KORG N264 and N364 FAQ and Tips
This FAQ has been compiled from questions and answers posted to the KORG N264/N364 Mailing List. Compiled by Peter Lazarus. First version of this FAQ produced on June 4, 1998. Last updated August 5, 1998. Copyright by Kenneth Jonsson, Hero Idema and Peter Lazarus. The contents of this FAQ are copyright by the compiler and the list maintainers. The FAQ may be freely distributed providing it is retained in its entirety. No commercial use sale or profit can be made of this FAQ without the express permission of the compiler and list maintainers. Many thanks go to the contributors to the N264/N364 mailing list, both for posting questions, and for providing answers. Their names are too numerous to mention. Special thanks to the originator of the N264/N364 mailing list, Kenneth Jonsson, and to both Kenneth and Hero who maintain the list and list server. Note from the compiler of this FAQ: In creating this FAQ I have removed material from the mailing list which was not relevant to the Korg N264/N364 synthesisers, or passed personal opinions on the value or otherwise of the product. A few topics are marginal to the N264/N364, but are the sort of questions beginners are likely to ask, so they have been left in. I have tried to retain the style of the writers, and the first person tone of the mailing list. Words in square brackets refer to buttons found on the N264/N364 front panel, e.g. [rec/write]. Q: is short for Question: and A: for Answer:. N264/N364 is sometimes abbreviated as N or Nx64. Updated versions of this FAQ are to be found here: http://user.tninet.se/~ufn204a/pitstop/files/n-faq.zip Subscribing to the KORG N264/N364 Mailing List: To subscribe to the KORG N264/N364 Mailing List, send a mail to LISTSERV@MAIL.SYNTEGRA.NET with "subscribe n-list" in the body. No subject is needed.

Table of Contents

1. What You get when You Buy an N264 or an N364
1.1 Standard Offer 1.2 Promotional Offer 2. KORG Support Address 3. What's a Patch Editor? 4. Compatibility Issues 4.1 Compatibility with Other KORG Synthesizers 4.2 PCG Incompatibility 5. Load and Save Questions 5.1 Saving One Single Program 5.2 Saving One Single Song 5.3 Compiling a PCG from other PCG's 6. Playing Mixtures of Recorded Tracks and Live Keyboard 7. Playing GM Songs (.smf or.mid) 8. The Difference Between.sng Files and.mid Files 9. Fat Piano Sound 10. Setting Send C/D via MIDI 11. Editing Program Settings in Sequencer Songs 12. Volume Fade In and Fade Out in Sequencer Songs 13. Sequencer Mode Effect Settings 14. Seq Mode Dampens Program Articulation? 15. Arpeggio 16. How to use Patterns (RPPR) 17. Metronome 18. Damper Pedal 18.1 Stuck Notes 18.2 Constructing a Damper Pedal 19. Cakewalk 19.1 Clearing the Sequencer 19.2 Aftertouch Recording 19.3 Instrument Definitions 20. Cubase 21. Bank Selection from External Sequencer 22. Using Combis from External Sequencer 23. Volume Control of Combinations 24. Recording Sequencer Tracks as Audio using External Sequencer 25. Using the N264/N364 as a SysEx Data Filer 26. Seq Mode SysEx Messages 27. Requesting Dumps via SysEx from an External Sequencer 28. Effects Processors 28.1 Rotating Speaker Effect 29. Direct CD Recording from the N264/N364 30. Resetting the Sequencer 31. Filter Colour 32. Simulating Resonant and High-Pass Filters 33. Creating Better Drum Kits 34. Using Outputs 3 and 4 35. N264/N364 versus N5 36. Glossary of Terms End of FAQ

1.1 Standard Offer

One N264 or N364 One power cord
One diskette numbered 'NFD-00P' Basic Guide manual Reference Guide manual

1.2 Promotional Offer

KORG had a promotional offer (for US citizens only) where you got 5 disks with sounds and songs. These disks are now available for sale at KORG USA's homepage (www.korg.com).

2. KORG Support Address

KORG USA has an E-mail support address and is on the World Wide Web: E-mail: WWW: product_support@korgusa.com www.korg.com (not a help page)
For people speaking Japanese, there's also KORG Japan: WWW: www.korg.co.jp (not a help page)
3. What's a Patch Editor?
A patch editor is a software program that allows user to load and store patches and bank of patches (program and combi in N264/N364) and edit the parameters. With a patch editor, you don't have to touch a single button on your keyboard to edit the sounds.

them on the same file, for example favorite.pcg? A: First load a PCG that you want to use as a basis for your favorite.pcg file. This could be initial.pcg or preload.pcg from the Preload disk that came with your N264/N364 or any other PCG. Now load "bluesharp" from blues.pcg by entering disk mode, page 2B (or page 2A if you're loading a combi). Then load "bestorgan" from organs.pcg in the same way. For example, load "bluesharp" to A01 and "bestorgan" to A02. Now enter the disk mode page where you can save a PCG, and save it as favorite.pcg. If you want to add more programs or combinations from other PCG's, then repeat the above.
6. Playing Mixtures of Recorded Tracks and Live Keyboard
Q: I want to play some tracks live and some recorded tracks but when I try to play an.smf file I can only play what the N gives me, sometimes drums sometimes piano but at very low volume. A: Select a track that isn't used by the song, and make your changes to the program settings on that track (e.g. raise the volume, alter the pan, select a guitar). You can now play any instrument you want during playback of the song.
7. Playing GM Songs (.smf or.mid)
Q: When I load an.smf or a.mid song into my N, some tracks aren't played with the right program. Why? A: If your N plays the wrong instruments when playing SMF's or MID's, go to global mode page 3C and change from PROG:ENA to PROG:NUM. This should force wrong-playing GM songs to use the right instruments. Remember to set PROG back to ENA afterwards, since N-specific songs will most likely play with the wrong instruments if you don't.
8. The Difference Between.sng Files and.mid Files
First of all, an.sng file contains all 10 songs from the N's sequencer, while a.mid (.smf) file contains only one song. An.sng file can contain N-specific data without problems, but a.mid file has a general standard for events, which means that any N-specific data must be saved as some kind of meta events. If you want to save a single song from the sequencer, you can save it as a.mid file anyway. The N will recognise N-specific meta events and load them. Other
(non N-specific) external sequencers might throw those meta events away though. Take a look at near the bottom of page 200 and near the top of page 202 in the Reference Guide, to see the limitations of saving/loading.mid files. But, those limitations are only valid for.mid files not created by the N! I've saved, cleared, loaded, saved, cleared and loaded the same song in the internal sequencer, and no data was lost! Conclusion: you can safely save a song from the internal sequencer as a MID file!

"120" is the volume of the program, and "CNT" means centred pan. You can change these in the same way as described above. To change Send C/D (the amount of effect to add to the particular track), enter seq edit mode and go to the first page.
12. Volume Fade In and Fade Out in Sequencer Songs
Q: Can I do a volume fade in or fade out in a song in the internal sequencer? A: Yes. Here's how to do it: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Enter sequencer edit mode, and go to page 3D [Create Crl]. Select track. Go one step to the right, and select beginning measure (start of fade-down). Step right, select position within beginning measure (optional). Step right, select end measure (end of fade-down). Step right, select position within end measure (optional). Step right, select midi controller number C007 (controller 7) is main track volume C011 (controller 11) is volume relative to main track volume
Check page 126 in the Reference Guide for other controllers. 8. 9. Step right, select end value. Step right, select OK.
You have to repeat the procedure for every track. There is one odd thing about this function. There is no start value! The function will use the most recent value before the start measure as start value. To make things more clear, I'll give you an example 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Enter sequencer edit mode, page 3D. Select a track that contains music. Select start measure 001, position 100. Select end measure 004, position 100. Select controller 11. Select end value 000. Select OK.
Go to measure 1 and play the song. The volume of the edited track will decrease over time, from measure 1 to measure 4 (where volume will be zero). Remember that controller 11 is volume relative to main volume. This means that the fade will start from the main track volume (which you set in sequencer mode). (This is a good thing, trust me. ) Now, what if you want to fade UP instead of DOWN? This is a little bit more complicated. The start value of controller 11 is automatically set to 127 in the beginning of the song, so you have to add a 0 in the start measure so that the [Create ctl] function will fade up from 0. First, to add a midi controller 11 message with value 0 (there is more than one method) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Enter sequencer edit mode, page 2B [Event Edit]. Select a track that contains music. Press the [rec/write] button. Press the [start/stop] button. Select a start measure. Press cursor up, i.e. the [cursor, perf edit / rppr] button. If event number is not #001, repeat step 6 until it is. Press insert, i.e. the button with a 7 above it in the uppermost button row, close to the volume slider. "INSERT" is written in green below it. Go three steps to the right, move the value slider to the top (if already at the top, move it to the bottom and then to the top

again). PAFT should be blinking. Press value decrease, i.e. [/NO] button. CTRL should be blinking. Go one step to the right. Select 11. Step right, select 000. Check the measure number (the value furthermost to the left). You will start the fade-in from this measure. Write it down or remember it. 14. Press [start/stop] button. 10. 11. 12. 13. All this just because the [Create ctl] function doesn't have a start value. Second, do the fade-in 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Enter sequencer edit mode, page 3D [Create ctrl]. Select the same track as above (it's usually already selected). Step right, select the measure you wrote down (or remembered). Step right. Step right, select end measure (end of fade-in) Step right. Step right, select controller 11 (C011). Step right, select end value 127. Step right, select OK.
Play the song from the measure you wrote down, and the volume should fade from 0 to 127. You have to repeat the procedure for every track you want to fade in.
13. Sequencer Mode Effect Settings
In sequencer mode, the effect settings (reverb, chorus, phaser, distortion etc) affect the whole song, and you can't let each track have its own effects. This is because the N264/N364 has no more than two physical effect processors. You can assign two FXs to the effect processors. If you take a look at the 'effect placement' (seq edit mode page 7E) you can assign FXs to different tracks. Then you also have to work on your Send C and Send D and your pan settings. Take a good look at pages 59 to 61 in the Reference Guide. Using MIDI controller 92 and 94 you can turn the effects on and off whenever you want (but not for each separate track). Also with controllers you can make the sounds gradually brighter or darker and it has some other effect-like stuff you can control, just look at the list on page 126 of the Reference Guide. You can assign effect control to your MIDI controllers (like the pitch
bender, aftertouch or the value slider). What it does is that you can control the amount of effect you are using. For instance, if you assigning the effect "Phaser1" to your pitch bender, if you play a note and bring the bender down or up (vertically, not horizontally), you can increase or decrease the amount of phase you want to use. Enter seq edit mode and check the effect setting pages. Q: I want help to be able to use different effects on different tracks in sequencer mode. When I am trying to change the effect settings for one track it seems like this always will affect the other 15 tracks. For example, if I want one track to be "dry" (still in sequencer mode), eg. without any effects at all, the other tracks become dry too. How can I overcome this? A: There are only two physical fx processors in the N (the same goes for the X3 and many other workstations), so you'll have to choose well when it comes to selecting which fx settings to use. You can't have different settings for each track, but you can have different amounts of effect-send (Send C/D). If you want to have one (or more) tracks dry, you will first have to set its send C/D to 0/0 (in one of the first seq mode edit pages). But that's often not enough! If you're using both fx processors and have them set to serial mode, it will be impossible to have a track 100% dry. You'll have to use parallel3 effects placement (change this setting on page 7E in seq edit mode)! This will in most cases not lessen the sound quality much. Though there will be a definitive problem if you try to sequence sounds like combination A00 (FirstLight), since it won't sound half as powerful with parallel3 placement.

14. Seq Mode Dampens Program Articulation?
Q: Why does a piano for example sound softer when selected in seq mode? Is it because the effects processors come into play? A: Yes, this is caused by the effect processor settings only, and has nothing to do with with the sound mixing in sequencer mode. You can confirm this by using any effects-intensive program (or a piano if you like) in the sequencer. Copy that program's effects settings (seq edit page 7F), then adjust the send C/D settings (seq edit page 1A) to C=PRG and D=PRG for the track which you play that program on. Now, the program in sequencer mode should sound exactly like in program mode. The same goes for combinations.

15. Arpeggio

Q: Can we synchronise the arpeggio if we use an external sequencer, like a PC? That way we can at least use arpeggio during live
performances. A: It is not possible. Q: I haven't really gotten into the arpeggio yet but have followed some of the talk here. This thought struck me and it's probably way off base but if you can put it into the sequencer, can you control the speed through the sequencer tempo. If so, couldn't one copy that song at the right speed into a song where you wanted the arpeggio to sync? Wouldn't that solve the problem? A: You can't directly control the arpeggiator's speed with the sequencer. However, you can match the arpeggiator's speed and sequence tempo. I think, if you set your seq tempo to 120, quantise resolution to, say, 1/8 note and arpeggiator speed to something like 48 (speed 48 pretty much corresponds to the 8th note at 120 bpm), and record, that should give you some decent "synchronisation", although this is not exactly how I use it. For me, the best part is when seq is trying to quantise arpeggio which doesn't match its tempo and drifts (I usually make my arpeggio run approximately two times faster than seq's 8th note), cutting out some notes, stretching others, and creating some really interesting patterns (works really well for techno stuff). Q: Is the arpeggio available when in Combination mode ? A: Yes, the arpeggio is available in Combination, Program and Seq mode. And live is very cool! I just want to comment on N264/N364's arpeggiator. This arpeggiator is one of the best thing I like about my N. It is so unique, so unsyncable! Yes, I acknowledge the fact that it might be somewhat difficult to use live together with other instruments. However, it is capable of producing some pretty interesting stuff that you won't be able to get otherwise. Here is one example of how I use that arpeggiator. I go into seq mode, then down to arpeggiator mode, hit [record], [start] and simply record arpeggio (up, down, skip 1 or whatever else mode, doesn't actually matter) into the sequencer which quantises it pretty nicely. By playing with different arpeggio speeds and quantise values one can get some pretty funky and weird patterns. And I mean some awesome, funky, and weird patterns. Now, vary the velocity of the notes, make different sounds (programs) play different parts of the pattern (sounds especially good for 4 octave arpeggios), add some extreme effects, and you got one hell of a groove!

16. How to use Patterns (RPPR)
Q: It is possible to record a pattern under a key. Is this option available while being in combination mode? A: It is possible to record an 8 measure maximum pattern under a key, but this options is only available in sequencer mode! Q: How to load and use patterns? To use the patterns on the disk that came with you N264/N364, do this: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Enter disk mode page 1C and load RPPR.SNG Enter disk mode page 1D and load RPPR.PST Enter sequencer mode and choose the song number you want Press [cursor perf edit / rppr] to enter patternmode, and choose the same pattern number as the number of the song you chose earlier. Press a few keys in the lower region of the keyboard and you will find that some keys have a pattern attached.
The same procedure works with other pattern sets. See page 14 in the Basic Guide for more info.

17. Metronome

Q: How does the N264/N364 decide what sound it will use for the metronome? It seems to use different sounds depending on what programs I use in the sequencer tracks. Can you tell it what sound to use if you don't like the one it's using? A: There is no dedicated setting for the metronome sound. The metronome is affected by a song's effect settings though, so it can sound quite different if you the settings are extreme. It could be that the metronome is also affected by drum kit settings in global menu.

18. Damper Pedal

18.1 Stuck Notes
Q: When I plug in my damper pedal, it works in a backwards manner, i.e. notes are released when I press the pedal down and keep playing if I don't touch the pedal. Is my pedal faulty? A: No. Change the damper polarity (to + or -) in global mode page 7B and your pedal should work fine. There are two types of pedals (see the below sub-section), so the need to change damper polarity is very common.
Q: My damper pedal seems to have suddenly switched polarity. Should I change my pedal or do I have an error in my N? A: There is most likely no problem with your pedal, and neither with your N. You have probably just loaded a PCG which has a damper polarity setting different to what you had before. Enter global mode page 7B and change the polarity and your pedal should be back to normal. Damper polarity is saved with PCG files.
18.2 Constructing a Damper Pedal
Q: Hi, can anyone tell me how a damper pedal works and how it can be made? A: You should have no problem making your own damper pedal. It is simply composed of a single pole switch or contact. The switch operates (makes or breaks the contacts) only when it is held down or pushed. When the switch is released, it returns to its original physical and electrical position. This type of switch operation is called momentary. Either a Normally Open (N.O.) or Normally Closed (N.C.) set of contacts will work with the majority of today's keyboards. Depending on which kind of switch you use, you may have to adjust in your global menu the damper polarity from + to - or vice versa. You will only have to do this if your damper pedal sustains the notes only when you do not touch the pedal (Or, stepping on the pedal results in no sustain). If sustain starts when you push the switch down, and remains on when you release the switch, you've have not bought the wrong one. As for the wiring, use a mono 1/4 inch jack which has two connectors and simply connect (solder) them to the switch (which may have two or three terminals). If the switch has three terminals, then it can act as either a N.O. or N.C. contact. So just choose one. To verify your work, use an ohm meter to make sure that one position has 0 ohms resistance (CLOSED) and that the second position has infinite resistance (OPEN). To summarise, damper pedals use a switch and no resistors.

19. Cakewalk

19.1 Clearing the Sequencer
It was suggested that you have to clear the on-board sequencer of your N before you can use Cakewalk as external sequencer. This is not true. You can safely play anything from Cakewalk on your N even if the sequencer is 100% full. If not, something is wrong with your setup in some way.
19.2 Aftertouch Recording
Q: I don't seem to be able to record the aftertouches from my N to Cakewalk 6. Well at least I can't see them in the Event List. Are they hiding somewhere, or do I have to turn on something to record them? A: You need to check both the record filters on Cakewalk and the transmit/receive filters on the N (found in global mode). What are you controlling with aftertouch? Modulation or the effects? If you have a program with an effect being controlled by aftertouch and you go to sequencer mode, chances are good that the effects aren't set for aftertouch control. You will then have to change the effect settings in seq edit mode.
19.3 Instrument Definitions
Q: Where can I find Cakewalk instrument definitions for my Nx64? A: Take a look at the download section of this page: http://user.tninet.se/~ufn204a/

20. Cubase

Nothing specific yet.
21. Bank Selection from External Sequencer
To select a bank from an external sequencer, use MIDI controllers 0 (Bank Select MSB) and 32 (Bank Select LSB): Bank Controller 0 Controller 32

C D GM GM Drums

See page 4 in the Reference Guide for a more thorough table.
Insert both controller messages close to each other in the track where you wish to change bank. The way to do this differs from sequencer to sequencer, so you will have to check the manual of your particular sequencer.
Cakewalk and some other sequencers have a standardised function to do bank changes in a quicker and easier manner. You can then use these numbers:

Bank A B C D GM GM Drums

Value 7169 7937

22. Using Combis from External Sequencer
Q: If you want to use a combi sound in a song using internal or external sequencer, how do you go around to do that? A: If you want to use a combi in a song from an external sequencer, there are several solutions: 1. Copy the desired combi to an empty song in the N's internal sequencer, and then play it from the external sequencer by just sending note data (not program/bank-change) to the channel that the combi responds to. Play programs on track 9-16. Due to a bug (or whatever it is), even a combi using only two timbres will still reset tracks 3 to 8 (or 11 to 16) if you use the combi copy function. 2. Check which programs, volume levels, pans, C/D fx sends etc that the combi uses. Then create as many tracks in the external sequencer as there are programs in the combi. Set the program/bank-changes, pans and volume levels for each track respectively, and put midi control change messages for send C/D into each of them (midi controller 91 and 93). You will probably have to copy the notes you want the new 'combi' to play, to each of the new tracks. I haven't checked how to make all channels of the combi listen to only one channel yet though. A big unsolvable problem is how to set the effect settings externally. It simply isn't possible. See the section "Seq Mode SysEx Messages". There is in fact a third solution. Take a look under the section "Recording Sequencer Tracks as Audio using External Sequencer".
23. Volume Control of Combinations
Q: When using a combination (e.g. strings and piano as layered sounds), how can I change the volume of one of the timbres/sounds during playing? A: The easiest way is to use "combi performance edit". If you for example want to change the volume of timbre #3 during playing, press button 3 (the third button to the right of the volume slider, top row - it has a dark blue 3 above it). Now position the cursor over the volume (one step to the right), and you can use the value slider to continuously change the volume of the selected timbre during playing. Changes in performance edit mode aren't saved, so there's no risk of losing the original settings. Q: Is there a way to control the volume of an individual timbre via MIDI? A: Yes, but you will have to assign the timbre you want to control to an individual MIDI channel (do this in combi edit mode page 3A-1 and 3A-2). Now you can send MIDI controller 7 (volume) or controller 11 (expression) to that particular MIDI channel, and the timbre will respond accordingly. Also make sure that the timbre's Control Change Filter isn't set to Disable, since it won't respond to MIDI controllers then. Check combi edit mode page 6D for this.
24. Recording Sequencer Tracks as Audio using External Sequencer

You need an external sequencer with audio capabilities to use this tip: If you want to sequence programs/combis that use FX settings very different from the settings you want to use in the N-sequencer, then do like this: 1. 2. 3. Compose the song in seq-mode as you normally would do. Play each track which needs 'odd' FX settings separately on the global midi channel (usually #1) while having the N in prog or combi mode, and at the same time record the N output as audio. Mute the respective midi track(s) and use the new audio track(s) instead.
This does of course work fine with combis too! Now it's possible to play program A04 (MonsterWah) using the value slider (to create massive wah) and use it in your songs without affecting the FX settings for the other tracks! The same goes for all
the other sounds with extra-terrestrial FX settings. The catch? It's both tricky and cumbersome, each minute of 44.1 kHz 16-bit sampled stereo audio uses about 10 MB of storage space, and you need a low-noise sound card to avoid loss in quality.
25. Using the N264/N364 as a SysEx Data Filer
You can use your Nx64 as a SysEx data filer. If you enter page 4B in the disk menu, you'll see a flashing "Awaiting data". You can now connect an external midi device (such as a drum machine) and send SysEx data to the Nx64 (e.g. patch data). The Nx64 will store everything it receives in a temporary memory buffer (see the limitations on page 199). Then you can put a disk in the disk drive of the N, choose a filename (one page to the right) and save the buffer to disk. If you want to send the saved SysEx data to the external midi device, put that disk back into the drive, enter page 4A in the disk menu and select the file to send. If you have a computer, get a SysEx filer/manager instead.
26. Seq Mode SysEx Messages
To put the N in Seq Mode and on song 9, use the following SysEx message (General MIDI System On, page 216 in Reference Guide): F0, 7E, 7F, 09, 01, F7 Put it in a track in the beginning of your external sequencer song, before any notes are played (The N needs some time to respond to the SysEx message). If you use Cakewalk, you can send the message automatically when loading a song. The message will be sent to all channels on your N, so it doesn't matter which channel you put the message in. Q: How do I select which effects to use in sequencer mode, by sending SysEx to my N264/N364 from an external sequencer? A: This seems to be impossible in sequencer mode. It is possible in program or combination mode though, so if you use the combi mode as an 8-track sequencer, you will be able to control which effects to use. I don't know the SysEx codes for this, but they can be found in the Reference Guide's midi charts if you put a bit of work into it.

27. Requesting Dumps via SysEx from an External Sequencer
You can send SysEx midi dumps to an external sequencer (or SysEx data filer) from global menu page 5A, but you can also use an external sequencer to request the same SysEx dumps. All you need are a few SysEx command messages: Current program F3x F7
Current combination All programs All combinations Sequencer songs Global data Patternset Drumkits All data
F3x F7 F3x 35 1C 00 F7 F3x 35 1D 00 F7 F3x 00 F7 F3x 35 0E 00 F7 F3x 00 F7 F3x 35 0D 00 F7 F3x 35 0F 00 F7
Where x is the global midi channel, usually 0 (i.e. channel 1). One thing is worth to notice here! When requesting the current program or combination, you must first do this: Select the program or combination you want to request, and then enter performance edit mode (press the cursor up button). Now the program or combination buffer in the Nx64 has been updated. Next leave performance mode (press cursor down). You can now issue the SysEx request command. This is not mentioned in the manuals! For more details, take a look in the midi charts in the back of the Reference Guide.

28. Effects Processors

28.1 Rotating Speaker Effect
Some of the sounds already have the controller set to value slider (just left of the LCD screen) for the Leslie. You can experiment to see which ones but for starters, switch to program B71 (Super BX-3) and bring the slider all the way to the bottom. Play a note or chord and begin sliding the slider up slowly. You are now activating the Leslie and have, for the most part, significantly more control over this effect than what is available through the traditional Leslie from what I can see. It's pretty neat!
29. Direct CD Recording from the N264/N364
Q: I only have a KORG N364, and no computer program like Cakewalk or whatever. My friend has a computer with a SoundBlaster
sound card. How can we record my stuff onto CD? A: Run a cable from outputs 1 and 2 on your N364 to the line-in connector of the SoundBlaster (or any other sound card). You can use your regular audio cables, but since the SoundBlaster often has a 3.5 mm stereo jack for input, you'll also need some kind of cable adaptor that converts your audio cables to a single 3.5 mm stereo plug. Should be quite easy to find one. Next, sample (audio-record) the sound output of the N. You need a program that can sample directly to the hard disk (sampling directly into RAM isn't an option if you have less than 64MB plus, and the song is long). Since your friend has a SoundBlaster (SB16?) I'm sure that Creative Lab's Wave Studio is already installed (it comes with the soundcard). Use it to sample, and do it in 44.1 kHz 16 bit stereo (standard "CD quality"). Oh, and I ought to let you know that SoundBlaster cards are not ideal for sampling good quality audio. The analog-to-digital converters aren't very good (not in my SB AWE64 Gold either). Theyre often very noisy. There are several cards which are dedicated to sample and play audio at great quality, but they can be a bit expensive. It all depends on how important it is for you to have good quality audio. When done recording, you should have quite a large sample (about 10 MB per minute of audio). In order to burn it onto a CD, you'll need a program that can do this. In a Windows-PC environment, you can use Adaptec Easy CD Creator Pro, which includes Spin Doctor. Spin Doctor can sample from any audio source in your system, filter noise and clicks etc. It has a loudness balancer and you can record to a CD. There are several other CD recording programs that can produce audio CD's too. You can ofcourse record audio CD's even if you don't have a PC. There are programs and equipment for other computers as well.

30. Resetting the Sequencer
Q: How do I clear the on-board sequencer? A: Switch your N264/N364 on while pressing the button with the dark blue 8 above it and the [seq] button. The sequencer has now been reset.

31. Filter Colour

Q: I've tried cranking the "color" setting (prog edit page 3A and 3C as far right as possible). When reading the Reference Guide, it says that color adds character to a sound by boosting the levels near the cut-off filter edge, i.e. some kind of resonance. I can hear something when I
put Int=99, but it sounds more like an extremely high-pitch noise than resonance? A: That's pretty much the experience I had with "colour"; at 99 you can hear a real high, sharp partial in the sound. As to why I would need 99 discrete levels of this, I don't really know. Colour is minimally useful in making sounds nasal, I've found, which is good sometimes for stuff like clav or lead sounds.
32. Simulating Resonant and High-Pass Filters
The overdrive (and distortion) effect can be used to simulate a sweepable resonant filter, and the parametric EQ effect can be used as a sweepable high-pass filter! I took sample 330 (saw) and put overdrive on it. Then I tweaked the overdrive parameters to produce lots of resonance at a high level, and then assigned the value slider (and the joystick) to the resonance intensity. I now have a growling analog sound. Since the Nx64 has saw, square, ramp, pulse, pwm etc it's possible to do nice analog sounds (not as nice as with a virtual analog synth, but nice enough). As I've said before, high-pass filter can be done by playing with the parametric EQ effect (and control the intensity with either the joystick or the value slider). You can't use an LFO or a discrete envelope to modulate this resonant filter. You could use an external midi programming language to construct an LFO that sends data to a specified controller (i.e. modulation), and assign that controller to resonance depth, but that's not very handy. You can only have resonance and high-pass filter in the fx processors, which means that if you need chorus or reverb or any other two effects, you can't do it. You can use overdrive and reverb at the same time (and parallel 3 fx placement) though. That's enough for most songs. Q: Can I use resonance to effect one or two tracks without effecting the rest? A: Yes. Use Parallel3 as effect placement in seq edit page 7E. If you put the overdrive as effect 1, then set send C (seq edit page 1A) to 0 for instruments that aren't to be affected.

33. Creating Better Drum Kits
Q: Many drum kits in the N are a bit dull. Is there something to do
about this? A: Well, you could try experimenting with the effects. Distortion will work nicely to produce powerful drums sounds. Don't be afraid to alter the drum kit settings in global mode, tweaking the pitch, duration, drum sample number and send C/D settings for each key. You can make some nice sounding drum kits this way. You could also create a combination which uses two or more separate drum programs to produce a rich layered drum sound. This way you can also add a low-frequent sine wave to improve the bass drums (by using a bass sine-wave program as a key-window-limited timbre), or perhaps white-noise. The key to nicer drum kits is experimenting.
34. Using Outputs 3 and 4
Q: How can I assign separate outputs (1/L, 2/R, 3, 4) on my song in sequencer mode? For example in my drumkit (track 10), I need the bass drum in output 1, snare drum in output 2, then hihat on output 3 and tom on output 4. Is it possible (needed in studio situation)? A: Yes. Take a good look at the parallel sub and serial sub effect placements in the Reference Guide, page 61. Using output 3 and 4 is problematic when it comes to the effects: If you want to have effects added to output 3 and 4, you must use parallel sub placement. Then there is an additional problem: effect 1 is added to bus A/B, and effect 2 to C/D. This means that you can only have one effect added to outputs 1 and 2, and the other effect added to output 3 and 4. If you want to use only one effect for all outputs, then there's no problem. Set both effect processors to the same effect, for example Hall Reverb. Please notice that you can't set individual effect sends when in parallel sub or serial sub placements! The only way to control the amount of effect is to change DRY:EFF settings in edit mode pages 7A and 7C, one window to the right.
The reason why you get a lot of effect is because DRY:EFF is set to FX as default in sequencer mode. 70:30 or 80:20 are more humane levels.
If you don't want any effects added to the bass and kick at all, then use serial sub placement. Here's the output assignment:
Output 3: set pan to OFF (in the sequencer track view) and send C (seq edit page 1A) to 9 (or lower if you want less volume). Set send D to 0. Output 4: set pan to OFF, send D to 9 (full volume), send C to 0. Output 1: set pan to A, send C and send D to 0. Output 2: set pan to B, send C and send D to 0. Q: It seems that, in sequencer mode (placement), only the whole song can be assigned to parallel sub or serial sub? A: True, because the Nx64 only has two effect processors as a total.

35. N264/N364 versus N5

Q: Can anyone tell me the differences between the N264/N364 and the N5 besides the sequencer? Are the sounds the same? Are they both compatible with X3 patches? Does the N264/N364 have a better keyboard? I'll be using my Mac for sequencing (no live gigs) so I don't care much about the sequencer function. Does the N264/N364 give me any other advantages over the N5 for the difference in price? A: The number of progs/combis differ a lot: N264/N364: N5: 336 ROM + 200 RAM progs 200 ROM + 200 RAM combis 1169 ROM + 100 RAM progs 302 ROM + 100 RAM combis

I guess the N5 has all the ROM progs+combis that the N264/N364 has, but I'm not sure. As you can see, the flexibility is better with the N264/N364 (more RAM progs+combis), but the ROM numbers speak in favour of the N5. Most of the extra N5 programs are for XG and GS compatibility. The N5 has XG, GS and GM compatibility. The N264/N364 has GM compatibility only. The N5 has 12 MB sample ROM, the N264/N364 has 8 MB. The N264/N364 is 99% compatible with the X3. The N5 is probably partially compatible with both the N264/N364 and the X3 when it comes to RAM progs+combis, but it doesn't support 200+200 RAM sounds. The keyboard quality is more or less the same. The N5 doesn't have a disk drive. The N264/N364 does. A disk drive is very nice to have for backups, and disk transfers are usually more reliable than SysEx transfers. Also, since the N5 doesn't have a disk
drive, it can't load PCG files. That's a pity, since the synthesis engine of the N5 is the same as in the N264/N364 and X3, and there are a lot of PCG files in the market. The N5 comes with a few computer programs, among them a sound editor, but it can't load PCG files. The N264/N364 has two extra assignable audio outputs, which can be useful (see "Using Outputs 3 and 4"). The N5 has one more effect than the N264/N364; resonance. This is useful for analog sounds. Many of us N264/N364 owners would like this effect, but it can be simulated by using an overdrive parameter (see "Simulating Resonance and High-Pass Filters"). The N5 has portamento, 4 assignable knobs on the front panel and a graphical display (which is more informative than the traditional character display of the N264/N364). All in all, there's no big point for us N264/N364 users to upgrade to an N5.

36. Glossary of Terms

FAQ GM SMF PCG SysEx RPPR Seq mode Prog mode Combi mode

End of FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions General MIDI Standard MIDI File, containing a GM song. Same as.mid. A file containing all programs, combinations and global settings including drum kits for an N264 or N364. System Exclusive midi data, applying to a specific synthesiser/keyboard/device only. Real-time Pattern Play and Recording N264/N364 sequencer mode N264/N364 program mode N264/N364 combination mode

Glossary and More

For the Korg N264 / N364
Written by Leigh Newton with help from Kenneth Jonsson as a companion to the manuals. As this reflects a limited understanding on Leighs part further additions to make it more complete and helpful would be appreciated. Contact Leigh at lnewton@ozemail.com.au
.mid / MID refer to MID below.pcg /.PCG refer to PCG below.pst /.PST refer to PST below.smf / SMF standard midi file. refer below.sng /.SNG a.sng file. Refer to SNG below. Arpeggio Arpeggio mode allows you to produce automatic arpeggios by holding notes on the N. Ref Guide p155 Bank the N has 4 banks (A,B,C,D) with 100 progs each, and a GM bank of 128 progs. The N also has 4 banks of 100 combis. Only banks A and B may be altered or replaced in Programs or Combination. If any of the original banks are lost they can be found on the disks that came with the N or found on the Pitstop. Basic Guide one of the two manuals that come with the N. An introduction to the N that leaves you thinking that the information will be explained in the Reference Guide. CMBI Combination. Combi / Combination made from up to 8 progs. Progs in a combi are called timbres. A prog may used more than once in a combi, usually with different settings. Combination Edit Mode in this mode you can edit existing combis or create new ones from up to 8 timbres (progs). The following can be edited: timbres and their respective levels, pan settings, Send C and D (setting the timbre output levels to the effects processor), midi channel, top and bottom note for each timbre, max and min velocity, transposition, detune and moreRef Guide p39 Combination Play Mode allows you to select and play combis. The following parameters can be modified and saved: timbres and their respective volumes, pan settings and midi channels. Any editing of progs belonging to a combi will be reflected in the combis sound. Compare while editing you can press compare to listen to the original unedited prog. Ref Guide p7.
Damper sustain pedal. Damper Pedal Polarity some pedals have different polarities which can lead to notes being sustaind while the pedal is untouched. Change the polarity in Global Mode 7B. Ref guide p179. Damper pedal 1/4 plugs sometimes malfunction and need to be replaced. Some N list members prefer the right angle jacks which reduce the wear and tear on the jack. DIS disable Disk 3.5 floppy (but theyre rigid! Well, the actual disk itself is highly floppy.) Disks can store the following files:.pcg,.sng (10.mid files),.pset (10 patterns) and.mid and is also used as one way to transfer information between the N and a computer or other keyboard. The N uses DOS-formatted disks, 100% compatible with PC's. On Macs (at least on PPCs).mid files can be accessed on DOS formatted disks. A 3.5 disk can hold a great deal of information while the N holds relatively little. Disk Mode In this mode you can save and load data to and from the Ns internal floppy disk drive. Drum kit A selection of the 215 drumsounds available on the N. Only drum kits in the RAM banks of A and B may be edited. Drumkits are selected like multisounds in a prog. To edit a drumkit: select a prog that uses a drum kit, enter global mode 6A Ref. Guide p176 Drumsound each drum kit is comprised of a selection from the 215 drumsounds available on the N. These sounds are available only within a drumkit. Edit Edit mode (press Edit button) may be activated in prog, combi and sequence mode to change sound or song parameters. Press the prog, combi or sequence button to escape Edit mode. Effects there are 47 effects available on the N. The N contains two multi-effects processors which means that only two effects may be used simultaneously on a prog, combi or sequence. When in combi mode, as there are only two processors on the N they are allocated to the combi rather than to the individual progs. It also means that only two effects that can be used for a sequence - any effect settings for the individual progs are once again ignored. ENA enable Erase All Sequencer Data Turn N off. Press and hold down the SEQ button and the 8 button. Press the N power button and sequencer memory will be 100% free. Ref Guide p98 EX System Exclusive Filter Ref Guide p 173

EXT external midi clock. ie the tempo of a sequence is controlled from another synth or computer. FAQ Frequently Asked Questions Format Disk Floppy disks need to be DOS formatted before they can be used by the N. Ref Guide p205 General Midi - The music industry manufacturers got together and agreed upon GM as a means of swapping files between musical instrument platforms. ie. Korg GM sounds are roughly the same as those on Roland GM and Yamaha GM etc. GM songs can be played with appropriate sounds on all brands of GM keyboards. These days there are other forms of cross platform communication including XG (Yamaha) and GS (Roland). GM files can be played on the N. (Ref Guide P154.) If using an external sequencer to play a GM file through the N: 1. Set Global 3A Clock to External 2. Enter Sequencer Edit mode 3. Scroll to 8F 4. Set to GM? OK 5. Are you sure? OK General Midi Drum kit Prog G129 also known as ROM drum kit #1, also Global Global mode allows you set parameters that affect the overall performance of the N. It includes master tuning, midi, memory protection and drum kits. Ref Guide p165 Global MIDI Channel GM General Midi (see above) initial.pcg/pst/sng Files on the disks that come with the N. They are completely empty. To use when you want to reset all patterns, all songs and/or all programs and combinations (in bank A and B that is). Initial.pcg is for instance useful when you want to create a new pcg from scratch without having to delete each program / combi from bank A and B by hand. INT internal midi clock ie. the tempo of a sequence is controlled by the N Joystick up and down action varies modulation. Can be modified in Prog Edit mode 6A-3 Left and right varies pitch and sweep intensity. Can be modified in Prog Edit Mode 6A-4. Ref Guide p31 Korg Support address Email: product_support@korgusa.com. Web: www.korg.com MID /.mid a midi file that may be read across the music industry but will only sound right on the N if its in GM format or has been
programmed on an N. (or these other Korg models X2, X3, X3R.).mid is the same as.smf / SMF MIDI musical instruments digital interface. Not as hard to understand as it originally may appear. MIDI DUMP / MIDI Data Dump allows you to save N date to an external midi device, computer (I NEED SOME HELP HERE) MIDI exclusive data "MIDI System Exclusive message". SysEx stands for System Exclusive. It's basically midi data that only has meaning for one specific midi device, for example an N364. Ref Guide p198 Multisound the basic 430 sound units on the N. These are assigned to each of two oscillators in a prog. ie. each prog will be made of 1 or 2 multisounds. It is only progs and combis that are selected to play but multisounds are the building blocks for progs. Multisounds are different to drumsounds. All multisounds and drumsounds are in ROM. N shorthand for the N364 and N264. Otherwise known as Nx64, or that synth with the #%*?@+ useless manuals. Oscillator - An oscillator is the basic sound source of the N. Each oscillator plays one multisound (see Multisound). Each prog can use one or two oscillators, which means that you can for instance have a prog which uses both a piano and a bass multisound. PAT pattern. Pattern - You can assign sequencer patterns to individual notes of the N and playback in realtime by pressing a note. (referred to as Pattern Play. Basic Guide p 47, Ref Guide p 143) You can have up to 100 patterns. By making a repetitive drum phrase (for eg) into a pattern you can save sequencer memory. Patterns are played by putting them into tracks. A pattern can be used in one track only. Patterns can be up to 99 measures long. Ref Guide p95 Pattern Set data - 10 patterns may be saved to a.PST file on floppy disk. PCG /.pcg short for Program, Combination and Global. A file containing all progs, combis and global settings on the N. Different pcgs can be loaded to the N and are available from the disks that came with the N. User made pcgs are available on the Pitstop and elsewhere on the Internet. There are also commercial PCG disks, sold by KORG and other companies. Pitch EG The Pitch Envelope Generator determines how the pitches of Oscillator 1 and 2 vary over time. Ref Guide p14 Pitstop a web site (http://zap.to/pitstop or http://nx64.cjb.net/) dedicated to the use of the N and run by N user extraordinaire

Kenneth Jonsson. Contains FAQ, pcgs, SNGs,.mid files, developer info and other helpful info. Knowledge of this site is essential to the learning N user. preload.pcg/pst/sng - contain the initial (factory) set-ups for the N i.e. the Programs/Combinations, Songs, Patterns which the keyboard contained when it was bought Prog / PROG short for program. The N has 4 banks of 100 progs and a GM bank of 128 progs. There are the building blocks for combis Program Edit Mode allows you to edit existing RAM progs and create new progs. Any progs to be edited in ROM banks C and D need first to be transferred to RAM bank A or B. Program Play Mode Allows you to play progs and alter them during a performance (Performance Editing). The editable parameters are: Octave, VDF EG Intensity, Attack time, Release Time, Level, Velocity and Effect Balance. PSET /.PST /.pst / Pattern Set data see above. RAM Random Access Memory. Only those progs and combis in the RAM banks A and B may be edited. ROM banks (C and D) may not be changed. A.pcg file stores 200 RAM progs and 200 RAM combis. Individual RAM progs and combis may be stored to disk as part of a.pcg file and later extracted. Rec/Write a button on the N used to record changes to progs or combis. If this button is not pushed before moving to another mode changes are lost. Recording sequences can be recorded on the N in real-time, step-time or copying data from other tracks. Due to the clumsy nature of sequencing on the N it is highly recommended that any sequencing happens with the use of a desk top computer with such software as Cakewalk or Cubase. Reference Guide one of two manuals that come with the N. A detailed guide that is generally agreed to be useless as a general introduction to the N. Nothing on the horizon from Korg gives hope that a user friendly version will be developed. News is that it can be purchased from Korg at around US$30 - $40. ROM Read Only Memory. The N has 2 unalterable ROM banks (C and D) in prog and combi mode. Only RAM banks may be altered or replaced. All multisounds and drumsounds are in ROM. RPPR Realtime Pattern Play and Recording. You can assign sequencer patterns to individual notes of the N and playback in realtime by
pressing a note. (referred to as Pattern Play. Basic Guide p 47, Ref Guide p 143. Sequence a song or part song that has been recorded using MIDI. It usually takes advantage of using different sounds on different MIDI channels to gain the effect of several instruments playing together. There are 16 tracks available for use. Sequencer Mode In this mode you can playback songs that youve recorded or have accessed by.mid files. Individual tracks may be soloed (Ref Guide p 97) When recording tracks may be overwritten or overdubbed (where an existing track is merged with new data) SMF - Standard MIDI file. See below. SNG a.sng file. Containing 10 sequenced songs (even if most of them are empty) and 100 patterns. The N264/N364 can only hold a limited number of midi events. If the songs you load contain a lot of notes and/or a lot of events you might not fit many in the memory. Try filtering unnecessary events from the songs. There could be excess aftertouch events for example. Memory usage can be reduced by using patterns. SNG is not a song or sequence or.smf. Song an individual sequence. Do not confuse with.sng which has 10 songs in a single file. Standard MIDI file /.smf / SMF (is this sent from above to confuse?) The same as.mid. Usually.smf isn't used as an extension. All SMFs weve encountered have the.mid extension. Synchronisation The N can be synchronised to other midi devices such as sequencers (including computer software), and drum machines. You will need to specify which device is the Master and which is the Slave. If the N is the Master the MIDI clock source needs to be set to INT in Global 3A. Ref Guide p105 SYSEX System Exclusive parameters. Sysex info is that non GM data generated and used by the N. N sysex data is not readable by non N synthesisers. General Midi (GM) info is readable across all GM compatible synthesisers in the music industry. Sysex filer/manager - A program that sends, receives and stores midi SysEx messages to/from any midi device, including the N. It can for instance be used to store data dumps from an N (data dumps are sent from an N using global menu page 5A). These dumps can then be sent back to the N when needed. How is this useful? For backups, for storing PCG (or SNG/PST etc) files as SysEx messages which can then be sent over midi cables to the N without having to put them on disk, and a lot of other things. (Kenneth)

Timbres the progs in any particular combi. Any combi will have 2 to 8 timbres. (It could have just 1 but it would be the same as a Prog) Timbre is used to make it clear that a prog is being used within a combi.