Korg Keystage 61 MIDI 2.0 USB Controller Keyboard

We say...

A slick new controller from the ever-reliable Korg, chock-full of MIDI 2.0 goodness!

Manufacturer's description

A powerful MIDI 2.0 controller keyboard, Keystage offers unparalleled control, Polyphonic Aftertouch, MPE compatibility, and exceptional touch response. Enjoy instant OLED visual feedback, a powerful arpeggiator, chord modes, integrated audio outputs, and seamless Ableton Live & Korg Gadget integration. Lightweight & portable, Keystage integrates effortlessly with most modern DAWs and includes a powerful software bundle to amplify your musical journey.

Connect. Create. Perform.

Keystage is a groundbreaking MIDI 2.0 keyboard designed for both producers and stage performers. Pioneering the adoption of MIDI 2.0 Property Exchange, it combines aftertouch with powerful integration and control capabilities.

When inspiration strikes

Eliminate the hassles of lengthy MIDI mapping and missed moments of inspiration. With Keystage, when inspiration hits, your musical visions are captured swiftly and accurately.

As a pioneer in keyboard advancement, Keystage is the first to fully harness the capabilities of MIDI 2.0. Just connect it to compatible software, and watch as Keystage automatically maps parameters, displaying them on its sharp OLED displays. Every display is paired with its unique knob, ensuring you're always informed of the mapped parameters and their precise values.

Expressive creativity

A newly developed semi-weighted keybed provides an immersive playing experience. With polyphonic and channel aftertouch, alongside MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression), you can add depth and feel to your performances without your fingers leaving the keys.

An extraordinarily powerful arpeggiator offers features that go well beyond what any other MIDI Keyboard offers. A vast selection of patterns is complemented with unparalleled customisation options, including aftertouch-triggered ratchets, randomization, gating, and more.

In addition, chord mode benefits from a suite of 32 chord sets that can be used out-of-the-box, or customized and saved into any of the extra 32 user set slots. Each set can have one chord assigned to each note of an octave, and chords can even be replayed in different ways, including a strumming mode for realistic guitar-like playing.

Deep integration

Keystage offers immediate, seamless plug-and-play compatibility with most popular DAWs, giving hands-on control on your most important playback/transport controls.

From launch, Keystage supports: Ableton Live (Official Integration), Korg Gadget (Official Integration), Cakewalk, Cubase, Digital Performer, FL Studio, GarageBand, Logic, Pro Tools and Studio One.

On the road and in the studio

Keystage is not just an incredibly powerful MIDI controller. Equipped with direct stereo output, simply connect Keystage to your computer and directly link to the sound system without the need for additional gear that takes up valuable space.

Keystage also offers flexible customization options. You can modify settings directly through the menu or conveniently adjust them using the Korg Kontrol software on your computer.

Keystage includes an expansion plate that can be attached at two different angles, making it ideal for tablets and other devices. On the 61-key model, you have the flexibility to adjust the placement of the plates in two different positions, providing a stable and solid surface to place your laptop.

Keystage x Ableton Live

Ableton Live is the industry-standard tool for live performance, thanks to its innovative dual Session/Arrangement view, smooth clip triggering, looping, and powerful production tools.

Keystage offers official integration with Live, putting both transport and device control at your fingertips. 

Keystage detects the device currently active in Ableton Live, and automatically maps to the first 8 parameters. When switching devices, Keystage dynamically reconfigures itself for an uninterrupted experience, keeping you in the zone.

Both Ableton Live and Keystage are MPE-compatible, enabling enhanced flexibility and creative possibilities in your music. Live's powerful Drift synthesizer (available with version 11.3) leverages MPE to offer even more expressive capabilities.

Keystage comes bundled with Ableton Live 11 Lite as part of its software suite. Ableton Live 11 Lite is a beginner-friendly version of Live, providing many of the core features to help you kickstart your journey in music creation and performance.

The future of music

MIDI 2.0 is one of the most exciting developments in electronic music production in decades and allows two-way MIDI conversations. Previously, MIDI 1.0 messages went in one direction: from a transmitter to a receiver. MIDI 2.0 is bi-directional and changes MIDI from a monologue to a dialogue.

Thanks to new MIDI-CI (Capability Inquiry) messages, MIDI 2.0 devices can talk to each other, and auto-configure themselves to work together. 

Keystage retrieves information such as which Control Change (CC) parameters should be linked and the appropriate names to display for each parameter. This means that Keystage can talk with a wide range of MIDI 2.0 compatible devices and exchange information in both directions. This exciting feature extends not only to software plugins, but also to hardware devices.

MIDI 2.0 Property Exchange is compatible with traditional MIDI DIN cables, allowing Keystage to seamlessly integrate with existing devices. Furthermore, backwards compatibility is not an issue with Keystage: it can still communicate using MIDI 1.0 with devices that do not support MIDI 2.0.

Powerful software suite

Keystage comes bundled with an incredible software set that provides all the tools needed to take your music production to the next level:

Korg Gadget Producer Bundle

Korg Gadget is the best all-in-one music production software and plugin collection; the intuitive user interface provides over 40 small synthesizers and drum machines called “Gadgets," that you can freely combine for music production. 

Keystage includes the "Korg Gadget Producer Bundle": this is a version equipped with most of the features and Gadgets that the Korg Gadget 2 software offers.

The deep integration between Korg Gadget and Keystage makes it possible for Gadget’s parameters to be synced on Keystage automatically, as well as having extended transport control that will make using Gadget even easier and faster.

Wavestate Native LE

Explore the full potential of Keystage by pushing its capabilities to the limits with Wavestate Native LE, which offers numerous patches utilizing Poly and Channel Aftertouch, all fully compatible with MIDI 2.0.

Wavestate Native LE is virtually the same as Wavestate Native, except only one plugin instance can be active at a time on a given DAW project.

Ableton Live & more

Keystage comes with a diverse variety of music software from different manufacturers, including Ableton Live Lite.