Korg Workstation Keyboard (NAUTILUS88) Black

Not that impressed with the housing. The way it sets on the bottom piece just seems awkward and weird. But other than that I’m impressed with how well thought out the quick edit features are and ease of use of most of the features. It’s not a quick plug and play instrument for someone not familiar with programming and editing this type of keyboard. I learned on a Kronos and it’s almost the same except for a few things. I do miss the sliders. But you can program the knobs to pretty much do the same thing. The keys themselves are nice and smooth and responsive. Has some nice piano patches. For the money it’s hard to beat. I’m pleased and it suits my needs for live performances perfectly. Not perfect but rounded up to a full 5 stars. Really I’d say about a 4.6 due to the housing weirdness and lack of sliders. It’s a solid high quality keyboard at a reasonable price point.

On opening the box I immediately observed that the last two keys on the right were not in alignment & were shaking, then on trying to turn the instrument on the gauge moved to the right for about 3/4" (2 cm) then stopped followed by a prompt saying 'System Startup Failure'

Korg is Awesome!

Best Music Workstation I've ever had, I've been using it for 6 months now and it's been great, I have only explored about 30% of it and I'm amazed by all the diferentes features it has, I do recommend this item.

Overall this synth seems to be a lot of bang for the buck. Although it's not cheap, it IS a value when you compare to other synths with similar features. (I must admit, there IS a bit of a learning curve with a machine this complex, and I have thus far found it preferable to edit sequences on a computer, then import them into the Nautilus.) But I am primarily using it as a live performance tool in a cover band sitting, where it will divide its time into being played manually, and running sequences. The onboard sampling (once I get it all figured out) can potentially get me ANY sound I might not already find onboard in the presets, so that is a big plus. It's sturdy (metal case, as opposed to plastic on some other workstations), which makes it heavy. So have a strong stand to put it on. If I were more tech savvy, I would probably like it even more. But I still think it's probably about the best all - around workstation on the market at this price point. Much better onboard presets than its slightly cheaper competitor, too! ;)

Dream Machine! Worth the money!

The KORG website says you can use the Mac/PC Editor to connect to a “digital audio workstation.” Not true. If you can get the Editor to connect to Nautilus (which you probably can’t because the ones sold by Amazon have old firmware), the Editor will take an entire day to try to initialize settings with Nautilus, before shutting down and giving up. This is not a professional product and never should have been sold.

As a recording artist/composer/musician/producer/engineer, I was looking for a modern flagship workstation for music composition/music production/recording purposes of singles, EPs, and albums. A flagship workstation with realistic pianos, great analog sounds, and tons of preset patches for string/woodwind/brass/percussion instruments and vocal/choir patches. Both, realistic and synthetic. Sounds that can be edited and created for custom programs and combos. Modern sampling capabilities. Multi track recording, with at least 16 16 bit/48kHz audio tracks. 16 track midi sequencing. At least 100 onboard effect processors like my current workstation. 1/4” Individual outputs/inputs. 1/4” headphone jack. Assignable switches and pedal control 1/4” input jacks. Sufficient internal storage space for samples. Removable storage, such as USB input. Low power consumption. Touch screen controls. 4 way joystick. Vocoder features. Premium semi-weighted keybed. 5 octaves. I wanted something to accompany my current workstation that I had since 1997.I haven't bought a workstation since 1997. So this is a major purchase for me.I looked at Kronos2 and Kronos2 Titanium Limited Edition (before it was out of production). I was aware of the 2 minute boot time. Which doesn’t bother me. Although Kronos2 fit the bill for everything I wanted in a workstation. It was created in the previous decade and is 7 years old. Plus it is out of production and is probably not officially supported with new updates. Even though it is currently price-discounted. A 61 key is still well over 3k with taxes. I couldnt see myself paying that much for a 7 year old workstation that is no longer in production.Since I’m a fan of DX7 and SY77, I looked at a Yamaha Montage 6. Which is a flagship model. But it doesn’t have the individual 1/4” outputs, 4 way joystick (not a fan of super knob), etc. Plus it is not a workstation.I also looked at a Roland Fantom 6, which is another flagship model. But its joystick is 2 way. Plus it’s missing a lot of features that I want.I chose Nautilus because it has all the features I want in a modern workstation. Plus it looks like a modern 01/w (which is one of my favorite legacy workstations). It sounds like a modern updated Kronos2. Which are the best of both worlds.Nautilus is like a non-Karma Kronos2 that was created in this decade. It is compatible with Kronos2 files (Kronos 2 cannot load Nautilus files).Nautilus doesn’t have Karma, ribbon controller, vector joystick, after touch, bay for an optional 2nd SSD drive, digital input/output, gold plated inputs/outputs, Berlin D piano, surface controls, and a 2nd USB A input. Which I do not need (although Berlin D piano can be purchased separately for Nautilus).However, Nautilus has the same technical specifications and features (not Karma) as a Kronos2. So it has the same high quality sound and functionality. But at a lower price and a newer modern design.Nautilus has an actual arpeggiator with additional controls for drum track. Which includes swing controls, etc. This is the Karma replacement. But I have no use for the aforementioned. So I may never use those features. But it's nice to have those features handy.Nautilus has 40w power consumption. Which is 20w less than Kronos2. Great for my power bill. Since I will probably use Nautilus for hours, each day.Nautilus has a redesigned graphical color TouchView interface. Which has a dark background and improved visibility in direct sunlight, despite being 1” smaller than the TouchView in Kronos2.Nautilus has an updated improved display. Which is a 7” WVGA. An improvement over Kronos2 8” SVGA display.Boot time with preload is about 2 minutes and a few seconds for me. Which is fine.Programs are divided into two groups. The first one is HD-1, which is part of the PCM sound engine, “High Definition Synthesizer.” It is 1 of nine sound engines.EXi is the 2nd group. It consists of the other 8 sound engines, such as SGX-2 (premium piano), EP-1 (MDS Electric Piano), CX-3 (Tonewheel Organ), ME-20EX (Legacy Analog Collection), PolysixEX (Legacy Analog Collection), AL-1 (Analog Synthesizer), MOD-7 (Waveshaping VPM Synthesizer), and STR-1 (Plucked Strings).There are 10 HD-1 preset banks1270 programs in total. 608 programs are from Kronos 2. 662 programs are new programs created for NautilusThere are 5 EXi preset banks635 programs in total. 409 programs are from Kronos2. 226 programs are new programs created for Nautilus1905 preset programs in total. 1017 preset programs are from Kronos2. The rest are new programs created for Nautilus.There are also GM banks and other programs that I didnt count.My favorite sound engines are SGX-2, HD-1, EP-1, and MOD-7. But they are all amazing and customizable. The sounds are high quality 16 bit 48kHz. They sound great and are useful for popular music as well as older music. So they have versatility.There are tons of combination presets, if you are into that stuff. You can also create your own by using the internal samples or sample your own samples. Just like Kronos2, you can resample anything in the Nautilus.There are tons of user banks for custom programs, custom combos, custom drum kits, etc.Nautilus has 6 real-time control knobs, which can be pushed flushed into Nautilus when not in use.Although Kronos2 has a ton of physical buttons, knobs, and sliders. Nautilus has very few physical buttons and a clean look.The finish and design of the 61 key and 73 key are beautiful and really stand out. I love the way the bottom wrap around the sides.Most functions require touch screen operation. Which is similar to a Korg Trinity. Since I’m used to the aforementioned, I felt right at home with Nautilus. Although the resistive touch screen responds to fingers. I like to use a stylus pen. Which works even better.If you are familiar with Korg workstation, starting with Trinity, you should be able to find your way around the menus.If not, there is a complete series of Korg Nautilus video manuals on youtube. Which covers everything from programs to sampling. You can also get the pdf manuals off Korg's website by scanning the QR codes on the touch screen or going directly to Korg's websiteI've owned my Nautilus for about 15 days and already finished a project.I added piano stickers to the keys of my Nautilus.I think it is the most versatile workstation on the market. I'm happy with my purchase.