Korg Announces SP-500 Digital Piano

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Korg has introduced the SP-500 Digital Piano. Housed in a stylish wood and brushed metal cabinet, the SP-500 uses Korg's TouchView display to provide fingertip access to numerous piano and accompaniment features.

The 88-key SP-500 is a "slab" style digital piano that begins with Korg's newest and finest Real Weighted Hammer-Action 2 keyboard, providing a heavier touch in the low register and a lighter touch in the high register, just as on a real piano. The SP-500's Key Touch Control function allows the performer to select from six different velocity curves for a personalized touch.

Highlighted by a stereo grand piano, the SP-500 is loaded with 396 sounds derived from Korg's professional synthesizers, and an ample 64 voices of polyphony. In addition to 19 different piano sounds, the SP-500 boasts an assortment of electric piano, organ, flute, sax, brass, strings, guitar, drum, and synthesizer sounds. Any two sounds can be layered together or split across the SP-500's keyboard.

Two independent stereo effect processors offer up 37 different effect types, including reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, exciter, distortion, overdrive, phaser, rotary speaker, auto-pan, tremolo, and more. The amount of the effect can be easily adjusted to suit the user's taste.

Tthe SP-500 contains an advanced auto-accompaniment system with professionally produced styles that make it easy to create great-sounding ensemble performances. A wide range of Styles covering rock, pop, jazz, and other musical genres enable the SP-500 to deliver the full-sounding performance of a complete pro backup band with up to six musical parts. The Pianist Styles provide an accompaniment featuring piano-type left-hand passages that enable even novice players to sound like accomplished pianists. The SP-500 comes loaded with 128 Rhythm Styles, 26 Pianist Styles, and room for 64 User Styles.

The SP-500's eight-track internal sequencer can capture and record performances created using the accompaniment system. This unique arrangement saves all the accompaniment data down to three tracks, leaving five tracks available for overdubbing additional parts. The sequencer features a full set of event editing and quantization tools. Realtime, step-entry and punch in/punch out record modes are also available. The SP-500 is GM compatible, allowing it to be connected to a computer or other MIDI-equipped devices for playing back song files, taking interactive music lessons, and much more.

The SP-500 uses Korg's advanced TouchView Graphical User Interface, a feature found on Korg's digital recorders and professional synthesizers. The touch-panel LCD lets the user select or modify sounds and accompaniment styles with the touch of a finger. In addition, the SP-500 provides a Help function to ensure that even first-time users can quickly master its operation.

Additional features include dual headphone outputs, Audio In and Out, MIDI in and out, Key Transpose, a built-in metronome, and ten tuning temperaments. The SP-500's compact size allows it to fit in many places where a traditional piano or larger digital piano would be impractical, and its modern design will blend well with any décor -- from home, to church, to school.

The SP-500 Digital Piano is available immediately, with a suggested list price of $1,800. The optional DS1H half sustain pedal is also available, for a list price of $65.