The EK-50 ‘entertainer’ keyboard seems set for learners with a myriad of auto-accompaniment styles to emulate the feel of a backing band while you’re playing. No video has been released thus far demoing the keyboard but the accompanying press releases states that the instrument’s auto-accompaniment is triggered by a single note or chords, while the 280 different styles will follow your playing. Beginners will also have plenty of solo sounds to explore through 702 sounds mixing pianos, violin, sax and drums that can be split across each half of the keyboard. The keyboard augments the typical setup with its central digital display and simple built in speakers, as well as a button-activated internal record function which can be then exported as MP3, WAV and SMF files. Additional styles can also be added via USB.
The new Rimpitch C-2 soundhole acoustic tuner keeps the nifty design of the original slotting into an acoustic guitar’s soundhole, but is now fully chromatic, giving you the ability to indulge all your wackiest alternate tunings. Reference pitches from 438 to 445Hz are installed on the rubber cushioned chassis. The tuner is designed for 100mm-diameter soundholes and uses a reliable piezo pickup to detect pitch. It boasts an enviable tuning precision, give or take 1 cent, with a battery life of 36 hours, though the frustatingly atypical CR1620 lithium batteries are what you’ll need to recharge it.
KORG is distributed in Australia by CMI Music and Audio.