The Nautilus 73 is Korg's flagship workstation in its 73 note size. Nine separate sound engines run inside it, covering sampled grands, electric keys, PCM, analogue modelling, organ, plucked string and VPM. The target is the gigging keyboard player. One instrument, a whole set.
Nine engines under one lid
Rather than one general synth stretched thin, Korg fits nine dedicated engines, each with its own editing pages. SGX-2 handles acoustic piano and EP-1 the electric variety. HD-1 supplies the large PCM library that most workstation programmes are built from. Analogue territory goes to AL-1, while MS-20EX and PolysixEX rebuild two Korg classics through component modelling. Tonewheel organ, plucked string and waveshaping VPM belong to CX-3, STR-1 and MOD-7.
The 73 note keybed
Keys run C to C on a Natural Touch semi weighted bed. It moves faster under the fingers than a hammer action while still offering resistance. Velocity is tracked. Aftertouch is not part of the specification, which is worth knowing if your parts lean on it.
Piano in serious depth
Premium Piano is sampled chromatically in stereo across the full compass, at up to twelve velocity layers and with no loop points. Held chords therefore decay honestly instead of freezing. Damper resonance, mechanical noise and una corda samples are modelled as well. Expansion libraries add German, Italian, Japanese upright and prepared variants, and 128 slots hold the piano types you build.
Electric keys and period effects
Seven models cover tine and reed designs through Multi Dimensional Synthesis, from early and late takes on the first tine classic to a pair of reed voices. Preamp level, treble and bass, vibrato and a switchable amp with drive sit on the panel. Nine vintage effects follow. Among them are three phasers, three choruses, a flanger, a compressor and a wah.
Memory for samples and sequences
Preset PCM totals 496 MB in RAM and 2.3 GB on disk. That comes to 1,771 multisamples and 3,955 drum samples before you load a thing. Fourteen expansion libraries are already installed, spanning keyboards, strings, guitars, world sounds, loops and drums. Wave sequences run to 598 user slots plus 377 preloaded, and roughly 2 GB of PCM RAM is free for sampling.
Analogue modelling and audio input
AL-1 starts from low aliasing oscillators, with a sub generator and noise source, plus ring modulation, FM and sync for harder material. Two multi mode filters can run in series, in parallel or as a single 24 dB design. External signals get the same treatment as internal voices, passing through the ring modulator, filter, driver, amp and EQ.
See it in action
Specifications
| System | NAUTILUS System Version 1.0 |
|---|---|
| Keyboard | 73 key: Natural Touch Semi Weighted, C to C. Velocity sensitive is supported, aftertouch is not supported. |
| Synthesis types | 9. SGX-2: Premium Piano (acoustic piano), EP-1: MDS Electric Piano, HD-1: High Definition Synthesizer (PCM), AL-1: Analog Synthesizer (analogue modelling), CX-3: Tonewheel Organ modelling, STR-1: Plucked String (physical modelling), MOD-7: Waveshaping VPM Synthesizer, MS-20EX and PolysixEX: Component Modeling Technology |
| Maximum polyphony | SGX-2: 100 voices, EP-1: 104 voices, HD-1: 140 voices, AL-1: 80 voices, CX-3: 200 voices, STR-1: 40 voices, MOD-7: 52 voices, MS-20EX: 40 voices, PolysixEX: 180 voices. Figures apply when all voice processing power is given to a single engine. |
| Preset PCM | RAM 496 MB / disk 2.3 GB (ROM 1,771 multisamples, 3,955 drum samples) |
| Built-in expansion PCM libraries | EXs301: German2 D Piano, EXs302: Italian F Piano, EXs303: Japanese Upright U Piano, EXs304: Prepared Piano, EXs305: Historical Keyboards, EXs306: Vintage Keyboards 2, EXs307: Strings and Synths, EXs308: Guitar Collection, EXs309: Bass Collection, EXs310: World Essence, EXs311: Background Loops, EXs312: SFX and Hits, EXs313: Found Percussions, EXs314: Expansion Drums |
| PCM RAM capacity | Approximately 2 GB. Memory available for Sampling Mode varies with the expansion libraries and user sample banks in use. Approximately 260 MB is free as shipped. |
| Wave sequences | 598 user memory, 377 preload. Supports stereo multisamples, synchronisation of individual notes and tempo based settings. |
| Premium Piano | Full key stereo sampling, chromatically sampled at up to 12 velocity levels, no looping. Damper resonance and mechanical noise are reproduced. Una corda sample support. |
| Expansion piano PCM | EXs301 German2 D Piano: 12 velocity levels, includes Ambience Piano type and samples. EXs302 Italian F Piano: 12 velocity levels, no una corda samples. EXs303 Japanese Upright U Piano: 8 velocity levels. EXs304 Prepared Piano: 1 to 4 velocity levels. |
| Piano type | 128 |
| Oscillator control (SGX-2) | Damper resonance, damper noise, mechanical noise, note release, string resonance, una corda |
| MDS Electric Piano | Tine and reed type electric pianos powered by Multi Dimensional Synthesis (MDS), plus vintage effects |
| Electric piano model types | 7. Tine EP I Early, Tine EP I Late, Tine EP II, Tine EP V, Tine EP DMP, Reed EP200, Reed EP200A |
| Electric piano effect types | 9. Small Phase, Orange Phase, Black Phase, Vintage Chorus, Black Chorus, EP Chorus, Vintage Flanger, Red Comp, VOX Wah |
| Advanced Vector Synthesis | Control oscillator volumes and synthesis and effects parameters via the Vector Joystick and the tempo synchronised Vector Envelope |
| Structure (HD-1) | Single: OSC1 only. Double: OSC1 and OSC2, layering two separate synth voices each with their own velocity switched oscillator, dual filter, EGs and LFOs. Drums: one drum kit. Double Drums: two drum kits. |
| Oscillators (HD-1) | 8 velocity zones per oscillator, with switching, crossfades and layering. Each zone can play mono or stereo multisamples or wave sequences. |
| Filters (HD-1) | Two multi mode filters per voice (low pass, high pass, band pass and band reject), four filter routings (single, serial, parallel and 24 dB mode) |
| Modulation (HD-1) | Three envelope generators, two LFOs per voice, common LFO, four key tracking generators, AMS (Alternate Modulation Source), two AMS mixers |
| Oscillators (AL-1) | Ultra low aliasing oscillators, OSC1, OSC2, sub oscillator and noise generator, ring modulation, FM and sync |
| Filters (AL-1) | Two multi mode filters (low pass, high pass, band pass and band reject) with four routings (single, serial, parallel and 24 dB mode). Multi Filter mode on Filter A gives a modulatable mix of low pass, high pass, band pass and dry input. |
| Modulation (AL-1) | Five envelope generators, four per voice LFOs, two AMS mixers, per voice step sequencer |
| Audio input | External audio can be processed through the ring modulator, filter, driver, amp and EQ |
Specifications from Korg. Appearance and specifications are subject to change without notice.