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Music Media Software Linux

Korg's New Keyboard Powered by Linux 303

Posted by CowboyNeal from the under-the-hood dept.
jgwong writes "Korg's newest keyboard, called OASYS, will run Linux with a propietary software developed by themselves. With a 10.4" touchscreen, CD burner and 16-track HD audio recording this looks pretty neat. No information about availability or price, though."
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Korg's New Keyboard Powered by Linux More

Korg's New Keyboard Powered by Linux

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  • Keyboard? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Boinger69 ( 673392 ) on Thursday January 20, 2005 @10:17PM (#11427476)
    PS/2, AT, or USB?

  • All well and good... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Xpilot ( 117961 ) on Thursday January 20, 2005 @10:18PM (#11427484) Homepage
    ...but does it run...Lin...uhhh... shoot.

    Well, with the stability and reliability of Linux, Ashlee Simpson will never make a lip-sync gaffe again!

  • Having checked out the promotional video... (Score:5, Informative)

    by PornMaster ( 749461 ) on Thursday January 20, 2005 @10:21PM (#11427498) Homepage
    It looks like the UI on the touch screen could use some work. It looks too much like a typical computer GUI, and ripe for fat-fingering and just simply not being intuitively instrument-like.

    They tout the power of it being based upon a computer, but I think it'll be a few more generations of this before it really makes an impact.
    • It looks like the UI on the touch screen could use some work.

      Yes, well, they're probably using Gnome. Should have gone with KDE instead, or WindowMaker to save memory for the synths.

      Be thankful it doesn't just have a command line, or we would be bitching about the default shell used (bash vs tcsh vsh zsh etc).

    • No way! As soon as I saw this and read the list of specs, I realized this is going to put a big nail in the coffin of the whole Korg Triton line of synth workstations!

      The Triton made a *huge* impact in the music synth scene, with almost every major act wanting to be seen with one on stage or in their studio in photos, etc. I see no reason the Oasys won't be the same - serving as the logical upgrade path for Triton users.

      I realize most of the Slashdot readers aren't necessarily that interested in followi
      • Nothing, at least for quite a while, will kill the Triton. Listen to any hip hop / RnB record - most of the sounds you hear outside of samples will be the stock sound from an Akai mpc2000xl or the Triton. With any luck, the Oasys will pick up a decent part of the market (i say this since i sell pro audio gear) but tritons are a long way from being booted - studios still come in looking for asr10's and the like, discontinued keyboards, simply becasue thats what they're comfortable using, and would often traw

    • I still have my Trinity, and I will say that the tabs are probably a very nice improvement. The Trinity, as awesome as it is, does most of its navigation through buttons off to the side. There are tabs, but only for specific pieces of the UI.

      As far as "instrument-like" goes, I'm not sure that has ever been the intent of an "electronic" keyboard. Electronic musicians are very very much used to dials and buttons. The tabs are already a dramatic departure from the older analog stuff.

  • GPL keyboard ? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by thej1nx ( 763573 ) on Thursday January 20, 2005 @10:21PM (#11427504)
    Hmm concidering that they have proprietary software being commercially distributed, coupled up with Linux.. will they or won't they be bound by GPL to release the code for it ?

    Or will they skip on providing any CDs ?

    • Re:GPL keyboard ? (Score:3, Informative)

      by cipher uk ( 783998 )
      no. their proprietary software is not GPL'd so does not conform to the GPL license. just because it runs a linux kernel does not mean it needs to release the source code to its programs running on it.

      it does however need to make the source to the GPL software on it easily available. an anonymous ftp server will furfill this requirement. shipping the source code with GPL'd works is not necessary. it just needs to be easily available.

      ps. slashbots informed me of this.
      • They have to provide a formal offer to give you the source code upon request. Seeing as this is a synthesiser it's quite possible you don't even have a computer let alone an internet connection, so an ftp site really doesn't cut it. If I send them a blank CD and a stamped return envelope requesting the source code they best be burning the linux source they used onto the CD and sending it back to me or I'll be telling Linus who will probably threaten to sue them just for shits and giggles.

    • Re:GPL keyboard ? (Score:4, Informative)

      by SuburbaniteFury ( 776695 ) on Thursday January 20, 2005 @10:27PM (#11427550)

      Ahem.

      "In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other work under the scope of this License."

      From the GPL, version2.

    • Hmm concidering that they have proprietary software being commercially distributed, coupled up with Linux.. will they or won't they be bound by GPL to release the code for it?

      With the number of open source-friendly folks on Slashdot, it amazes me how often this question turns up in comments. You'd think /. crowd knows what the GPL is, and that most readers would have some basic knowledge about the GPL (and thus, be able to answer above question for themselves).

      Never read a single copy of the GPL ?!? Ju

  • purpose? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by trs9000 ( 73898 ) <trs9000@gmail . c om> on Thursday January 20, 2005 @10:24PM (#11427522)
    I have to admit I don't fully understand these all-powerful keyboards. Why not just use a computer? Software synthesis and recording? Better gui (larger real estate for sure), more choices. You could posit portability but I think my powerbook and my oxygen8 [midiman.com] is more portable than this sucker. It's cool, it's geeky, but that does not make it worth the cash, especially if I'm just worried about getting things done. It seems to me all-in-one systems are more prone to breakin down. Modularity, right? It is pretty though.

    • Re:purpose? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by afidel ( 530433 ) on Thursday January 20, 2005 @10:30PM (#11427582)
      Because setting up a PC and dealing with software crashes just isn't acceptable in a professional live music setting. I saw the Chemical brothers lose their entire library at a live show once and it meant an unexpected 15 minute second intermission. Luckily it wasn't an OS corruption issue, they just reset the looper and reloaded their samples. Not to mention the fact that these things are really friggin rugged to put up with the abuse from roadies. Oh yeah, and these things basically never break down. I don't think I've ever heard of a Korg Triton (previous DAW from Korg) breaking down.
    • I totally agree with you except for two things (which sort of negates the whole "totally" thing I spoke of earlier).

      First of all, it sucks enough carrying around a keyboard(s), cords, pedals, amps and a stand. Adding a laptop, powercord, midi cables, etc. on top of that may raise the suckage level enough for some that they would be willing to pay the high price.

      My second disagreement is the oxygen8. If it doesn't have 88 keys on it, I don't want anything to do with it. I use every last one of those suc
      • I agree about the oxygen8 not having enough keys. However, that's what I have and use, so I wanted to speak from experience. There are other [midiman.com] options [midiman.com] for more full-size keyboards [midiman.com].
        The second to last is full-size and semi-weighted. The last has hammer action! Though it is 600$US.
    • your powerbook isnt built for the environment and handling these things are made for. They're meant to be, and will be, abused by travelling, roadies, the musicians etc. They're very reliable.

      cash is little object to a working professional who needs to get things done, and reliably.

      and swapping back and forth between a midiman and a powerbook hardly looks very professional, nor does it make for a fluid show... I know alot of guys who do it both ways. The ones with the big all-in-one keyboards typicall
      • To be fair I know several professionals that successfully use a Powerbook on stage with their keys namely David Sancious and Kipper from Sting, Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock. In fact, Herbie uses the Powerbook exclusively for sounds, sequences and overall control.

        BTW Roadies rarely play with anything backline related, that's why god invetned techs. From my experience, PB's hold up rather well. Go to a large show, 90% of the road crew is using one.

        As far as cash, back when the OASYS was conceived, the

    • Because their roadie proof. Single box, no interconnections from a keyboard to a computer to setup. Ruggidised compenents. Oh and a stable OS that is tuned for exactly the hardware of the keyboard, with only the necessary software etc. so the possibilities of embarassing crashes in the middle of a performance are very low.

      Basically every night it can be plugged in by a thick as a brick roadie, and it will work and play flawlessly the whole night. Then it can be packed up again by the same roadie and shippe
      • Obviously you're not used to real road shows where "roadies" are used. Roadies NEVER play with the instruments themselves, that's what backline guys are for and they're usually better at taking care of teh gear than the actual musicians. Roadies aren't what they used to be. More or less they supervise and direct the local union grunts as to stage construction etc.

        I fear that the OASYS will require boot time, so the idea of turning it on and off, working flawlessly the whole night seems to be a pipe dream.

    • Piracy (Score:2, Interesting)

      by sserendipity ( 696118 )

      This keyboard can't be pirated, in the way that software can. Ergo, there's money to be made. Perhaps you won't get it into the hands of as many people, but at least those people will have actually paid you.

      Also, not every musician is a computer geek. I've met quite a few who were terrified by them, even though they were happy getting around equally complex audio hardware.
    • Most musicians use a combination of both. For live performance, hardware based devices (such as the OASYS or Kurzweil K series) are hands down the better option IMHO. When I've been out on stage, I always liked the comfort (and reliability) of having a bunch of devices around me that were designed specifically for that purpose. I would probably have my old iBook with me now for running some of the more automated parts, but my rig would look pretty much the same as before.

      In some cases they are also much ea
    • Try playing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" on your oxygen8.

  • Obligatory Oasis joke (Score:3, Funny)

    by Rui del-Negro ( 531098 ) on Thursday January 20, 2005 @10:25PM (#11427532) Homepage
    Of course, being called "OASYS", that means all your songs will end up sounding like a mix of two Beatles' songs with a bit played backwards.

  • man, that was NOT what I pictured...

    "why would it need a 10" LCD...???"
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • I WANT ONE!

    Time to upgrade my Roland.

  • Doomed to Fail (Score:3, Insightful)

    by copponex ( 13876 ) on Thursday January 20, 2005 @10:37PM (#11427638) Homepage
    I work at a pro audio store, and I can tell already that this thing is doomed to fail. I remember someone trying to get us to resell a dual opteron with Windows XP integrated into a keyboard. It was awkward and too expensive for the $4500 price tag it commanded.

    Modularity is much more popular in recording studios. Buy a Mac Mini and an MBox, and you've still got $3,000 to spend on good mics, a good channel strip, and a decent keyboard controller with MIDI triggered sound collections. Plus you've got a real interface with a decent screen size, without the "benefit" of being locked into a dead-end all-in-one solution. That's why Pro Tools HD systems and Apple Logic Pro setups are in 90% of the studios instead of crappy Roland workstations or Mackie d8bs.

    • I have to agree. It's the same reason why the TV/VCR or TV/DVD combos aren't a great idea for most people. Do you really want to lose your TV when you send the player out be repaired? I don't think so. Those kinds of devices appeal to a niche market.

      Eric
      Why the Vioxx recall reduced spam [ericgiguere.com]
    • The Opteron keyboard is the OpenLabs Neko. I've seen it (met its designers too).

      Its meant for a live setting - rugged and much easier to set up than the slapped together rigs I run into all the time. One big box to keep an eye on and pack is less likely to be damaged and lost than a bunch of little boxes full of consumer-ish hardware that wasn't meant for that kind of harsh, smoky, bump and drop environment.

      If anyone's curious it runs XP-64 and has 8 gigs of ram in the high end version...

  • It's 8 frickin' grand... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by IANAAC ( 692242 ) on Thursday January 20, 2005 @10:37PM (#11427643)
    Sorry, that's just WAY too pricy in my book, and believe me, I drop a good deal of change on my project studio, albeit most of it software based.

    Seriously, the hardware looks nice and all, but you could piece together a comparable system with components for half the cost.

    Really.

    • Yep, korg has proved time and time again that they dont get it (and Im a HUGE fan of theirs, I own about 10 korg products).

      They don't understand that the move in studios is to small, cheap, modular systems. Romplers are largely *over*, and so are monolithic synths. Thats why *EVERY* other manufacturer has either gone out of business or to small synths that can integrate with a pc. Couple that with the fact that the OASYS arichitecture is several years old already, and im afraid you have an overpriced p

  • Price (Score:2, Informative)

    by Asahi Super Dry ( 531752 )
    Rumor has it that it's going to be priced around $8000 US. Which is pretty outrageous given that you gan do the same with a PC and some software plus a midi controller for a fraction of that. Not to mention that Alesis is releasing a similarly spec'd beast expected to retail closer to $2000.

  • unbundling (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Doc Ruby ( 173196 ) on Thursday January 20, 2005 @10:55PM (#11427778) Homepage Journal
    How about getting just the proprietary SW, and a Korg soundcard, and a MIDI keyboard (only - just the keys outputting MIDI data)? Maybe they'd prefer to bundle the proprietary SW with the Korg soundcard, the way they sell keyboardless MIDI "brains", without worrying about piracy? Every Linux box (and some still infected with Windows ;) could be in their target market. We've already got the HW that runs the Linux and their SW; why raise their prices by selling it to us again?
    • You mean like this?

      http://www.korg.com/oasyspci.htm

      It bombed, partly because I think it was ahead of it's time.

  • Foot in the door for Linux (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Korg first annoucned the OASYS in the early 1990s, long before the Trinity (predecessor of the Triton) hit the market. For a while the OASYS was a DSP card, too. Now it's 3 of their synths rolled into one with a touchscreen. Nothing worth writing home about, if it weren't for their use of Linux as its OS. If they've managed to make it fast-booting, and made fast patch-changing possible, they might not have a winner (boot and patch-changing times on synth workstations are slooooooooooooooooooooow), but it'll
  • ...that there aren't more "geeks" who got into computers by way of artistic endeavors. I mean, what the hell man? I got into computers in order to do electronic music, so I knew exactly what the subject line meant. This is why I no longer consider myself a "geek". Sure, I do a lot of stuff that ould be considered geek-like. I love to compile all my software from source and hate RPMs. I try to automate as much as possible at home using Linux. My desktop systems are all Linux based. I run my own web,

    • Right there with you on that one. The whole reason that I got in to working with computers was so that I could do MIDI sequencing. 15 years later I'm making a living working with the things, as opposed to with my guitars and keyboards, but that's just fine. Being a musician is a crappy way to make a living unless you're on the top of the muckheap anyway.

      Linux Pro Audio has come a long way in the last few years, especially with the advent of astounding projects like ALSA, JACK, and Ardour. If only we c

  • ... or is that little JavaScript-driven hover-scrollbox to read the specs one of the worst information display tools ever?

    I want to read the frigging specs, not do the hover-unhover stupid graphic in a miniscule window trick...

  • I've always been a fan of top notch high quality synthesizers. When I was younger I played alot of the piano, so naturally sweet synthesizers was the cool, geeky thing to pursue. KORG has always made some of the best synths, however the ones worth buying have always been very expensive.

    It is nice to know that an important player in the synthesizer biz is starting to use Linux, mainly because I am a lover of Linux and I want to see the technology spread. However, when we're dealing with synthesizers, I cann

  • My first - and only - 'high-end' keyboard was a Roland.

    I was living in England at the time, and me and my band-mates took to hanging out in Cambridge and prowling the music stores looking for deals. I wanted, but could not afford a top of the line Yamaha DX-1 [vintagesynth.org] - so instead settled for a Roland JX-3P [vintagesynth.org]. This was 1983/84 timeframe. Rumor had it that Thomas Dolby acquired his keyboards from the same shop (but that is highly speculative - although interestingly the linked article does mention him - so my machi

  • This is not really new (Score:3, Informative)

    by DaveCBio ( 659840 ) on Friday January 21, 2005 @12:19AM (#11428430)
    OASYS has been around for years - http://www.korg.com/oasyspci.htm

    If I was going to get something like this I would probably go this route so I would be able to run my exisitng software - http://www.openlabs.com/

    Korg isn't the only one running Linux for audio hardware - http://www.museresearch.com/receptor_overview.php

    Being in audio I don't really see the advantages of systems like this over a good PC, control surface and a MIDI keyboard. That is unless you are using it for live gigs.
  • Korg announced the OASYS back in 1994 [vanille.de] ... Interesting that they stuck with the name for this product.. However, I think this type of super-workstation keyboard is past its prime .. like others have said, most studios seem to be doing a significant amount of processing via software placing most of the $$ into mics/sound reinforcement/etc.. For gigging .. does anyone seriously want to cart one of these monsters around? No thanks.

  • Network with a guitar? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Linuxathome ( 242573 ) on Friday January 21, 2005 @12:30AM (#11428507) Homepage Journal
    Can it be networked with the Gibson guitar with built-in ethernet [gibson.com]?

  • This is not unexpected News (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Ralph Spoilsport ( 673134 ) on Friday January 21, 2005 @12:58AM (#11428704) Journal
    As a professional electronic musician (among other things as an interdisciplinary artist) I can comment on this development.

    Basically, the Keyboard People are fucked.

    Strike that. They are FUCKED.

    Why? As one poster noted above: Software.

    Software synthesis already outstrips most anything you can do in a keyboard, and at a much lower cost.

    Exhibit A:

    REASON [propellerhead.se]

    I remember back i nthe ancient 1980s, when a cheezy ass sampler (by todays standards) cost $2000+. In Reason, which costs about $400, you can fill an entire virtual rack with samplers far in excess of what availed then. you want 11 samplers stacked? If you had $25,000 - SURE. In Reason, when you're done, you simply open up a new blank Rack, and fill it with more/other goodies from the drop down menu. Back then, you'd have to sell all those samplers...

    It comes with drum machines, samplers, processors, mixers, synthesizers of several different stripes, and on and on.

    Second Exhibit: ABLETON LIVE [ableton.com]

    This, in combination with Reason, offers truly terrifying amounts of musical development and creativity. Recently, Live was upgraded to include MIDI, and a basic drum machine, so now it is even more deadly as a combo with Reason. Live is a Loop based compositional system, but with its new MIDI capabilities, it is now a much more powerful beast. It costs about $350, IIRC.

    Exhibit Three: Max/MSP [cycling74.com]

    This, in combination with Live and Reason, makes ANYTHING coming out of Korg pretty much superfluous. With Live and Reason, you have composition systems and tonnes of "Gear". With Max/MSP you make your own gear, and it can be just as weird as you want it to be. Max/MSP isn't a synth, it's a software development environment that resembles an evil cross between Visual Basic and tinkertoys. It's available on Mac and (finally) Windows, and it totally fuckin' rocks. If you wondered how freeks like Autechre [warprecords.com] makes all that jiggety noise, look no further than:
    Max/MSP.

    so, lets run some totals:

    My guess is the Oasys will likely come in around at a $2500 price point.

    I often shop at Musicians Friend [musiciansfriend.com] so my prices are from there as of today, Jan 20th. They aren't the best, or the worst. It's just a data point.

    Reason: on sale: $199
    Ableton Live: $399
    Max/MSP with Jitter (video libraries): $799
    Edirol PCRA-30 keyboard with Audio In: $299

    And a computer I found at PC MALL - an IBM Thinkpad:

    Intel P4, 2.8GHz processor, 256MB RAM, 40GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD Combo drive,15" XGA Display, XP-Pro, etc.

    Which has PLENTY of power for audio. and it's on sale for $1,198.

    So, throw in another hundred bucks for a kbd stand and what not and the total is around:

    $2900

    Which is probably a bit more than the OASYS will sell for. Since Max/MSP is for Advanced User GEEKS, and Jitter is even geekier, cut the $799 out and you have an entire electronic music studio that KICKS ASS for about $2200.

    ...for a system that will totally thrash the OASYS up and down the street. Cheerfully.

    Now: will your system CRASH? Yes. Will the OASYS? Probably not. If you're worried about that, then get a Powerbook or a Linux Book or whatever-the-fuck-book that flips your crank. They don't Blue Screen as much as Windoze box, but there are other issues involved. All in all, unless you're planning to spend a lot of time on stage, you're better off with the compter based system.

    In a few years you will have run through most of what the OASYS does. In a few years... I *shudder* to think what Reason and Live will be like...

    Basically Hardware Synth manufactueres are doomed. The only ones who will survive are the ones making the uber-geek analogue gear, and they will basically be little more than boutique operations for purists.

    RS

    • Interesting that you brought up MAX. Stephen Kay, creator of KARMA and a slew of programming for Korg for 15+ years, wrote KARMA using MAX on his Mac. The main cost will be the highly refined control suface that I'm sure Korg will attach to it. A 76-key and 88-key version is slated with more buttons and sliders etc than a JD-800. I would probably pay $800 for OASYS in software form, if it ran on a Mac. It won't happen, but I'm happy to see the keyboard I dreamed about for years coming to fruition.

      Peace

  • vaporware (Score:2, Funny)

    by soupdevil ( 587476 )
    Is this thing actually for sale? The OASYS has been the Duke Nukem Forever of the audio world for at least five years.

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