Release a synth with the heart of a PC, and it’s only a matter of time before someone tries to use it like a PC. Sure enough, Korg’s flagship OASYS, with an Intel CPU and a Linux-based OS, has been hacked to run off-the-shelf distributions of Linux and Windows from its CD drive:

Karma Lab Forums – OASYS Runs Knoppix! (via Luca Capozzi’s Synthosium)

The person who did it, Mark Fenkner, apparently performed the task mainly out of curiosity — and to see if he could use his $8,000 keyboard for an occasional email check. The display didn’t quite work on his first try, but the Ethernet port (onboard but unsupported by Korg’s software), and USB keyboard and mouse did, thanks to Linux. (The OASYS normally runs Linux, but the Korg installation is intentionally stripped-down.) WinPE, a bootable Windows install, worked, too. The idea wouldn’t be to play the keyboard under Linux or Windows, but to use it in dual-boot mode.

Useless? Absolutely, since the whole point of the Korg OASYS is so you can use its finally-tuned, music-only features. Still, it’s hard not to admire the hack on its own merits.

For total OASYS geeks, you’ll also be interested to note that Mark thinks Korg hasn’t given up on the unused Ethernet port. Could that mean advanced features in the future? (I’m hoping for OSC support, but I won’t hold my breath.)

Related:

Previous OASYS links, including the in-depth story I did for O’Reilly Digital Media,
Inside the OASYS

Dan Phillips with Korg Research & Development is one of the designers behind Korg’s ultra-premium Korg OASYS keyboard, among many other projects. In addition to getting to design electronic musical instruments for a living, Dan is an electronic singer-songwriter, writer, composer (Fox TV, As the World Turns), consultant (Santana, Emily Bazar), producer, remixer, and even amateur photographer. Dan shares with CDM how the OASYS was born, some of his favorite (non-Korg) synths and software, and how he got what for many of us would be a dream job.

PK: How did you wind up doing what you do? What’s your musical background?

DP: My parents were both scientists (PhDs in Chemistry and Physics, respectively), so it’s probably natural that I would mix my interests in music with music technology. I started writing songs way back in elementary school. I was studying drums (later, I studied piano as well), and also played keyboards a little. None of my friends had bands at that point, so I didn’t even think of that as an option; instead, I recorded onto two cassette machines, bouncing tracks between them, one by one, to build up a layered “multitrack” recording. That led naturally to a four-track (luxury!), and some early synthesizers, which (by the time I was in college) led to MIDI sequencing. So, I had a home-grown, organic introduction to synths, sequencing, and the interaction of music and gear.

I studied music at the University of California at Berkeley, and towards the very end of that started writing freelance articles for Electronic Musician. After graduation, I started cold-calling all of the music technology companies in the area; Korg R&D just happened to need someone with a combination of writing skills and MIDI/synth knowledge, and I was lucky enough to show up at exactly the right moment. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to be able to learn and grow here, in the company of an unusual concentration of highly intelligent folks.

Can you give me a brief sense of the timeline of OASYS, as it relates to important moments in Korg R&D’s history? What events led toward this design?

When I joined Korg in 1990, Steve O’Connell was already with the company, working on software-based physical modeling. His work turned into the algorithm design tool SynthKit, which we still use today. Because of the variable nature of physical models, it was already clear that the best solution for a commercial synthesizer would be based on software (running on DSPs) rather than fixed-purpose hardware (such as ASICs). At this point in time, all commercial synths used proprietary, fixed-purpose hardware, either analog or digital; this was before there were “virtual analog” DSP synths, [Digidesign] Pro Tools TDM, VST, etc. So, this was a fairly radical idea, and it turned into the OASYS project.

The first OASYS used an array of custom DSPs (since the commercial DSPs which were available at the time didn’t have all of the features we needed). We worked on it for about four years. It made some really impressive sounds, and our algorithm designers developed some really interesting techniques for physical modeling, DSP-based analog synthesis, Hammond modeling, etc. The OASYS got great responses in some preview showings, but it was turning out to be too expensive to be practical, and the project was canceled before it was completed. Later, parts of the research and technology showed up in a number of Korg products, including the Prophecy, Z1 (and Trinity/Triton MOSS), Wavedrum, ElecTribes, and the MS series.

Our group had also, fortuitously, started work on a small PCI audio card, the 1212 I/O. It was a simple thing, although it was also the first affordable multi-channel I/O. With the original OASYS keyboard canceled, we started to think about other ways of bringing the concept to reality, and using all that we had learned about DSP synthesis. So, we combined the 1212 I/O features (albeit using different hardware) with a small array of commercial DSPs, continued our work on DSP algorithm design – and that became the OASYS PCI.

As we started thinking about a follow-on product for OASYS PCI, we worked through various possible scenarios. The one that seemed like the best idea was a marriage of our software synthesis ideas and Korg’s traditional workstation concept, and that, over the next four or five years, became the new OASYS keyboard. In the course of that development, we continued to refine and expand our core algorithms, went through several year-long proof-of-concept cycles, completely re-wrote the algorithms from the ground up to take advantage of the Pentium architecture, added dynamic voice allocation between synthesis algorithms . . . many, many steps, some of them very large in and of themselves. And, that brings us to today!

I was struck by how expressive the OASYS could be as an instrument, but what do you see as making OASYS musical, or expressive? How does this figure into the design process?

One way of breaking this down is to think of three basic components:

1. The fundamental algorithm designs – oscillators, filters, envelopes, etc. Put simply, the basic sounds need to be strong, fulfilling, and pleasing to the ear.

2. The flexibility provided to the sound designers. They need to be able to make their concepts into reality, to have tools which both solve problems and open up new possibilities. This covers most of what you’ll see in the user interface: the specific programming parameters, modulation sources (LFOs, envelopes, etc.) and destinations, exotic features such as Vector and Wave Sequencing, complex control structures such as KARMA, etc.

3. The real-time control provided for the player. The architecture (both software and hardware) needs to allow sounds to respond well to real-time controllers, such as velocity, aftertouch, joysticks, ribbons, knobs, sliders, switches, etc. Moreover, the sounds need to use these features consistently. This step is critical, since it forms the bridge between the player and the instrument.

4. The sounds themselves. This is the culmination of 1-3 above; at this point, it’s a combination of careful management, ears, and talent.

With OASYS, we really sweated over all four of these basic issues. Almost all of the people who work at Korg are musicians, so we want this to be good for us to play.

For instance, the PCM and VA [Virtual Analog] oscillators, each using completely different technology, deliver very low aliasing and clear high-frequency response. Similarly, the very high update rates for the envelopes, LFOs, step sequencers, Wave Sequences, etc. mean smooth, punchy modulation, without “steppiness.” I wouldn’t underestimate the importance of this simple but elusive sonic purity; just as with other areas of audio technology (mixers, mic pres, speakers, amps, etc.), audio artifacts in synthesizers can be distracting and disturbing on multiple levels, both conscious and unconscious.

The flexibility of the system – well, let’s just say that Programs have well over a thousand parameters, and that the manual’s the size of a phone book. :-) It would probably surprise users to find out just how much discussion we’ve had over individual parameters and parameter ranges, and how much back-and-forth there is between the engineers and the sound designers.

In terms of real-time control: OASYS uses our top-of-the-line keyboard actions, which is a good starting point. We also made sure to provide more physical controllers than Korg has ever done before, so that the player has lots of things to grab, turn, push, and tweak. The sound designers then spend a great deal of time just on this aspect of the sounds, making them respond well to the controllers, and often using the controllers to change the sound dramatically. If you just walk up to the keyboard and play some notes without trying out all of the controllers, you’ll only experience a very small part of what the sound can do.

KARMA also adds another layer of real-time control. Much of the improvements in the second-generation KARMA are aimed directly at this area, with both more control of individual parameters and improved ease-of-use via control standardization.

The sounds are the real key. At this point, we’re probably on tens of man-years for this aspect of the project alone. An enormous amount of talent and sheer nose-to-the-grindstone effort went into the OASYS Programs and Combis. Programmers come up with an initial sound, bounce it off of other programmers who comment and make edits, which are then shared and edited some more . . . it’s kind of like a big, collaborative band, all working together on the songwriting, arrangements, and mixes. It’s only at this point that we start to hear the results of everything that came before, that we really hear the instrument sing.

What (non-Korg) instruments have you found to be most compelling expressively/musically? Did any inspire the OASYS?

I really enjoy effects processors, and have a few in my home studio that certainly serve as inspiration. I love the Eventide DSP7000’s flexible algorithms and general concentration on quality over quantity, and I love the modulation routings of the tc Fireworx, along with general wackiness of its sound designers. I love the sound of Lexicon reverbs, which certainly inspired aspects of the OASYS O-Verb. I like AudioDamage’s approach to plug-ins as easily accessible, tweakable, funky stomp-boxes. I appreciate the cleanness of Emu samplers. I also really like [Spectrasonics Founder] Eric Persing’s work, in general; especially with his sampler libraries, his passion and attention to detail really shine.

Thanks, Dan! It’s a pleasure to gain insight into some of these things. Readers, don’t miss Dan’s personal website, which features both stunning photography and deep resources for electronic music gear from Korg’s back catalog and beyond. -PK

Related:
Korg’s OASYS Synth: How it Was Built, Why it Runs Linux, Why It’s $8,000
Korg Adds Physical Modeling, Software Upgrade to OASYS Synth

A major part of the conception behind OASYS was always expansion capability: running a Pentium PC and Korg’s software, the OASYS can be upgraded without changing the hardware. But the OASYS keyboard wasn’t the first product to be called OASYS. Fans of the old Mac/PC OASYS PCI product were disappointed at the OASYS keyboard’s launch by its lack of physical modeling, a synthesis technique that reproduces the way real-world strings and other materials vibrate, as found on the PCI product. An upgrade featuring this technique seemed inevitable, though, and now it’s here.

Physical Modeling and Sound Design

Physical modeling is useful both for creating realistic, expressive recreations of acoustic instruments and wild, unheard-of sounds not possible in the real world. The ability to have a physical model often makes playing these instruments feel more organic than playing an instrument based on sampled recordings, particularly for certain kinds of patches. It’s the musical equivalent of having a physics engine in a game: the instrument can respond in real-time to your performance, not just by playing back different samples, but by causing a physical model (in this case, the string) to react.

The new STR-1 is, as you’d expect, derived from Korg’s past physical modeling products and research, including the OASYS-PCI, though the OASYS keyboard represents a major upgrade. The basis of the STR-1 is a string model, with 16 different excitation types: plucking, scraping, noise, or even built-in PCM (audio file) waveforms from elsewhere in the OASYS. Of course, if you’re not interested in creating your own sounds or using Peter Gabriel-esque pads, you’ll find plenty of acoustic and electric guitars and basses, clavinets and harpsichords, harps, bells, electric pianos, sitars, and the like, too.

All About Control

You can model physical materials and playing style (damping, harmonics, and powerful settings for dispersion and nonlinearity). An audio input is available, capable of producing some really realistic feedback. (In other words, feed audio correctly, and you can accurately model the sound of a mic placed too close to your guitar amp. Really.) You’ve got the full modulation capabilities of the other instruments on the OASYS, including filters, LFOs, the superb beat-syncable step-sequencer, Korg-trademark vector control, and other features.

Especially exciting is the ability to layer physically-modeled sounds with other OASYS instruments. Layering using the OASYS’ sophisticated voice allocation engine, combined with powerful modulation features give the OASYS some sound and playability capabilities that aren’t possible in software physical modeling products, like Apple Logic Pro’s Sculpture, Native Instruments’ Reaktor, and the Applied Acoustics products. Some of us will (cough) be limited to using those because of the price of the OASYS, but there’s plenty in the OASYS implementation that’s unique. Even if I can’t afford an OASYS in my studio, I’m anxious to play it just to see what Korg’s top-notch designers have done with the sound design and voicing, especially as I’m a huge physical modeling fan.

OASYS Under the Tree?

Korg says the upgrade would be worth US$299 (likely to be the price for future expansion instrument upgrades), but this is one is free. Christmas will be very sweet for OASYS owners — and those of you who get an OASYS for Christmas, well, that’s even sweeter. I’ll check in again once this ships and we have some sound samples.

Incidentally, if you do own an OASYS, I’d love to hear from you. Even if you aren’t Herbie Hancock.

Related:
Korg’s OASYS Synth: How it Was Built, Why it Runs Linux, Why It’s $8,000
Synth Designing Dream Job: Korg R&D’s Dan Phillips

On O’Reilly’s Digital Media site, helmed by the awesome force that is David Battino, I got a chance to go behind-the-scenes with Korg’s “luxury” synth. The folks at Korg had a lot of insight to share — and they don’t think you have to give up your cheaper gear yet. Read on for more:

Inside a Luxury Synth: Creating the Linux-Powered Korg OASYS

Related:
Korg Adds Physical Modeling, Software Upgrade to OASYS Synth
Synth Designing Dream Job: Korg R&D’s Dan Phillips

Everything old isn’t always new again — David Battino wondered, rightfully so I think, if anyone really needs a Korg M1 plugin. Yet, there’s something comforting in the knowledge that choice of tools really doesn’t matter when you’re happy making music. And low-budget tools can indeed be had.

Now, does anyone know where I could pick up a used OASYS PCI?

The hardware keyboard empire, on the sidelines for the
computer music renaissance, is striking back with new hybrid hardware. And
Linux is spreading through digital music equipment — fast. Witness the
new Linux-powered Korg behemoth: the second-generation OASYS keyboard announced today, as rumors predicted.

• Linux-powered computer, running entirely-proprietary Korg software on top (expansion appears to be proprietary, too, via ROM)
• 10.4" touchscreen display
• 16-track HD audio recording plus MIDI sequencing
• Second-generation KARMA synthesis engine
• MIDI control surface
• On-board effects processing
• CD Burner
• I hear there's a keyboard in there somewhere, too

The Korg looks significantly less flexible and more expensive than the Windows-powered Neko keyboards from Open Labs.
But, on the other hand, there's little comparison: this beast will run
like a traditional hardware keyboard, whereas the Neko is at its heart
a PC in a keyboard body. Which you prefer is a matter of taste if you
can afford either, which I can't.

Tip for Korg: since you use words like "Micro" to describe the inexpensive, compact keyboards, why not "GargantuaOasys?" No?

Availability: When I win the lottery
Price: If you have to ask . . .

Updated:
Pricing is somewhere between US$6700-$8000 for the 76-key model
(weirdly, a huge range depending on your vendor), to up to US$8500 for
the 88-key model. If you can afford this, contact me and let me know so
I can come rob you.

Also, check out Keyboard Magazine's Making of the OASYS.
Unfortunately, scant details on its custom Linux OS. (Okay, actually NO
details — but other interesting history behind the keyboard.)