Summary of Contents for Korg Concert NC-500 Series
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Owner’s Manual Thank you for purchasing the Korg Digital Piano Concert NC-500/NC-300. To ensure long, trouble-free operation, please read this manual carefully.
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The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated • Read these instructions. “dangerous voltage” within the product's • Keep these instructions. enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude •...
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Since it is possible for the contents of memory to be acciden- tally lost, you should save important data on an external data filer (storage device) etc. Korg will accept no responsibility for any damages that may result from loss of data. Conventions in this manual This symbol indicates a caution.
Operation of the NC-500’s MIDI Attaching the Speaker Covers ....11 Connectors ........39 Listening to the Demos ....12 Installing and Setting the Korg USB MIDI Driver ..........40 Listening to Sound Demos...... 12 Listening to Piano Songs ......14 Troubleshooting .......
Features ☞ ● Twenty-four high-quality sounds ..........( p.17) A rich selection of high-quality expressive sounds, including two stereo concert grand pianos. You can use the Layered mode to play two sounds at the same time. ☞ ● Digital Effects ................( p.18) Includes a reverb effect that simulates concert-hall acoustics, and a chorus effect that adds depth and motion to the sound.
Controls and Connectors Top Controls 4 5 6 7 8 1. POWER switch ☞ Turns the power on and off. ( p. 9) 2. Headphone jacks ☞ Each jack can be connected to a set of stereo headphones. ( p. 10) 3.
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Illustration shows the NC-500. On the NC-500 only 9. DEMO button ☞ Selects one of the eight sound demos. ( p. 12) 10. SOUND buttons Use the eight small buttons in this section, together with the BANK button, to select from among the ☞...
Lower Controls NC-500 NC-300 1. PEDAL jack The connection cable from the pedal pod (included) plugs into this socket. 2. SPEAKER jack NC-500 only The connection cable from the speakers in the NC-500 stand plugs in here. 3. AC IN connector ☞...
Getting Ready to Play Getting Ready ■ Connect the power. Connect the socket end of the AC power cord to the piano’s AC IN connector. Then plug the other end of the power cord into a wall power outlet. ■ Raise the keyboard cover. (NC-500 only) Lift the front edge of the cover near the center of the keyboard, and slide the cover all the way back into the cabinet.
■ Adjust the volume. Turn the VOLUME knob to adjust the output volume. The VOLUME knob adjusts the level to the internal speakers, the headphones, and the OUPUT jacks. Turn the knob left to reduce the volume, or right to increase it. Setting the knob to the “0” position cuts of all sound output.
Using the INPUT Jack (NC-500 only) This jack lets you play an audio device (such as a CD or MD player) or an electronic instrument through the NC-500’s speakers and headphones, along with the sound of the NC-500. Use a stereo miniplug to make the connection.
PIANO 1 T.Imaizumi PIANO 2 KORG Original Reflection M.Tempia KORG Original Three Hands E.PIANO 1 H.Minami KORG Original All The Ones You Don't Know E.PIANO 2 M.Tempia ORGAN 1 KORG Original Cool "B" M.Tempia Fuga G minor ORGAN 2 J.S.Bach...
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■ Selecting a Specific Sound Demo 1. Press DEMO. The DEMO button lights up, and the SOUND buttons begin flashing in order. 2. Press the SOUND button corresponding to the demo that you want to hear. (Refer to the list on the previous page.) The selected button will light up, and the demo will begin to play.
Listening to Piano Songs Piano Songs Composer Title "Prelude" The Well-Tempered Clavier,Book 1 J.S.Bach Invention No.1 J.S.Bach J.S.Bach Jesu,Joy of Man's Desiring Sonata K.545 W.A.Mozart W.A.Mozart "Turkish March" Sonana K.331 For Elise L.v.Beethoven Piano Sonate Op.13-2 L.v.Beethoven T.Badarzewska A Maiden's Prayer "Arabesque"...
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■ Listening to All the Piano Songs in Order 1. Press PIANO SONG. The PIANO SONG button lights up, and the SOUND buttons begin flashing in order. If you do not select a song within three seconds, the piano automatically begins playing through the songs in order, starting with piano song #1, continuing to piano song #32, and then restarting again at #1.
■ Using START/STOP to Stop and Restart Song Play (NC-500 only) 1. If you press START/STOP while the song is playing: playback stops. The PIANO SONG button remains lit. If you now wish to exit song playback mode and return to normal operation, press the PIANO SONG button so that the button goes dark.
Playing the Instrument Selecting a Sound (Single Mode) Your digital piano offers you a choice of 24 high-quality sounds arranged in three banks, each containing eight sounds, as shown in the chart below. Each time the BANK button is pressed, it will change color to show the currently selected bank 1.
■ Adjusting the Volume Balance of the Layered Sounds 1. While holding down the SOUND button of the sound you wish to make relatively softer, press the SOUND button of the other sound (the one you want to make louder) several times in succession. ■...
Using the Pedals Your digital piano offers three pedals, just as on a conventional piano. Use these pedals to add expressiveness to your performances. Soft Pedal Sostenuto Pedal Damper Pedal ■ Damper Pedal This pedal sustains the sound of the keys that you hit, so that the sound continues with a very slow decay after you release the key.
Using the Metronome The piano includes a built-in metronome feature that you can use as an aid for practice. You can adjust the metronome’s beat, tempo, volume, and accentuate the first beat as described below. ■ Turning the Metronome On and Off 1.
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2 4 5 7 9 Digit Digit Example: To set the tempo to 168, hold down the METRONOME button and press C#5 (1), then F#5 (6), and then G#5 (8). If you attempt to enter a value below 40 or above 200, the piano ignores the input and retains the previous tempo setting.
■ Changing the Standard Accent Sound to a Bell Sound 1. Hold down the METRONOME button and press ORGAN 2. The ORGAN 2 button lights up to indicate that the bell accent is selected. Standard Accent Sound Bell Sound 2. To reset to the standard accent sound: hold down the METRONOME button and press ORGAN 1.
Transposing the Keyboard The transpose feature allows you to shift the pitch of the keyboard so that you can play in one key (such as the key of C) and have the sound come out in another key (such as the key of C#). This is useful if you want to avoid too many sharps and flats, or if you want to accompany someone in another key without changing the fingering that you are used to.
Adjusting the Pitch This feature allows you to make fine adjustments to the piano's overall pitch, so that you can correct for small pitch differences when playing with other instruments. The standard pitch (for the reference note A4) is 440Hz. You can use this feature to adjust up or down by as much as 12.5 Hz (from 427.5 Hz to 452.
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SOUND Button Temperament ORGAN 1 lit Werckmeister: Uses the Werckmeister III scale proposed in the late Baroque period by organist and musicologist Andreas Werckmeister, with the intention of enabling relatively unrestricted play in multiple keys. ORGAN 2 lit Kirnberger: Uses the Kirnberger III scale proposed in the Johann Philip Kirnberger in the early 18th century.
Recording and Replaying Your Performances (NC-500 only) The NC-500’s built-in recorder makes it easy to record and replay your performances. Operation is as easy and intuitive as using a conventional tape recorder. The recorder lets you store performances for two parts. You can use these parts to record two completely unrelated pieces, or you may use them to separately record the left-hand and right-hand lines of a single piece.
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If the part does not currently contain recorded data... Press. Press. Dark (No recorded data) Flashing (Standing by to record) If the part already contains recorded data... Press. Press. Press. Lit solid (This part will play out Flashing (This part is Dark (This part will be silent while while you are recording the other standing by to record.)
■ To pause the recording… You can pause your recording at any time. This feature is useful for recording a part a little at a time, etc. 1. If you want to pause the recording, press PAUSE. The PAUSE button lights up. The START/STOP button continues flashing. 2.
■ To Adjust the Volume Balance when Playing Two Parts... 1. Begin playback of both parts, and then hold down the TOUCH button and press the PART button of the part that you want to make relatively louder. Press the button several times, if necessary. Press as many times as necessary.
Erasing the Recording ■ To Erase a Recorded Part... 1. With playback stopped, hold down TRANSPOSE/FUNCTION and press the PART button of the part that you wish to erase. The TRANSPOSE/FUNCTION button and the selected PART button both flash, indicating that the piano is waiting for you to confirm that you really want to erase the part.
MIDI What is MIDI? MIDI (for "Musical Instrument Digital Interface") is an internationally recognized standard that enables electronic instruments, computers, sequencers, and other such devices to communicate with one another. The MIDI standard supports transmission of various types of performance- related data.
Default MIDI Settings The piano's default MIDI settings are as follows. These settings are automatically restored each time you turn the power on. Parameter Setting Send Channel Receive Channels 1 to 16 Local Omni Changing the MIDI Channel Setting The MIDI standard provides 16 channels for communication among devices.
Using the Piano as a Multitimbral Tone Generator Your piano can also operate as a 16-part multitimbral tone generator. Connect a sequencer or similar MIDI control device to the piano, and then use that device to drive the piano's sound. 1.
Program Change MIDI program change messages are used to switch to different programs (different sounds or patches) on a remote MIDI device. Program changes make it possible for you to use the piano to switch among different setups on a remote MIDI device, or to use a remote MIDI device to select different sounds on the piano.
■ Enabling or Disabling Program Changes If you wish, you can disable the program change feature. If the feature is disabled, the piano will neither accept nor transmit program changes. To disable or re-enable the setting, proceed as described below. 1.
MIDI Data Dumps (NC-500 only) You can use the MIDI data dump capability to save your recorded performances into a MIDI data filer or other external storage device. When you want to hear a saved performance again, you use this same feature to reload the data and settings back into the NC-500.
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■ Reloading the Saved Data 1. Run a MIDI cable from the MIDI IN connector on the piano to the MIDI OUT connector on the data filer or (or other storage device) where the saved data is stored. 2. On the piano, hold down TRANSPOSE/FUNCTION and press STRINGS/CHOIR.
Connecting to a Computer by USB (NC-500 only) What is USB? The USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an interface for connecting computers to peripheral devices. The NC-500 includes a USB connector that can be connected directly to your computer. You can use this connection to save important performance data to your computer.
Driver Ports for the NC-500 USB MIDI Interface The driver side (computer side) implements a 2-in/2-out port configuration for the NC-500’s USB MIDI interface. NC-500 Driver MIDI IN Devices Keyboard, MIDI IN KEYBOARD pedals, etc. EXT IN MIDI OUT Devices MIDI OUT SOUND Tone generator...
If using headphones, be aware that loud volumes may cause damage to ears. The “Korg USB MIDI Driver for Windows XP” is for Windows XP platforms only. This driver cannot be used with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, or Windows 2000.
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Properties dialog. Click the dialog’s Hardware tab. In the device list, click once on USB Audio Devices, so that it is highlighted. Then look directly under the list pane and confirm that KORG DIGITAL PIANO appears next to the Location: heading. Then click the dialog’s Properties button.
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5. The dialog now asks you to select search options. Click on Don’t search. I will choose the driver to install. Then click the Next button again. 6. The dialog now asks you to select the device driver to be installed. Click on Have Disk…, and then click the Next button.
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If the CD-ROM drive’s name is “E”, for example, then enter E:\Drive. 8. Be sure that Model is identified as KORG Digital Piano, and then click Next to start the installation of the driver.
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Properties dialog. Click the dialog’s Hardware tab. In the device list, select KORG Digital Piano, and then click the Properties button. In the KORG Digital Piano Properties dialog, click the Driver tab and then click the Uninstall button. A confirmation dialog now appears. Click OK to proceed with the...
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Select either Ignore or Warn, and then click OK. You can then proceed to install the Korg driver. After installing the driver you may, if you wish, go back to the dialog and change the setting back to Block.
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On Mac OS X If connecting the piano to a computer running Mac OS X, use the operating system’s default MIDI driver. The Mac OS X version must be 10.2 or higher. 1. Connect the NC-500 to the computer with a USB cable. 2.
If you are unable to solve the problem after going through this list, please call your dealer or Korg service for advice. ■ Piano doesn’t turn on ❏ Check that the power cord is correctly connected to a piano and a ☞...
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❏ Be sure that your computer’s USB capability is enabled. If you are using Windows XP: Open the Control Panel, click on System, click on the Hardware tab, double-click the Device Manager button, select Universal Serial Bus controllers, and check USB Root Hub. ❏...
CD-ROM power cord, music book (KORG USB MIDI-Driver for Windows XP) Specifications are subject to change without notice for purpose of product improvement. MIDI is a registered trademark of the Association of Manufacturers of Electronic Instruments (AMEI).
Assembling the NC-500 Piano Stand 2. Assemb le the sideboards and speak er box. Warning Fit the ends of the speaker box into the metal fittings on the two sideboards, lining up the screw Assembly must be carried out by at least holes at both sides.
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Checking the Finished 4. Connect the pedal cord(6) to the connector on the underside of the pedal unit. Assembly ❏ Are any parts left over? If any parts are left, refer to the assembly diagram to see where they should go, and then assemble them into place. ❏...
Montage du support de piano NC-500 2. Monter les planches latérales et la caisse à haut-parleurs. Avertissement Ajuster les extrémités de la caisse à haut-parleurs dans les fixations métalliques des deux planches latérales, en Le monta ge doit être eff ectué par au faisant coïncider les trous de vis des deux côtés.
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Contrôle du montage terminé 4. Brancher le cordon de pédalier (6) au connecteur se trouv ant à la f ace inf érieure du pédalier . ❏ Reste-t-il des pièces ? S’il reste des pièces, se reporter au schéma de montage pour voir où...
Assembling the NC-300 Piano Stand 2. Assemb le the sideboards and crossbeam. Warning Fit the ends of the crossbeam into the metal fittings on the two sideboards, lining up the screw holes at Assembly must be carried out by at least both sides.
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Checking the Finished 4. Connect the pedal cord(5) to the connector on the underside of the pedal unit. Assembly ❏ Are any parts left over? If any parts are left, refer to the assembly diagram to see where they should go, and then assemble them into place.
Montage du support de piano NC-300 2. Monter les planches latér ales et la tr a verse. Avertissement Ajuster les extrémités de la traverse dans les fixations métalliques des deux planches latérales, Le monta ge doit être eff ectué par au en faisant coïncider les trous de vis des deux côtés.
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Contrôle du montage terminé 4. Brancher le cordon de pédalier (5) au connecteur se trouv ant à la f ace inf érieure du pédalier . ❏ Reste-t-il des pièces ? S’il reste des pièces, se reporter au schéma de montage pour voir où elles doivent être, puis les mettre en place.
Operation of Piano Switches and Keys SOUND Switches The following table shows the action or setting that results when you hold down the button indicated along the left (TOUCH, REVERB, CHORUS, METRONOME, or TRANSPOSE/ FUNCTION) and press one of the SOUND buttons indicated along the top. PIANO 2 ORGAN 1 PIANO 1...
*4 : Transmitted when changing from Layered mode to Single-voice mode, and when Local mode is turned off. : Yes Mode 1: OMNI ON, POLY Mode 2: OMNI ON, MONO : No Mode 3: OMNI OFF, POLY Mode 4: OMNI OFF, MONO Consult your lacal Korg distributor for more imformation on MIDI Implemantation.