KORG EK-50 U Entertainer Keyboard Owner’s Manual

EK-50 U Entertainer Keyboard

E 1

2 EK-50 U Owner’s Manual

Table of Contents

Main Features ………………………………………………………………. 3
Part Names…………………………………………………………………… 4 Front panel ………………………………………………………………………. 4 Rear panel ……………………………………………………………………….. 4 Control panel …………………………………………………………………… 5 Display…………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Preparing to Play ………………………………………………………….. 7 Using the AC adapter ………………………………………………………. 7 Using this instrument with batteries ………………………………… 7 Turning the power on/off…………………………………………………. 7 Adjusting the volume………………………………………………………. 8 Using the sheet music stand …………………………………………….. 8 Using headphones …………………………………………………………… 8 Using a pedal …………………………………………………………………… 8
Basic operations …………………………………………………………… 9 About modes …………………………………………………………………… 9 Other functions………………………………………………………………… 9 Selecting sounds and changing values……………………………… 9
Playing the EK50 U (style mode) ………………………………….10 Selecting a grand piano ………………………………………………….. 10 Selecting the keyboard set ……………………………………………… 10 Selecting a set list …………………………………………………………… 10 Changing the sounds on the left and right (split)……………. 11 Playing in time with the metronome………………………………. 11 Muting parts and changing sounds………………………………… 12 Setting the key and octave ……………………………………………… 12 Adding effects and embellishments to your playing ………. 13
Autoaccompaniment (style mode) ………………………………14 Playing along with auto- accompaniment……………………….. 14 Making changes to the auto-accompaniment …………………. 15 Saving the set list (WRITE) …………………………………………….. 16 Recording your performance …………………………………………. 17
Song mode ………………………………………………………………….18 Listening to the demo songs…………………………………………… 18 Playing along with a song………………………………………………. 18 Playing back using different methods…………………………….. 18 Editing a song………………………………………………………………… 19
SETTING functions……………………………………………………….21 Basic methods of use………………………………………………………. 21 Main SETTING functions……………………………………………….. 21 List of SETTING functions……………………………………………… 22
MEDIA functions ………………………………………………………….24 Connecting and removing USB flash drives …………………… 24 Basic method of use ……………………………………………………….. 24 List of MEDIA functions ………………………………………………… 25

Connecting to an external device …………………………………26 Connecting an audio player……………………………………………. 26 Connecting powered monitor speakers ………………………….. 26 Connecting to a computer………………………………………………. 27
Appendix ……………………………………………………………………. 28 Checking the software version ……………………………………….. 28 Restoring the EK50 U to factory default settings……………. 28 Calibrating an expression pedal……………………………………… 28 Troubleshooting …………………………………………………………….. 28 List of chords recognized ……………………………………………….. 30
Specifications ……………………………………………………………… 31
MIDI Implementation Chart………………………………………….32

3 Main Features
Thank you for purchasing the Korg EK-50 U Entertainer keyboard. To help you get the most out of your new instrument, please read this manual carefully.
About this manual
The EK-50 U comes with the following manuals. · Quick Start Guide (printed) · Owner’s Manual (this document, PDF) · Voice Name List (PDF)
Quick Start Guide
Read this manual first. This guide explains the basic operations and other features of the EK-50 U.
Owner’s Manual
This explains how to use the detailed functions of the EK-50 U.
Voice Name List
This is a list of the styles, keyboard sets, demo songs and other data used on the EK-50 U. Download the PDF from the following Korg website. www.korg.com
Conventions in this manual
Symbols , Note, Tip These symbols respectively indicate a caution, a supplementary note, or a tip.
Example screen displays
The parameter values shown in the example screens of this manual are only for explanatory purposes, and may not necessary match the values that appear in the screen of your instrument.
Lists shown at the top of the panel
The styles, songs, and keyboard set categories are listed at the top of the panel.

Main Features
Playing with different sounds
The EK50 U lets you play many different kinds of instrument sounds in addition to piano, violin, sax, drums and so on. .. page 10
Playing along with a style (auto accompaniment)
You can select from different genres of “styles,” which are like a backing band or rhythm accompaniment. Try playing a melody in your right hand while playing a chord with your left hand. ……………… page 14
Onboard MIDI/audio recorder and player
An onboard MIDI/audio recorder and player lets you play along with your favorite songs or easily make recordings. With the EK-50 U, you can play back MP3, WAV and SMF files stored on a USB flash drive. ……………. page 18
Connecting to an external device and playing back audio
You can play the audio from external devices, such as MP3 players, smartphones and other mobile devices, computers and so on, and hear it through the built- in speakers of the EK-50 U. ……………………………………………………………………………………. page 26
Adding effects to sounds
You can add distortion or reverb to sounds, giving the sound a different character. ……………………………………………………… page 13

4 Part Names
Front panel

Part Names

Display (page 6)

Sheet music stand insertion holes (page 8)

Built-in speakers (page 8)

Built-in speakers (page 8)

Joystick (page 13)
Rear panel

Keyboard

1

2

3

4

5 67

8

1. Cable hook…………………………………………………………………………… page 7 2. DC 12V jack ( ) …………………………………………………………… page 7 3. USB TO DEVICE port, USB TO HOST port ( )
………………………………………………………………………………………….. page 24, 27
4. FOOT CONTROLLER jack ………………………………………. page 8, 29 5. OUTPUT L/MONO and R jacks …………………………………. page 26

6. AUDIO IN jack ………………………………………………………………… page 26 7. Headphones jack ( )…………………………………………………………. page 8 8. Battery compartment ……………………………………………………….. page 7

5 Part Names
Control panel
Style list
1 2 3 4567

Song list

89

Keyboard list
10

Power button ( ) (page 7)

11

12

18

13

14

17
VOLUME knob (page 8)
1. MODE section…………………………………………………………………….. page 9
STYLE button……………………………………………………………… page 14, 16 SONG/[DEMO SONG] button……………………………………… page 18
2. KEYBOARD SET/[STS] button……………………. page 10, 14, 15, 16 3. GRAND PIANO button…………………………………………………. page 10 4. SPEAKER EQ/[SPEAKER OFF] button………………… page 13, 26 5. SETTING/[EFFECT] button …………………………………….. page 13, 21 6. PERFORMANCE REC/[MEDIA] button…………………… page 24 7. [SHIFT] button
When setting a function enclosed in white lines for a button, hold the [SHIFT] button down and press that button.
You may sometimes need to hold down the [SHIFT] button and then press another button or turn the dial. This icon is used in these cases.
8. Dial ……………………………………………………………………………………….. page 9 9. CATEGORY button t, u ………………………………………………… page 9 10. Numerical buttons, + button, ­ button ……………………….. page 9 11. ENSEMBLE button………………………………………………………….. page 13 12. SPLIT button ………………………………………………………….. page 11, 13, 14 13. TAP TEMPO/[TEMPO LOCK] button……………….. page 11, 12 14. METRONOME/[BEAT SELECT] button…………………… page 11 15. TRANSPOSE , /[OCTAVE ­, +] button…………………. page 6, 12

16

15

16. SET LIST section …………………………………………………… page 10, 16, 28
· BANK/WRITE button · Buttons 1­4
17. STYLE/SONG section
STYLE section …………………………………………………………………. page 15 · VARIATION 1/2, 3/4 buttons · FILL button · COUNT IN/BREAK button · INTRO/ENDING button · Start/stop button ( ) · SYNCHRO START/STOP button · Record button ( )
SONG section …………………………………………………………………. page 18 · LOOP button · A1B button (A1B) · Rewind button ( ) · Fastforward button ( ) · Pause button ( ) · Start/stop button ( ) · ERASE button · Record button ( )
18. PART MUTE/[SOUND SELECT] section ………….page 10, 12, 14,16
Keyboard part · LOWER button · UPPER 1 button · UPPER 2 button · UPPER 3 button
Accompaniment part · DRUM button · PERCUSSION button · BASS button · OTHER PARTS button

6 Part Names
Display
: Displays the tempo of the style or song.
: Lights up to display the beat of the style or song.
: Displays when the style or song have stopped. The octave and transpose state are displayed to the right.
Octave Transpose : Displays when a style or song is being played back. The current measure position or remaining number of measures are displayed to the right.

Chord Displays the name of the chord played within the chord recognition range.

Tempo lock icon (page 12) Displays when the tempo is locked.

USB icon Displays when a USB flash drive is plugged into the USB TO DEVICE port.
Battery indicator Displays the remaining amount of battery power when running on batteries.
Bank Displays the bank of the currently selected set list.

Split point (page 11)

Keyboard display Displays the keys currently played on the keyboard, and the split point.

These show the current mode and function. When the display is blinking, the blinking items indicate what operations are in effect.
: Displays when using style mode. The style name and number appear below on the display.
: Displays when using song mode. The song name and number appear below on the display.
: Displays when style mode or song mode are in use. The keyboard set name and number used by the style or song appear below on the display.
: Displays when the sound for each part used in the keyboard set is selected. The sound name and number appear below on the display.
: Displays when accessing the SETTING functions. The parameter name, number, value and so on that are being set appear in the display.

7 Preparing to Play

Preparing to Play

Using the AC adapter
1. Make sure that the power on this instrument is turned off. 2. Connect the DC plug of the included AC adapter to the
DC 12V jack located on the rear panel of the EK50 U. Be sure to use only the included AC adapter. Using any
other AC adapter may cause malfunctions.
Hook the AC adapter cord onto the cord hook. Do not use excessive force when pulling the cord off the hook.
Cord hook

AC adapter (included)

When hooking the cord onto the cord hook, be careful not to bend this part any more than necessary.

3. Connect the plug of the AC adapter to an AC outlet.
Be sure to use an AC outlet of the correct voltage for your adapter.

Using this instrument with batteries
You can use eight AA alkaline or nickelmetal hydride batteries to power this instrument.
Zinccarbon batteries cannot be used.
Note: Batteries are not included, so please obtain them separately.

Installing batteries
1. Make sure that the power on this instrument is turned off. 2. Push the two tabs on the battery compartment cover that is
located on the bottom of this instrument to open the cover.
Note: When turning the instrument upside down, place it on a blanket or similar material to prevent damage to the display, joystick and so on.
3. When inserting the batteries, be
sure to observe the correct polarity (“+” and “­”).
Do not mix new and old batteries, or batteries of different types. Failing to observe this guideline might cause the batteries to leak or burst.
4. Close the battery cover.
Note: To make sure the correct battery level is displayed, make the setting on this instrument for the type of battery you are using (see page 21 “Setting the battery type”).

Replacing the batteries
The battery indicator is displayed at the top righthand part of the display. Note: This indicator will not be displayed while the AC adapter is plugged in.
When the indicator is blinking, this means that the batteries are nearly depleted, so replace the batteries as soon as possible or connect an AC adapter to power this instrument.
Remove depleted batteries immediately. Leaving depleted batteries in could result in malfunctions caused by battery electrolyte leakage or similar problems. Also, remove the batteries if you will not be using the EK50 U for a long time.
Turning the power on/off
1. Turn the VOLUME knob all the way to the left, so that the
volume is down.
2
1
2. Press the power button to turn the instrument on.
When turning off the power, hold the power button down until the backlight on the display goes dark. Note: The EK50 U will automatically turn off if it has not been played or operated for a certain amount of time (via the auto poweroff function). The time interval is set to 30 minutes at factory default. This interval can be changed (see page 21 “Changing the auto poweroff function”).

8 Preparing to Play
Adjusting the volume
y Turn the VOLUME knob on the front panel to adjust the sound to the optimum level. The VOLUME knob sets the volume of sound coming from the built-in speakers, the headphones jack and the OUTPUT jacks.

Using a pedal
You can plug an optional pedal (sold separately) into the FOOT CONTROLLER jack on the rear panel to use as a damper pedal, or to control the volume.
Use the SETTING function to make the pedal settings, according to which kind of pedal you will connect (see page 21 “Changing the pedal polarity” and page 21 “Changing the pedal function”).

Using the sheet music stand
Insert the sheet music stand into the two holes for the same on the front panel.
Using headphones
y Connect the stereo mini-plug of a pair of commercially available headphones to the headphones jack on the rear panel.

Damper pedal, pedal switch, etc.
· When using a Korg DS-1H (damper pedal), PS-1 or PS-3 (pedal switch), this will function as a damper switch. As with the damper pedal on a piano, you can use a pedal with this instrument to sustain the notes you play, even after taking your fingers off the keyboard. You can also make settings for quarter tone playing. Note: Note that the damper effect does not work on the lower part. Note: This instrument does not feature a half-damper function.
· Connect a Korg EXP-2 foot controller to control the volume of the keyboard part (see page 10 “Selecting the keyboard set”).

Headphones
Note: The built-in speakers will not make a sound if a pair of headphones has been connected to the headphones jack (but sound will still be outputted from the OUTPUT jacks).
Using headphones at high volume for an extended time may cause hearing damage. Avoid excessively high volume levels.

9 Basic operations

Basic operations

About modes
The EK50 U features two different modes, a style mode and a song mode.
Press the appropriate MODE section button on the front panel to enter one of the modes.

Selecting sounds and changing values
Use the dial, the numerical buttons, the + and ­ buttons and the CATEGORY button when selecting sounds or changing the values of the settings.
1 2

4

3

When turning on the EK-50 U, the instrument will automatically enter style mode.
Style mode
Style mode lets you select a sound in this instrument and play it together with another sound you like on the keyboard, as well as play along with auto- accompaniment (style). You can also record your playing when using the auto- accompaniment function.
Song mode
In song mode, you can play back demo songs and user songs as well as music data files (MP3, WAV and SMF), and play along with them. You can also edit the user songs easily.
Other functions
SETTING functions
These functions include global settings for the instrument like keyboard touch, master tune, scale, pitch bend variable range and so on. There are also settings for pedals that you connect, as well as MIDIrelated settings.
MEDIA functions
These functions are for saving or loading set lists to/from USB flash drives, as well as for saving user songs. This also includes functions for formatting USB flash drives and for system updates.

1. Dial
This is used to change numbers and values. Turn the dial clockwise to increase the value, and turn the dial counter-clockwise to decrease the value.
2. Numerical buttons
Use these buttons to directly input numbers and values on the EK-50 U. To input a two-digit number using the three-digit display (for example, “36”), press “0”, “3” and “6”.
3. + and ­ buttons
· Press either the + or ­ button once to increment or decrement a number.
· Hold down the + or ­ button to continually change the number.
4. CATEGORY buttons t, u
When you press the CATEGORY button to select a style, keyboard set, sound and so on in style mode or song mode, the first digit of the number group corresponding to the category or genre will be selected. When using the SETTING or MEDIA functions, press the CATEGORY button to select a page.

10 Playing the EK-50 U (style mode)

Playing the EK50 U (style mode)

Selecting a grand piano
y Press the GRAND PIANO button. This will quickly select the grand piano sound.

1. Press the KEYBOARD SET/[STS] button.
will blink on the display, and the keyboard set
name will be displayed.

1 2

Selecting the keyboard set
The keyboard set is a group of sounds used in keyboard performance. There are over 170 keyboard sets, divided into 17 groups. Four parts are allocated to the keyboard set (the lower part and upper parts 1­3), which include sounds like piano, strings, synthesizer, drums and so on. These four parts together are called a keyboard part.
Keyboard part

2. Select the keyboard set by using the dial.
Use the CATEGORY buttons to switch to different keyboard sets within each category.
y To revert to the original keyboard set, press the KEYBOARD SET/[STS] button while holding down the [SHIFT] button. ” ” (Single Touch Settings) will be shown in front of the keyboard set name.
Selecting a set list
Set lists are used to save and quickly recall your favorite settings (style, keyboard set, tempo, effects and so on; see page 16 “Saving the set list (WRITE)”). The recommended set lists are stored in locations 1­4 of bank A. Bank A-1 will be selected right after the power is turned on.
1. Press the BANK/WRITE button several times to select the
bank. The bank will change in sequential order (A”B”C…J”A…) with each press of the BANK/WRITE button.
Tip: Pressing this button while holding down the [SHIFT] button will select banks in reverse order.

Lower part

Upper parts 1­3

Left side

Split point

Right side

Tip: See the “Voice Name List” (PDF) for a list of the keyboard sets and sounds.

2. Use buttons 1­4 to select the set list.

11 Playing the EK-50 U (style mode)

Changing the sounds on the left and right (split)
You can divide the keyboard into a high note range (for upper 1­3 parts) and a low note range (for lower part). This is called a split function, and the key where the sound changes (the next note directly below the upper part) is called the split point. Turn the split function on when you want to play different sounds with your left and right hands. You can also change the sounds for each part (see page 12 “Changing sounds”).

Lower part

Upper parts 1­3

Playing in time with the metronome
You can practice along with the tempo and beat of the metronome.
Setting the metronome
Turning on the metronome: Press the METRONOME/[BEAT SELECT] button to turn the metronome on (the button will light), and press the button again to make it stop.

Left side

Split point

Right side

y To turn the split on: Press the SPLIT button to turn the split function on (the button will light). The keyboard will be divided into two ranges.
y To turn the split off: Press the SPLIT button once more to turn the split off (the button will go dark). The entire keyboard range will play upper parts 1­3.
Upper parts 1­3

y Setting the beat: Press the METRONOME/[BEAT SELECT] button a number of times while holding down the [SHIFT] button.
2/2…16/16 ” Click HI ” Click LOW ” 2/2…
2/2, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 7/4, 6/8, 8/8, 16/16: Beat Click HI: Accent sound Click LOW: No accent sound

y To change the split point: Press a key on the keyboard while holding down the SPLIT button.

y Adjusting the volume: Turn the dial while holding down the METRONOME/[BEAT SELECT] button.

Lower part

• Upper parts 1­3

Tip: You can check the split point on the keyboard display, which is shown in the display.

Adjusting the tempo
y Turn the dial while holding down the [SHIFT] button.

y Press the TAP TEMPO/[TEMPO LOCK] button to match the number of beats of the style at the tempo timing you wish to set. (For instance, if you want to set a 4/4 beat, press the button four times; and for a 3/4 beat, press the button three times.)
Note: Pressing the TAP TEMPO/[TEMPO LOCK] button any more times will start the accompaniment (tap start function). You can disable the tap start function (see page 23 “Tap Auto Start”).

12 Playing the EK-50 U (style mode)
Locking the tempo (tempo lock)
y Press the TAP TEMPO/[TEMPO LOCK] button while holding down the [SHIFT] button (the tempo lock icon will light on the display).

Setting the key and octave
Transposing (changing the key)
You can change the key of this instrument in semitones, over a range of ±1 octave. The key that is currently set is shown in the display.
y To lower the key: Press the TRANSPOSE /[OCTAVE ­] button.
y To raise the key: Press the TRANSPOSE /[OCTAVE +] button.
y To reset the key: Press both the TRANSPOSE /[OCTAVE ­] and TRANSPOSE /[OCTAVE +] buttons together.

Muting parts and changing sounds
On the keyboard part (upper 1­3 and lower) and on the accompaniment part (drums, percussion, bass and other parts), you can mute (turn off) individual parts, or change the part’s sound.
Muting parts
y Pressing the part buttons will mute the respective part(s) (the button will go dark). Pressing the buttons again will cancel muting (the button will light).

Unmute

Muting

Changing sounds
1. Press the part button for the part you want to change while
holding down the [SHIFT] button (the part button will blink).
and the sound name will blink on the display.
Note: The sounds for “other parts” cannot be changed.

Changing the octave
You can change the pitch of the note that actually sounds when you play a note on the keyboard, up or down in one-octave units. You can set the octave within a range of ±2 octaves.
Changing the octave for the entire keyboard part
y To lower the octave: Press the TRANSPOSE /[OCTAVE ­] button while holding the [SHIFT] button.
y To raise the octave: Press the TRANSPOSE /[OCTAVE +] button while holding down the [SHIFT] button.

11

1

2. Use the dial to select a sound. 3. Press the [SHIFT] button to return to the previous mode.

13 Playing the EK-50 U (style mode)
Changing the octave for each part
1. Press the part button for the part you want to change while
holding down the [SHIFT] button (the part button will blink).
and the sound name will blink on the display.

11

1,2

2

2. Press the TRANSPOSE /[OCTAVE ­] or TRANSPOSE /
[OCTAVE +] buttons while holding down the [SHIFT] button.

Adding effects and embellishments to your playing
Using the joystick

Vibration of sound, brightness, etc.

Pitch

y Move the joystick to the left and right to change the pitch of the keyboard part.
Tip: You can also set how much the pitch changes (see page 22 “PtchBndRange”).
y Move the joystick up and down to change the sound of the keyboard part.
Tip: The change in sound when you do this will depend on the keyboard set.

Adding a harmony to the melody
This adds a harmony to the melody you are playing, to match the chord. The harmony will vary depending on the style you have selected.
1. Press the ENSEMBLE button.

1

2

2. Press the SPLIT button to activate the keyboard split
feature (the button will light).
3. Play a chord within the chord recognition range, and play
a melody with your right hand.

Selecting effects
Each keyboard set contains two effects (effect 1 and effect 2), which change the sound and its impression depending on the effects you select.
1. Press the SETTING/[EFFECT] button while holding down
the [SHIFT] button to display the settings screen for effect 1.
a. Press the CATEGORY button u to display the settings
screen for effect 2. Press the CATEGORY buttons to switch between the effect 1 and effect 2 settings screens.

1 1

a

2

2. Select the effects using the dial.
“Default” indicates the optimum effect that is set for the keyboard set by default.
3. Press the [SHIFT] button to return to the previous mode.
Setting the effect send level
Here you can adjust the send level for effects 1 and 2 that are applied to the lower and upper 1­3 parts respectively. This will change how the effect sounds.
Note: Depending on the type of effect, the change in sound may not be too noticeable.
1. Follow steps 1 and 2 in “Selecting effects” to configure
effect 1 or 2.
2. Turn the dial while holding down the PART button to set
the effect send level.
a. To switch between effect 1 and 2, press the CATEGORY
button.

2
2 a
3. Press the [SHIFT] button to return to the previous mode.
Selecting an equalizer (EQ)
You can add an equalizer effect to make the sound outputted from the built-in speakers easier to listen to, or to adjust the tonal character of the sound to match the musical genre you are playing. y Press the SPEAKER EQ/[SPEAKER OFF] button several
times to select the equalizer. There are eight types of speaker EQ: Standard ” Bass Boost ” Bass Cut ” Treble Boost ” Treble Cut ” Mid Boost ” Mid Cut ” Loudness ” Standard …

14 Auto-accompaniment (style mode)

Autoaccompaniment (style mode)

Playing along with autoaccompaniment
Auto-accompaniment is a function that automatically plays accompaniment to match the chord that you specify. The EK50 U features accompaniment patterns in various styles, such as dance, rock, jazz, Latin and so on. These patterns are called styles. There are over 280 styles, divided into 17 groups.
Playing with a style you choose
The sounds used in a style (auto-accompaniment) are assigned to four parts (drums, percussion, bass and other parts). Together, these four parts are called an accompaniment part.
Accompaniment part

4. Press the SPLIT button to activate the keyboard split
feature (the button will light). When you turn the split on, all keys to the left of the split point (the lower part) will become the “chord recognition range.” Turn the split off to make the entire keyboard become the chord recognition range.
Chord recognition range

Left side

Split point

Right side

Tip: To change the split point, press a key while holding down the SPLIT button. See page 11 “Changing the sounds on the left and right (split)” for details on the split feature.
5. Play a chord within the chord recognition range.
The chord name that you played is recognized and shown on the display.

1. Press the STYLE button to enter style mode.
will blink on the display, and the style name will
be shown.

Tip: You can change how this instrument recognizes the chords you play, by changing the Chord Detect setting in the SETTING functions (see page 22 “Chord Detect”).
6. Press the start/stop button.
The auto-accompaniment will begin, and the start/stop button will light up white.

13 3

4 2

2. Select the style using the dial.
Use the CATEGORY buttons to switch the style between different musical genres.
3. Press the KEYBOARD SET/[STS] button while holding
down the [SHIFT] button. A keyboard set that matches the style will be recalled, and ” ” (Single Touch Settings) will be displayed before the keyboard set name.

6,8
7. Play a melody on the right side of the split point on the
keyboard, while playing a chord in the chord recognition range. When you change the chord, the accompaniment will automatically follow along. Tip: See “List of chords recognized” (page 30) for a list of the chords that this instrument can recognize. Tip: To change or lock the tempo, see “Adjusting the tempo” (page 11). When you lock the tempo, the tempo will not change when you select a different style.
8. To stop the auto-accompaniment, press the start/stop
button.

15 Auto-accompaniment (style mode)

Making changes to the auto accompaniment
Adding an intro or setting a variation
Use the buttons in the STYLE section to make changes to the autoaccompaniment, such as adding an intro, fillins and breaks, and an ending.

VARIATION 1/2, 3/4 FILL

Start/stop

INTRO/ENDING

COUNT IN/BREAK

1. Follow steps 1­4 in “Playing with a style you choose”
(page 14).

2. Press VARIATION buttons 1/2 or 3/4 to select a variation.
Each press of the buttons will switch between VARIATION
1 and 2, or VARIATION 3 and 4.

VARIATION

VARIATION button

Button state

Variation complexity

1

1/2

Lights white Simple

2

1/2

Lights red

Slightly complex

3

3/4

Lights white Complex

4

3/4

Lights red

Advanced, complex

The arrangement will become progressively more complex as you go up from variation 1 to 4.
3. Press the INTRO/ENDING button to select the intro.
Each press of the button will switch between intro 1 and 2.

INTRO/ ENDING
1
2

Button state Intro/ending content

Lights white Includes chord changes

Lights red

Chord stays the same

Tip: When you press the INTRO/ENDING button before you start to play, this will select the intro; and when you press the button while you are playing, this will select the ending.
4. Play a chord within the chord recognition range.
The chord name that you played is recognized and shown on the display.
5. Press the start/stop button.
The intro will begin, and then the variation accompaniment will play back.
6. Play the chords with your left hand and the melody with
your right hand.
7. Press VARIATION buttons 1/2 and 3/4, as well as the
FILL button and COUNT IN/BREAK button to change the playback of the song while you play.
8. To end the song, press the INTRO/ENDING button and
select the ending. The ending will switch between ending 1 (lights up white) and ending 2 (lights up red) with each press of the button.

The accompaniment will finish after the ending.

Using the SYNCHRO START and SYNCHRO START/ STOP functions
This function allows you to start the accompaniment when you play the keyboard (SYNCHRO START), or accompany you only when you are playing the keyboard (SYNCHRO START/STOP).
SYNCHRO START/STOP
SYNCHRO START
1. Press the SYNCHRO START/STOP button. The button
will blink white. This turns on the SYNCHRO START function.
2. Play a chord in the chord recognition range to start the
accompaniment. The button will change to being continually lit in white.
3. Press the start/stop button to stop the accompaniment.
SYNCHRO START/STOP
1. Press the SYNCHRO START/STOP button several times,
to make the button start blinking white. This turns on the SYNCHRO START/STOP function on.
2. When you play a chord in the chord recognition range, the
accompaniment will start; and when you take your fingers off the keyboard the accompaniment will stop. Playing again will restart the accompaniment. The button will blink white while the accompaniment is playing.
3. To cancel SYNCHRO START/STOP, press the SYNCHRO
START/STOP button several times to make the button go dark.
Changing the style and keyboard set combination
Each style contains the keyboard set that is optimal for that style. For keyboard sets on which ” ” is shown before the name on the display, a keyboard set will automatically be selected whenever you change the style. Change the keyboard set to create your own combinations of styles and keyboard sets.
1. Follow steps 1­4 in “Playing with a style you choose”
(page 14).
2. Press the KEYBOARD SET button and then use the dial or
other means to select the keyboard set. will blink in the display, and the keyboard set
name will be shown below it. Note: When you use a keyboard set aside from STS, the keyboard set will not change, even when you change the style.
3. To change the keyboard set back to STS, hold down the
[SHIFT] button and press the KEYBOARD SET/[STS] button.

16 Auto-accompaniment (style mode)
Adjusting the volume of the keyboard and accompaniment parts
You can adjust the volume balance between the keyboard and accompaniment parts. This is useful for making a solo that you play on the keyboard stand out over the accompaniment, or for simply performing with good sound balance.
Keyboard part
Accompaniment part
y Adjusting the overall volume of the keyboard part (upper 1­3 and lower): Turn the dial while holding down the KEYBOARD SET/[STS] button.
y Adjusting the overall volume of the accompaniment part (drums, percussion, bass and other parts): Turn the dial while holding down the STYLE button. Accompaniment part volume Keyboard part volume
y Adjusting the volume of individual parts: Turn the dial while holding down the respective buttons in the PART MUTE/[SOUND SELECT] section. Volume of each part

Saving the set list (WRITE)
A set list contains saved settings such as style, tempo, keyboard set and effect settings. Once you have customized the settings for a style, we recommend that you save your settings as a set list.
1. In style mode, customize the style such as changing the
sound of the keyboard part, changing the octave and so on.
2. Press the BANK/WRITE button to select the bank to save
to. The bank will change in sequential order (A”B”C…J”A…) with each press of the BANK/WRITE button. · Bank A: preloaded · Banks B­J: initialized
32 3
Tip: Press the BANK/WRITE button while holding the [SHIFT] button to reverse the order.
3. Press one of buttons 1­4 while holding down the BANK/
WRITE button. Your settings will be saved to the set list, and the button you pressed will light. Tip: Bank A-1 will be selected right after the power is turned on.
The settings shown below are saved in the set list. y Styles
Style number, volume, variation, intro y Keyboard sets
Keyboard set number, volume, octave settings y Part
Sounds assigned to each part, volume, mute, octave settings y Other settings
Effect selected for effect 1 and 2, send level for effect 1 and 2, tempo, transpose, split on/off, split point, ensemble on/off, metronome volume.
When you select the variation and intro and save the set list, these settings will be saved in the set list. The variation and intro settings can be recalled along with the set list for you to play. Note: Note that the section may not correctly change when you switch set lists while playing, depending on the set list.

17 Auto-accompaniment (style mode)
Recording your performance
You can record what you played along with the autoaccompaniment as a user song or as audio data.
Recording as a user song
1. Follow steps 1­5 in “Playing with a style you choose”
(page 14), or steps 1­4 in “Adding an intro or setting a variation” (page 15). Tip: You can also mute the sound or adjust the volume of the part, as shown in “Making changes to the autoaccompaniment” (page 15).
2. Press the record button to put the instrument in record
standby mode (the button will light red).

3,6

2

5

Recording as audio data (WAV file, PERFORMANCE REC song)
You can record your performance on the EK-50 U at any time as audio data (a WAV file), regardless of what mode the instrument is in.
Note: You will need to connect a USB flash drive to the instrument in order to record audio.
Tip: The audio input from the AUDIO IN jack on the rear panel is recorded along with what you play.
1. Connect a USB flash drive to the USB TO DEVICE port on
the rear panel. See page 24 “Connecting and removing USB flash drives”.
2. Follow steps 1­5 in “Playing with a style you choose”
(page 14), or steps 1­4 in “Adding an intro or setting a variation” (page 15).
3. Press the PERFORMANCE REC/[MEDIA] button (the
button lights up red) to begin recording, and start playing the keyboard.

Note: Parts that are muted will not be recorded. To record a part, make sure that muting is canceled (see page 12 “Muting parts and changing sounds”).
3. Press the start/stop button to begin recording.
4. Play the chords with your left hand and the melody with
your right hand.
5. Press VARIATION buttons 1/2 and 3/4, as well as the FILL
button and COUNT IN/BREAK button to change the playback of the song while you play.
6. To finish recording, press the start/stop button or the
INTRO/ENDING button. The data that you recorded will automatically be saved as a user song.
Tip: The name of the user song will be “UserSong,” with a sequential number added to the end. Up to 999 songs can be recorded.
Tip: See “Playing along with a song” (page 18) when you want to listen to a user song.
Tip: You can make simple edits to user songs (see page 19 “Editing a song”).

Recording

Rec Start

Upper 1

Upper 2

Upper 3

Part

Lower Bass

Drum

Percussion

Other Parts

Rec Stop MIDI ch 1 MIDI ch 2 MIDI ch 3 MIDI ch 4 MIDI ch 9 MIDI ch 10 MIDI ch 11 MIDI ch 12-16

Rec Start

Upper 1

Upper 2 Mute

Upper 3 Mute

Part

Lower Bass

Drum

Percussion

Other Parts

Rec Stop MIDI ch 1 MIDI ch 2 MIDI ch 3 MIDI ch 4 MIDI ch 9 MIDI ch 10 MIDI ch 11 MIDI ch 12-16

3,4
4. Press the PERFORMANCE REC/[MEDIA] button when
you’re finished recording. The button goes dark. The audio data that you recorded will be saved with the name “AudioSong” on the USB flash drive. Note: Recording will automatically stop in one hour after you start recording. Note: Note that you may not be able to correctly record data when using certain USB flash drives. For details, see the Korg website.

18 Song mode

Song mode

Listening to the demo songs
The EK-50 U has 16 built-in demo songs. This shows you how to listen to the songs. Tip: See “Playing along with a song” (page 18) for how to play along with a demo song.
1. Press the SONG/[DEMO SONG] button while holding
down the [SHIFT] button. will blink in the display, and the demo songs will
start playing back in order from song D01.
1
11
When you want to play back a specific demo song, use the dial or other means to select the demo song. The demo songs will play back starting with the song you selected.
2. Press the [SHIFT] button to stop.
Playing along with a song
You can play the EK-50 U while playing back a song. y To play back an MP3, WAV or standard MIDI file on a
USB flash drive, connect the USB flash drive with your data to the USB TO DEVICE port of the real panel on this instrument. The USB icon ( ) will be shown in the top right of the display. Tip: See “MEDIA functions” (page 24) for more information on the devices and playback formats supported by the EK-50 U.
1. Press the SONG/[DEMO SONG] button to enter song
mode. will blink on the display, and the song name will be
displayed.

2. Select the song type using the CATEGORY buttons, and
use the dial to select the song. The song types and SONG/[DEMO SONG] button states are as follows: D.01­: Demo songs (blinks white) 001­999: User songs (blinks red) R.01­R.99: PERFORMANCE REC songs (blinks white) M.01­M.99: Music data (blinks white) Note: The user songs and PERFORMANCE REC songs are the recordings of what you play on the EK-50 U (see page 17 “Recording your performance”).
3. Press the start/stop button (the button will light up white). 4. Play the keyboard along with the song.
Tip: To change the keyboard set, see “Selecting the keyboard set” (page 10). Tip: To change the tempo, see “Adjusting the tempo” (page 11).
5. To stop playback of a song, press the start/stop button.
Tip: The user songs can be edited and then saved to USB flash drive (see page 19 “Editing a song” and page 25 “Song Convert”).
Playing back using different methods
Rewinding, fastforwarding or pausing a song
Rewind Fast-forward
Pause
y Rewind button: Press this once to go back one measure. (For MP3 and WAV files, this will go back two seconds.) Hold down the button to continue rewinding.
y Fastforward button: Press this once to move forward one measure. (For MP3 and WAV files, this will move forward two seconds.) Hold down the button to continue fastforwarding.
y Pause button: Press this during playback to pause. Press the button again to resume playback from where you stopped.

1
2 3,5

19 Song mode
Playing back part of a song in a loop
This feature lets you play back part of a song over and over (loop playback).
Quick loop playback
Press the LOOP button to loop the playback of the current measure. (For MP3 and WAV files, playback will be looped from 1 second prior to the point where the LOOP button was pressed.)
1 measure

(MP3, WAV)

1 sec.

Editing a song
You can edit the user songs.
Erasing part of a recording (erase function)
Here’s how to erase part of what you played using the keyboard part in a user song. Note: This will erase a specified range for the keyboard part, whether it is muted or not.
1. Select a user song. 2. Press the start/stop button to play back the song.
1 2,3

1. Press the start/stop button to play back the song.

2,3

1

2. Press the LOOP button at the measure (position) where
playback will loop back (the button will light up white).
Tip: The loop can be extended to play back for a maximum of 9 measures before (or 9 seconds before, in the case of MP3 and WAV files). Use the dial during loop playback to extend the length of the loop.
3. To cancel loop playback, press the LOOP button again.
The instrument will return to normal playback, and the button will go dark.
A­B loop playback
Use the A1 B button to specify a part of a song to play back in an A­B loop.

3. Press the ERASE button at the point where you want to
start erasing (the button will light up red).
4. Press the ERASE button again at the point where you want
to stop erasing (the button will go dark).
Tip: To erase a different part, press the start/stop button to stop playback, and go to step 2 to erase.

Erase

Upper 1

Upper 2

Upper 3

Part

Lower Bass

Drum

Percussion

Other Parts

Erase On

Erase Off

MIDI ch 1 MIDI ch 2 MIDI ch 3 MIDI ch 4 MIDI ch 9 MIDI ch 10 MIDI ch 11 MIDI ch 12-16

A

B

1. Press the start/stop button to play back the song.

2,3,4

1

2. Press the A1 B button at the start of where you want to
begin the loop (the button will blink white).
3. Press the A1 B button again at the end of where you want
to end of the loop (the button will light up white). This will play back the song in a loop between points A and B.
4. To cancel the loop playback, press the A1 B button.
The instrument will return to normal playback, and the button will go dark.

20 Song mode
Overlaying parts when recording (overdubbing function)
You can overlay parts that you play using the keyboard part when recording a user song. You can also record changes in the sounds used for the keyboard and accompaniment parts.
1. Select a user song. 2. Press the start/stop button to play back the song.

Deleting a user song
This will delete a user song that you have selected.
1. Select a user song. 2. Press the ERASE button.
“Delete? No” will appear on the display.

2

3,5

3

3. Press the record button (the button will light up red).
4. Play the keyboard and make changes to the sounds.
y To change the sounds of a part, press the PART button while holding down the [SHIFT] button, and use the dial or other means to select a sound. When you change the sound, that information is recorded in the part.
Note: During overdubbing, you can mute or unmute the keyboard part, but this will not be recorded.
Note: To record changes to the sound, make the changes while the part is unmuted. Changes to a sound can be made to any part besides the other parts. The changes you make to a sound, as well as your keyboard playing will be recorded while the part is unmuted.
5. Press the record button when you are finished
overdubbing (the button will go dark).
Note: To overdub again, press the start/stop button to stop playback, and follow the steps from step 2 on.
y To check the song that you have overdubbed your playing on, press the start/stop button and then unmute the part you overdubbed.

Overdubbing

Rec Start

Upper 1 Overdubbing

Upper 2 Overdubbing

Upper 3 Overdubbing

Part

Lower Bass

Overdubbing

Drum

Percussion

Other Parts

Rec Stop

MIDI ch 1 MIDI ch 2 MIDI ch 3 MIDI ch 4 MIDI ch 9 MIDI ch 10 MIDI ch 11 MIDI ch 12-16

Song Play

Upper 1

Upper 2

Upper 3

Part

Lower Bass

Drum

Percussion

Other Parts

Rec Start

Rec Stop

Overdubbing

Overdubbing

Overdubbing

Overdubbing

MIDI ch 1 MIDI ch 2 MIDI ch 3 MIDI ch 4 MIDI ch 9 MIDI ch 10 MIDI ch 11 MIDI ch 12-16

2,4
3. Turn the dial to select “Yes”. 4. Press the ERASE button.
The user song will be deleted, and the display will show “Completed”.

21 SETTING functions

SETTING functions

Basic methods of use

The basic methods of using the SETTING functions are shown below.

1. Press the SETTING/[EFFECT] button.

This will enter the SETTING functions, and

will

blink on the display.

1 4

3 2

2. Press the CATEGORY button and select the parameter to
set.
3. Turn the dial to select a value. 4. After you are finished, press the [SHIFT] button to return
to the previous mode.
Main SETTING functions
Changing the auto poweroff function
This instrument has an auto poweroff function that automatically turns off the power when the unit has not been played or operated for a certain length of time. The time interval is set to 30 minutes at factory default, but this can be changed.
1. In the SETTING functions, press the CATEGORY button
u several times to select “Auto PowerOff”.
2. Turn the dial to select “Disable” or a specific time after
which the power will turn off.
3. Press the [SHIFT] button to return to the previous mode.
Changing the pedal polarity
If the pedal connected to the FOOT CONTROLLER jack does not sustain the sound even when pressed, and if the sound sustains when you take your foot off the pedal, you will need to change the pedal polarity on this instrument.
1. Connect either a Korg DS1H damper pedal, or a PS1/PS3
pedal switch to the FOOT CONTROLLER jack.
2. In the SETTING functions, press the CATEGORY button
u several times to select “Pedal Polarity”.
3. Turn the dial to change the polarity.
– (KORG): This is the factory default setting. Use this setting when using a DS-1H, PS-1 or PS-3 pedal. + (Reverse): Use this setting when the effect of the pedal appears to be reversed.
4. Press the [SHIFT] button to return to the previous mode.

Changing the pedal function
Change the pedal function on this instrument to match the type of pedal connected, whether a pedal switch, expression pedal or volume pedal.
1. Connect the pedal to the FOOT CONTROLLER jack. 2. In the SETTING functions, press the CATEGORY button
u several times to select “Pedal Function”.
3. Turn the dial to select the pedal function.
No Assign: Use this when you are not using a pedal. Damper: This is the factory default setting. Select this when using a damper pedal or a pedal switch like the Korg DS1H, PS-1 or PS-3. Expression: Select this when using a expression pedal like the Korg EXP-2. Quarter Tone: Select this when playing quarter tones (see page 21 “Setting the quarter tone function”).
4. Press the [SHIFT] button to return to the previous mode.
Setting the quarter tone function
This shifts the pitch of the notes you play on the keyboard down 1/4 tone.
1. Connect either a Korg DS1H damper pedal, or a PS1/PS3
pedal switch to the FOOT CONTROLLER jack.
2. Select “Quarter Tone” in “Pedal Function,” SETTING
functions.
Tip: See steps 2 through 4 in “Changing the pedal function” (page 21).
3. Press the [SHIFT] button to return to the previous mode. 4. While pressing the pedal, press the key on the keyboard
that will be set to a quarter tone. On the right-side one-octave of the keyboard display, the key set for quarter tones will change to black. Press the key once more while holding the pedal down to cancel the quarter tone setting.
Tip: To cancel all quarter tones that have been set, press the pedal down, and then release the pedal (without playing any keys).
Note: All quarter tone settings will be erased when this instrument is turned off.
Setting the battery type
To make sure the correct battery level is displayed, set which type of battery you are using.
1. In the SETTING functions, press the CATEGORY button
several times to select “Battery Type”.
2. Turn the dial to select the type of battery you have
inserted. Alkaline: alkaline batteries Ni-MH: nickelmetal hydride batteries
3. Press the [SHIFT] button to return to the previous mode.

22 SETTING functions

List of SETTING functions

(*: Factory default setting value)

Page Parameter

Settings

P.01 KeyResponse

Soft Touch Medium Touch* Hard Touch Fixed_001…127

P.02 PtchBndRange

Style Setting*

(Pitch Bend Range) Off

01 … 12

P.03

Pedal Function

No Assign

Damper*

Expression

Quarter Tone

P.04 Pedal Polarity

-(KORG)* +(Reverse)

P.05 MasterTuning

427.5 … 440.0* … 452.9 Hz

P.06 Chord Detect

Fingered1* Fingered2 Fingered3 Fingered3/Bass One Finger

P.07 Scale Root Key

C*…B

P.08 UpperScaleTyp KeyboardSet* (Upper Scale Type) Equal PureMajor PureMinor Arabic Pythagorean Werckmeister Kirnberger Slendro Pelog Stretch User

P.09 StyleScaleTyp

Equal*

(Style ScaleType) PureMajor

PureMinor

Arabic

Pythagorean

Werckmeister

Kirnberger

Slendro

Pelog

Stretch

User

Contents of settings
Sets the ratio of volume change when playing the keyboard at different velocities (the strength at which your fingers strike the keyboard).
Sets the range of pitch change (how high or low the sound is) that can be made to the keyboard part using the joystick. Style Setting: The pitch bend range set for each style. 01…12: The pitch range can be set in semitones (12 semitones=±1 octave).
See page 21 “Changing the pedal function”.
See page 21 “Changing the pedal polarity”.
Sets the overall tuning for the instrument (drums excepted).
Sets the method of chord recognition. This setting is enabled when the split function is on. When split is off, “Fingered3” is enabled. Fingered1: You can play a single note or multiple notes. When you play a single note, this is recognized as a major chord. Fingered2: You need to play at least three notes for the chord to be recognized. Playing only one note will play back in unison. The root and the 5th will be recognized as a major chord when you play them. Fingered3: You always need to play at least three notes for the chord to be recognized. Fingered3/Bass: The Fingered3 setting is enabled, with the addition of bass inversions. The lowest note of an inverted chord (the lowest note that you play of a chord) is always considered to be the root of the chord. You can use this to make specify composite chords like Am7/G, F/C and so on. One Finger: Chord recognition works as follows. – Single notes played are recognized as major chords. – Play the root of the chord and then the white note to the left of it together for a seventh
chord (for example. if you play C3 and B2 together, you will get a C7 chord). – Play the root of the chord and then the black note to the left of it together for a minor
chord (for example, if you play C3 and B2 together, you will get a C minor chord).
– Play the root of the chord and then the black and white notes to the left of it together
for a minor seventh chord (for example, if you play C3, B2 and B2 together, you will
get a Cm7 chord).
Sets the note to be used as the root of the scale.
“P.08 UpperScaleTyp” sets the scale for the upper part. Note that this cannot be set if “P.03 Pedal Function” is set to “Quarter Tone”. “P.09 StyleScaleTyp” sets the scale used for the style accompaniment part and the lower part. KeyboardSet: This is the scale set for each style. Equal (equal temperament tuning): This is a widelyused scale in general use, where the difference in pitch between each semitone is uniform. PureMajor (just temperament major scale): This is a scale in which the major chord for the primary overtones selected harmonizes perfectly. PureMinor (just temperament minor scale): This is a scale in which the minor chord for the primary overtones selected harmonizes perfectly. Arabic: This is a scale that includes quarter tones used in Arabian music. Pythagorean: This is the scale used in ancient Greece, and is effective for playing melodies. Werckmeister: This is an equal temperament tuning used in laterera baroque music. Kirnberger: This was a scale created in the 18th century, mainly used for harpsichord tuning. Slendro: This is a scale used on gamelans in Indonesia, with five notes per octave. Pelog: This is another scale used on gamelans in Indonesia, with seven notes per octave. When the key is set to “C”, use only white notes when playing (the black note pitches use equal temperament tuning). Stretch: This is a scale used for acoustic pianos. User: This is a userdefined scale.

23 SETTING functions

Page

Parameter
User C Tune ­ User B Tune

P.10 Tap Auto Start P.11 MIDI Clock P.12 Local Control

P.13 Audio In Level P.14 Auto PowerOff
P.15 Battery Type

Settings 99… +00 … 99 Cent
Disable Enable Internal External Off On
0 … 100 … 127 Disable, 5, 10, 30, 60, 120 Minutes Alkaline* Ni-MH

Contents of settings
This is displayed when “User” is selected for “P.08 UpperScaleTyp” or “P.09 StyleScaleTyp”. This indicates the amount of detuning compared to standard equal temperament tuning. These settings affect the entire tonal range. ±50: Moves the tuning up or down 1/4 (quarter) tone. ±99: Moves the tuning up or down nearly one semitone.
Pressing TAP TEMPO/[TEMPO LOCK] button continuously will set whether performance begins automatically or not.
Sets whether the MIDI clock of this instrument is controlled by the internal clock (Internal) or by an external clock (External).
Sets whether the sound generator of this instrument will play or not (“On” to play, “Off” to not play) when the keyboard is played. On: Notes that you play on the keyboard and MIDI data will be sent to the internal sound generator and to the USB TO HOST port. Off: Notes that you play on the keyboard and MIDI data will be sent to the USB TO HOST port, but the internal sound generator will not sound. Turn this setting to “Off” when this instrument is connected to a computer that is set to echo back and when you want to use this instrument as a sound generator, in order to prevent notes from sounding in duplicate.
Sets the input level from audio devices connected to the AUDIO IN jack.
See page 21 “Changing the auto poweroff function”.
See page 21 “Setting the battery type”.

24 MEDIA functions

MEDIA functions

Connecting and removing USB flash drives

1. Turn off the power.

2. Connect a USB flash drive (commercially available) to the
USB TO DEVICE port.

Make sure that the USB flash drive is facing the right direction when you insert it. If you try to push the drive in the wrong way too hard, the port on the instrument or the drive itself may break, or you may lose your data.

3. Turn the power back on.
The USB icon ( ) will be shown in the top right of the
display.

Note: If

does not display, turn off the power and

reconnect the USB flash drive.

Note: Be sure to format the USB flash drive before using it for the first time on this instrument.

When removing the USB flash drive, be sure to turn off the power first.

Basic method of use
The basic method of making settings using the MEDIA functions is as shown below.
The MEDIA functions will not work unless you plug a USB flash drive into this instrument.
1. Connect a USB flash drive.
See “Connecting and removing USB flash drives” (page 24).
2. Press the PERFORMANCE REC/[MEDIA] button while
holding down the [SHIFT] button. This will enter the MEDIA functions.
3. Select the menu to set using the CATEGORY button, and
press the PERFORMANCE REC/[MEDIA] button. “Enter [MEDIA]” will be displayed.
4. Press the PERFORMANCE REC/[MEDIA] button.
“Cancel [<]” will be displayed.
5. Turn the dial to select the next function, and follow the
directions shown in the display. For instance, to select “Yes [MEDIA]”, press the PERFORMANCE REC/[MEDIA] button to go to the next step. To select “Cancel [<]”, press the CATEGORY button t to stop the operation and return to step 2.
6. When the operation is finished, the message “Completed!”
will be displayed. Press the [SHIFT] button to return to the previous mode.

Formatting a USB flash drive
In order to use a USB flash drive on this instrument, you will need to format (initialize) it first.
1. In the MEDIA functions, press the CATEGORY button u
and select “Media Format”. The message “Enter [MEDIA]” will be displayed.
2. Press the PERFORMANCE REC/[MEDIA] button.
“Cancel [<]” will be displayed.
3. Turn the dial to select “Yes [MEDIA]”, and press the
PERFORMANCE REC/[MEDIA] button. “Are You Sure?” will be displayed.
4. Turn the dial to select “Yes [MEDIA]”, and press the
PERFORMANCE REC/[MEDIA] button.
5. When the operation is finished, the message “Completed!”
will be displayed. Press the [SHIFT] button to return to the previous mode.
Loading user styles
You can now load and use Pa50, Pa50SD and microARRANGER user styles on the EK-50 U. (Supported in software ver.2.0 and later) Copy the user styles (files with an .STY extension) and the user programs (file with a .PCG extension) to a USB flash drive, and then load them into the EK-50 U.
Note: Specifications vary by product, so the sounds that play back on the EK50 U may sound different from the instrument on which you created the original data.
1. On your computer, create a folder named “EK50 U” on
the root directory of your USB flash drive, and then make a “STYLE” and “PROGRAM” subfolder in that folder.
2. Copy the user styles to the STYLE folder, and the user
programs to the PROGRAM folder. · User styles
From USER01.STY to USER06.STY · User programs
USER01.PCG, USER02.PCG, USERDK.PCG
Tip: For user styles and user programs, you can select and copy only the data you want to load–there’s no need to select all of the data.
3. Connect the USB flash drive that contains your user style
and user program data to the USB port of the EK50 U.
4. Following the “Basic method of use,” select and execute
“UserStyleLoad” in the MEDIA function.
5. When the operation is finished, the message “Completed!”
will be displayed. Press the [SHIFT] button to return to the previous mode. The user styles will be loaded into the EK-50 U memory from style 901. onward, and the user programs will be loaded into memory from sound 001. onward. A dot (“.”) will be shown after each number.
Note: You cannot use the numerical buttons to select these sounds–use the dial instead.
Note: If you load a different user style after loading these styles, the previous user styles will be erased.

25 MEDIA functions

List of MEDIA functions

Page P.01

Menu SetListBackUp

P.02 SetListRestore

P.03 Song Convert

P.04 UserStyleLoad P.05 Media Format P.06 SystemUpdate

Contents of settings
Saves all set lists to the USB flash drive.
Loads all set lists from the USB flash drive.
Saves the user songs to the USB flash drive in SMF (Standard MIDI File) format. Current: This saves the user song currently selected in song mode. ALL: This saves all user songs.
Loads Pa50, Pa50SD and microARRANGER style data from a USB flash drive. See page 24 “Loading user styles”.
Format the USB flash drive. See page 24 “Formatting a USB flash drive”.
This updates the system on this instrument.

Storage media that can be used
The EK-50 U supports the use of USB storage devices such as FAT16 or FAT32formatted flash drives or disks.

Supported capacities
FAT32: Up to 2 TB (2,000 GB) FAT16: Up to 4 GB

File and folder structure
When saving data to USB flash drives from this instrument, or when formatting USB flash drive, a folder named “EK-50” will automatically be created on the media. When using the MEDIA functions “SetListBackUp” and “Song Convert”, the files shown below will be saved to the folder.
SetList: The “SetList” folder will be created, and a file named “SetListData##.json” will be saved to the folder. The “##” characters above are a placeholder for the file number, which can be from 01 to 40.
UserSong###.mid: This represents a user song file on this instrument that has been converted to a MIDI file (SMF format 0). The “###” characters above are a placeholder for the file number.
AudioSong_#.wav: This is song data that was recorded as audio data using PERFORMANCE REC. The “#” characters are a placeholder for the file number.
The WAV, MP3, SMF and MID files in the “EK50” folder can be loaded into this instrument as user songs.
When you insert a USB flash drive into the EK50 U, the instrument searches for the relevant files in the “EK50” folder, and displays these files as a list from M01 to M99 in song mode.
The supported formats for each file type are as shown below. WAV: Supported sample rate = 44.1 kHz MP3: Supported sample rate = 44.1 kHz, VBR compatible SMF, MIDI: SMF formats 0, 1

….. …..

…..

…..

…..

EK-50
SetList SetListData_01.json (A-1) SetListData_05.json (A-4) SetListData_06.json (B-1)
SetListData_40.json (J-4) STYLE
USER01.STY (901. -916.) USER02.STY (917. -932.)
USER06.STY (981. -996.) PROGRAM
USER01.PCG USER02.PCG (001. – ) USERDK.PCG AudioRec AudioSong_1.wav
.WAV .MP3 .SMF .MID

26 Connecting to an external device

Connecting to an external device

Connecting an audio player
You can connect an audio device such as an audio player to the AUDIO IN jack (stereo mini-phone jack) on the rear panel of this instrument, and hear the sound of the audio device playing back through the built-in speakers of the EK-50 U. This is useful for playing along.

Stereo mini-cable

Audio player or other device

1. Turn the volume on this instrument and on your audio
device all the way down, and then turn the power off on both units.
2. Connect your audio device to the AUDIO IN jack on the
rear panel of this instrument using a stereo minicable.
3. Turn the power of the audio device on, and then turn on
the power of the EK50 U.
4. Play back sound on the audio device, slowly turning up
the volume. As you raise the volume on the EK50 U, you should be able to hear the sound coming through the speakers.
5. To adjust the volume balance, raise the volume on your
audio device while playing the keyboard of the EK50 U along with the sound. To adjust the overall volume level, use the VOLUME knob.
Tip: You can adjust the input level of the audio device using the “Audio In Level” (page 23) parameter in the SETTING functions.
6. When turning off the power, stop playback on the audio
device, turn off the EK50 U, and then turn off your audio device, in that order.

external audio equipment. Use particular care when setting the volume.
1. Turn the volume down all the way on this instrument and
on the external audio equipment, and turn off the power on both devices.
2. Connect the OUTPUT jacks of this instrument to the audio
input jack(s) of your external audio equipment or other device.
Tip: When using monaural sound, connect to the L/MONO jack.
3. Turn on the power on the EK-50 U, and then on the
external audio equipment.
4. Turn up the volume of this instrument gradually and play
the keyboard. Adjust the volume balance by turning up the volume of both this instrument and the external audio equipment.
5. When turning off the power, first turn the power of the
external audio equipment off, and then turn off the power of this instrument.
When you will not be using the builtin speakers
You may want to turn off the builtin speakers and output the sound from the OUTPUT jacks only, such as when you are playing onstage.
1. Refer to “Connecting powered monitor speakers”
(page 26) when connecting external audio equipment.
2. Press the SPEAKER EQ/[SPEAKER OFF] button while
holding down the [SHIFT] button. The builtin speakers will turn off and will not make a sound.
Tip: Also, if you connect a pair of headphones to the headphones jack, the builtin speakers will shut off.

Connecting powered monitor speakers
You can connect audio equipment such as powered monitor speakers or a home stereo to the OUTPUT jacks on the rear panel of the EK-50 U, which lets you hear what you play on this instrument through your audio equipment.

3. To turn the built-in speakers on again, press the SPEAKER
EQ/[SPEAKER OFF] button once more while holding
down the [SHIFT] button.

Powered monitor speakers

The audio output on this instrument uses a higher signal level than ordinary home audio equipment like CD players. For this reason, playing at an excessive volume may damage the

27 Connecting to an external device
Connecting to a computer
The EK50 U is equipped with USB TO HOST port, which can be used to connect to a computer, allowing this instrument to be controlled using DAW software as a MIDI sound generator, or to be used as a controller.
To connect the EK-50 U to a computer via USB, install the KORG USB-MIDI driver on your computer. Download the driver from the Korg website, and install the driver by following the accompanying documentation.
What is MIDI?
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a worldwide standard for communicating various information between electronic musical instruments and computers.
Connecting to a computer
Connect the USB A port of your Windows PC or Mac to the USB TO HOST port of this instrument with a USB cable, and try sending and receiving MIDI messages. Tip: For the MIDIrelated settings to make after connecting, see “MIDI Clock” (page 23) and “Local Control” (page 23).
About MIDI channels
The MIDI channels that are used in style mode and song mode when you select a user song are as follows.
Ch01: Upper 1 part Ch02: Upper 2 part Ch03: Upper 3 part Ch04: Lower part Ch09: Bass part Ch10: Drum part Ch11: Percussion part Ch12­16: Other parts Note: Note that the MIDI channels used when playing back an SMF will depend on the settings in that file.

28 Appendix

Appendix

Checking the software version
1. Press the power button while holding down the [SHIFT] button. The software version number of the EK-50 U will be displayed following the opening screen.
2. Turn off the power, and then turn it on again.
Restoring the EK50 U to factory default settings
This restores the settings of this instrument to the factory defaults. Note that this will initialize (reset) all of your song lists, user songs and the settings you have made in the SETTING functions. For this reason, any user songs you have recorded or any new set lists you may have made will be overwritten and lost. If you want to keep your user songs and set lists, save the data to a USB flash drive using the MEDIA function (see page 25 “SetListBackUp”, page 25 “Song Convert”).
Do not turn off the power on this instrument while it is initializing. If the initialization fails, you may be unable to use the instrument.
1. Turn off the power. 2. While holding down the [SHIFT] button and the BANK/
WRITE button in the SET LIST section, press the power button. “FactoryPreload” will be displayed, and the start/stop button in the STYLE/SONG section will blink.
3. Turn the dial to select “Yes”, and press the start/stop
button in the STYLE/SONG section. The initialization will begin. Once the instrument has been restored to the factory default settings, “Completed” will appear in the display.
4. Turn off the power, and then turn it on again.
Calibrating an expression pedal
Calibrate the expression pedal (such as a EXP-2) that you have connected to the FOOT CONTROLLER jack, and set the pedal’s variable range.
1. Connect the expression pedal while the EK-50 U’s power is
turned off.
2. Press the power button while holding down button 1 in
the SET LIST section. “Pedal Calib.” will be displayed, and the start/stop button in the STYLE/SONG section will blink.
3. Press the start/stop button in the STYLE/SONG section.
“Measuring Min” will appear on the display.
4. Bring the pedal all the way down (towards you), and take
your foot off. The value will appear on the display.
5. Press the start/stop button.
“Measuring Max” will appear on the display.
6. Press the expression pedal upward all the way (away from
you), and take your foot off. The value will appear on the display.
7. Press the start/stop button.
“Completed” will appear on the display, which completes the calibration.

8. Turn off the power, and then turn it on again.
Try operating the pedal to make sure that it is working as intended. If the pedal does not work correctly, repeat this process from step 1.
Troubleshooting
If this instrument is not operating as expected, check the following points.
The instrument will not turn on.
Is the AC adapter plug connected to the AC outlet? Have you pressed the power button?
The power will not go off.
Did you hold down the power button for a while?
The power turns off by itself.
The auto poweroff function may be enabled.
No sound is heard from the speakers of this instrument when the keys are played.
Is the instrument’s volume turned up? Is a pair of headphones connected to this instrument?
The speakers will not produce sound when headphones are connected to this instrument. The part buttons might all be muted. Is the volume down on the pedal connected to the FOOT CONTROLLER jack? If sound is not heard when pressing some keys, you may have exceeded the instrument’s maximum polyphony. The local control in the SETTING functions should be set to “On”. Are the speakers set to off? Press the SPEAKER EQ/[SPEAKER OFF] button while holding down the [SHIFT] button. The keyboard parts might all be muted.
The sound will not stop.
The functions or polarity for the pedal might not be set correctly.
The sound seems to be doubled.
If you are using a DAW, make sure that the local control setting in the SETTING functions is set to “Off”.
The sound coming from external audio equipment is distorted.
The inputs of the powered monitor speakers and other equipment might be overloaded. Adjust the volume on this instrument using the VOLUME knob.
The pitch is off.
Is the transpose function set correctly? Has “MasterTuning” in the SETTING functions been set
correctly, as well as the program’s octave and tune edit parameters? Is the scale set correctly? See “UpperScaleTyp” (page 22) and “StyleScaleTyp” (page 22) for these settings in the SETTING functions. The quarter tone settings may be enabled. Check the “Pedal Function” (page 22) in the SETTING functions.

29 Appendix
I hear unwanted noise.
When the volume for a part is raised, the digital signal processing may overload the signal, which could cause distortion or other noises. This is not a malfunction. Try lowering the volume on each part button.
You may hear distorted or noisy sounds due to input overload with certain effects. This is not a malfunction.
In certain electrical environments, you may hear noise due to a ground loop or other factors.
The pedal switch or expression pedal connected to the FOOT CONTROLLER jack doesn’t work like it should.
The functions or polarity for the pedal might not be set correctly. See “Pedal Function” (page 22) and “Pedal Polarity” (page 22) for these settings in the SETTING functions.
Is the variable range of the expression pedal set correctly? Calibrate as shown on “Calibrating an expression pedal” (page 28).
I cannot record a user song.
The maximum number of user songs is 999. You may need to delete one (see page 20 “Deleting a user song”.)
MIDI signals sent to/from this instrument and a computer are not being correctly received.
Is the USB cable connected correctly to the USB TO HOST port?
The instrument does not let me access the MEDIA functions.
Is your USB flash drive correctly plugged in? If the USB flash drive is correctly plugged in, you should see in the display.

30 Appendix

List of chords recognized
These are the main chords that will be recognized when the chord recognition on this instrument is set to “Fingered2”.

Major
3-note

2-note

Major 6th
4-note

2-note

T

T

T

T

T

Major 7th
4-note

T

T

T

T

3-note

T T
2-note

T T
Sus
3-note

T
2-note

T
Sus 2
3-note

T T
Dominant 7th
4-note

3-note

2-note

T

T

T

T

T

T

T

T

T

Dominant 7th Sus 4
4-note

3-note

T

T

T

Flat 5th
3-note

T T
Dominant 7th 5
4-note

T T
Major 7th 5
4-note

Major 7th Sus 4
4-note

T

T

T

T

Minor
3-note

T
2-note

T T
Minor 6th
4-note

T

T

Minor 7th
4-note

T
3-note

T

T

Minor-Major 7th
4-note

3-note

T

T

Diminished
3-note

T T

Minor 7th 5
4-note

T
Diminished 7th
4-note

T

T

T

Diminished Major 7th
4-note

T

T

T

T

T

Augmented
3-note

T T

Augmented 7th
4-note

T

T

T

T

Augmented Major 7th
4-note

T

T

T

T

= constituent notes of the chord

T = can be used as tension

31 Specifications

Specifications

Function Keyboard
Sound generator Maximum polyphony Sounds Keyboard sets Effects
Styles
Demo songs Audio player Sequencer
Scales Controls
Set lists Metronome Tempo Transpose Tuning

EK-50 U
61 keys (velocity sensitive) Normally C2­C7 (adjustable in the range [C1…C6]­[C3…C8])
Touch control Soft (light), medium (standard), hard (heavier), fixed
Stereo PCM sound generator

64 voices

Over 702 sounds, 41 drum kits (including GMcompatible sound sets)

More than 170

Accompaniment part: 2 stereo digital multieffects Keyboard part: 2 stereo digital multieffects

More than 173 variations

More than 280 presets

2 intros, 4 variations, 2 fills, 1 break, 2 endings, synchro start/stop, tap tempo

16

MP3 (44.1 kHz) WAV (44.1 kHz)

Record

Real-time recording (style mode), maximum of 999 songs (approx. 100,000 notes), 12 tracks (4 keyboard parts + 8 auto accompaniment parts), original format (can convert to SMF0)

Playback

Supports song play (playing on the keyboard during song playback), SMF (Standard MIDI File) format 0 or 1

11 types (including user scale)

Power button, VOLUME knob, joystick, STYLE button, SONG/[DEMO SONG] button, KEYBOARD SET/[STS] button, GRAND PIANO button, each button in the PART MUTE/ [SOUND SELECT] section, SETTING/[EFFECT] button, PERFORMANCE REC/[MEDIA] button, SPEAKER EQ/[SPEAKER OFF] button, [SHIFT] button, ENSEMBLE button, SPLIT button, METRONOME/[BEAT SELECT] button, TAP TEMPO/[TEMPO LOCK] button, TRANSPOSE
and /[OCTAVE ­/+] buttons, dial, CATEGORY
button, numerical buttons, + button, ­ button, each button in the STYLE/SONG section, each button in the SET LIST section

10 banks × 4

Tempo, beat, volume

30­240

C (­12) to C (0) to C (+12)

427.5­452.9 Hz

Function

EK-50 U

Input/output jacks

FOOT

6.3 mm phone jack

CONTROLLER (half-damper not supported)

jack

AUDIO IN jack

3.5 mm stereo mini-phone jack

OUTPUT L/ 6.3 mm phone jack (unbalanced) MONO, R jacks

Headphones 3.5 mm stereo mini-phone jack jack

USB A port

TO DEVICE port: For connecting a USB flash drive

USB B port

TO HOST port: For connecting a personal computers

Speaker system Amp: 10 W × 2

MIDI Display Power supply
Battery life: Power consumption Dimensions (width × depth × height)
Weight
Included items Accessories (sold separately)

Speakers: 120 mm double-cone speakers × 2 (bass reflex boxtype)

Speaker EQ: 8 types

USB MIDI

Custom LCD with backlighting

AC adapter (DC12V,

)

AA batteries (alkaline dry cells or nickelmetal hydride batteries) × 8

When using alkaline dry cells: approx. 7 hours

8 W (0.1 W on standby)

994 × 392 × 132 mm/39.13″ × 15.43″ × 5.20″ (not including sheet music stand) Height with sheet music stand attached: 329 mm/12.95″
7.5 kg/16.53 lbs. (not including sheet music stand or batteries)
Quick Start Guide, AC adapter, sheet music stand
DS-1H damper pedal PS-1 pedal switch PS-3 pedal switch EXP-2 foot controller

• Specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice for improvement.

[ENTERTAINER KEYBOARD] Model: EK-50 U
Function…

MIDI Implementation Chart

MIDI Implementation Chart

Transmitted

Recognized

Basic Channel

Default Change

0­16 X

0­16 X

Mode
Note Number

Default Messages Altered
True Voice

X X 0­127

3 X X
0­127 0­127

Velocity
After Touch

Note On Note Off
Key’s Channel

O 9n, V=1­127 O 8n, V=0­127
X X

O 9n, V=1­127 X
O O

Date: 2018. 6. 28 Version: 1.00
Remarks
*4

Pitch Bend
Control Change

O

0, 32

O

1, 2

O

64

O

6

O

7, 11

O

10, 91, 93

O

71, 72, 73

O

74, 75

O

76, 77, 78

O

98, 99

O

100, 101

O

120, 121

O

O

O

Bank Select (MSB, LSB)

O

Modulation

O

Damper

O

Data Entry (MSB)

*1

O

Volume, Expression

O

Pan pot, Effect 1/2 send

*1

O

Harmony contents, EG time (Release, Attack) *1

O

Brightness, Decay time

*1

O

Vibrato rate, Depth, Delay

*1

O

NRPN (LSB, MSB)

*1

O

RPN (LSB, MSB)

*1

O

All sound off, Reset all Controllers

*1

Program Change

True Number

O 0­127 *****

O 0­127 0­127

System Exclusive

X

O

*2

Song Position

X

X

System Common

Song Select

X

X

Tune Request

X

X

System

Clock

X

O

*3

Real Time

Commands

X

X

Local On/Off

X

X

*1

Aux

All Notes Off

X

O (123­127)

*1

Meassages

Active Sense

X

X

System Reset

X

X

Notes

1: EK-506 will transmits Sequencer data. 2: Includes setting of inquiry and master volume.
3: When the MIDI Clock setting of the Setting function is External, the EK-50 U will recieve this message.
4: Depending on the selected program, there may be cases in which it is not possible to sound the whole range.

Mode 1: Omni On, Poly Mode 3: Omni Off, Poly

Mode 2: Omni On, Mono Mode 4: Omni Off, Mono

Consult your local Korg distributor for more information on MIDI implementation.

O: Yes X: No

© 2022 KORG INC.

www.korg.com Published 06/2022

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