Korg Nautilus 61 Performance Synthesizer Workstation

Dazzling and Streamlined - The Korg Nautilus 61 Performance Synthesizer Workstation

Nautilus pushes the boundaries of what a performance synth and workstation is capable of. With the power of nine engines to drive a new approach to sounds, plentiful sampling, audio recording, effects, and processing power, there is simply no other synth that delivers more to explore sonically, with the workflow to get you there faster than ever. Korg spent years refining all our digital, analog, processing, and hardware technologies and delivering them in a way that helps the musician connect with their instrument. The result is the incredibly powerful, one-of-a-kind Nautilus.

Nine different sound engines offer massive expressive power. The Nautilus features nine dedicated sound engines to realistically reproduce sounds such as pianos, electric pianos, organs and more. To start, the enhanced SGX-2 piano sound generator offers delicate expressiveness to capture all the nuances of the acoustic piano, and Nautilus features the most piano libraries ever put into one product; with 12-step velocity-switched sound, string resonance and more. The EP-1 electric piano sound generator realistically reproduces seven different famous electric piano sounds. The CX-3 engine - the heart of our sought-after CX-3 reissue - covers the distinct sound of classic tonewheel organs. Add to that MOD-7 VPM/FM synthesis, the PolysixEX and MS-20EX for analog modeling, and the STR-1 for physical modeling, and you have essentially an engine for any type of sound you’re looking to get. Used together in Program or Combination mode, these distinctive engines create completely new timbres.

A User Interface Designed for Easy Operation

For the Nautilus, Korg has completely rethought the user interface, considering that panel controls tend to become denser as more functions are added. The interface of the Nautilus lets users find just the things they're looking for once they understand the principles. The MODE button lets you see what you've selected in each mode on a single screen, from PROG and COMBI to the set list, sampling, sequence and global modes. Each mode has tabs for each function, and the PAGE buttons offer more detailed editing with consistent operations. With the user-friendly navigation of the Nautilus, you can press the MODE button at any time to return to the start if you get lost. A dark mode is available for the display, using black as the primary color to reduce eye fatigue.

Six quick access buttons are also available as shortcut buttons. The Nautilus further offers four templates as a continuation of the previous user-friendly features, which can be used to select modes like PROG and COMBI, as transport buttons for sequencer playback and recording and so on. You can also select your own settings as you like. What’s more, you can freely assign functions you frequently use and save them in one of four sets.

Make Delicate Expressions and Intuitive Changes with the DYNAMICS and Realtime Knobs

With the DYNAMICS knob, you can instantly control the changes in volume and tone in response to how hard you play the keyboard (velocity); and you can customize this knob in real time to match the keyboard playing feel required for each style and song. Even when playing the same sound, you can turn this knob to get the feeling of playing a completely different sound. By finding just the right setting for your playing style, you'll uncover even more of the possibilities that the Nautilus offers.

When you activate the DYNAMICS knob and turn it to the left, the keyboard responds more softly to your playing, giving you a wide range of dynamics. This allows for delicate, expressive playing when accompanying a piano solo or vocals, which directly reflects the dynamics of your performance. On the other hand, turning the knob to the right gives a stronger, more flat dynamic response. This brings out the sound when you’re playing in a band or ensemble, which works best when performing with a more even feel.

New Sounds Offered Over Three Broad Categories

The approach to the included sound on Nautilus, started with Korg setting aside their preconceptions of what sound should be like on a conventional music workstation, and instead focusing on pushing the boundaries of sampling and programming to create a brand-new classifications of programs that they divided into three groups.

"Unique" Sounds

The Nautilus brings you distinctive sounds including phrase loops, prepared pianos, found percussion and more. Many seldom heard-of musical instruments found in different regions around the world can be difficult to play, but distinctive phrases played on these instruments are featured on the Nautilus. Use these phrases as-is in your songs - let your imagination be your guide. The Nautilus features sounds that were sampled for the first time just for this instrument, including prepared piano sounds created by placing different objects between piano strings and recording samples, or "found percussion" sounds made by turning ordinary items into instruments to be struck. Not only do these novel and mysterious sounds provide an unexpected flavor to your songs, they offer broad possibilities for sound effects used in film and TV music as well.

"Current" Sounds

The Nautilus also offers the freshest sounds that blend in well with today's music scene, including synths, drum kits, special effects and more. For synths, be sure to check out the EDM, electro and chiptune sounds for starters. Also, the Nautilus features more than 50 kinds of drum kits - sounds that most strongly reflect the changes in music over time. The special effect sounds offer useful material like drums added to dance music to create beats - sounds that you can put to use right away.

"Standard" Sounds

Korg brought together all of the most important sounds a workstation needs including piano, electric piano, guitar, bass guitar and more, covering all genres. For the newly sampled piano sound, they've also recorded the lovely sonic ambience of the studio, and you can mix the piano and ambience sound as you like with the new ambience sound. A new electric piano model with a characteristic thick sound has been added, which works great for funky playing styles. The Nautilus also adds many phrases that let you play back actual performances of guitar and bass parts that keyboardists will find useful.

SPECIFICATIONS

System

• System: NAUTILUS System Version 1.0
• Keyboard: Natural Touch Semi Weighted, C - C
• Velocity sensitive is supported, after touch is not supported

Tone Generator

• Synthesis Types (9)
• SGX-2 Premium Piano (Acoustic Piano)
• EP-1 MDS Electric Piano (Electric Piano)
• HD-1 High Definition Synthesizer (PCM)
• AL-1 Analog Synthesizer (Analog Modeling)
• CX-3 Tonewheel Organ (Tonewheel Organ Modeling)
• STR-1 Plucked String (Physical Modeling)
• MOD-7 Waveshaping VPM Synthesizer (VPM Synthesis)
• MS-20EX Component Modeling Technology (Analog Modeling)
• PolysixEX Component Modeling Technology (CMT Analog Modeling)
• Maximum Polyphony*
• SGX-2: 100 dual-stereo notes (equivalent to 400 mono voices)
• EP-1: 104 voices
• HD-1: 140 voices
• AL-1: 80 voices
• CX-3: 200 voices
• STR-1: 40 voices
• MOD-7: 52 voices
• MS-20EX: 40 voices
• PolysixEX: 180 voices
• Preset PCM: 496 MB / DISK 2.3G (ROM 1,771 Multisamples, 3,955 Drumsamples)
• Build-in Expansion PCM Libraries
• EXs301: German2 D Piano
• EXs302: Italian F Piano
• EXs303: Japanese Upright U Piano
• EXs304: Prepared Piano
• EXs305: Historical Keyboards
• EXs306: Vintage Keyboards 2
• EXs307: Strings and Synths
• EXs308: Guitar Collection
• EXs309: Bass Collection
• EXs310: World Essence
• EXs311: Background Loops
• EXs312: SFX and Hits
• EXs313: Found Percussions
• EXs314: Expansion Drums
• PCM RAM Capacity: Approx. 2GB (Approx. 760 MB available after loading file "PRELOAD.KSC")
• Wave Sequences
• 598 User memory, 377 Preload
• Support for stereo multisamples, synchronization of individual notes, and tempo-based settings

*In rare cases, when a large number of processor-intensive effects are active simultaneously (for instance, more than 14 O-Verbs), polyphony may be slightly reduced

*A portion of the multicore processor in NAUTILUS is devoted to generating voices, and a separate portion is devoted to generating effects. NAUTILUS dynamically allocates the voice processing power between the engines as necessary. The quoted maximum numbers of voices apply when 100% of the voice processing power is devoted to a single engine

Programs, Combinations, Set Lists, and Drum Kits

• User Memory Programs: 2,560 (1,920 [1,280 HD-1 + 640 EXi] come preloaded)
• User Memory Drum Kits: 264 (104 come preloaded), 256 GM Level2 preset programs + 9 GM Level 2 drum preset programs
• Drum Kit: Assignable stereo/mono samples with 8 velocity zones per oscillator (with crossfade functions)
• User Memory Combinations: 1,792 (256 come preloaded)
• Timbres, Master Keyboard Functionality
• 16 timbres maximum
• Keyboard and velocity splits, layers, and crossfades of up to 16 Programs and/or external MIDI Devices
• The tone adjust parameter function lets you modify program settings, and the master keyboard function lets you control external MIDI devices
• Advanced Vector Synthesis
• Control oscillator volumes and synthesis and effects parameters via the Vector Joystick and the tempo-synchronized Vector Envelope
• Quick Layer/Split function
• Set List
• Number of Set Lists/Slots: 128 set lists, 128 slots per set list
• Each set list provides a 9-band graphic EQ, and a Tone Adjust function that allows program settings to be adjusted
• Transpose setting
• Hold Time setting of Smooth Sound Transition (SST) supported for each slot

Sampling

• System: Open Sampling System (resampling, In-Track sampling)
• Bit Depth/Sampling Frequency
• RAM: 16-bit/48 kHz stereo/mono sampling
• DISK: 16 or 24-bit/48 kHz
• Sampling Time
• RAM: Depends on the amount of available PCM RAM
• DISK: Maximum 80 minutes stereo (879MB: 16bit)
• Sample Locations: 16,000 samples/4,000 multisamples (128 indexes per multisample)
• Formats: KORG format, AKAI S1000/S3000 data (with advanced Program parameter conversion); SoundFont 2.0, AIFF, and WAVE formats
• Editing: Time Stretch, Time Slice, Crossfade Loop, and other standard editing features

Effects

• Insert Effects: 12, Stereo in/stereo out
• Master Effects: 2, Stereo in/stereo out
• Total Effects: 2, Stereo in/stereo out
• Timbre EQ: One 3-band EQ for each timbre/track
• Effect Types: 197
• Modulation: Dynamic Modulation and Common LFO
• Effects Control Busses: Stereo side-chaining for compressors, gates, vocoders, etc.
• Effect Presets: Total 783 preset, Maximum 32 per 1 effect (Preset User)

Arpeggiator

• Arpeggiator Modules: One module in Program mode, two modules in Combination and Sequencer modes
• Arpeggio Pattern: 5 presets + ARP A 2,048 slots (1,593 come Preload) + ARP B 128 slots
• Controllers: On/Off, Latch, Gate, Velocity, Length, Swing, Tempo

Drum Track

• Drum Track Patterns: 1,272 preset (common with the preset patterns of the MIDI sequencer)
• User Patterns: 1,000 user patterns
• Patterns created in Sequencer mode can be converted to drum track user patterns
• Trigger Mode/ Sync / Zone / Swing, Drum SD, Tempo settings can be specified

Sequencer/HDR

• Tracks: 16-track MIDI sequencer + 16-track hard disk recorder + 1 master track
• Number of Songs: 200 songs
• Resolution: 1/480
• Tempo: 40.00 – 300.00 (1/100 BPM resolution)
• Maximum Memory: 400,000 MIDI events or 300,000 audio events
• MIDI Tracks: 16 tracks plus the master track, 697 preset / 100 user patterns (per song), 18 preset/16 user template songs
• Format: KORG (NAUTILUS, KRONOS, OASYS) format, SMF formats 0 and 1
• Audio Tracks
• 16-track playback, 4-track simultaneous recording, WAV file format 16bit/24bit
• Maximum Single-file Recording Time (mono): 80 minutes
• Automation: Volume, Pan, EQ, and Send1/2
• 10,000 regions (max.)
• Event Anchors, BPM Adjust
• Other Functions: RPPR (Realtime Pattern Play and Record) - 1 Pattern set per song

General

• Disk Mode: Load, save, utility, data filer function (save/load MIDI System Exclusive data), CD-R/RW (UDF format read/write), ISO9660 Level 1
• Controllers
• Joystick, Switches 1 and 2
• Arpeggiator Control: On/Off, Latch, Gate, Velocity, Length, Swing, Tempo
• DRUM TRACK: On/Off, Swing, Drum SD, Tempo
• Display: TouchView graphical user interface, 7 inch color TFT, WVGA (800 x 480 dots), adjustable brightness
• Audio Specs
• Frequency Response: 20Hz-22kHz, +/-1.0dB, 10k Ω load
• THD+N: 20Hz-22kHz, 0.01%, 10k Ω load (typical)
• S/N: 95dB (typical)
• Dynamic Range: 95dB (typical)
• Crosstalk: 95dB, at 1kHz (typical)
• Outputs
• L/MONO, R, Individual 1-4
• 1/4" TRS Balanced
• Output Impedance: 350 Ω Stereo; 175 Ω Mono (L/MONO Only)
• Nominal Level: +4.0 dBu
• Maximum Level: +16.0 dBu (when load impedance is 600 Ω or greater)
• MAIN VOLUME slider controls only AUDIO OUTPUT (MAIN) L/MONO and R
• Headphones
• 1/4" stereo phone jack
• Output impedance: 33 Ω
• Maximum Level: 60+60 mW (when load impedance is 33 Ω)
• MAIN VOLUME knob, link with AUDIO OUTPUT (MAIN)
• USB-B
• 24-bit, Sample Rate: 48 kHz, 2 channels
• Digital output of the same signals as AUDIO OUTPUT (MAIN) L/MONO and R
• Inputs
• Audio Inputs 1 and 2
• 1/4 TRS Balanced
• Input Impedance: 10 kΩ
• Nominal Level: LINE +4 dBu
• Maximum Level: LINE +16 dBu
• Nominal Level: MIC –22 dBu
• Maximum Level: MIC -10 dBu
• Source Impedance: 600 Ω
• USB-B: 24-bit, Sample Rate: 48 kHz, 2 channels
• Control Inputs: Damper pedal (half damper supported), assignable switch, assignable pedal
• MIDI: In, Out, Thru
• USB
• USB-A: For connection to external USB devices (QWERTY keyboards, MIDI controllers, ethernet adaptors, and storage)
• USB-B: MIDI/audio interface, MIDI: 1 (16 channel) input / 1 (16 channel) output, Audio: 2 channel input / 2 channel output
• Disk Drives: 60 GB SSD (2.5")
• Power Supply: AC power supply terminal, Power switch
• Dimensions: (W x D x H): 1,062 x 386 x 116 mm / 41.81 x 15.20 x 4.57 inch
• Weight: 13.0 kg / 28.66 lb
• Power Consumption: 40 W
• Accessories: AC cord, Quick Start Guide
• Options
• XVP-20: Expression/Volume Pedal
• EXP-2: Foot Controller
• DS-1H: Damper Pedal
• PS-1: Pedal Switch
• PS-3: Pedal Switch

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