Korg microARRANGER Reviews

4.6/5.0 based on 9 customer reviews

Sort By Date Sort By Rating

Customer Reviews

Jose Santos
from Del Rio, Tx.
November 6, 2012Music Background:
Live Sound Engineer, Keyboardist/Guitarrist. Hobbyist Recording.

Excellent Keyboard

I am really impressed by this microarranger. It has all the features of the full size expensive Korg models. If you don't like the mini keys, hook it up to a midi keyboard and you're all set. The sounds are excellent!! Default styles are great. Haven't even scratched the surface of all this keyboard can do. Would recommend to everyone. Also would recommend sweetwater for all your musical gear purchases. Excellent service!!!!

Siufaga Naiuli Maileoi
from Anchorage Alaska
June 20, 2012Music Background:
church keyboard player for 25 years

korgmicroarranger

I really like it

Alan
from Central CA
May 11, 2012Music Background:
Semi-pro

Wow !! This thing is serious fun...

This little synth is very deceptive...but don't let it's size deceive you. It is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I sat down without reading the manual, and discovered a lot about it by jamming with it's rhythm section...really a lot of fun. Even though I have a lot of pro-level boards, the mini-keys were no problem...and actually respond quite well to velocity. Indeed, this is not a toy !! The sounds are great...the arranger functions are well thought out...the build quality, although plastic, is quite good...and the price is a real NO-BRAINER .
I was looking to buy the Korg PA3x...but this was a great way to find out if an arranger was for me without investing a lot of money. Because of this, I will be saving for the PA3X...but I'm keeping this little jewel.

Kevin Coffee
from Fort Wayne, IN USA
February 28, 2012Music Background:
hobbyist

Inspiring Fun

My perspective is that of a hobbyist who's never been able to afford the top-of-the-line arranger keyboards, which are ridiculously expensive. So for someone who's experience with arrangers is in the low-end Yamaha or Casio leagues, the MicroARRANGER is truly amazing and inspiring fun. I like the micro concept and this keyboard fits nicely by my computer, always ready to jam or record. Sounds are way better then I'm used to and the styles are superb. Yes, you can get even better at much higher prices, but this fits my budget and is more than I even expected and completely outperforms anything in the same price range. I am truly delighted with the microARRANGER!

Mike
from MI
March 14, 2012Music Background:
Guitar and Ukulele for 30 years+

Very Powerful but Takes Time to Learn

Even if you don't want an arranger, this board has so many incredible sounds that alone makes it worth the price. Korg pianos and EPs and Organs are amazing, and the ones in here are so captivating you can get lost playing all day long. Likewise, the tenor sax program (program appears to be Korg's word for the sound itself - in Roland World I think they call it timbre) and Sweet Harmonic are worth the price itself. Oh, and the syth sounds are just as fat and analog sounding as those in the MicrKorg, which itself is an amazing instrument. And all sounds are editable.

In terms of its styles, which make up the heart of the arranger, they are fun and some are quite amazing -- "Jazz Brush" is one of my favorites. Once you learn to use the Single Touch Settings you can modify the programs in the styles more easily.

The Backing Sequencer is pretty inutitive and after a while I learned how to work the real time sequencer and the event editor in Song mode - to at least make some simple songs. But there is so much power in style editing and effects and you really, really need to use the manual to figure those things out. In fact, you need to read the manual for a lot of things. I have seen both the Microstation manual and this one, and I believe, in my opinion, the Microstation is a bit easier to follow, but that may simply be the result of there is so much stuff here!

Still, once you catch on to some of the concepts it becomes easier and the quality of the styles, the ability to add more programs, performances and styles from the Korg PA series, and just the quality of the sounds themselves make this well worth the money.

Mini-keys? As a non-keyboard player, I love them! They let me play better than I ever had. The action is more synth than weighted action, but each sound is so good you learn to adapt to that. All in all, I love this keyboard and am having a lot of fun with it and would not hesitate to recommned it.

Bruce Capoferri
from Berlin, NJ
February 22, 2012Music Background:
Semi-pro performer and production studio owner

The ten percent I'd work on

I am a singer/songwriter and have produced jingles and music beds for commercials, call-waiting devices, etc. I have also produced title songs for a few independent movies and documentary videos. But I am primarily a guitarist and, other than using drum/backing band in the box devices, I have mostly used the one or two-finger triggering of chords and styles method on Yamaha PSR keyboards for my productions. The problem is, after awhile everything begins to sound the same. So, when I read about the Korg Microarranger, I watched the video and -seeing that it had similar functions- I decided to purchase it. The smaller size keys are actually a plus for a non-keyboard player. The quality of the sound and the backing styles is excellent for the price. Basically, I like everything about it except that the instruction book. For a keyboard player it may not be confusing, but for a guitar guy like me? Well, let's just say that it took me two requests to my sales rep Dan Van (who is excellent, but was unable to help me in this instance) and two more requests to Korg (who I will also applaud as being extremely helpful) to get a step by step set up proceedure to allow a non-keyboard player to do what they briefly show a guitar player dong in the video. So, do I like the Korg Microarranger? Yes. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Am I 100% happy with it? Almost. What would make me 100%? A video owner's manual explaining the basics (or at least a simpler regular manual with basic set up proceedures).

from
April 6, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist

Incredible Jam Box

Background: I mainly use this to jam with a friend of mine. We love to just layout some chord progressions and see what happens. So many styles to play with!

Sounds: Simply great! I've have a nord electro 3 and I have had the korg triton and the x50 and I was not disappointed. Electric pianos, organs, strings and synths are very good.

Micro keys: took about a day to get used to the size. Since i have only been playing for a few years no big loss in technique.

Value: for the price this is a steal.

Scotty
from Ventura County, California
February 23, 2012Music Background:
writer, music enthusiast, player

Awesome Microarranger!

This thing is great. The sounds appear to have improved and the small keys are easy to adjust to for your hands. It's great for writing out ideas and a song. It is very light and perfect for traveling or at home. Take it on a trip, to the office, or anywhere you go. Maybe next version will have charging or batteries to be completely mobile. You'll have lots of fun with it!!! Play it in bed too.

Fran Carango
from Levittown, Pa, USA
January 20, 2012Music Background:
Pro Musician

First impression of the Korg MicroArranger

When the UPS guy delivered this small box...I thought to myself..this it?.".Is that all there is"..from the Peggy Lee tune (1969)..

I opened the box and removed the contents...and I looked in the box again..did I forget something....this thing is small..

I placed it on a stand, and booted it up.....smoke began to pour out of it...just kidding, I wanted to see if you are paying attention..

Immediately, I could tell the sounds were reasonably good....some are very good...Piano, organ guitar were good...
choirs and ahhs sucked just like they do on the PA2x and PA800..

Styles are very good..for the most part ..Korg remains my favorite styles for swing, and jazz...unplugged are also good...

Although the sounds are decent and sound great thru a pa system (speakers are nothing to right home about...but nice to have, as monitors
in a quiet room..)...You can tell the detail sound you hear in the larger size samples are missing....32MB rom is a bit light in today's world..

After the first half hour of playing the small keys...my first thought was ..these keys are just too small...but knowing the keys were attached to some neat
features and sounds, made me a bit more open minded about the keys..

Some key facts..The Micro Arranger 61 keys measures 28 1/2"....My Roland G70 measures 33 1/2"..Yamaha will come in at 32 1/2"

As a matter of curiosity I measured my accordion...41 keys measured 19 5/8"...the same 41 key span on the Micro measured 19".
This surprised me, they seem smaller than the accordion..because of the length..

Korg included just about any edit features you need on this board..it is not a stripped down model...
I believe it is the same sound engine and features found not only on the PA50sd, but the popular PA1x too..

The Micro is ideal to keep handy in your car or near your door when you leave (never know when you may want to play)..

I wanted one to see if I could set it up and use it at rehearsals with my new partner...I am please to announce..
I have successfully..accomplished this...Not just styles I want to use , but SMF's too...I was able to edit and save parts/changes, and volumes...

The Operating system is just plain terrible, but usable (no where as efficient as the G70..but after you have the data edited and saved to the SD card,
you will get use to the procedures to gig..From what I can tell they didn't improve the PA3x that much when it comes to the OS.

I was going to use the A-33 controller with the Micro, but it did not seem practical..I would be much better to use the G70...(no comparison on any detail or sounds)..I already use the Korg styles I like , converted to G70..

The ideal use of the Micro, other than a ready to play anywhere keyboard...are nursing homes and other 1 hour gigs..The Micro Arranger and the Roland BA330 make a great combination for this type of job..

It took some time to get use to the key size (if you call conceding , getting use too)..I forced myself to play the Micro and a full size keyboard together..changing hands from large keys to small keys...You can adapt, but I do think if you only played the small keys, you will lose technique that you developed over the years...A well trained player will not be happy playing this board for long periods of time..

So overall, my first impression,,,is favorable....

It could be the perfect keyboard for the new fad..DJ/keyboardist/singer combination...
_________________________
Fran....