Korg PA Arrangers and Osimo

[Biggles]

With the Korg PA Arrangers there is a great resource at the UK based site Korg Worid dot Co dot UK where there are Osimo versions for each of the 700, 1000 and 4X keyboards.

The Osimo plug in gives additional Songbook entries each of which has been customized by Korg UK staffers.

Osimo runs from the USB stick and is not loaded into the inbuilt memory.

In total there are c850 Songs available over the three versions.

So I set about combining all three versions into one, which in itself has taken me two hours of copying and pasting so I thought that I would share the actions that I have undertaken with fellow PA owners who may be interested in doing the same.

Since my own PA is the one at the bottom of the rung I expected issues since my own PA does not have the full range of instrument voices and available Styles that the 1000 and especially the 4X does.

I downloaded each Osimo Zip file from Korgworld and extracted each to a folder named Korg. Inside this folder I created a folder called OsimoAll_v1.set (do note you have to include .set in the name).

Within Korg's own software Songbook Editor, I loaded the Osimo .set folder contents for the 4X version into the software.

I then opened a second window of Songbook Editor and loaded the Osimo .set folder contents for the 1000 version of the software.

Contrary to what you might think simply copying and pasting the listed Songs is not the way to go, the way to go is via the Setlists.

Compare each of the Setlists shown in the two open windows and in the one containing the 4X version of Osimo create a new Setlist(s) named to correspond to the open window version containing the 1000 version Setlists.

So now the window containing the 4X version should have all its own Setlists plus empty Setlists from the 1000 version where there are different to those in the 4X version.

It is a case of selecting each of the Setlist entries via Select All and dragging them to the correct Setlist folder in the 4X Osimo Window.

A pop up window now asks to Overwrite existing, Retain existing or rename for the first entry Select Retain existing, the pop up window then comes on screen for the next entry where again select Retain, repeat this until all Setlist entries have been copied.

Repeat this for each of the Setlists shown in the 4X.

At this point DO NOT save the modified 4X Songbook since all the additional Songs will show Red in the main window to signify that they have not yet been saved, this is useful later.

Now it is time to open another Songbook Window but this time for the 700 version of Osimo, the same procedure to Setlist(s) is followed, create new empty Setlists in the 4X window where there are different named Setlists in the 700 Window.

It is now a case of going through each Setlist in the 4X Window and copying and pasting the Setlist entries from the 700 version of Osimo to the corresponding Setlist in the 4X version.

Now for the BUT, this time on each occasion the pop up window shows select Retain, repeat process in each Setlist until they are all copied.

The Retain process is so that the Styles etc of the 700 are retained and not replaced by possible slightly different Styles that might have been used in the 4X or 1000 versions.

Now there is a lot of Red entries and it is a case of starting at the top of the Alphabetically sorted list and deleting any duplicates that you may have created, taking note that there are occurences where different artists and different Genres have been used, where this is the case retain the duplicate.

Now it is a case of saving the 4X file into the OsimoAll_v1.set folder via the Save As command.

Copy this folder onto a USB stick formatted in your PA and insert the USB drive into your PA and then load the OsimoAll_v1,set folder contents via Media > Load, navigate to said folder and select Load.

Now it is a case of going through each Setlist and each of the entries to play the Song and note any errors which in my own case has been Style Not Found. You can then modify the offending Song in Songbook editor by selecting a Style that is on your PA.

NOTE
You will need to modify the procedure depending upon your PA, If you have a 4X then at the pop up window for each you select Retain. If you have a 1000 you load the 700 version and select Retain at eah of the pop up windows, then when you copy and paste the 1000 entries you select Retain for each pop up instance.

Anyway for me enough is enough, time to play.

 

[gwc uk]

Colin. You deserve a whisky after that !!!!

 

[CowboyNQ]

I think he was on the whisky when he wrote it! Hehe.

 

[Biggles]

I will use this thread to copy and paste info about various PA functions with this post being about how to change the four default keyboard sets that there are in a Specific Style and those other instrument voices in Up1, Up2 and Low.

Do a full System Backup then proceed as follows:-

Styles are protected, tap down arrow in top right of your PA screen to see the greyed out options.

To unprotect you need to press and hold Shift, then press Style.

Click on Media tab onscreen then unprotect Media, Global and Factory.

Press exit to get back to Style Play screen.

Tap down arrow in top right and you will see what was greyed out is now editable, press Exit to clear the drop down menu off screen.

Tap Keyboard on screen, select what you want as the instrument voice.

(1) Then from drop down select Write Kbd Set to Style, making sure the instrument name is correct (if not correct it by tapping on the T and naming it what you want) and making sure it is going to be saved in position 01.

(2) If you also want to change the instrument voices in Up1, Up2 and Low, tap on each in turn, select the instrument voice you want then select Write Current Style Settings.

Repeat (1) & (2) for the three other positions, making sure that they are saved in positions 02, 03 & 04 respectively, then when this is completed from drop down menu select Write Current Style Settings.

In Style mode select a different Style, play something then go back and select the Style you just edited and all should be OK.

Now go back into the Lock screen and check the protection boxes.
.
.
OK you non PAers the above probably makes zero sense to you but the above is not covered very well in the Korg manual and only by tearing what hair I have left out did I work out how to do the above.

 

[gwc uk]

Colin. Thank you. I'll save & print.

 

[Biggles]

Korg PA’s have a feature to save to a specific folder and to load and run the features from said folder, this is called Direct access.

EG
To save a customised Style as a Song during the write process the option is to save to Internal or to the Direct folder.

To set up a Direct access folder follow procedure as following:-

On a PC create a folder on your USB drive that you want to use as the Direct folder, I keep mine simple and called my folder Direct.set (including the .set in the name), eject USB correctly (use the eject routine rather than simply pulling it out) and inset it into your PA.

Now press and hold Shift then Press Media button.

Onscreen there should be a Media tab, press it.

On screen there is the legend Direct Folder.

Press Browse then navigate to your new folder you want to use, click on Select etc and you are good to go.

Now if you want to save Songs to this folder you can and once you have saved to it each Song saved there will have a border around it to show that it is saved to the Direct folder (when you are in Songbook mode that is).

Col

 

[OldTimerBill]

Colin,

Thanks very much for this information. I have not purchased a keyboard yet but I am leaning toward the Korg PA700. I had never heard of the Osimo software until yesterday. I watched a recording of a Korg live cast that talked about it a little but I want to make sure I am correct in my understanding. Is the primary function of the software to decode the names of the songs that come with the arrangers plus add some additional information like artist and genre into the songbook?

In you explanation of the process of installing the software (above) it sounds like there are versions for the PA700, the PA1000, and the 4x keyboards. Do these keyboards come with different songs and is that the reason you installed all three versions? On your PA700?

Thanks.

 

[Biggles]

Bill
The key to the Korg arrangers is to use the Songbook feature.

For example if you have a favourite song you like to play you select the applicable Style, change the four keyboard sets to those you want to use (if you do nit want the four that are default with the Style), then change the four Pads (again if necessary), modify the track volumes and add the required Fx. Then save it to Songbook where it is available for selection and it will be configured as per your save.

In Songbook you can also create a series of Setlists from the Songbook entries.

The default Songbook has quite a lot of well known songs included as it does with the inclusive Setlists that relate to the songs.

Sorry if this seems a bit long winded but I am getting there.

Osimo is a Korg UK free add on, it loads from a USB memory stick where it permanently resides, hence it does not require internal keyboard memory. Osimo is specific to each Pa model and it is essentially a separate Songbook of c120 popular songs plus specific Setlists by Genre ie Movie Themes.

The Korg channel on Youtube has a batch of video tutorials on each of the Pa models plus there is a c35 minute video tutorial separate on using Songbook in more detail than in the Video Manual tutorials for the Pa models.

 

[OldTimerBill]

Thanks again for your help. I have watched all of the Korg videos that I can find plus I have read quite a bit of the manual. (I sound pretty nerdy, right?)

Back to the Osimo software and songbooks... so when you combined all three of the Osimo files did you get 850 different songs or lots of duplicates? I have another question about MP3+G files but I think I will start a new thread. Thanks again.

 

[OldTimerBill]

With the Korg PA Arrangers there is a great resource at the UK based site Korg Worid dot Co dot UK where there are Osimo versions for each of the 700, 1000 and 4X keyboards.

The Osimo plug in gives additional Songbook entries each of which has been customized by Korg UK staffers.

Osimo runs from the USB stick and is not loaded into the inbuilt memory.

In total there are c850 Songs available over the three versions.

So I set about combining all three versions into one, which in itself has taken me two hours of copying and pasting so I thought that I would share the actions that I have undertaken with fellow PA owners who may be interested in doing the same.

Since my own PA is the one at the bottom of the rung I expected issues since my own PA does not have the full range of instrument voices and available Styles that the 1000 and especially the 4X does.

I downloaded each Osimo Zip file from Korgworld and extracted each to a folder named Korg. Inside this folder I created a folder called OsimoAll_v1.set (do note you have to include .set in the name).

Within Korg's own software Songbook Editor, I loaded the Osimo .set folder contents for the 4X version into the software.

I then opened a second window of Songbook Editor and loaded the Osimo .set folder contents for the 1000 version of the software.

Contrary to what you might think simply copying and pasting the listed Songs is not the way to go, the way to go is via the Setlists.

Compare each of the Setlists shown in the two open windows and in the one containing the 4X version of Osimo create a new Setlist(s) named to correspond to the open window version containing the 1000 version Setlists.

So now the window containing the 4X version should have all its own Setlists plus empty Setlists from the 1000 version where there are different to those in the 4X version.

It is a case of selecting each of the Setlist entries via Select All and dragging them to the correct Setlist folder in the 4X Osimo Window.

A pop up window now asks to Overwrite existing, Retain existing or rename for the first entry Select Retain existing, the pop up window then comes on screen for the next entry where again select Retain, repeat this until all Setlist entries have been copied.

Repeat this for each of the Setlists shown in the 4X.

At this point DO NOT save the modified 4X Songbook since all the additional Songs will show Red in the main window to signify that they have not yet been saved, this is useful later.

Now it is time to open another Songbook Window but this time for the 700 version of Osimo, the same procedure to Setlist(s) is followed, create new empty Setlists in the 4X window where there are different named Setlists in the 700 Window.

It is now a case of going through each Setlist in the 4X Window and copying and pasting the Setlist entries from the 700 version of Osimo to the corresponding Setlist in the 4X version.

Now for the BUT, this time on each occasion the pop up window shows select Retain, repeat process in each Setlist until they are all copied.

The Retain process is so that the Styles etc of the 700 are retained and not replaced by possible slightly different Styles that might have been used in the 4X or 1000 versions.

Now there is a lot of Red entries and it is a case of starting at the top of the Alphabetically sorted list and deleting any duplicates that you may have created, taking note that there are occurences where different artists and different Genres have been used, where this is the case retain the duplicate.

Now it is a case of saving the 4X file into the OsimoAll_v1.set folder via the Save As command.

Copy this folder onto a USB stick formatted in your PA and insert the USB drive into your PA and then load the OsimoAll_v1,set folder contents via Media > Load, navigate to said folder and select Load.

Now it is a case of going through each Setlist and each of the entries to play the Song and note any errors which in my own case has been Style Not Found. You can then modify the offending Song in Songbook editor by selecting a Style that is on your PA.

NOTE
You will need to modify the procedure depending upon your PA, If you have a 4X then at the pop up window for each you select Retain. If you have a 1000 you load the 700 version and select Retain at eah of the pop up windows, then when you copy and paste the 1000 entries you select Retain for each pop up instance.

Anyway for me enough is enough, time to play.

Hey Colin .... thanks very much for this information. Although I haven't even ordered my keyboard yet, I still followed your explanation of combining the 3 Osimo files into one in the PC Songbook Editor. It will be interesting to see how much editing I have to do if I import the file into a PA700 (as you described that you had to do).

Here is a follow-on question for you or anyone else who would care to chime in (let me know if I should start a new thread for this discussion) ...

I am trying to get clear in my mind the relationship between style files and midi files. Let's say I get a PA700 and import the Songbook that I just created. As an example, let's say I open the style file for "Candle in the Wind". Basically what that gives me is a style and some keyboard sets that should work well when I play that song.

Now let's say I import a midi file of "Candle in the Wind". I will need to go in and attach a Style and Keyboard Sets to that midi file. Is that correct? ....

The Style and the Keyboard Sets that I attach to the midi file may or may not be the same as those that are associated with style file for this song.

I hope I am using the correct terminology and that my question makes sense.

Thanks again.

Bill

 

[Biggles]

You are welcome and yes your question makes sense.

Firstly, I responded to you on the Korg forum where a certain member commented about what they see the downgrading of the OS by the omission of features compared to the older Pa models, the poster has a bee in their bonnet and yaps on about the changes at every opportunity and I have given up commenting on their posts as many lead on to troll like comments by him/her. I even raised the so called issues with Korg staff who did not think it was of any significance as there are workarounds. The issues that they seem to think are significant never caused me any problems at all, nor do they seem to be problems to Harry who probably uses his 700 more in a month than anyone else does in a year.

Play a MIDI file and it is what it is, a Style file can be thought of as a very flexible MIDI file as you can select from three intros, four variations and three endings plus change instruments in real time on the fly.

With each of the four variations being selectable as you want to use them in a song. Var 1 is basic, var 2 is busier, var 3 is busier than var 2 and var 4 gives the full monty.

With the Intros and Endings if I remember correctly, 1 gives a predetermined 12bar, 2 gives a user controlled 8 bar and 3 gives one bar.

I did not use the MIDI files that I have as a MIDI file, there is no need as all Korg’s have a feature where you can import a MIDI file and the Korg MIDI to Style bot will convert it into a Style file, you save it to a user bank location and then edit it with the Keyboard sets etc than you want to include. The import will make a best guess at instrument sounds to include, typically the GM sounds and these vary in being appropriate or otherwise.

TIP
Do your research on using the Direct feature. You turn on the feature and save your own Styles, Songbook etc to the assigned Direct folder on the USB memory stick. I frees up internal memory and it means the whole of your setup will function off the stick thus its easily transferable to another Pa if desired. I even took mine into a store, plugged it in to a 4X and played a few songs, hence its a great feature. Direct btw does not save add on Sounds, they have to reside in the internal memory.

 

[OldTimerBill]

Thanks again for all the information. I will do some research on the Direct feature. I would imagine since there is not a ton of internal memory that you have to be selective on what goes in there. I read about the Yamaha piano that you can download and add to the Korg but it looked like it was a really big file. It sounds like the Direct feature will at least free up some space to add additional sounds.

Thanks again.

 

[Biggles]

Reuben who produced the Piano sound has one with a smaller size making it better for the limited memory that there is in a 700.

Links are on Korg forums.

 

[siebenhirter]

Here is a follow-on question for you or anyone else who would care to chime in (let me know if I should start a new thread for this discussion) ...

I am trying to get clear in my mind the relationship between style files and midi files. .... Basically what that gives me is a style and some keyboard sets that should work well when I play that song.

Now let's say I import a midi file of "Candle in the Wind". I will need to go in and attach a Style and Keyboard Sets to that midi file. Is that correct? ....

The Style and the Keyboard Sets that I attach to the midi file may or may not be the same as those that are associated with style file for this song.

I hope I am using the correct terminology and that my question makes sense.

Hallo OldTimerBill,
question makes sense - but the previous informations in this thread describing properties and usability of a songbook - including the Osimo versions - are in a misleading manner rather than well.

Do not believe the key to Korg arrangers would be to use the Songbook feature - this is just an advertising slogan.

Better learn to understand how to use its features and how to change and handle its settings (with or without Songbook) - that will be the way to learn what best suits your habits to play a keyboard with available tools and features.

Do not believe Songbook has Songs included - Songbook do not include songs, because it is a database that only includes Settings and Links. These data are written into Entries, that you can select for use to play with. Each of these entries is denoted - mostly by the names of songs for which the settings are more or less suitable to be played with.

There are two types of songbook entry types: styles or songs, in order to play with one style in StylePlayMode, or to play in SongPlayMode with an SMF (StandardMidiFile) or with an MP3. In StylePlayMode you play the background noise via the chord recognition of the StylePlayer; in SongplayMode data from an SMF or MP3 file are used for this purpose.

It is not possible to use both modes at the same time - therefore there is no relationship between styles and midifiles that will allow to attach style and its sets to a Midi file.

What your can do is to create one Sb-entry for playing a style in styleplay mode and a second sb-entry for playing a SMF or MP3 in songplay mode. In both modes it is possible to use same settings for realtime sounds, when you copy Kbdset#1-4 from sb-entry typ style to sb-entry typ song (or the other way around ).

About Terminology:
With songbook a style (sb-entry typ style) is not associated with a song but with its style elements and linked with four Pads and four KeyboardSets. Elements of a style can be created, whose sequences are specific to a certain song (songspecific style) and are less suitable as a universal style for another song.
With songbook a song (sb-entry typ song) is linked to a SMF or MP3, therefore is associated with this song (and also linked to four Pads and KeyboardSets).

Kind regards
siebenhirter - still have bees in my bonnet against misleading answers

 

[Biggles]

Time to correct what is imo a misleading comment in the prior post which may also be leading to confusion

Once the basic features of any Pa Arranger are learned and the user fully understands how to save and create a Style specific to a particular Song including changing the Pads and keyboard sets of an as installed Style then moving on to using the Songbook is the logical next step.

Far from being just an Advertising Slogan in practice the use of Songbook and an entry therin can very quickly configure the Pa with the Style, Pads, Keyboard Sets, Eq, FX etc to enable you to play your specific Song with the minimum of button presses.

Songbook in practice is a series of saved Styles each if which has been customised by a user to represent a specific song that they want to play them-self or for others to play since a Songbook can be freely distributed if so desired.

On Korg UK’s Webinar site, which are freely available to watch there are many instances where the demonstrator or guest pro keyboard player uses the Songbook function to call up the Song they are going to play.

So if using Songbook is just an Advertising Slogan it is a very good one, as it has me convinced.

MIDI file playback, yes the Pa series has this function but it is not one that I found even remotely useful. The Pa series has the facility convert a standard MIDI file into a Style, so quite why one would not use this feature is beyond me.

As with any device which has a computer at its core there is always multiple ways of achieving the same outcome, it is a case of finding what is the most beneficial way for you.