File Formats Used By Korg

[⚖musicalmemoriesuk]

I know software such as Pa Manager has been created, but I wonder what file format Korg Uses for its sets.

Why am I asking is it encrypted?

For example to view the contents of a style file or keyboard set.

Etc?

[⚅titobal]

The files produced by/for the PA series (except the PA5X) are binary files but Korg didn't disclosed anything, so few people reversed engineered the formats.
The files are not encrypted, some might be compressed btw.

I don't know if the Korg Pa Manager (KPM) guy(s) has any link with Korg (under nda) or no but they have ”guessed” or been given format informations from Korg
but today they are in a position of monopoly and that is not cool for people who would like just to edit / modify / work on files for their pricy purchased instruments.

That leaves us strings attached to KPM, the program was damn slow and buggy last time i tried it, very expensive for what it is, requires a permanent internet connection
with a total blindness for us about the usage which is done during the whole time connected duration while you work with that tool.
That is unacceptable... but when you have a monopoly eased by the no communication or support policy from the arranger manufacturer you are at ease...

In the late 90s when Korg released the famous Korg 05RW expander (around 500 Euro price tag if I remember well),
they provided you for free a floppy with an Editor/Librarian for Mac and Windows (2 floppies in the box 100% free 1xMac 1xPC).

Now you pay a 3000-4000+ PA5X and have nothing like that, same for 4X, 3X, 2X, 1X .... only the old Korg i Series were easily ”reversible” and easy to guess,
I did it in the late 90's for the i3 is40 and the great i30 and provided some own reverse engineered info to Klaus Grosser (EMC)
when he was working on is40 / i30 fire format integration in his Style Converting software...
I remember using Alain Fraysse Korg i Series utilities, all free (Alain passed away years ago and I had the news only few months ago) I used them for my i30.

The multiple styles and resources inside a single file has not encouraged people to dig deep and release open source or reasonably priced software without strings attached.
Yamaha, Roland, Ketron and all the other stayed on the scheme of : 1 file 1 style, 1 file 1 resource type

Yamaha has Yem, the Midi to style which are both free and even enable anyone to create content (and even protect from illegal copying their created content) for FREE.
Even Medeli has this ! Roland had released also some basic tools called Style Converters (indeed basic midi to style conversion utilities not at all midi songs to styles converters)
but Korg never took care of this seriously and that is a shame (only a Korg PA80 to Midi small tool was ever released).
Even Ketron made the effort to release tools for the Audya.

Thanks may have changed at format level for the PA5X, it is now a more open but complex mix of midi data and xml ... but at least for the styles it is 1 file 1 style (STG file)
But at the price tag of the PA5X we should all have a style and resource authoring software for Mac and PC FREE of charge at least with the patience to wait for updates of some
PA5X owners.
Who wouldn't be happy to create resources for the PA5X on his PC or Mac that you could share or try to sell at a fee and being able to at least protect your work if possible ?

Bad luck for those who have a Korg PA from PA1X to PA4X/700/1000 as they have nearly no software at all for free to manipulate their data and there won't be any from Korg for them.

I bought a PA5X and I start looking at the files but that is a too much time consuming process.

To date the ones who have (”cracked the code”) of the PA4X/3X/2X formats are :
- EMC Music Software (Klaus Grosser)
- VARRANGER
- KPM
- MUSIC STUDIO
and that must be it...

For he PA5X there is Sofeh Music Studio which is 1 head ahead as their software can load PA5X STG styles files and play them and even export them as midi file,
it is even possible to save them as Yamaha sty file but the whole Casm section is not created so don't expect to convert PA5X styles to Yamaha any day soon

[♔Chello]

⚅titobal

Thanks for an extremely interesting and entertaining comment.

Your experience and view of KPM match mine very well.
I was banned from the Korg Forums for life because I claimed to the developer of KPM that the program contained destructive bugs.
I had 3 months of work on the Pa3X ruined as a result of these bugs.
Korg should have made a similar program, but this is unlikely to happen. They make such programs for their synths, but not for arrangers.

Everyone else does it; my first arranger Casio CTK-811ex had 2 disks for converting Roland and Technics, which worked brilliantly.
Audya has Compiler, which can create styles from midi as well as real Audya styles from the SD5 format - a very good program.
Roland has also provided conversion software with some models.


I opened a Pa5X style in Notepad for fun, and was shocked by the complexity..!
I doubt anyone will ever make a program that can convert the Pa5X due to its complex structure...

[⚖musicalmemoriesuk]

I do remember the old Kat software for the Pa80 which I used with my Pa50sd.

No it’s not great that someone has the monopoly. 

I dont really see the problem if people were allowed to create an open source software to manage Korg Files. 

It’s odd that Korg has an open system when it comes to editing resources but once you want to do something with the resources outside the Korg ecosystem your hitting a brick wall.