Members dahkter Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Fun stuff man....Enjoy Craig, there's a lot of people here on the other side of the Pacific that would be mighty happy to mosey around the Korg halls and check out new gear. Definitely have some fun and twist some knobs on our behalf! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 I can't resist this one. The controller for a new Korg product? No, this is the control panel for the toilet in my hotel room! Yes, even the toilets are high-tech, and they have free broadband access in your hotel room (are you listening, greedy American hotels that have the nerve to charge $10 a night for internet access on top of a $200 a night room charge?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 And for all you fans of Japanese manuals, here's the instructions for the high-tech toilet. I wonder if it's microprocessor-controlled... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Since you seem to be digging some of the "local color" shots, here's one of downtown Tokyo. I get the feeling it's kind of like what Shenzeng, China will look like in 20 years...no, make that 15... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 On the outskirts of Toyko, things open up a bit...the streets get narrower, you see some gardens among the houses, and so on. I assume this is a somewhat more affluent area on the outskirts of Tokyo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Okay, let's get back to Korg, and to the "virtual museum" part of our slide show... This is the 800DV synthesizer from 1974. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Here's the miniKorg700S, also from 1974. All these keyboards are in really good shape, and still playable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Here's the Korgue keyboard, from 1972...more of an organ-ish kinda deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 I'm going to stop for now, before I accidentally post a new product shot and get into trouble But I figured it was fitting to close with this shot of the OASYS display in their showroom. I was able to climb up to the next story and get a shot down on the showroom floor, and it conveys some of the drama of the display. I don't think I'm telling any secrets when I say that Korg is continuing to work on updates for the OASYS; the new products we were shown were not designed to replace or obsolete the OASYS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 If you've had enough of this let me know, but I do have some more pictures...mostly of a travelog nature, like of one of the temples in Tokyo...the majority of the remaining Korg shots are embargoed for now. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this thread. I'll be able to tell you much more after NAMM starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Actually, there's just one more thing I've been debating about whether to add or not...but I'll do it anyway...I had a chance to see Mr. Katoh's office in the Korg building. On one hand I felt like I was possibly invading his privacy, but on the other hand, it was vital in getting a fuller picture of what Korg is all about and I believe that's why I was shown it.If you're used to the ostentatious offices of American company head honchos, Mr. Katoh's office was the exact opposite: very tasteful, almost like a shrine rather than an office. He had some personal items as decorations, but no huge space with corner views designed to intimidate others. Although some people find the Japanese arrogant, in many cases what seems like arrogance has much more to do with shyness. I believe that part of Korg's success is because there is a lot of humility there; the "we can make some better and cooler if we try hard enough" vibe is almost palpable.As a group, they seem never satisfied with what they've done; one thing about the product presentation was that it was clear this company is thinking about what it's going to be doing well into the future. A lot of what I'm describing is not just a Korg thing, but a Japanese thing; for example, the equality/humility thing...at a Yamaha factory I visited, management spends time on the assembly lines so they can understand the process and what needs to be improved. This isn't like the deal where politicians roll up their sleeves to do a photo op, it's just part of their gig.And after being so involved with American companies that don't care about next month, let alone the next decade, that long-term view is one aspect of Japanese culture that I feel we should emulate here in the west. It's something I find very attractive about HC, for example; the people in charge here are thinking long-term rather than short-term. But that kind of mentality is, sadly, an exception...Anyway, I'm rambling now and it's getting late See ya later.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spokenward Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Thanks for the pictures! I stayed in Shinjuku once and it is full of contradictions. City Hall and an adult entertainment district within walking distance. The busiest subway station and streets of homeless foreigners when I was there. A bunch of senior citizens would gather for morning exercises at 7am in that park you can see from the hotel. I have seen showroom/museums like the Korg space in other Tokyo businesses. In my experience, they keep them pretty warm in the wintertime....or maybe the exercises were at 6AM. I am pretty fuzzy about time once I cross a large body of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chipmcdonald Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Interesting, interesting... Japan seems to be the next best thing we have to visiting another planet without actually leaving it. I wish I could go there one day. It's always been a fascinating thing, but now I've blended in the William Gibson-jin aspect of it and it's enthralling. ... and I had an epiphany a few days ago about their culture, and why it seems so different to westerners: in the west, language and culture is about specifics of labels. Everything we do is categorized in labels from a hierarchy standpoint. So we do "music", subdivided into "rock and roll", subdivided into "emo", subdivided into "post-hardcore" or whatever... The labels provide the context. The nihonjin way is all about memes. There's labels, but they (this sounds ironic) don't have a top-down hierarchy. They have specific concepts, and then names that generalize aspects of the concept in an attempt to grok the gestalt. In the process what survives are memes. Everything they're about is a meme: the samurai code pervasive in a modern society, Hello Kitty crossing into adult appeal, anti-xenophobia regarding pop culture from a distance, but insular at close range... Their way seems counter-intuitive to us because we always try to label things "warriors, cartoons, foreign-culture worship" or some such... when to them it's all about how the idea sustains itself. The samurai attitude in some parts/aspects wouldn't still be around except for the memetic manner in which the gestalt of the "samurai code of conduct" wasn't, for lack of a better term, "neat". It seems anachronistic to us because it appears to be an "old outdated warrior ethic" - labels - but as a *meme*, it's still a "great" one... so it's there. The guy/s that run Korg, they're no doubt concerned about not just the bottom line, but the way Korg plays out as a meme: how Craig Anderton, music journo/raconteur perceives Korg, and also how the area musicians perceive Korg - which gets boosted by turning the old HQ into a practice facility. The gestalt of "Korg" is expanded by doing that. From their point of view, it's not just the product itself, and it's not even the feel of the product - but the entire thing. It may not even be the product itself. It's like a Steven Jobs attitude, but even less product specific. Which is why they probably lose focus and seem to do crazy things now and then, put out bogus products or include some aspect that doesn't make any apparently useful sense. Likewise, it explains why some of the funnier "engrish" translations of product ads in Japan come off as they do; most of them seem to be trying to convey a *vibe* - the gestalt of an experience, that may not have anything directly to do with what a westerner would describe with a *label*. All based around a fundamentally different approach to language. To me it's remarkable how their language almost resembles a computer mark-up/scripting language... It's like you have commands, desu, masu, ami etc., that each have their own "switches"/modifiers. In that respect it functions as a way to convey aspects of a big concept, as opposed to discretely labeling everything, regardless if the labeling conveys anything about the whole. / thrilled by YouTube Japan walk-throughs // read too much William Gibson /// Japanese friends have moved away, now that I'm casually trying to pick some Japanese language //// looks forward to having time to read "Japanese History in Art" book I got for Christmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 I'm chomping at the bit to check out the-main-thing-I-can't-talk-about as well as the other main-things-I-can't-talk-about.Can't wait! Cool pics Craig, and it looks like you had a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Yeah, I really did. But you know I like to travel Too bad I can't tell you about the...uh...never mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 4, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 BTW -- I did get to go shopping for some CDs over there, my daughter is a huge J-pop fan. It seems CDs are still very valued over there, there isn't the same kind of "Death of the CD" vibe you get over here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Still Learning Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Thanks for sharing the photos and commentary Craig. I enjoyed both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FunkyLaptop Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Originally posted by Anderton I'm going to stop for now, before I accidentally post a new product shot and get into trouble But I figured it was fitting to close with this shot of the OASYS display in their showroom. I was able to climb up to the next story and get a shot down on the showroom floor, and it conveys some of the drama of the display. I don't think I'm telling any secrets when I say that Korg is continuing to work on updates for the OASYS; the new products we were shown were not designed to replace or obsolete the OASYS. Anyone else ready to sign up for Korg Oasys floor mats? Pimp my ride, indeed.BTW, please tell the nice Korg people to invent the telepathic firewall before releasing the telepathic sequencer. I've been hearing those demo tracks for months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gatorwing Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Thanks for the interesting trip report. Brings back some memories; I lived in Japan for four years ('62-'66). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ara Ajizian Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Looks like an awesome time Craig! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dahkter Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Definitely send some more travelogue pics, really appreciate it, living vicariously through them (i woke up my wife last night to say "hey, that guy from the forums is in Japan at the Korg factory!") Very cool all around, spread the love.... One semi-OT thought regarding Korg, I would like for them to stay away from plastic casing on so much of their gear. I had the D16, nice multi track, but should have had a metal casing considering it cost a grand. Same thing with the MicroX, the pictures from Namm last year had me psyched, but then when I finally got my hands on one, it was like something from the 99cent store, incredibly cheap casing and keys.... If they want to keep that museum going for the next thirty years, please tell them to stop making oil based hardware! Great hearing from you Craig, enjoy the trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gilbertopb Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 As I think music is magic, and magic is a inner law of life, I would love to be in the develop team for the telepathic sequencer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dahkter Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Go for it Gilberto, If you can bend a spoon with your mind, no reason you can't shorten velocity of all notes by 50%... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gilbertopb Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by dahkter Go for it Gilberto, If you can bend a spoon with your mind, no reason you can't shorten velocity of all notes by 50%... LOL!!!Bend a spoon is kinetic mind power. If someone can do this, can move the keys in the synth.I understand such sequencer would sense aura variations, catch emotions, even voice inner expressions, and something so, no the eletric brain part as I have seen some machines trying to do. Human mind is not only chemical and eletric, this is hard to fix, and another direction should be explored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dejavoodoo Posted January 6, 2007 Members Share Posted January 6, 2007 Originally posted by Anderton I can't resist this one. The controller for a new Korg product? No, this is the control panel for the toilet in my hotel room! Where's the record button? Way cool pics & report, Craig! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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