Korg FISA SUPREMA

[JerryPH]

Not sure what you are doing in Trossingen when the accordion scene has gathered in Castelfidardo for first the Coupe Mondial and now PIF. (I'm not there either as I don't have the time to travel now.)

The answer is simple... because that is where I wanted to be.

I don't need to see the Coupe Mondial in Italy, and if certain conditions come to fruition, otherer parts of Italy including Castelfidardo will be there for me in 2025.

So many places to go and people to see... so little time.

 

[Thomas N]

There's a 20 minute video posted today on the Korg from Coupe Mondiale.

The player is fantastic and I'm ashamed to say I do not know of him.

The Korg sounds rough. The audio is perhaps poorly recorded. There's not a single soundset from that recording that I would call "acceptable" and the ending bellows shake probably should not have been performed. It did not sound similar to an acoustic bellows shake to me.

Again, what a fantastic player, but I don't think much can be gleaned about the accordion sounds from this demo.

 

[Giovanni]

There's a 20 minute video posted today on the Korg from Coupe Mondiale.

The player is fantastic and I'm ashamed to say I do not know of him.

The Korg sounds rough. The audio is perhaps poorly recorded. There's not a single soundset from that recording that I would call "acceptable" and the ending bellows shake probably should not have been performed. It did not sound similar to an acoustic bellows shake to me.

Again, what a fantastic player, but I don't think much can be gleaned about the accordion sounds from this demo.

Please would you be so kind as to post the link ......many thanks

 

[Pbraido]

Please would you be so kind as to post the link ......many thanks

I believe he is referring to this performance

 

[oldbayan]

The Korg sounds rough. The audio is perhaps poorly recorded. There's not a single soundset from that recording that I would call "acceptable" and the ending bellows shake probably should not have been performed. It did not sound similar to an acoustic bellows shake to me.

Looks like a publicity stunt from Korg, not a proper "demo". The recording is indeed rough.

To 99.999% of the people attending this event, or watching it, it's just a guy playing accordion! They have no idea what a digital accordion is, and they are probably not familiar with the Korg name.

 

[Tom]

I believe he is referring to this performance

Ugg. That Lupin turned me right off. I couldn’t take it. The presenter was ok though.

 

[Pbraido]

Ugg. That Lupin turned me right off. I couldn’t take it. The presenter was ok though.

Pietro Adragna Is an amazing accordionist but all the facial expressions really turn me off to watching him play I’m not saying you have to be a face of stone when playing but to me my personal taste is that this makes it almost comical to watch and takes away from his amazing skills

 

[Thomas N]

Looks like a publicity stunt from Korg, not a proper "demo". The recording is indeed rough.

To 99.999% of the people attending this event, or watching it, it's just a guy playing accordion! They have no idea what a digital accordion is, and they are probably not familiar with the Korg name.

It's the Coupe Mondiale. I would imagine you'd never have a more informed accordion audience anywhere in the world. And they probably figured out pretty quickly that something was different when all the different sounds came from the accordion.

As an aside, I have never watched a performance from that event prior to yesterday. I went through Round 1 and Round 2. Not sure what to say. Definitely not my thing. I did not find any of it enjoyable. I only watched a few random stretches during each performance to try to find something I liked.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Giovanni]

Pietro Adragna Is an amazing accordionist but all the facial expressions really turn me off to watching him play I’m not saying you have to be a face of stone when playing but to me my personal taste is that this makes it almost comical to watch and takes away from his amazing skills

It goes without saying he is an amazing musician and player .someone needs to stage manage him and guide him with good presentation and performance skills ..............the somewhat suspect moving around on the chair I thought he had Ants in his pants !!! and the constant rolling back and forth and head shaking ............is tiresome after awhile!! ........................get these thing right quickly ...he will go places .

just my thoughts ....................as Liberace once said .....................playing the instrument wonderfully is only a part of the performance .
Good luck a wonderful talent ..................I wish Pietro every success !!!!!

 

[Zevy]

I believe he is referring to this performance

I will not comment about electronic accordions, as that is not my cup of tea. One thing is true fore sure: Pietro Adragna is a very famous and great accordionist. Yes, he has these antics, but he is a fantastic musician. One thing I am definitely jealous of is that full head of hair!

 

[JerryPH]

The Korg sounds rough. The audio is perhaps poorly recorded. There's not a single soundset from that recording that I would call "acceptable" and the ending bellows shake probably should not have been performed. It did not sound similar to an acoustic bellows shake to me.

I am very glad to see someone echoing what I was thinking. I really don’t know if it’s the recording or the this accordion itself, something just sounds off. That bellows shake sounds like an 8X one… the sensors are not responding fast enough and there are sonic “gaps” in the way it comes out. That could be technique, that could be settings or it could be a limitation of the accordion itself.

 

[Mellobob]

Interesting to see the "it's too expensive" comment come up here and on other forums again and again. While it would be nice to get something like the new Korg for US$4000 ... it's not going to happen. The number of accordions sold per year is (and I'm really guessing here) is like 1% of the number of keyboards. Now, if we old guys could convince a few of the youngings that accordion is "cool" maybe that could change ... but, I'm afraid that battle has been fought already ... a number of times ... and lost

 

[debra]

Interesting to see the "it's too expensive" comment come up here and on other forums again and again. While it would be nice to get something like the new Korg for US$4000 ... it's not going to happen. The number of accordions sold per year is (and I'm really guessing here) is like 1% of the number of keyboards. Now, if we old guys could convince a few of the youngings that accordion is "cool" maybe that could change ... but, I'm afraid that battle has been fought already ... a number of times ... and lost

It's not just a matter of comparing a digital accordion to a keyboard. It is comparing an acoustic accordion to a digital accordion, considering that the longevity of both are very different. An acoustic accordion easily lasts for 50 years (with regular maintenance which isn't free of course). During these 50 years the accordion never feels outdated. A digital accordion lasts for maybe 10 to 20 years but certainly feels outdated after 10 years (unless nothing new gets developed). When you do the math then the price of a digital accordion should be 20 to 25% of that of an acoustic accordion. Note that with digital pianos this ratio is realistic. For 2000 to 4000 (dollar or euro) you have a very good digital piano. For 8000 to 16000 it is hard to find a pretty good acoustic piano.

 

[Alan Sharkis]

It used to be that electronic products sold at retail had a 100% markup, meaning that if you bought it for $8000, it cost the retailer $4000. If this is also true for electronic musical instruments, and assuming that the manufacturer or wholesale distributor does not determine the retail price, then an instrument with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $8000 could be sold for anything from $4001 to the MSRP, although the lower end of that range is probably not practical for any retailer. I know of one retailer who claims that he won't stock the Korg, but can order it if a customer requests it. That might lead to his also saying that if somebody orders one through him, they are either going to:

1. get it at his pre-determined price but with a chance to try it before buying it with nothing sacrificed if they decide they don't want it, or;

2. that they can put down a pre-order deposit that is sacrificed if the customer changes his mind, or,

3. that they must take the instrument if he orders it.

I haven't had a chance to ask this retailer, or others that I might consider, for their prices, availability, whether they have the Korg in stock, and if not, which one of the three situations I mentioned above (I know there are variations of the three) they will set as policy. I want to read that manual when it comes out first. Or, I might wait for that promised smaller model. But so far, from the demo videos I've seen, it's worth my investigating.

 

[kep]

Matthias Matzke proves bellows shake on Fisa:

 

[Thomas N]

Matthias Matzke proves bellows shake on Fisa:

Does he?

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Does he?

I agree —,the bellows shake portion of the video was too short and too flashy. The only way to really judge if this digital accordion comes close to the sound and feel of an acoustic accordion is to try it for one’s self, and not for just a few minutes. I hope the opportunity to do that comes soon for all who are interested.

 

[Thomas N]

I agree —,the bellows shake portion of the video was too short and too flashy. The only way to really judge if this digital accordion comes close to the sound and feel of an acoustic accordion is to try it for one’s self, and not for just a few minutes. I hope the opportunity to do that comes soon for all who are interested.

I agree completely with you. We need to sit down and play it and listen to the accordion sounds both with headphones directly attached as well as stand-alone through the Korg's speakers. Perhaps even with an amp. Until that happens it's pretty much conjecture at this point.

That's not a bellows shake. I'd call it some kind of modified vibrato effect at best. The product is not even released yet so there should be a lot more information coming out in the next few weeks.

 

[Walker]

I don't mean to upset the apple mac cart (I think that's the phrase ), but I'll say this anyway... here goes... a digital accordion isn't a traditional accordion. Yes, I know, in this day and age, multitudes gather at the temple of high-technology to marvel at its twinkly LED-lined wonders. I get it, tech is cool, and this KORG is a great achievement, and looks like it could be a cause for great optimism in the field of digital accordions. However, I think we also need to be realistic in our expectations of what the tech can achieve... sometimes there's no substitute for good, old-fashioned craftsmanship. If you really want a completely authentic, traditional accordion experience, buy a beautifully crafted traditional accordion. The family run businesses of Castelfidardo who have been "in accordions" for decades, some since the late Victorian era, will be grateful, I'm sure.

For an additional and "different" accordion experience, with fairly-good accordion sounds plus a galaxy of orchestral and other new sounds and features, well, that's when the KORG really stands out...

As a person who finds bellows-shakes to be totally cringe, I couldn't care less about how well they work on the KORG and I rather hope there is a setting to switch them off altogether. I wouldn't want to play one by accident...

More importantly for me, what free bass systems does it have? ​

 

[Alan Sharkis]

I don't mean to upset the apple mac cart (I think that's the phrase ), but I'll say this anyway... here goes... a digital accordion isn't a traditional accordion. Yes, I know, in this day and age, multitudes gather at the temple of high-technology to marvel at its twinkly LED-lined wonders. I get it, tech is cool, and this KORG is a great achievement, and looks like it could be a cause for great optimism in the field of digital accordions. However, I think we also need to be realistic in our expectations of what the tech can achieve... sometimes there's no substitute for good, old-fashioned craftsmanship. If you really want a completely authentic, traditional accordion experience, buy a beautifully crafted traditional accordion. The family run businesses of Castelfidardo who have been "in accordions" for decades, some since the late Victorian era, will be grateful, I'm sure.

For an additional and "different" accordion experience, with fairly-good accordion sounds plus a galaxy of orchestral and other new sounds and features, well, that's when the KORG really stands out...

As a person who finds bellows-shakes to be totally cringe, I couldn't care less about how well they work on the KORG and I rather hope there is a setting to switch them off altogether. I wouldn't want to play one by accident...

More importantly for me, what free bass systems does it have? ​

That last question is also mine. The full manual should be out this week and it will answer questions like that. What it won’t provide is the playing experience.