Be careful not to let metal objects get into the equipment. If something does slip into the equipment, unplug the AC/AC power supply from the wall outlet. Then contact your nearest Korg dealer or the store where the equipment was purchased. THE FCC REGULATION WARNING (for U.S.A.)
Table of Contents 1. Introduction ... 7 Main features ... 7 Saving your data on the ESX-1 ... 8 About the vacuum tubes ... 8 2. Parts and their functions ... 9 Top panel ... 9 Common section ... 10 Edit section ...
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5. Pattern mode ... 35 Playing patterns ... 35 What is a Pattern? ... 35 Playing a pattern ... 35 To start playback ... 35 To pause playback ... 35 To resume playback ... 35 To stop playback ... 35 Selecting a pattern ...
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Loading just a single sample from SmartMedia ..87 Loading a WAV or AIFF file ... 87 Loading from an ES (ESX-1 or ES-1) file ... 87 Deleting an ESX-1 file from SmartMedia (Delete File) ... 88 Deleting a WAVE or AIFF file from SmartMedia ...
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About MIDI ... 89 About MIDI channels ... 89 Using the ESX-1 as a sound module ... 89 If you connect a multi-track MIDI sequencer to the ESX-1 ... 89 Setting the MIDI channel of each part ... 89 MIDI Utility ... 90 Making MIDI filter settings ...
Write operation. About the vacuum tubes Do not attempt to remove, replace or change the tubes in the ESX-1. The tubes are not a user ser- viceable part. What is VALVE FORCE is KORG’s proprietary vacuum tube audio technology.
2. TUBE GAIN This knob adjusts the level of the ESX-1’s output signal that is being sent through the vacuum tubes. As you increase this level, the vacuum tubes will produce more effect.
Common section 1. AUDIO IN THRU key Selecting this key will send the sound from the au- dio in jack directly to the line output jacks and headphone jacks unchanged. When this key is on, the effect, part common, modulation, and filter parameters of the Audio In part are disabled.
: Adjusts the effect. The actual parameter being controlled will depend on the effect type. FX CHAIN (effect chain): On the ESX-1, the output of one effects processor can be fed to the input of another. The connection will change each time you press this, and the connection that is lit will be used.
Part select section 1. (DRUM PART) 1...5, 6A-6B, 7A-7B (drum part keys) These keys select drum parts. By pressing these keys you can hear the sound that is assigned to each part. 2. ACCENT (accent part key) This key selects the accent part. 3.
5. Select LEDs The upper row of LEDs (green) indicates the loca- tion within the currently-playing pattern (length 1 through 8). The lower row of LEDs (red) indicates the posi- tion shown by the step keys (length 1 through 8). When the Keyboard function is on, these LEDs indicate the octave position.
1 from an external MIDI device, or to re- ceive a data dump. This connector transmits MIDI data. Use this when you want to use the ESX-1 to control another MIDI device, or to trans- mit a data dump. THRU...
Items and functions in the display 1. Parameter display This area displays pattern names, song names, and parameter names. 2. Value display This area displays the selected parameter’s value. 3. PATTERN, SONG, SAMPLE indicator When the number of a pattern or song is shown in the value display, this will indicate the correspond- ing mode.
2. Make sure that the card indicator in the display is not lit. Set the power switch to the standby position. If you will not be using the ESX-1 for an extended period of time, unplug the AC/AC power supply from the AC outlet.
Playing a Demo song The ESX-1 contains several demo songs. Here’s how you can listen to the demo songs to get an idea of the ESX-1’s sound and potential. 1. Press the SONG key. The SONG key will light. 2. The display will show the current song name and number.
Here’s the procedure from sampling a new sound to assigning the new sample to a part. 1. Audition the existing samples ( p.20) Listen to the samples that are already saved in the ESX-1; one of them may already be what you want. 2. Record a new sample ( p.21) Sample (record) your new sound.
A “sample” is a piece of recorded sound, either with or without further editing. The ESX-1 makes it easy for you to record new samples. You can easily assign a sampled sound (“sample”) to the parts of each pattern. The sampling area of in- ternal memory holds a maximum of 285 seconds, and can contain up to 384 samples (256 monaural, 128 stereo) that do not exceed this total time.
Here’s how to sample the output of an audio device (e.g., MD or CD player). Sampling Preparations for sampling 1. Connect the ESX-1’s AUDIO IN jack to the output of the audio de- vice you want to sample. This jack is a stereo phone jack, but can also be used with a monaural phone plug.
If you set the Auto Sampling “Threshold” value to other than Off, the ESX-1 will be waiting for external input whenever it is in the sam- pling-ready mode; in this case, you will not be able to begin sam- pling by pressing the PLAY/PAUSE key.
Editing a sample You can use the knobs and keys of the Part Edit section and Effect section to modify the sound in Sample mode as well ( p.35 “Pattern mode). The state of the knobs and keys in Sample mode are not saved when you execute the Write operation.
Adjusting the pitch of the sample SAMPLE TUNE ... -64.00...+64.00(Cent) This lets you adjust the pitch (tuning) of the sample. When assigned to a drum part, a stretch part, or the slice part, the sample will sound at the pitch you specify here. When assigned to a keyboard part, the sample will sound at this pitch for the C4 note of the keyboard.
Directly sampling the sound of the ESX-1 (Resampling) You can sample the sound of the ESX-1 as it is playing. This is called “resampling.” Resampling lets you create a new sample that mixes several samples, or apply effects to an existing sample and record the result as a new sample.
During resampling, you can press the PLAY/PAUSE key to pause the pattern or song playback while continuing to sample. Resampling just one note of a part 1. Make sure that you are in Pattern mode, Song mode, or Sample mode. Pattern or Song mode are appropriate when you want to resample multiple parts together, but the sampled volume will be lower.
2. Hold down the SHIFT key and press step key 13 (TIME SLICE). (Key 13 will light, and the slice sample part key will blink.) 3. Press the slice sample part key. The ESX-1 will automatically detect the number of steps and the beat of the sample, and show them in the display.
In this case, you can try the following two techniques. Try changing the slice step setting (step 3, above) The slice step tells the ESX-1 “how many steps the entire slice sample should occupy,” and is automatically determined during the Slice process based on the length of the sample, the attacks, and the tempo.
“>_>_>>>>”, as in the example shown below: “>_>_>>>>__”. We want the ESX-1 to determine this as “10” steps, but if it displays an incorrect value such as “8,” the sample will be sliced incorrectly, so you will need to specify the correct setting.
to the slice part in Pattern mode, or by changing the pitch. Don't feel limited by the phrase of the original pattern you sampled; you can use motion sequences or effects to create truly original patterns. Using individual sample slices The individual slices (notes) produced by executing the Slice operation can be assigned to the drum parts or keyboard parts.
Stretch What is “Stretch”? This is a function that automatically matches the playback speed to the tempo without changing the pitch, letting you play a sample at a tempo different from the sample’s original tempo. A “stretch sample” is a sample whose length in 16th note steps (the STRETCH STEP parameter) has been specified beforehand.
Convenient sample-editing functions If you want to save the edits that you made to sample, you must Write it before you switch to another sample or turn off the power. ( p.32 “Saving a sample”) Normalize This operation boosts the level of the sample as much as possible without caus- ing distortion.
When you save a sample, the sample previously saved to the writ- ing-destination will be overwritten. When you save a sample, the ESX-1 optimizes the data locations in internal memory. This will take a certain amount of time. While this is being done, the display shows a progress indicator.
Deleting a sample This operation completely deletes a saved sample from the ESX-1’s internal memory. 1. Use the dial to select the sample that you want to delete. 2. Hold down the SHIFT key and press step key 14 (DELETE SAMPLE).
(drum sounds) and phrase patterns (melodic lines) created by keyboard parts. The ESX-1 lets you create and store 256 patterns. Each pattern con- sists of 16 parts. In addition to the sound of each part, a pattern contains effect settings and phrases, and can also record knob move- ments.
You can use the dial to select from a total of 256 patterns: A.01–A.64, B.01–B.64, C.01–C.64, D.01–D.64. You can also select patterns while the ESX-1 is playing. To check which pattern is playing When the PATTERN key is lit, press the PATTERN key and the dis- play will show “(pattern name ).”...
The intervals at which you press the key will be detected and the tempo will be set accordingly. You can set the tempo this way even when the ESX-1 is stopped or paused. Auto BPM Scanning Detecting the tempo from the input of the AUDIO IN jacks Here’s how you can automatically detect the tempo of an audio sig-...
For each individual part, you can edit the sound, store a rhythm or phrase pattern, and store motion sequence data. The ESX-1 uses three types of parts, for a total of sixteen parts. — Drum parts (1–5, 6A-B, 7A-B) These parts play a sample in “one-shot” mode.
Listening to the sound of a keyboard part (the Keyboard function) 1. Press one of the keyboard part keys 1, 2 (the key will light). 2. Press the KEYBOARD key (the key will light). 3. Use the step keys as a keyboard to play the part. Use the select keys to change the octave.The select LEDs (lower row, red) will light to indicate the pitch range.
Soloing a part 1. Hold down the SOLO key and press the part key that you want to solo. You will hear only that part. (The SOLO key and part key will light.) 2. While the SOLO key is lit, you can press another part key to solo that part.
Transposing a phrase (Transpose) TRANSPOSE ... -24...24 Use this function to transposea the pitch of keyboard parts 1, 2. 1. While you hold down the TRANSPOSE key, the display will indi- cate the current transpose setting. 2. Hold down the TRANSPOSE key and turn the dial to transpose the phrases in semitone steps.
Applying a roll to a part Selecting a part and turning on the roll effect ROLL ... This switches the Roll (rapid successive strikes) effect on (lit) or off (dark) independently for each part.The interval between notes of the roll will depend on the tempo of the pattern, the roll type, and the amount of swing ( “Setting the roll type”).
Connecting various devices to Audio In You can connect various audio devices or audio sources to the ESX-1’s audio in jack, and use them for performance or sampling. 1. Connect your audio device etc. to the audio in jack (AUDIO IN, ST./ MONO).
Using the arpeggiator Performing with the arpeggiator To arpeggiate a drum part, Stretch part 1. Select the drum part that you want to play. 2. When you touch the ribbon controller, the selected part will begin playing automatically. The timing of the repeated notes will vary depending on the location you touch.
step key that you want to be the center note (press only one key). 4. Save the pattern. The position of the slider when you make this setting has no effect on the setting. If ARP CONTROL ( p.83) is set to “Revers,” the center note will be the note produced by touching the center of the ribbon controller.
Assigning a sample to a part SAMPLE ... Off, 001( , )...256( , ), 001 ( )...128 ( ) The ESX-1 contains 384 areas (256 monaural and 128 stereo) into which you can sample your own sounds. You can assign a user sample to the parts of each pattern.
Assigning individual slices of a slice sample SLICE NO..All, 001...128 The individual notes into which a sample is divided by the Slice operation ( p.27) can be assigned as one-shot samples to the drum parts or keyboard parts. 1.
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EG TIME ... 0...127 Specifies the EG decay time. The Amp EG setting determines how the volume will decay. This parameter is valid when the AMP EG is “ filter EG INT is other than 0. GLIDE ... 0...127 “Glide” (also called “portamento”) is a function that produces a smooth change in pitch from one note to the next (without re-trig- gering the note) when the gate time length overlaps the timing of the next note.
REVERSE ... On, Off Switches reverse playback for the sample on (lit) or off (dark). Modulation These parameters apply time-variant change to the sound, using an LFO or EG. S P E E D ...0...127 Adjusts the speed of modulation. If BPM SYNC is on, the speed will synchronize to the tempo.
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TYPE ... LPF, HPF, BPF, BPF+ Selects the type of filter. LPF (Low Pass Filter): Cuts the high-frequency region, making the sound more mellow. HPF (High Pass Filter): Cuts the low-frequency region, making the sound sharper. BPF (Band Pass Filter): Outputs only the region in the area of the cutoff frequency.
Effects Using the effects The ESX-1 contains three separate effect processors. For each pattern, you can use up to any three of the sixteen effect types. The sound of each part can be sent to any one of the effect processors. You can also change the way in which the three effects are connected to each other, and in this way apply more than one effect to a part.
Effect types The effects of the ESX-1 can be classified into the following three groups. 1. Stereo This group includes: CHO/FLG, PHASER, RING MOD, COMPRES- SOR, DECIMATOR, EQ, LPF, HPF For some of these effects you can adjust the level of the direct sound.
Effect parameters REVERB This effect simulates the reverberation and spatial character of a hall. FX EDIT1: Time ...0...127 Turning the knob toward the right will lengthen the re- verb time. FX EDIT2: Level ...0...127 Turning the knob toward the right will increase the re- verb level.
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FX EDIT1: Speed ... 1...127 Specifies the sampling interval and the sampling time. The sampling interval is synchronized to the number of steps in the sequencer. When the BPM changes, the length per step will also change, so the sampling interval will change together with this.
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PITCH SHIFTER This effect modifies the pitch. FX EDIT1: Pitch ... -2400...+2400 Specifies the amount of pitch change in units of cents. When the knob is in the center position, the pitch of the input sound will not be changed. Turning the knob to- ward the left will lower the pitch, and toward the right will raise the pitch.
Recording a phrase You can specify a synth sound or rhythm sound for each part, and record a phrase pattern for it. If you want to erase the rhythm and phrase data of each part before you create a pattern, refer to “Erasing the sequence data of a part” ( p.66).
To record a keyboard part 1. Press the PATTERN key (it will light). 2. Press the [ ] cursor key until the display reads “(patter n name ).” Turn the dial to select the pattern you want to record. 3. Select a keyboard part 1–5, and turn the KEYBOARD key on (lit). 4.
6B or 7B) will sound. To record a phrase for a keyboard part 1. If the ESX-1 is playing, press the STOP/CANCEL key to stop playback. 2. Press the PATTERN key (it will light). Press the [ ] cursor key until the display reads “(patter n name ).”...
Editing pattern sequence data Here’s how to edit patterns that you have recorded or patterns that are saved in memory. If you want to keep the changes you make to a pattern, you must perform the Write/Rename operation before you select another pat- tern or turn off the power.
Editing the trigger locations (the location of the notes) 1. Press the PATTERN key or PART EDIT key (it will light). 2. Press the keyboard part key that you want to edit. (The key will light.) 3. Turn the KEYBOARD key off (dark). 4.
Here’s how the Length, Beat (time signature), and Last Step are related. On the ESX-1, the total number of measures (or bars) in a pattern is called the “length.” The number of steps (or beats) in one of these measures is designated by the “last step.”...
If you change the beat, Last Step will be reset to 16 or 12. Last Step is a function that is unique to the ESX-1; if you are playing the ESX-1 in synchronization with an external sequencer or a differ- ent model of the Electribe series, regions where you have used an irregular time signature will not be synchronized.
Last Step setting. Here’s how to change the location at which the pattern begins. 1. If the ESX-1 is playing, press the STOP/CANCEL key to stop playback. 2. Hold down the SHIFT key and press step key 2 (MOVE DATA).
Here’s how you can copy the selected part (with its sound settings and sequence data, including motion sequence) to another part. 1. If the ESX-1 is playing, press the STOP/CANCEL key to stop play- back. 2. Press a part key to select a destination (copy-destination) for the part being copied (the key will light).
This operation erases the rhythm or phrase pattern (trigger, note number, gate time) and motion sequence data at once. 1. If the ESX-1 is playing, press the STOP/CANCEL key to stop play- back. 2. Hold down the SHIFT key and press step key 6 (CLEAR PART).
1. Hold down the SHIFT key and press the PATTERN key. The PAT- TERN key will blink, and the ESX-1 will be in Compare mode. 2. Press the PLAY/PAUSE key to play the original unedited pattern.
Motion sequence What is a motion sequence? The ESX-1 has a Motion Sequence function that lets you record and playback realtime changes made to the knobs and keys ( ing a motion sequence”). There are two types of motion sequence; one type for effects and one type for each of the parts.
Recording a motion sequence Here’s how to record a motion sequence (knob or key movements) for a part or effect. To record a motion sequence for a part, select the desired part, and then turn on the motion sequence key of the part common section to select either SMOOTH or TRIG HOLD.
Checking motion sequence data Here's how you can check and see what type of motion sequence data has been recorded. Hold down the shift key and press the motion sequence key of the part common section, and the step keys will light to indicate the motion sequence data that has been recorded.
6. Turn the dial to edit the parameter value at that step. If you select “Disabl,” the motion sequence value will not be updated at that step. MOTION DEST Fx1Ed1(FX1 EDIT1) Fx1Ed2(FX1 EDIT2) Fx2Ed1(FX2 EDIT1) Fx2Ed2(FX2 EDIT2) Fx3Ed1(FX3 EDIT1) Fx3Ed2(FX3 EDIT2) Pitch/Glide(PITCH/GLIDE*) EGTime(EG TIME) Pan(PAN)
Pattern Set What is Pattern Set? Pattern Set is a function that lets you assign your favorite patterns to each of the sixteen step keys, and select these patterns by press- ing the appropriate key. This gives you an easy way to switch be- tween favorite patterns while performing.
1. Press step key 1 of group 1 (select LED 1 lit). 2. Continue holding down step key 1, and press step key 5. Step keys 1 through 5 will be selected for chain play, and will all light. While chain play is playing back, you can press the RESET/ERASE key to play the currently-playing pattern from its beginning.
Saving a pattern If you want to keep a pattern that you edited or created, you must perform the Write/Rename operation explained below. When you perform the Write/Rename operation, the “Copying data within a pattern” operation will be performed automatically depending on the length of the pattern. If you decide not to save a pattern you create Simply switch patterns without performing the Write/Rename operation.
A song is a series of patterns arranged in a particular order for play- back. On the ESX-1, you can create and store up to 64 songs. In each song, you can arrange patterns in a series up to 256 positions long, and also record rhythms, phrases, and movements of the sound ed- iting knobs.
Playing a song 1. Press the SONG key. The SONG key will light. 2. Press the [ ] cursor key until the display reads “(song name).” 3. Turn the dial to select a song (S01–S64). 4. Press the PLAY/PAUSE key to play back the song (the key will light). When the song ends, playback will stop automatically (the key will go dark).
The interval at which you press the key will be de- tected, and converted into the tempo. You can use this method to set the tempo even when the ESX-1 is paused or stopped. Locking the tempo of a song Turn the TEMPO LOCK key on if you want to play back the song at the tempo specified by the song.
Creating a song You can create a song by arranging patterns in the desired order. I f w h i l e e d i t i n g a s o n g , y o u s w i t c h t o a d i f f e r e n t s o n g , t h e d a t a y o u h a d b e e n e d i t i n g w i l l b e l o s t .
This operation lets you insert a pattern at the desired position. Sub- sequent patterns will move toward the end of the song. 1. If the ESX-1 is playing, press the STOP/CANCEL key to stop play- back. 2. Hold down the shift key and press step key 8 (INSERT PATTERN).
Erasing data from a song CLEAR SONG ... 1. If the ESX-1 is playing, press the STOP/CANCEL key to stop playback. 2. Hold down the shift key and press step key 10 (CLEAR SONG). (Key 11 will blink.) 3. Press step key 10 once again to erase the data from the song. If you decide to cancel, press the STOP/CANCEL key.
Event recording Recording song event data In addition to letting you arrange patterns to create a song, the ESX-1’s Song mode also lets you record your realtime performances using the drum pad keys, the keyboard function, the arpeggiator, and knob operations.
Saving a song If you want to keep the song data that you have created, you must perform this Write/Rename operation. If you don’t want to keep the song you created, sim- ply switch songs without performing Write/Rename. Be aware t h at when you save a song, t h e song t h at had previ o usl y o c c u p i e d t h e s a v e - d e s t i n a t i o n w i l l b e o v e r w r i t t e n .
“On 3/4” setting, the sound of metronome is output from line out jacks L/R and from the headphone jack, mixed with the sound of the ESX-1’s playback and audio input. 1. Press the [ ] key until the parameter display reads “Metronom.”...
(i.e., while the WRITE/RENAME key is lit). Doing so can destroy the data. Using SmartMedia™ You can use a SmartMedia card to save or load the ESX-1’s internal data. The ESX-1 uses 3V (3.3V) SmartMedia in a range of 4 MB~128 MB capacity.
ESX-1. Saving data to SmartMedia (Save All) Here’s how to save all of the ESX-1’s data (pattern data, song data, global data, and sample data) to SmartMedia. 1. Insert the SmartMedia into the SmartMedia slot.
Saving just a single sample on SmartMedia Here’s how to save ESX-1 sample data on SmartMedia. 1. Insert the SmartMedia into the SmartMedia slot. 2. Press the GLOBAL key (the key will light). 3. Hold down the SHIFT key and press step key 16 (CARD).
SmartMedia You can load individual samples from a file that was saved by an ESX-1 or ES-1, as well as loading WAVE or AIFF files. Loading a WAV or AIFF file 1. Insert the SmartMedia into the SmartMedia slot.
Loop End specified within the Sample chunk. When exporting If a loop is specified for a sample on the ESX-1, a Sample chunk will be created when the wave is created. The following parameters are specified.
2. Use the [ ]/[ ] cursor keys to select “MIDI ch” in the display 3. Press the ESX-1’s keyboard part 1 Part key, and then turn the dial to set the MIDI channel for part 1 to match the channel being transmitted by the con- nected MIDI keyboard or other device.
MIDI data. Making MIDI filter settings MIDI FILTER ... You can select which MIDI messages the ESX-1 will receive and transmit. 1. Press the Global key. 2. Hold down the shift key and press step key 15 (MIDI UTILITY) (key 15 will blink).
When the ESX-1 receives note-on/off messages on the MIDI channel assigned for a part, that part will be sounded. If the ESX-1’s MIDI filter “N” setting is set to “x,” note-on/off messages will not be transmitted or re- ceived. ( p.90 “Making MIDI filter settings”)
If the ESX-1 receives a program change message on the ap- propriate MIDI channel, it will switch patterns within the same group (e.g., from A01 to A02). If the ESX-1 receives a bank select message, it will switch groups (e.g., from A01 to C01) so that patterns of another group can be selected.
Setting the pitch bend range When the ESX-1 receives a pitch bend message [En, vv, vv] (vv, vv: lower and upper bytes of the value, together express- ing a range of 16384 steps with 8192 [vv,vv=00H, 40H]), pitch bend will be applied to the keyboard part receiving on that channel.
2. Press the [ ] cursor key to change the display to read “Clock.” 3. Turn the dial of each device to set the ESX-1 to “Int” and the ES-1 to “Ext.” 4. Press the ESX-1’s PLAY/PAUSE key to start the pat- tern or song (the PLAY/PAUSE key will light).
About synchronization in Song mode In Song mode, the ESX-1 will also transmit Song Select and Song Position Pointer messages. Song Select When you switch songs, a Song Select message [F3, ss] (ss: song number) will be transmitted. On the ESX-1 you can select 64 songs.
[ ] Is the MIDI cable connected correctly? — When playing the ESX-1 from an external device [ ] Is the ESX-1 set to receive MIDI data on the chan- nel that the external device is transmitting? ( p.90) [ ] Is the Global mode MIDI Channel parameter set to the channel you want to use? ( p.90)
Use your computer or other device to back up the data on the SmartMedia™ card. Then format the SmartMedia™ on the ESX-1, rewrite the desired files to it, and access it once again from the ESX-1. CardFull There is insufficient free space in the ESX-1 or on SmartMedia™.
When loading is completed, the ESX-1 will be re- stored to its initial state, and after several seconds the display will indicate pattern number "A.01" and enter Pattern mode. Never turn off the power while the ESX-1 is being initialized. 8. Appendix Specifications...
*1: Sent but not received when Global mode Clock is “Int.” When set to “Ext,”received but not sent. *2: In addition to Korg exclusive messages, also responds to Inquiry messages. *3: Contorol Change Nummbar is specified by MIDI mode “#CC ASSIGN.”...
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