Korg RK100S2 Review - Can a guitarist play keytar? 

Is there a way to play pich bend and vibrato at the same time??

​@@KetherAinej yes, press both Hold buttons at the same time with your left hand, then use the long ribbon 🙂

Hey thanks! I really appreciate it. :)

Thanks Mark! I appreciate the feedback.

I love the Korg and Alesis Vortex 2 your right Roland is a bit big

Haha thanks!

you prolly dont care but if you are bored like me during the covid times you can watch all the latest series on InstaFlixxer. Been watching with my girlfriend for the last few days xD

@Aydin Owen yea, I have been using InstaFlixxer for months myself =)

what is your weapon of choice ?

Heck yeah you can!

Just going from memory, but I think you can. 👍

I've learned that there is an app where you can edit them but that's usually an awful experience compared to using dedicated physical knobs

@@SamChaneyProductions what is the app?

@@JonathanRyanFoley It's just called RK-100S2 Sound Editor

I don't find it that much of a hindrance to program at home. The controllers are great

Yep, just a mono jack lead! 🙂

Ok Thanks David

@@DavidAddis what if I wanted to use stereo?

@@WillfoxPiano you use 2 cables

A stereo lead. It's stereo.

Hmm I can't remember the key combinations off-hand, but have you tried the editor software? Might make things easier? www.korg.com/uk/news/2021/0618/

@@DavidAddis Thank you very much!!

Gear4Music. We had it on order for quite a long time, though.

If you want a keytar that you can do pretty much ANYTHING with including 1000 sounds and a truckload of settings , try saving up for the Roland-AX edge, I’ve tried the Korg once at a friends house, and what I can say is it’s a nice little machine with an interesting way to experience music and having creativity in instruments is beautiful, It’s probably the best affordable or mini keytar especially if your next purchase use the Roland keytar

@@zenberryflood I considered it but I want mini keys for a keytar. Literally the only reason why I have t. Wish I could try it tho

The reason RK was redesigned here from its original 80s prototype, was precisely because we wanted to avoid Rolands garbage design ambition. A keytar is not a stand-in for a stationary rig and defeats the point. If you need such a broad feature set - stand behind a desk like any other professional musician. The edge is far from being able to do 'everything'. Whereas the MK+ Engine is the most sold synth of all time and for good reason.

Thanks Andrew! It’s just my electric guitar, with a clean tone and pitch-shifted down an octave. 🙂

@@DavidAddis I've done that in a pinch.

Octaver

Looks like it uses the Korg KA-350, which is 9V DC and needs to be able to supply 1.7A. From what I can tell, it's centre-positive.

@@DavidAddis 👍 thanks a lot

Your comment led me down a bit of a rabbit hole trying to find the answer! Essentially, no. But you can use the "sound editor" for the original RK100S, as long as you *don't* install the Korg USB midi driver (it all goes horribly wrong if you do that). It complains a bit (that the USB MIDI driver is not installed), but then works just fine - you can load, edit and save patches onto the keytar. I wish I had known this when I had done the review, but apart from a few fleeting mentions to it on vendors websites, it's not really advertised much. Not sure if Korg will release an updated version of the Sound Editor for the S2 (it doesn't seem to need drastic modification...), and perhaps they intend for you to move towards driving completely different instruments when connected to a computer. But yeah, it is possible to edit the sounds (and is very useful for tweaking what the ribbons do and setting the bpm for any arpeggio patches you need to nail tempo).

Not sure what the technical term is, but they are slightly smaller than full-size keys. I would guess 3/4 size?

They are Korg slim keys, same as a Korg minilogue

Nope! You don't get the AC adaptor or a Midi cable (or anything) with it.

You can (just about) use the one for the RK100S (not 2). It’s a bit buggy but you can edit the sounds and re-save them.

@@DavidAddis perhaps they did change internal stuff abit then the old rk100s.

It has a jack output, so you can go straight into the mixing desk (probably best via a DI box). It won't need a power amp like in a guitar amp.

Hey man, fair enough, it’s good to hear another take on this! What is AT btw?

@@DavidAddis AT = Aftertouch

The Korg Keytar price is currently $699 US dollars. It should’ve been this price from the start imo because of the lack of features compared to Ax edge. I have the Korg and purchased it almost a month ago at the current price point. For me I love the size for extremely compact gigs. As a multi instrumentalist I bring more than a keyboard to a given gig so floor room etc is tighter. Other shows I use my regular keyboard. In my opinion the keytar is meant for mobility and less complicated chordal playing styles. It's simplicity, size and plug and play built in sounds were why I purchased it. The Ax edge in a way defeats the purpose. Being heavy, long and also not able to quite use it as a stationary keyboard due to the keytar specialized controls.(acception to the sustain pedal output at least). To me it's the worst of both worlds. Keytars as a whole really needs to step there game up especially with editing software & method of powering it.

So in conclusion if you use the keytar a ton primarily, it's your go to instrument, fine with bigger and heavier ergonomics, and want to constantly expand possibilities then the Ax Edge is a no brainer. But if you're someone who plays other instruments and have other keyboards and use it part time simply for compact convenience, showmanship etc then the KORG RK100S2 could be a good fit.

@@Aaron-Qman If your keytar is just a gimmick for a few songs there's far cheaper options than the Korg.

The closest I found was the 'regular' keyboard sounds: 7:49

Sorry no, there is no bluetooth feature.

there are no electric guitar sounds on the keytar

You sure can!

Cool..mine is on it's way... Dig ur video...Wow 5 piece band where everyone agrees & drummer doesn't speak, Excellent!!! Nice guitar work...Excellent rock solid ending... DANG guitar 🎸 players get all the Chicks... * Peace & Jam on my Brother... Ramon (keyboardist)

'Course!

For real? And are you from the uk?@@DavidAddis

Hahaha so true 🤣

Cool! How are you finding it?

@@DavidAddis it actually hasn't came in yet! It will next week!

@@DavidAddis okay for an update! So far it's great! I'm not really sure how to use software to change the different sounds so I'm still figuring everything out

@@ChandoraBox glad you like it!! I still haven’t dug in to their custom software for changing the sounds yet. 🤔