Korg OASYS

OASYS
Korg OASYS
ManufacturerKorg
Dates2005–2009
Price$8,000–$8,500
Technical specifications
Polyphony172 for HD-1, CX-3, & PolysixEX; 96 for AL-1;
52 for MOD-7; 48 for STR-1 & MS-20EX
(all maximum; may vary depending on other
sounding voices and effects)
Timbrality16
Oscillatordepends on synthesis engine
Synthesis typePCM, Wave Sequencing, Vector, Physical Modelling,
Sampler, Analog Modelling
Filterdepends on synthesis engine
Aftertouch expressionyes
Velocity expressionyes
Storage memory1GB RAM, upgradable to 2GB. No physical ROM.
Preloaded samples include 314MB "ROM"
(loaded into RAM automatically at startup),
and optionally-loaded 313MB EXs1 "ROM Expansion"
& 503MB EXs2 "Concert Grand Piano."
0MB to 1.5GB available for user samples,
depending on memory configuration and loaded EXs.
Internal 40GB HDD.
Effects12 insert, 2 master, 2 total
Hardware2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor
Input/output
Keyboard76 or 88-key
Left-hand control2x Joystick, 2x Switch, Ribbon, KARMA
External controlMIDI

The Korg OASYS is a workstation synthesizer released in early 2005, 1 year after the successful Korg Triton Extreme. Unlike the Triton series, the OASYS uses a custom Linux operating system that was designed to be arbitrarily expandable via software updates, with its functionality limited only by the PC-like hardware.

OASYS was a software implementation of the research project that ultimately resulted in the OASYS PCI, a DSP card which offered multiple synthesis engines.[1] The original OASYS keyboard concept had to be scrapped because of excessive production costs and limitations of then-current technology.[2]

Production of the OASYS was officially discontinued in April 2009. Korg sold just over 3000 units worldwide.[3] The final software update was released on November 24, 2009.[4]

In 2011, Korg Kronos, a successor of Korg OASYS, was introduced at that year's NAMM Show.[5]

  1. ^ "OASYS PCI Home". Archived from the original on 2010-07-20. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  2. ^ "Korg OASYS: Part 1". Sound On Sound. November 2005. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  3. ^ karma-lab.com
  4. ^ "korgusers.net". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  5. ^ "NAMM 2011: Korg Kronos Music Workstation". Sound On Sound. 2011-01-16.