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KORG NS5R
ai2 synthesis: PCM

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About

KORG NS5R is a PCM synthesizer. It belongs to N series - the last generation of KORG ai2 (ai square) synthesis engine.


KORG NS5R (1997)

Overview

64-polyphonic ai2 synthesizer.
12MB PCM ROM, which consists of X5DR's 8MB synth sounds with added GM acoustic/SE samples.
2-OSC architecture.
2 multi effects.
The filter has no resonance. Instead, it has filter 'emphasis/color' function that works as very slight exciter. See KORG 01/W and AG-10 pages to see how it works.
Amp LFO is newly added in N series - earlier 0/X models had pitch LFO and filter LFO only.
Portamento is added, though not a smooth one.
A big LCD that can shine in orange or green. It displays many icons and envelope graphics, which is good for viewing -not editing - the patch data.
1 Soundblaster daughterboard can be installed inside.

Editing NS5R

The patch data only includes OSC-Filter-Amp-LFO combination. To use effects, users have to make an effect patch and select it in the patch editor. While better compliant to GM standard, this scattered patch structure makes editing cumbersome.
I thought of making an NS5R editor that can easily control multi-oscillator-layered voices with effects. But it's not possible, as NS5R responds to MIDI SysEx, especially the patch/.FX mode change, very slowly. Below is just an attempt to make a standard editor with simplified parameters.

NS5R easy editor

Sound Examples

Here are .mp3 sound examples of NS5R. The demos are recorded without external effects and overdub.

Organ pad (435KB)
Telephone bell sample pad (378KB)
Random Pad - the LFO always syncs (628KB)
Analog key (383KB)
Metamonics (618KB)
Prophet VS wave (440KB)
Portamento (317KB)
Saw (579KB)
Conga (558KB)
Laughter (294KB)
Grand rotor (385KB)
Beat (293KB)
Perc (163KB)
VS attack (534KB)
Grand (563KB)
Digital bass (129KB)
Ramp resonance bass (131KB)
Saw decay (156KB)
Sporing (147KB)
Saw without FX (381KB)

I also used NS5R on YAMAHA CS10 page. I put NS5R's sounds into CS10's external input and processed with the multimode filter, and recorded with ZOOM 9150 effect.

Related Models

KORG M1 (4MB, 16-poly) is the first KORG PCM synth with ai (advanced integrated) synthesis engine.

KORG M1 (1988)

KORG increased the polyphony in ai2 (ai square) series. The first model is 01/W (6MB, 32-poly, waveshaping). Later 03R/W (5MB, 32-poly) and 05R/W (6MB, 32-poly, GM compliant) followed. X series (X2, X3, X3R and X5), i series etc. also used 05R/W engine.

KORG 01/W (1991)


KORG 03R/W (1992)


KORG 05R/W (1993)

Since X5DR, the polyphony increased to 64. Then N series launched - N2, N3 and X5DR used the same 8MB/64-poly engine.

KORG N364 (1996)

The new N series - N5 and NS5R had 12MB ROM. N5EX (expanded version) and the piano keyboard version N1 has 18MB. N1 and N5 have resonance as effector, though still the filter has no resonance.
NX5R is the version of NS5R with a soundblaster daughterboard (YAMAHA DB51XG - basically compatible with YAMAHA MU10) pre-installed.

KORG N5 (1997)


KORG N1 (1997)


KORG NX5R (1997)

Links

korg.com support and downloads
Seebs music made with NS5R

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Deep Synthesis: Home
4. 27. 2007