Korg SV1 88 Keys Stage Vintage Digital Piano

Pianos, Organs, Rhodes and Clavs To Go!

When it comes to a gigging keyboard, do you reach for the trusty pianos, organs, Rhodes and Wurli patches every time? Would you prefer to have 88 keys to play with, than 800 sounds you'll never use? Would you rather look at a cool vacuum tube than a nerdy LCD screen? If you answered "yes, yes, and yes," then you'll probably be a big fan of the Korg SV-1 digital piano. The SV-1 feels more like a musical instrument than a computer, and it's here to deliver a grand total of 36 killer pianos, electric pianos, clavs, and organs, along with a selection of vintage amp models, reverbs, and other effects, all with a supremely playable, fully-weighted RH3 keybed.

Hear the SV-1 stage piano in action, in this video from Korg:

Vintage Look and Feel

"SV" stands for "Stage Vintage," and the Korg SV-1's vintage-instrument vibe is apparent before you even hear it. The curved case is clearly built to stand up to the rigors of live performance (and turn a few heads in the process). Flip the substantial power toggle and watch as amber lights blink to life on the beveled control panel. Turn chunky, clicking knobs to select and tweak your sound, or punch eight fat buttons to access your favorites. The controls are a breeze to operate, with nearly every function accessible via a dedicated knob -- ideal for live performance. The keyboard itself utilizes Korg's fully-weighted RH3 graded hammer-action keybed (just like the one found on the Korg M-50), and you can adjust its sensitivity to one of eight curves by clicking the dedicated Touch button. Touch-sensitivity is memorized when you save a favorite sound. There's an included damper pedal, and a full three pedal inputs mean you can also hook up sostenuto and soft pedals of a real piano. It's clear that Korg has taken every care to approximate the real deal in the SV-1.

Vintage Instrument Sounds

The SV-1 may not be a time machine, but it's the next best thing for a keyboardist looking to transport their audience back to the classic sounds of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. You'll find loads of Rhodes and Wurlitzers, plenty more electric/electro-mechanical pianos, detailed acoustic pianos (including an impressive upright), indispensable pop piano/pad layers, Hohner Clavinets, and Hammond, Lowrey and Farfisa organs. Click the dial over to "Other" to find tasty novelties like Mellotron-esque violins, a 70s disco "Solina String Ensemble" homage, the obligatory synth choir, and even a couple of iconic 80s pop polysynths. On the acoustic pianos and electro-mechanical instruments, Korg's RX (Real eXperience) Technology sound generator goes beyond multisampling to include subtle imperfections that accompany the notes: the thunk of a damper pedal, clicking keys, snapping tines. You can adjust these RX effects independently, depending on just how "vintage" you want your instrument to sound. Easily switch between a pristine $60,000 concert grand to a trashed-out, ill-behaved suitcase piano that you picked up at a yard sale.

Vintage Effects and Amps

Vintage electric piano sounds go hand-in-hand with period-accurate effects and amps. But typical amp simulations don't include a power amp circuit -- and the sound of a real tube amplifier depends on the varying impedance created by a power amp driving a speaker. So Korg built the SV-1's Valve Reactor as an actual low-wattage power amp circuit, complete with the real 12AX7 vacuum tube built into the front panel. Sonically, this translates into the unmistakable warmth and growl of a tube amp through your choice of speaker cabinets. Like the effect chain in a classic instrument amplifier, the SV-1 has a three-band equalizer section; stompbox "pre" effects simulator with compressor, booster, univibe, vibrato, tremolo, and Vox wah; and post-amp modulation section with chorus, phaser, flanger, and rotary speaker effects. There are also six types of reverb and delay, plus two limiters to keep your levels under control. And you can bypass any or all of these stages, to shape your tone to your liking.

Dig In Deep with Free Editor Software

There's more to the SV-1 than meets the eye. Connect your SV-1's USB port to your Mac or PC to back up and edit all your sounds and effects with Korg's SV-1 Editor/Librarian software. Graphic-based and painless to use, this free software extends the SV-1 experience to your computer to make digging into sounds and effects fun and rewarding. Access parameters beyond what you'll find on the SV-1's front panel to develop your own signature sounds. If you need more than 8 spots to save your favorite sounds, you can now override any of the 36 presets with sounds of your creation, or load new sound banks that Korg releases through their website. 

Features:

- 88-key weighted RH3 hammer-action keyboard with 8 velocity-sensitivity curves
- 80-voice polyphony
- 36 on-board presets in 6 banks
- 8 assignable Favorites buttons
- Bypassable effects include EQ, pre FX, amp model, modulation, reverb/delay, and limiter
- Valve Reactor circuit with real 12AX7 tube
- Standard MIDI In/Out plus USB MIDI
- A full 3 pedal inputs; Damper pedal included
- 1/4" unbalanced and XLR balanced stereo audio outputs 
- 1/4" headphone out
- Eight tuning schemes and fine tuning adjustment
- Transpose button +/- 12 half steps
- Free SV-1 Editor/Librarian software gives full access to sounds and effects parameters

Think about it: how many sounds do you really want to drag with you on a gig? If acoustic and electric pianos are where it's at for your live rig, treat yourself to the Korg SV-1 and simplify your setup while upgrading your sound.

Power Supply: Power Cable (Included) 

Keyboard:
- RH3 - Real Weighted Hammer Action 3
- 8 Velocity Touch Curves

Tuning:
- Transpose to any Key (+/- 12 half-steps)
- Fine Tuning
- 8 Tuning Curves
Sound Engine:
- EDS (Enhanced Definition Synthesis)
- RX (Real eXperience) Technology

Polyphony: 80 notes

Sounds: 36; 6 Banks x 6 sounds
- Bank 1; Electric Piano 1:
++ Tine Electric Piano (x4); VPM Piano (X2)
- Bank 2; Electric Piano 2:
++ Reed Electric Piano (x2);
++ Electro-Acoustic Grand; Korg SG-1D;
++ 80's Synth Piano; MIDI Grand
- Bank 3; Clav:
++ Clav (x4); Plucked Reed Piano-ette; Transistor Piano
- Bank 4; Piano:
++ Bright Japanese Grand; Smooth European Grand;
++ Mono Grand; Upright Piano; Piano + Strings; Piano + Pad
- Bank 5; Organ:
++ Tonewheel (x3); USA Tube Console; Italian Combo; VOX Combo
- Bank 6; Other:
++ Real Strings; Tape Strings; String Machine;
++ Real Choir; Synth Brass; Sharp Brass

Favorites: 8 Assignable switches for fast program recall

Effects/Processing: Five Individual Sections
- Equalizer:
++ On/Off Switch; Bass, Mid, Treble Knobs
- Pre-FX:
++ On/Off Switch; Speed Knob, Intensity Knob; Compressor, Boost
++ U-Vibe, Vibrato, Tremolo, VoxWah (Auto/Pedal Switch)
- Amp Model:
++ On/Off Switch; Drive Knob; Clean, California, Tweed, AC30, Mod'ed OverDrive, Organ Hi-Gain OverDrive
- Modulation FX:
++ On/Off Switch; Speed Knob, Intensity Knob; Chorus 1, Chorus 2,
++ Phaser 1, Phaser 2, Flanger, Rotary (Fast/Slow Switch)
- Reverb/Delay:
++ On/Off Switch; Depth Knob; Room, Plate, Hall, Spring,
++ Tape Echo, Stereo Delay (Tap-Tempo Button)

Valve Reactor Tube: 1 x 12AX7

Other Panel Controls:
- Master Volume Knob
- Transpose Button
- Local Off Button
- Function Button

Demo Songs:
- 36; Press Transpose + Local Off buttons to access

Connections:
- Audio Outputs: Left/Mono, Right (1/4 inch Unbalanced); Left, Right (XLR Balanced)
- Audio Inputs: Left/Mono, Right (1/4 inch)
- MIDI: Standard In, Out; USB/MIDI port
- Damper Pedal: Damper (fixed)
- Pedal 1: Switch Type; Sostenuto or Rotary Speaker Fast/Slow functions
- Pedal 2: Sweep Type; Volume/Expression or Wah functions, Switch Type; Soft Pedal (Una Corda) function
- Headphones: Stereo 1/4

SV1 73 Dimensions: 45.0 x 13.66 x 6.1" ; Weight: 38.5 lbs (without music stand)

Accessories Included: Power cable, Quick Guide, Accessory CD, Music stand, Damper Pedal (Korg DS-2H)