it for a few gigs as the bottom keyboard (mainly piano and main keyboard sounds) and it performed well. It is lightweight, and I could barely tell that it was in its case when carrying it around. That too is a nice feature. It feels solid on a stand and it did not move around on the stand (as some other lighter keyboards may).
If Korg would allow for saving custom Keyboard Sets on this thing, it would certainly be worthy of being an entry level version of the PA Series (of which I also own a PA700).
For the price and features, it is a good beginner board. Like I said, I bought it for other reasons and I knew its limitations before buying it. I am not a beginner (been playing professionally most of my life and I am 50 years old now), but had a specific purpose in mind for its use.
fantastic to get some insights from a long term user, thank you!
@@WoodyPianoShack Quick question a friend of mine has a piano of the same brand can you let me know if there is a way to turn up the volume on the Metronet the metronome Works but cannot be heard is there a way to solve it
The problem I have with the i3, is that it's marketed as a WORKSTSTION....& yet,it has no quantize function, no song-style editing and no sound design capabilities like the Kross 2 does. If all you care about is the auto-accompaniment & the lower cost...then it's a decent board...but for the rest of us,the i3 is a complete shit-box & belongs in a Walmart store.
@@HighlandStudio91 Hi, is it possible to create your own auto-accompaniment styles including drum programming in Korg Kross 2?
@@ruiskate3469 I didn't own my Kross 2 for very long(bought it back in 2017)...so I didn't get familiar enough with the keyboard to provide that info. I was unhappy with the size of the display screen...so I foolishly sold it, to buy the Krome. I did however...re-order one recently(but it's on backorder & I don't know when I'll get my hands on one.)
"You can make it muffled or unpleasantly bright" Korg designer in tears!
I bought this as a Christmas present for myself this past year and love it. The perfect keyboard for working out ideas on!
Just commented on your copyright video!
I bought this keyboard after this demo. It paid for itself in around 2 hours.
It's a lovely little light machine!
really glad to hear that! "paid for itself" how does that work, you did a gig or made a record or something?
@@WoodyPianoShack Yes - needed something in a hurry for one posh Christmas 2021 gig. It had to sound good, be easy to use, and preferably cheap!
It weighing nothing was a bonus!
Excellent demo, thanks a lot, Woody!
Kind regards from Munich (Germany),
Thomas
Korg definitely got their money's worth sending you this freebie. This is the best review of the i3 so far. You effectively show how the i3 would be used by the typical user and the sound & style variety it offers. I now have a better opinion of the i3. At first I thought the operating system and interface design to be oversimplified, but now I consider them accessible and approachable. This review could be complemented with another video showing a start-to-finish example of how to create a completed song by setting up tracks, using the sequencer, saving to memory/flash, etc. - the "workstation" aspects of the i3.
the simplicity is the best feature here, thx for the suggestion!
that sounds like the piano sample from the SG Prox. Ny favorite of korg's piano. Great tutorial!
EXCELLENT DEMO I AM FROM PERU I CONTINUE READING THE ENGLISH SUBTITLES THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR ME IS THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND ABOUT IT
Haven't watched the entire video yet, but I just could not hesitate to say that I love your content, Woody. I'm an 18 year old Dane who loves synthesizers, workstations and all that sort of gear, and I love knowing stuff about it all. I've been watching your videos for quite a while and I've learnt a lot from you. I really love the Software vs Hardware comparison, and demo videos. Keep it up, man. :)
appreciate the kind feedback, thank you and hi denmark!
Nice entry level keyboard for a learner student
Great video woody 👏👏👏
Another great video Woody, one of the friendliest creators on TH-cam!
Brilliant job Woody! I'm seriously impressed with this keyboard and am torn between this and the EK-50L.
Great video Woody. These arranger keyboards dont seem to have moved on much from the 80s/90s. Even some of the stock presets/styles sounded exactly the same. I wouldnt get one of these, and your video probably made it look better than it is.
Great vid, unexpiring keyboard.
And why do they insist on smothering bass presets with reverb? Most people will want to dial that out. Some of the reverb and delay effects are servicable, but the amp simulation and overdrive etc hurt my ears 😂
many sounds drenched with verb! it does sound pleasing in the store I guess.
@@davidguest1158 it's because they are designed for a single person band in a box to play live with an amp, where the reverb helps with dynamics in various types of public and open spaces... they are not intended for the purist performer or recording artist
Probably you haven't heard the sounds and the rhythms of high end arranger keyboards such as Yamaha Genos or Korg Pa4x..... when you say they have not changed much from 80s/90s.
..
Woody, I’ve watched this video multiple times. I think this i3 and the EK-50 (essentially they same boards aside from speakers and amp), are extremely effective replacements for the late Lowrey and other brands of Organs. These offer nearly all the options of a $20,000-40,000 Organ for half a grand! The pedal jack even supports an expression pedal!! Brilliant!!
never played those organs, but I think I know where your coming from, and have some ideas myself to use it together with hammond organ clones.
Great comprehensive review. Is it possible to build a short 4-bar phrase and then loop it? some of the midi sequencers on arrangers don't do that too well (they add a hesitation beat, etc). also, is it your sense that Korg will make other styles or "Performance Sets" available for download? not sure how much memory there is here....thanks again.
It’s got some good sounds, like the grand piano on it. The user interface is nicely laid out, looks very intuitive to me. The concept of this keyboard reminds me of on of those Yamaha keyboards you’ve recently reviewed, especially with the way the styles can be customised. This could be an ideal beginner keyboard.
Korg i3 sounds like feel heaven....
Thanks woody. you demonstration of this keyboard is really Good. I really appreciate it.
A user friendly synth..gotta love that! Love your demo Woodie! Thankyou!
Самый лучший обзор🤗👍👍👍, хоть и на английском 😉,но все было понятно, спасибо🤗
I always loved Korg Pianos, in particular “90s Piano” one. Perhaps not the most realistic, but with a lot of punch for Pop & Rock. Nice video Woody ;-)
I think it's nice for its price and i like the layout. The power of korg are the combi sounds. 💪
Just finished watching this! Amazing explanation and guide! Thank you sir!
The Korg Arranger keyboards from 2000's (like the Pa80, Pa50, Pa60) has the most of sounds from the Triton and this has also some styles same of those keyboards and more new Styles. In my opinion, A portable keyboard with optional battery operation but without speekers isnt very portable, you will need an amplifier. This is for more hours playing anywhere.
Would can You compare the Triton vs the i3? I think that the i3 sounds are emulations of a Triton.
the sounds do come from triton, but doesn't quite have the polish and sheen of that masterpiece, different effects maybe.
Fun video as always, and my takeaway is this is not for me. I can clearly see there's demand for this type of keyboard but it's not made for sound tinkerers and synth nerds. :)
fair enough Floyd!
@@covett Well, EWI is definitely an instrument you can take on the road, for workstations you better have some earth movement equipment with you. :-)
no, that's what Kross2, Krome EX, and Kronos2 are for, as far as other current Korg romplers go, not sure about the Korg arrangers like PA700
Of course. This is a beginner’s workstation, not a synth.
I love the LED work, the boot animation and light going in and out is really nice!
Sound wize single tone is a bit of a mixbag I find some really really good sound, some sounds a bit date, but probably would be fine in a more complex sound (aka non solo)
The screen is small, but I like the layout, it is readable!
The "combi" and arrangement are quite good and probably usable in most situation (pretty sure some are just plain weird as usual :D)
Is there is any prog or combi with really weird name like on the Triton?
Does it do audio out from the USB port?
What about the keybed?
It seems as noisy as the Triton, I don't mind the noise, but microphone seems to love to pick it :D
i'll probably do a follow up review after I've used it more, i have many opinions to share and am enjoying the comments section for the viewers opinions! apparently sound is derived from triton, not convinced if that's good or bad thing 20 years down the line :)
LOL, I hear you on noisy keys. I like the feel of the keys on my little Casio arranger, but they clack. I have a bit I recorded (via my phone sitting behind me, I know) where I did a glissando, and it sounds like someone playing a “washboard” 🤡
Using line audio at home, it doesn’t matter.
Key noise matters a lot more in a small cafe than it would in an “arena rock” setting, or a bar doing a heavy metal show 😊
Roboprogs that’s a valid point!
Though on my Triton Extreme they make a slight noise bur it is not that loud. It is more that microphone seems to like to pick and enhance that noise for some reasons...
This is more of a standard keyboard, in a pro layout. I like it just because it’s Korg. Now do this keyboard has rotary simulation for the organ??
thanks mr Woody greetings from Venezuela
Some styles and sounds sound really great, but some like General Midi sound card from 90's. :-)
That was a great demo, Woody.
Great demo, but can you freeze some item like Style, Tempo ... when using Set List with Korg i3 ?
Because if i play with Style, i cannot change sound by Set List button, everything change
the set list stores the entire front panel settings, no freeze function afaik
Nice tutorial, thank you. How does that new 2020 i3 compares to the old 1993 i3 in terms of sound quality and sequencing?
I'm getting one of these in a few days.
Can't wait!😁
congrats, have fun!
@@WoodyPianoShack I will.
Not only an I just going to play around with the sounds, and the styles, but I have something that connects an instrument to you iPod, or iPad which makes it sound like you're playing along with the music you're listening to.
Самое реальное фоно в KORG! Достойный аппарат!😊👍🇷🇺
Oohhhhh, anotherrr Korg to Play with💖💖💖💖
Been looking at this model or the i30 from the days of old. Great review..
thanks, you don't see many of the original i3s, they didn't sell in huge numbers I guess, but I really wanted one back in the day. now, the new one will have to do, which probably sounds better anyway.
Nice keyboard for my daughter who is learning keyboard good for beginner like her👍
i think so yes! note, it does not have speakers.
Hi Woody, we’re you planning on doing a follow up on the i3? Maybe in comparison to the Kross?
not in the near future as I don't have access to it, but would love to play the i3 more and get to know it better, and share it here.
I enjoyed the vid very much. Fun keyboard at a nice price. An ideal "party" keyboard, even if it won't be seen on many "elite" stages. :) I think it's a winner in its market. Some nice chops on display as well. Kudos. Cheers, Cliff
"party keyboard", that's a great way to define it, thanks!
This was on my radar when I was buying. But it was a bit too arrangery for me. Still, it does makes some pretty sounds.
It would be interesting if you can you compare this to the new Roland Go Keys 3 or 5? its direct budget workstation/arranger competitor. I purchased the Roland last month. Sounds are not bad ... but the arrangement section sounds flat I find.
congrats on your new keys, yeah roland deliberately do not market the GK as an arranger so no surprise if it is no up to the same standard as korg and yamaha, i see it as a budget zencore sounds keyboard with the arranger features as a bonus. hoping to get one in for a review!
Im not usually negative but my yamaha from the 90s sounds and does the same! No wonder it was a freebie!?
Great video as usual. So, if I understand correctly, you can save sound sets to your favorites banks, but you can't create a sound set from scratch, selecting which tones do you want for each of the available parts and choosing a style and saving it in a user memory space? If so, its a shame because it really cuts the usability of the keyboard.
I've never quite understood who arranger keyboards are for? Is it mostly for live gigs? Or for a songwriter to imagine how a full band would track their song?
They've intrigued me for the "serviceable" sounds as you call them, sort of a campy interest.
It can give you idea when your brain want to play dead and you have no inspiration at all.
i think most musicians would fine them quite fun compared to synths and pianos, it's enjoyable to practise by jamming along with the styles, you can switch them off and just use the drum oatterns as a more interesting metronome. i've seen plenty of entertainers and duos using them to make a living playing at the tourist resorts. Add some live vocals and guitars and it becomes less sterile and good to listen to.
I like having the drum patterns on my cheapie Casio. BUT, I often turn “local off” on the MIDI settings, and use external gear (iPad, Juno DS) for the actual sounds. I don’t use the left hand accompaniment features much, just the drum patterns and variations.
I’m not a real musician, though, just somebody who used to do a few minutes a month at the local open mic night (back when those still happened).
Edit: I guess that makes it more of a controller with a built in drum sequencer, more than a synth 😁
Much of the stuff on my SoundCloud account the last 2 years is using the little arranger in the corner of my profile pic with an iPad hooked up. Sometimes I even use its built in sounds (with post processing).
soundcloud.com/rob-anderson-104336556
Depending on the model of arranger you have, you can do as much or as little as you want.
I have this new i3 (got it when they first came out) and I do not use it much to be honest. I also have the PA700 and that gets use EVERY day, both in my studio and live. I use the PA700 to play at nursing homes for a living, and I also use it for song creation for original material. I also use it for a trio band I am starting up where the PA700 IS the band for myself and two female singers. It outperforms any other arranger/workstation that I have had.
I bought the i3 to use as a bottom keyboard in a live rig but since I changed my live rig, the i3 does not see much use. The times that I did use it as the bottom keyboard, it performed well. It is lightweight and has pretty good sounds, especially considering the price. The 5-pin MIDI output also sold me because I have legacy gear that I trigger live.
This unit was designed for an extra portable song creation unit and was designed for beginners to be able to make music really quickly. It is basically an EK-50 with more workstation type features.
the arranger users I've seen in person are improvisationists, they gel better with keyboards that follow them, as opposed to workstations like Kross2 and Krome EX where the keyboards are best utilized by recording parts of a performance in their sequencers then the player plays leads, piano, etc., basically the player follows the keyboard instead
but over the years, both kinds of keyboards have increased the overlap of features
arrangers have their place with some gigging musicians
great! great! demo I know which to buy thanks
Have you noticed whether the i3's Chord Mode uses some approximation of voice leading?
i could never figure out what it was doing tbh.
Can you review psr e373?
interesting, that's even cheaper, might be able to borrow one...
Woody Piano Shack by all means please review it. It has some interesting features such as integrated speakers, integrated digital audio interface (for the price!), integrated arpeggios. You can also upload styles from the extensive Yamaha styles library. And it's less than half the price of the i3 2020. But the sweet spot, I believe, will be the PSR E473 probably next year.
Hi. I am not a musician but i would buy one of these keyboard. I like this one and kronos 2. What can i take? Thank you
Korg i3 has key transpose ? I want to know thanks
Good useful video. I want to control this from my 88 key master keyboard but to my dismay I’m told it is not possible. Perhaps you know otherwise and can help me here. I have just bought the I 3 and think it’s a great value keyboard but will have to return it if I can’t do this.
Amazing sir 👏👏👏, please make more videos of korg i3 and I saved korg i3 playlist and subscribed, wait for amazing korg i3 video's
i'm editing the next one now... :D
@@WoodyPianoShack very good thank you sir
Hi, thank you very much for the video, you helped me a lot.
If possible, make a video on how to create your own Auto-Accompaniment Styles, including drum programming and saving to User Bank.
Thanks in advance.
Thank you for this!
Nice demo. What are the chord1-8 buttons for?
they just trigger some pre-programmed chords.
I just bought one. I'm surprised that no one said anything about purchasing speakers for it. I bought the starter bundle. No speakers in that bundle. Not sure what sound system to get.
hi angela, ok, too bad if this was unexpected and disappointing! perhaps it seems obvious that they are missing, but I should have made it clearer perhaps. you can use headphones, or a pair of active monitor speakers, or plug it into some pc speakers.
I have the original i3 that I bought in 1976, Just started playing it again and bought this new one to compliment it but sadly it doesn't. You can't even use or even swop the files/styles/accompaniments etc. And there is no ability to modify the styles etc as in the old one. Doesn't get played much, but the old one still works well for me.
Great demo and review Woody .. thanks ..l love my i3 .. good for use with my Yamaha for some great additional korg upper lead and solo Voices on the fly, saved to set list.. It connects easily from headphone output to audio in on Yamaha...plus handy as a stand alone board for a change..I liked the ek50 but this is even better!!
Just need korg to offer a pedal function for shift.. hard work on the fly to make changes unless you save to a set list...this is the ONLY pain with this board that shift function!!
Thanks again .. Keith
cool, which Yammy?
@@WoodyPianoShack just the SX 700 ...had the 900 .. realised I did not need the spec. Cash back paid for i3 with cash over!!! Love the set up ...best of both worlds ...
The 700 IMHO is the best value arranger Yam have ever produced...
You're vids are great
I posted this for you on korg forum ... catch up there, would like to keep in touch ... regards
Keith
I presume it is a ROMpler inside. Just wonder which keyboard are the Samples based on?
the sound engine is based on triton i am told by korg
A bit of a throwback to the OW1
01W? not a serious synth though, although lots of good synth sounds onboard (derived from triton I'm told)
Woody Piano Shack yeah the 01/W, seemed to remind me, sonically speaking, of where the O1 was at. I notice you called it an arranger keyboard too, maybe schools music departments more a market? I think Korg are a little lost for a hit at the mo, stuck between quality build performance instruments and solid but cheap n’ cheerful creative sound machines. Great review, Woody.
Hello! How can i change sound mode from poly to mono / legato on Korg i3?
Could you please guide me how to set chords setting in Korg i3 keyboard which launched in 1993?
i have no access to that keyboard, sorry!
Think I much prefer my Original Korg i3 which I bought new when it first came out in 1993 :)
yeah, that was a dream synth for me back in the day, completely different beast.
At 5:39 you say that it sounds as great as on the M1. Is that true? I'm just asking because I want to buy a Workstation and I am between a used Korg M1 or a new Korg i3.
did i really say that? but it should do, it's 30 years newer technology, based on triton.
I have to say arranger keyboards, are great if you want to be at home, with some headphones on, and have nothing else to do! They really haven't moved on, and generally the sounds are always lacking, this Korg i3 is no different, and I see no real reason for anyone to buy this one. Unless you have never had a keyboard before and have never heard one before. But great video Woody.
This was meant to be a beginner's instrument, in reality. For what it does, it works well.
Arranger keyboards, when programmed correctly, will work great for most situations. Depending on the model you get, you have A LOT of flexibility.
Excellent demo. I really like the dedicated buttons for accompaniment instruments, it adds a creative customization feature that is rarely available. I am thinking of getting the Korg Pa1000 arranger because of the large tilltable touch screen display and speakers.
The sequencer is pretty useful for external gear and quite a few of the sounds (Korg vintage, pads and bass stuff) are usable.
It's probably a bit overpriced considering the tech in it is from about 10 generations ago and the acoustic emulations don't really sound more convincing than my ancient Yamaha QY70.
I'd stick a bit more money in and get a Kross 2 if I was after something like this.
Can we make our own styles on this keyboard ?
nope, you'll need to step up in price for that.
@@WoodyPianoShack Thank you for the reply
Why are there not specifications on the width from octave to octave on the keyboard? on the micro type there is a issue of hitting other keys. What is the spread between octaves on the I3?
why? perhaps because most people don't care. for me the octave width is the least of concern, many other factors are more important when it comes to action. I adapt quickly to different stretches.
Can you do track by track sequencing on this?
sort of, it seems like you can record and overdub the 4 keyboard parts, but see it more as a simple performance recorder i think.
How to transpose tone saved in banks? Plz reply
me not know check manual
Best tutorial
Greetings..... Thanks for a vivid review of the product. But anytime I hear this garage drums behind that song, it turns me off completely to buy.
Needs more KARMA. (Kay's Algorithmic Real-time Music Architecture)
can you look at DC-106 sometime?
thanks for the suggest!
does it have transpose buttons?
sure it does!
very useful :D
thank you
clean
Works pretty much like my EK50. By workstation i would expect a looper of some sort. EDM music is hard to make on such keyboards..
Bought this board after seeing the dreams preset on this channel, sounds on it are really good but its so confusing going from a JDXI to this, don't even know where to start with sequencing stuff, seems so confusing without a step sequencer
i haven't attempted that myself,so good luck to you. and congrats on the purchase.
@@WoodyPianoShack Yeah I think I'm just gonna leave all of the sequencing and production stuff for a while and focus on my key skills cos going from a mini keyboard to a big one is amazing, finally got room to jam propelry without having to change octaves mid jam :D
If Roland sent Woody the Jupiter XM, the least Korg should do is send him a Wavestate.
they might do if I asked, but I'm actually pretty happy with the VST!
@@WoodyPianoShack Wavestate, not Wavestation, buddy
amazing video. Reminds me of the first keyboards I played with. Similar to the Yamaha PSR line... yet no built in speakers! I wonder if song styles send MIDI out, and are the keys aftertouch?
no aftertouch, just velocity
The intro: The End Of The Innocence (Woody's Guilty Mix) - Don Henley
😁
Would you say this is better than the PSR-SX900?
absolutely not, and not fair to compare $600 keyboard with $2500, although i probably will in a future video :p
@@WoodyPianoShack Thanks Woody
How do you compare this keybed with that of Kross?
athough the i3 feels quite a bit nicer, smoother and quieter, although other reviewers say they are the same action. perhaps my old kross is just a bit worn out? but they feel different to me, neither are premium high-end keybeds, just so you know! :)
@@WoodyPianoShack consider that you have the 61-key Kross with unexceptional keybed, Kross2 88-key has a really good keybed
I want to buy korg i3 but i scare about one thing. It is really run on 6 x nimh 1900 mAh - It run all time without turn off ? I have one keyboard who need 12 V like this korg, and it can run on 6 x nimh but when i play and play more hard it turn off. I scare to buy unuseful keyboard. Can you tell me what keyboard is best run on nimh? i read about roland juno ds who need 9 v and run on 8 nimh. What about casio or yamaha?
i don't know, i have not done any tests on this as I don't run my keys on batteries typically.
Are the styles, intros and endings copyrighted by Korg? -- Are you free
to use them without permission, credits or royalties? Example...Say you
want to compose an original song or arrangement and use these features,
can you be sued if the song gets picked up and/or played in public?
Not just Korg but other arrangers as well from other
manufacturers...I've always wondered about that.
I'd like to see you review the Yamaha Genos! 😁
well i do have the sx900 which is basically the same thing, right?
@@WoodyPianoShack isn't Genos Montage-based or so?
To me, some of these sampled sounds remind me of the Trayton. I hear it in the acoustic piano, the piano pad, and even those electric piano sounds. I have to ask, since it is a Korg does it have the M1 piano and the SG1D piano
i didn't stumble across the m1 piano, but you can safely bet it's there
The soundset from the i3 is from the EK-50 and is based off of the Triton line, for sure. Korg will probably use the Triton (HI Synthesis) soundset for everything they can for the lower-priced gear...
Harry Ebbeson III I actually own and M50 88 and think some of the bread and butter sounds on that synthesis, which if I am correct it is the same engine and everything as the M3, sounds way more realistic than the Trayton. However I’m just kind of a sucker for some of those late 1990s sounds that the triton had. I was hoping over the years that one of the triton rack modules would go down in price. But I don’t think that has happened yet. I mean I wish I could just get an actual hardware instrument that had the triton sound set, was expandable, but yet is a module because I already have an 88 note perfectly good keyboard
@@colbywalsh4610 The M50 is a slimmed down version of the M3. The M50 has the original 256 MB of ROM that the M3 came with (before the eXpanded ROM was released for the M3). I have an M50-61 as well in my studio and the sounds are better than on the Triton. That does not take away the usefulness of the sounds in the Triton series in any way, though. The M3/M50 has the EDS engine in it which is newer than the HI synthesis engine that was found in the Triton series. The EDS engine is basically a version of the HD-1 engine originally found in the OASYS mega workstation that appeared in 2005.
The Triton sounds are still desired because they were found in so many songs and such during the 90's and 00's. The M3 made pretty big inroads in the sounds found in music as well, but I suspect not as much as the Triton (as well as the Trinity, which used the ACCESS sound engine). If you look back, you will find a similar synth engine layout that dates all the way back to the M1 (which used AI Synthesis).
The Triton racks are still fairly pricey because of the sounds :) The M50-88 has good action on it and you can still get a lot of mileage from it. I would certainly look into rack modules instead of scrapping the M50-88 and getting something newer, if that was any type of consideration for you.
I would want to recommend the i3 for the Triton-type sounds, except that it does not have a 5-pin MIDI Input. This means that you would need a PC, or a USB MIDI Host device, in order to have the M50 drive the i3...
Harry Ebbeson III is the Karma M50 software any good? I have been considering dabbling with Karma but again it comes town do the keyboard action that I have. I would like to keep it within the M50 if possible. But haven’t really seen any reviews on that piece of software on how good it is. And also I do have a Trinity rack. And I am X5DR for the classic AI squared synthesis. And I went ahead and downloaded the pro keys program set for the M 50 as well. I think the dino piano in that set sounds a lot like the triton. But I mean there are several other triton sounds to be loved such as 90s piano and phantom of tine and some other goodies that I can’t remember the names of off the top of my head.
sounds as the old i3 :D But I'm quite impressed for the price range.
yes, that's the thing, it's remarkably affordable, arrangers tend to be big bucks
I was a bit disappointed with this at first because I thought Korg has finally produced a hybrid of arranger keyboard (PA series) and workstation (Kross/Krome). Turns out it's just an arranger keyboard with no speakers.
I guess there are people looking for a lightweight high quality arranger keyboard for under 4kg haha.
from the appearance I also assumed it was a synth arranger workstation hybrid, but more of an affordable and easy arranger it seems. bigger version of the micro-arranger perhaps?
I found zen. I have now Korg Kross 2 for synthetics and Yamaha modx6 for natural acoustic. It’s a nuclear pair.
@Brian Szpot Korg haven’t so fat brass and soft and tender strings like Yamaha. Organs are easy to download. Any organs as You wish. But brass and strings (natural, not synthetic) best of all sounds from Yamaha.
@Brian Szpot 636 is a beast? Ha-ha. Casio SA1 that’s a beast.
@@WoodyPianoShack the new i3 is basically a repackaged EK-50 that adds some features that the EK-50 does not have, but also does not have the speaker system of the EK-50.
i heard it, its an amazing keyboard, but i heard those same acoustic tones like nylon guitar, and r better and more realistic on KORG EK50, and its rare cause are almost same electronics., Greetings from Mexico
As a first timer to the arranger world its ideal but having owned a lot over the years I am not really impressed. Saying that owning the roland G70 and the lower end E50 its a high bar for it to reach
Woody Piano i have 3 roland keyboards roland e 20 roland d 5 roland exr 5 my favorite keyboard is roland e 20
that one was a lot of fun , yes!
Sounds are a bit dated and cheesy, but hey.
For a mid-priced workstation, this is for someone who likes to play keyboards every once in a while and wants to have a bit of fun doing it.
xav, more towards low-priced i would say, which is one of its strengths!
Beautiful sounds and design. However I cannot understand why the piano sound is the first sample of the synths. The piano is a piano as the synth is a synth. :)
it's the sound i find myself using the most, even on a synth!
That thing sounds way better than my Korg Krome.
wut
If you have the older Krome, you might wanna upgrade to the newer Krome EX which has some new samples, patches and combinations inside.
@@sauermusicDE Yeah it’s the older Krome. But that’s okay, I have a Nord Stage 2 that sounds way better. I’m trying to get rid of my Krome and possibly trade it for an older Korg keyboard.
@@dylannoalan615 But check out 'Krome Packs' on youtube - it loads actual PCM samples to the Krome, and some of them are amazing. It just might give more life to the synth!
et le sequenceur?
The background music for the "Love Disco" style at around 23 minutes in sounds extremely familiar. It sounds like a clip from a 70s instrumental disco hit but I can't for the life of me remember the title or the artist who put it out. Can anyone remember that song?
Sounds like Tavares to me.
After looking around online, I think it is based on the main riff for "Love's Theme" by the late Barry White
Do the hustle!
WHY? I just wonder WHY!!! There is a story of this KB 25 year old, and its a god memory, But 2020 I30 sounding same as the old one, No way.
It’s a decent beginner keyboard or for someone who wants to add an extra keyboard to their set up for a good price. Korg shouldn’t have called it the i3. The original i3 was amazing, and expensive as hell. The new i3 is a stripped down version of the EK, which is a stripped down version of the MicroArranger. Essentially the same sounds, but the MicroArranger was a miniature PA-50SD.
i also remember the i3, and the hefty price tag!
The EK-50 is Korg's answer to Casio's offerings and Yamaha's PSR offerings. It has the similar soundset (HI type synthesis), but the i3 looks more like an arranger and is geared toward the beginner and portable user...
I agree about this version of the i3 not really having anything to do with the original from the 90's, except for the name.