| Korg KARMA Music Workstation Variable Performance Modeler. List: $2,250
by Marvin Sanders
January 23, 2001
Higher. Faster. Louder. Cheaper (oh, excuse us ... "less expensive"). Most
product lines follow an almost unavoidable trajectory triggered by the very
first spec sheet. That's why we like to award HC Hot Picks to gear that
breaks the mold. Korg's KARMA Music Workstation qualifies....
Not satisfied with just a cool name, Korg attached an eponymous acronym to
the new KARMA technology: Kay Algorithmic Realtime Music Architecture, named
after Stephen Kay, the musician/programmer who has worked seven years on its
development (and who actually owns the patent).
In a nutshell, KARMA takes riff- and arpeggiator-based music to a new level.
At the technology's heart is something called a Generated Effect (GE), which
controls how note data from the keyboard is developed. GEs allow realtime
control of almost 400 parameters including elements like harmony, scale,
ad-lib/humanize, rhythm randomization and complexity, phrase variation, tone,
pan, effects, pitch bend, pitch change, volume, velocity, duration, MIDI
control changes, and MIDI delay/repeat.
 |
|
(Click for a close-up) |
KARMA provides over 1,000 GEs organized in 17 categories, and you can control
16 parameters in real time using front-panel knobs and switches. Two
available "scenes" allow controller settings to be saved for instant recall,
and four Chord buttons can trigger complex voicings.
At its most banal, KARMA sounds like an auto-arranger on acid, helping the
player strum guitar, lay down some funky grooves, that kind of thing.
(Actually, it should be noted that if you're looking for a straight-ahead
auto-arranger, KARMA is not your axe -- its feature set isn't intended to
address that audience.) But we like the, uh, dark side of KARMA, where manic
players diddle the keyboard and twiddle the knobs, creating an interactive
synergy of raw, pulsing, crazy soundscapes and timbral flurries to make your
head spin.
Fortunately, even if mania isn't your thing, KARMA is built on Korg's beloved
Triton sound engine, with tons of programs and combis available, a powerful
effects rack (102 algorithms), and a 200,000-note sequencer. It's also
expandable, holding up to two EXB-PCM expansion boards and the EXB-MOSS synth
board.
KARMA's not for everybody, but if you're looking for a new approach to
musicmaking and are willing to commit some time to wrapping your head around
the possibilities, this keyboard may be the gift that keeps on giving, and
giving, and giving.... For more information, visit www.korg.com. |
