Korg NC-500 manual

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. E 2[...]

2 IMPOR T ANT SAFETY INSTR UCTIONS • Read these instructions. •K eep these instructions. • Heed all warnings. •F ollow all instructions. • Do not use this apparatus near water . • Mains powered appar atus shall not be e xposed to dr ipping or splashing and that no objects filled with liquids, such as v ases , shall be placed on the appa[...]

3 About Recor der data 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 r esponsibility for any damages that may r esult from loss of data. Con ventions in this manual This symbol indicates a caution. ( ☞ p.**) This indicat[...]

4 Ta b le of contents Features .............................................. 5 Contr ols and Connectors .................. 6 T op Controls .............................................. 6 Low er Controls .......................................... 8 Getting Read y to Play ........................ 9 Getting Ready ....................................[...]

5 Features ● T wenty-f our high-quality sounds .............................................. ( ☞ p.17) A rich selection of high-quality expressive sounds, including two ster eo concert grand pianos. Y ou can use the Layered mode to play two sounds at the same time. ● Digital Effects ...........................................................[...]

6 Contr ols and Connectors T op Controls 1. PO WER switc h T urns the power on and off. ( ☞ p. 9) 2. Headphone jac ks Each jack can be connected to a set of stereo headphones. ( ☞ p. 10) 3. V OLUME knob Adjusts the output level of the internal speakers, the headphone jacks, and the OUTPUT jacks. ( ☞ p. 10) 4. T OUCH button Selects the touch c[...]

7 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 fr om among the piano’s 24 sounds (3 banks of 8 sounds). If you wish, you can use the Layered Mode ( ☞ p. 17) to play two sounds simultaneously . 11. B ANK b utton Selects th[...]

8 Lower Contr ols NC-300 NC-500 1 1 2 3 3 45 5 6 7 7 8 1. PED AL jack The connection cable from the pedal pod (included) plugs into this socket. 2. SPEAKER jac k ( NC-500 only ) The connection cable from the speakers in the NC-500 stand plugs in her e . 3. A C IN connector The AC power cor d (included) connects here. ( ☞ p. 51, 53) 4. SPEAKER swi[...]

9 Getting Read y to Pla y Getting Ready ■ Connect the power . Connect the soc ket end of the A C power cor d to the piano’ s A C IN connector . Then plug the other end of the po wer cord into a wall po wer outlet. ■ Raise the keyboar d cover . (NC-500 only) Lift the fr ont edge of the cover near the center of the keyboar d, and slide the co v[...]

10 ■ Adjust the v olume . T urn the VOLUME knob to adjust the output volume. The VOLUME knob adjusts the level to the internal speakers, the headphones, and the OUPUT jacks. T urn the knob left to reduce the volume, or right to increase it. Setting the knob to the “0” position cuts of all sound output. Louder Softer Start with the knob in the[...]

11 Using the INPUT Ja c k (NC-500 on l y) This jack lets you play an audio device (such as a CD or MD player) or an elect r onic inst r ument th r ough the NC-500’s speakers and headphone s , along with the sound of the NC-50 0 . Use a ste r eo miniplug to make the connection. EM-1 1 2 5 7 10 12 14 16 15 13 11 9 8 4 3 Electronic Inst r ument CD p[...]

12 Listening to the Demos Y our piano includes 40 built-in demo songs: eight sound demos that demonstrate the expressive power of the instrument's various sounds, and 32 piano songs - well known piano pieces featuring the high-quality piano sou nds of the NC-500/NC- 300. The piano songs can also be used for as practice excer cises, and the sco[...]

13 ■ 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 b utton 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 . When the piano finishes playing [...]

14 Listening to Piano Songs No . K ey 1A 0 2 A#0 3B 0 4C 1 5 C#1 6D 1 7 D#1 8E 1 9F 1 10 F#1 11 G1 12 G#1 13 A1 14 A#1 15 B1 16 C2 17 C#2 18 D2 19 D#2 20 E2 21 F2 22 F#2 23 G2 24 G#2 25 A2 26 A#2 27 B2 28 C3 29 C#3 30 D3 31 D#3 32 E3 Title "Prelude" The Well-Tempered Clavier,Book 1 Invention No.1 Jesu,Joy of Man's Desiring Sonata K.5[...]

15 ■ Listening to All the Piano Songs in Or der 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 or der , starting with piano song #1, continuing to piano song #32, and then restarting [...]

16 ■ Using ST ART/ST OP to Stop and Restart Song Play (NC-500 only) 1. If y ou press ST ART/ST OP while the song is playing: playbac k stops. The PIANO SONG button r emains lit. If you now wish to exit song playback mode and return to normal operation, pr ess the PIANO SONG button so that the button goes dark. 2. Press ST ART/ST OP again to resta[...]

17 Pla ying the Instrument Selecting a Sound (Single Mode) Y our 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 pr essed, it will change color to show the currently selected bank 1. Press one of the SOUND b uttons . The but[...]

18 ■ Adjusting the V olume Balance of the La yered Sounds 1. While holding down the SOUND b utton of the sound you wish to make relatively softer , press the SOUND b utton of the other sound (the one you want to make louder) se veral times in succession. ■ Returning to the Single Mode 1. Press any one of the SOUND b uttons. The button lights up[...]

19 Using the P edals Y our digital piano offers thr ee pedals, just as on a conventional piano. Use these pedals to add expr essiveness to your performances. Damper Pedal Soft Pedal Sostenuto Pedal ■ Damper P edal This pedal sustains the sound of the keys that you hit, so that the sound continues with a very slow decay after you r elease the key [...]

20 Using the Metr onome The piano includes a built-in metronome featur e that you can use as an aid for practice. Y ou can adjust the metronome’s beat, tempo, volume, and accentuate the first beat as described below . ■ T urning the Metronome On and Off 1. T o turn the metronome on, press the METRONOME b utton. The button lights up, and the met[...]

21 C5 A5 C8 C7 C6 C5 C4 C3 C2 C1 24 5 79 13 6 8 0 + Key Digit Ke y Digit C5 0 C#5 1 D5 2 D#5 3 E5 4 F5 5 F#5 6 G5 7 G#5 8 A5 9 Example: T o 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 pr evio[...]

22 ■ Changing the Standar d Accent Sound to a Bell Sound 1. Hold down the METR ONOME button and press ORGAN 2. The ORGAN 2 button lights up to indicate that the bell accent is selected. Bell Sound + Standard Accent Sound 2. T o reset to the standard accent sound: hold down the METRONOME b utton and press ORGAN 1. The ORGAN 1 button lights up. Whe[...]

23 T ransposing the Ke yboar d The transpose featur e 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 chang[...]

24 Adjusting the Pitch This featur e allows you to make fine adjustments to the piano's overall pitch, so that you can correct for small pitch dif fer ences when playing with other instruments. The standard pitch (for the r eference note A4) is 440Hz. Y ou can use this featur e to adjust up or down by as much as 12.5 Hz (from 427.5 Hz to 452. [...]

25 SOUND Button T emperament ORGAN 1 lit We rc kmeister: Uses the W erc kmeister III scale proposed in the late Baroque period by organist and musicologist Andreas Werc kmeister , with the intention of enabling relativ ely unrestr icted play in multiple ke ys. ORGAN 2 lit Kirnberger: Uses the Kirnberger III scale proposed in the Johann Philip Kirnb[...]

26 Recor ding and Replaying Y our P erf ormances ( NC -500 onl y) The NC-500’s built-in recor der makes it easy to record and r eplay your performances. Operation is as easy and intuitive as using a conventional tape recor der . The recor der lets you stor e performances for two par ts . Y ou can use these parts to recor d two completely unrelate[...]

27 If the par t does not currently contain recorded data... If the par t already contains recorded data... Press. Dark (No recorded data) Flashing (Standing by to record) Press. Press. Press. Press. Lit solid (This par t will play out while you are recording the other Flashing (This par t is standing by to record.) Dark (This par t will be silent w[...]

28 ■ To pause the recording… Y ou can pause your recording at any time. This featur e is useful for r ecor ding a part a little at a time, etc. 1. If you want to pause the recor ding, press P A USE. The P AUSE button lights up. The ST ART/ST OP button continues flashing. 2. T o resume recording, first press the REC button, then press the PA RT [...]

29 ■ To Adjust the V olume Balance when Pla ying T wo P ar ts... 1. Begin playbac k of both parts, and then hold down the TOUCH b utton and press the P ART b utton of the par t that you want to make relatively louder . Press the button several times, if necessary . + Press as many times as necessary . 2. T o return to the original balance: Hold d[...]

30 Erasing the Recor ding ■ To Erase a Recorded P art... 1. With playbac k stopped, hold do wn TRANSPOSE/FUNCTION and press the P ART b utton of the par t that you wish to erase. The TRANSPOSE/FUNCTION button and the selected P AR T button both flash, indicating that the piano is waiting for you to confirm that you really want to erase the part. [...]

31 MIDI What is MIDI? MIDI (for "Musical Instrument Digital Interface") is an internationally r ecognized standar d that enables electronic instr uments, computers, sequencers, and other such devices to communicate with one another . The MIDI standard supports transmission of various types of performance- r elated data. ■ How Can I Use [...]

32 Default MIDI Settings The piano's default MIDI settings ar e as follows. These settings are automatically restor ed each time you turn the power on. P arameter Setting Send Channel 1 Receive Channels 1 to 16 Local On Omni Off Changing the MIDI Channel Setting The MIDI standard pr ovides 16 channels for communication among devices. When you [...]

33 Using the Piano as a Multitimbral T one Generator Y our 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. Connect one end of a MIDI cable to the MIDI IN jac k on the piano, and the other end to the MIDI OU[...]

34 Pr ogram Change MIDI program change messages are used to switch to dif ferent pr ograms (differ ent sounds or patches) on a r emote MIDI device. Program changes make it possible for you to use the piano to switch among differ ent setups on a remote MIDI device, or to use a r emote MIDI device to select differ ent sounds on the piano. ■ Sending[...]

35 ■ Enabling or Disabling Pr ogram Changes If you wish, you can disable the program change featur e. If the feature is disabled, the piano will neither accept nor transmit program changes. T o disable or r e-enable the setting, proceed as described below . 1. Hold down TRANSPOSE/FUNCTION and press PIANO 2. + Pr essing PIANO 2 toggles the setting[...]

36 MIDI Data Dumps (NC-500 only) Y ou can use the MIDI data dump capability to save your recor ded performances into a MIDI data filer or other external storage device. When you want to hear a saved performance again, you use this same featur e to r eload the data and settings back into the NC-500. To protect against accidental data loss, be sure t[...]

37 ■ Reloading the Sa ved Data 1. Run a MIDI cable fr om the MIDI IN connector on the piano to the MIDI OUT connector on the data filer or (or other storage de vice) where the saved data is stored. 2. On the piano, hold down TRANSPOSE/FUNCTION and press STRINGS/CHOIR. + The two buttons begin flashing, indicating that the piano is now standing by [...]

38 Connecting to a Computer b y 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 . Y ou can use this connection to save important performance data to your computer . If you run appropriate [...]

39 Driver P or ts 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. Driver NC-500 MIDI IN De vices MIDI IN EXT IN KEYBOARD Ke yboard, pedals, etc. MIDI OUT De vices MIDI OUT EXT OUT SOUND T one generator ■ MIDI IN Devices KEYBO ARD This port receives[...]

40 Installing and Setting the K or g USB MIDI Driver On Windows XP Y our piano includes a dedicated USB MIDI driver for W indows XP . If you are r unning XP , you can install this driver on your computer . The first time you connect the NC-500 to your computer ’s USB port, W indows will automatically install its own default USB MIDI driver . T o [...]

41 2. Click the taskbar ’s Start button to open the Start menu. In the menu, click on Contr ol Panel . In the Contr ol Panel, double-click on Sounds and A udio Devices to open the Sounds and A udio Devices Properties dialog. Click the dialog’s Hard ware tab. In the device list, click once on USB A udio Devices , so that it is highlighted. Then [...]

42 5. The dialog now asks you to select search options. Click on Don’t searc h. I will choose the driver to install. Then click the Ne xt button again. 6. The dialog now asks you to select the device driver to be installed. Click on Have Disk… , and then click the Ne xt button. 7. Insert the CD-ROM that came with the NC-500 into your computer ?[...]

43 If the CD-ROM drive on your computer is not drive D, then replace the “D” above with the appropriate drive letter . If the CD-ROM drive’s name is “E”, for example, then enter E:Drive. 8. Be sure that Model is identified as K ORG Digital Piano , and then click Next to start the installation of the driver . 9. If the warning shown below[...]

44 ■ Uninstalling the K org USB MIDI Driver f or Windows XP 1. Click the taskbar ’s Start button to open the Start menu. In the menu, click on Control P anel . In the Control Panel, double-click on Sounds and A udio Devices to open the Sounds and A udio Devices Properties dialog. Click the dialog’s Hard ware tab. In the device list, select K [...]

45 ■ Disabling the Requirement f or a Digital Signature If your W indows XP system is set to block installation of driver softwar e that does not carry a recognized digital signatur e, it will not allow you to install the Korg USB MIDI Driver for W indows XP . Use the following procedur e to disable this requirement so that you can install the dr[...]

46 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. T urn on the power to the NC-500. 3. Open the Applications folder and then the Utilities folder , and double- click A udio [...]

47 Tr oubleshooting If the piano does not seem to be working correctly , please go through the following list to see if you can identify and corr ect the problem. If you ar e unable to solve the problem after going thr ough this list, please call your dealer or Korg service for advice. ■ Piano doesn’t turn on ❏ Check that the power cord is co[...]

48 ❏ Be sure that your computer ’s USB capability is enabled. If you are using W indows XP: Open the Control Panel, click on System , click on the Har dware tab, double-click the De vice Manager button, select Universal Serial Bus contr oller s, and check USB Root Hub . ❏ It is possible that the computer has not corr ectly recognized the NC-5[...]

49 Specifications NC-500 NC-300 Ke yboard 88 ke ys (A0 to C8), RH2 (Real Weighted Hammer Action 2) k eyboard T ouch Control Light, Nor mal, Heavy Ke yboard Pitch T ransposition, Fine T uning T emperaments Equal, Kir nberger , Werc kmeister T one Generator Stereo sampling P olyphony 60 (Maximum) Sounds 24 (3 banks of 8) Effects Re verb , Chorus (3 d[...]

50 Assembling the NC-500 Piano Stand W arning Assembly must be carried out by at least two persons. Precautions To ensure saf e and correct assemb l y , please obser ve the f ollo wing precautions. ❏ Be sure to use the corr ect parts at each step, be sure that parts ar e oriented correctly , and be sur e to follow the steps in the or der given be[...]

51 4. Connect the pedal cord(6) to the connector on the underside of the pedal unit. 5. Run the cord along the g roo v e on the underside of the pedal unit as illustr ated belo w. Be sure that the cord is or iented correctly . Push the cord into the g roo v e so that it is fix ed in place . 6. Plug the pedal cord and the speak er cord into the corr[...]

52 Montage du suppor t de piano NC-500 A ver tissement Le monta g e doit être eff ectué par au moins deux personnes. Précautions P our faire en sor te que le monta g e soit sûr et correct, prière d’obser ver les précautions suiv antes. ❏ V eiller à utiliser les pièces correctes à chaque étape, veiller à ce que ces pièces soient orie[...]

53 4. Br ancher le cordon de pédalier (6) au connecteur se trouv ant à la f ace inf ér ieure du pédalier . 5. F aire passer le cordon le long de la r ain ure de la f ace inf ér ieure du pédalier comme illustré ci- dessous . V eiller à ce que le cordon soit or ienté correctement. P ousser le cordon dans la r ain ure de manière qu’il y so[...]

54 W arning Assembly must be carried out by at least two persons. Precautions To ensure saf e and correct assemb l y , please obser ve the f ollo wing precautions. ❏ Be sure to use the corr ect parts at each step, be sure that parts ar e oriented correctly , and be sur e to follow the steps in the or der given below . ❏ When lowering the piano [...]

55 4. Connect the pedal cord(5) to the connector on the underside of the pedal unit. 5. Run the cord along the g roo v e on the underside of the pedal unit as illustr ated belo w. Be sure that the cord is or iented correctly . Push the cord into the g roo v e so that it is fix ed in place . 6. Connect the pedal cord to the connector on the undersid[...]

56 A ver tissement Le monta g e doit être eff ectué par au moins deux personnes. Précautions P our faire en sor te que le monta g e soit sûr et correct, prière d’obser ver les précautions suiv antes. ❏ V eiller à utiliser les pièces correctes à chaque étape, veiller à ce que ces pièces soient orientées corr ectement, et veiller à [...]

57 4. Br ancher le cordon de pédalier (5) au connecteur se trouv ant à la f ace inf ér ieure du pédalier . 5. F aire passer le cordon le long de la r ain ure de la f ace inf ér ieure du pédalier comme illustré ci- dessous . V eiller à ce que le cordon soit or ienté correctement. P ousser le cordon dans la r ain ure de manière qu’il y so[...]

58 Operation of Piano Switc hes and Ke ys 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 1 Normal Deeper Deeper 2 beats Local On/Off HARPSI/V[...]

59 MIDI Implementation Chart NC-500/NC-300 Digital Piano MIDI Implementation Chart Function Transmitted Recognized Remarks Basic Channel Default Changed Default Messages Altered Modes Note Numbers True Voice Velocity Note ON Note OFF Aftertouch Key's Channel's Pitch Bender Control Change Program Change True # System Exclusives System Comm[...]

IMPOR T ANT NO TICE T O CONSUMERS This product has been manuf actured according to str ict specifications and voltage requirements that are applicable in the country in which it is intended that this product should be used. If you ha ve purchased this product via the internet, through mail order , and/ or via a telephone sale, y ou must v erify tha[...]