LEAK: US retailer B&H has leaked the Korg Keystage, a new MIDI 2.0 keyboard controller series with polyphonic aftertouch.
That was a pretty long leak. Korg took its time with the release. A month after the big leak about the Keystage series, Korg has today unveiled Keystage MIDI 2.0 controller series.
The leak with the features was correct, and sorry, Korg, that we spoiled the release party a bit in advance for you.
Key Features
- MIDI controller with deep MIDI 2.0 support
- bi-directional communication with MIDI 2.0-capable hardware and software instruments
- available with 49 or 61 semi-weighted keys with velocity response, channel or polyphonic aftertouch, and MPE support
- 8 dedicated rotary controls with their own OLED displays for manipulating and displaying parameters
- transport buttons for remote control of almost all popular DAW
- integrated USB audio interface (2 Out / 0 In, 44.1 kHz, 16 Bit) with its own volume control
- backwards compatible with traditional MIDI devices without MIDI 2.0 support
- pitch bend and modulation wheel
- Octave button
- OLED display
- chord mode with 32 preset sets and 32 user sets
- integrated arpeggiator with 20 rhythm patterns
- ….
Both Korg Keystage 49 and 61 will be available in December 2023 for 599€ and 699€.
Available at my partners
Thomann
Perfect Circuit
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Article From September 28th, 2023
MIDI keyboards with polyphonic aftertouch are becoming the next big thing in the music tech world. Native Instruments started with the Kontrol Mk3 series, keyboards designed for the Komplete software universe. Another well-known manufacturer will soon join the polyAT bandwagon. Strange: a company that recently sold monophonic aftertouch as the most prominent feature on a new Synthesizer.
B&H has leaked in the night the new Korg Keystage keyboard series. According to the leaked product pages, these are two new MIDI keyboards with polyphonic aftertouch.
LEAK Korg Keystage
The new Korg Keystage are new 49-key and 61-key MIDI keyboards featuring MIDI 2.0 integration and advanced semi-weighted keybeds that support polyphonic aftertouch and MPE compatibility. Edit: A reader pointed out that the Polytouch logo is on the hardware. So Korg purchased it from Medeli, the keyboard manufacturer but also the parent company of Ashun Sound Machines (Hydrasynth).
The controller also features eight rotary knobs with dedicated OLED displays and a main OLED displays, says the source.
Then, it comes with a powerful arpeggiator, an array of chord modes (32 different styles), an integrated audio interface, and official integration with Ableton Live. The latter puts both transport and device control at your fingertips, says the source.
Thanks to the MIDI 2.0 bi-directional communication, all parameters will automatically be mapped and labeled for fast and easy setup.
Simply connect the keyboard to compatible software, and Keystage automatically assigns parameters and even displays their names on its crystal-clear OLED screens.Each screen is paired with a dedicated knob for real-time adjustments, meaning you always see the parameters assigned and their exact values, empowering you to make informed decisions and act on your musical instincts without breaking your creative stride.
Connectivity
On the backside, you get a 5-pin MIDI interface (in/out), stereo output on two 6.3mm mono sockets for live performances, a 1/4″ expression input, and a 1/4″ assignable input. There is also a USB-B input and a power supply input with a dedicated on/off button.
Further, it will include a software bundle. You get Korg Gadget Producer Bundle that hosts most of the features and Gadgets of the regular version. There is also a wavestate native LE version which is the same plugin as the full version, expect only one plugin instance can be active in your DAW project. Plus, it comes with a license of Ableton Live 11 Lite.
Leaked Features At A Glance
- MIDI 2.0 Property Exchange for unparalleled integration and control
- New keybed design with Polyphonic / Channel Aftertouch and MPE compatibility
- Powerful arpeggiator, chord modes, and streamlined workflow
- Parameter-dedicated OLED screens for instant visual feedback
- Integrated audio interface with direct stereo output for live performances
- Lightweight and portable
- Official Ableton Live integration
- Includes Korg Gadget Producer Bundle, wavestate native LE, and Ableton Live 11 Lite
First Impression
At first glance, interesting keyboards with an exciting feature set. Especially seeing polyphonic aftertouch and MIDI 2.0 in a generic MIDI keyboard is a good step into the future. Hope this is just the beginning of many new keyboards.
According to B&H, the Korg Keystage 49 will cost $599,99, and the Keystage 61 $699,99. No information about availability.
More information will follow here: Korg
Source: B&H
Looks like the Polytouch logo on the top-right of the keys, so this is likely a keybed licensed from ASM. I was wondering when that was going to happen.
Saw that ASM had confirmed it was licensed by Korg on IG
Looks like another great device by Korg which would perfectly suit to many setups. I will have a look.
If it implements one feature of MIDI 2.0, does that require some different data format? Might there be other added MIDI 2.0 features in the future (like how it will transmit polyphonic aftertouch)?
How does a Korg keyboard with Polyphonic Aftertouch (a la ASM Hydra) compare to a Fatar keyboard with pAT?
Hopefully this Korg will charge and be an interface for an iPad running the Korg Module App👌👌
It would be great but I have low hopes that it will charge
It may be possible that it acts as an audio interface (output only). If so, then you connect to a host then feed the VI’s out to the Keystage’s outs and boom. If it did charge that does reduce a few cords.
Were these the best photos pulled from the website?
these are hardware pictures from the leaked B&H page. They had some others but didn’t show the entire keyboard.
$700 for a 61-key controller keyboard?
Yeah no.
It has a polyphonic aftertouch keybed not a regular monophonic aftertouch, so the price is higher
I understand that and to be fair it does look nice. However the NI S-61 seems to offer a lot more for roughly the same price.
The S-61 Mk3 costs $849 vs the Korg $699,99. So there is still a difference of $150. The downer of the S61 MK3 is that it’s not a 100% controller for external hardware.
The S-61 Mk2 was already very focused on the Komplete software package and NKS format. As for the other features, it was more or less a MIDI controller like any other. Features like chords, etc didn’t work without the software, etc. These seams better solved in the Korg. But let’s see when they are official.
Korgs price policy is nuts nowadays