My Love Hate Relationship with the NAUTILUS Sequencer

[@musicbycandlelightmbc3225]

When I use to use my sequencer on my Korg M-50, (now only on DAW) it was a breeze to use. You could also record anything you touch in real time and will play back your movements. Example, if you record one voice, then play with panning, then the volume, then switch to other voices, etc., it will record everything you done and play it all back. The UI was simple and logical and even as a novice and for first time keyboard sequencing was intuitive. Play this play that, change this and change that sort of thing. Also back then, I managed to do two DCs worth on it. After years of not using it and after watching this video, I went back to see if I can remember how to do it and it only took a few moments on how to activate the recording as it has a two way system. One puts record on a sort of standby (Play/Start) while the other activates record, (Read/Write). And since it can read and write, it means whatever you touch it will record and play back no matter what adjustments you make. In today's plethora of DAW choices, there is always one for every creator that will find it either easier or far more complicated then necessary and less frustrating on a Digital Workstation. In the 70/80's the sound that came straight out of the jacks were astounding and barely needed any EQ'ing and all the rest of the screen filled plugins most use now just to get it to sound better. Sometimes I think we advance into more stupidity than toward logical and intelligent progress.

[@lordbachus]

Ever since the release of the Oasys (same sequencer) everyone has been complaining about it. What makes it even stranger, the M3 had a pianoroll in there.. in the end, it doesn’t matter for most, they use a daw for sequencing.

[@johannbach2725]

Ther's something quite fun about learning how to get the best out of an onboard sequencer - kind of creates a 'boundary' for creativity if that makes sense...

[@WoodyPianoShack]

makes total sense, agree!

[@DrGargani]

I bought the Nautilus for it's fantastic sounds.....I still use my venerable Motif as the sequencer for my rig, as it offers me the most of what I am looking for in a sequencer. I go all the way back to the Ensoniq era and their concept of making parts at a time and then daisy chaining them , to me, is the most logical way to do things

[@madness8556]

Ensoniq sequencers were great. Korg introduced a cuelist feature in the Triton that did something similar.

[@jordanking7711]

Even though I don't have a Nautilus, my issue is that given that this keyboard is predominantly touch screen based, the transport controls by default are controlled by the touch screen. Yes you can re-map them to the quick access buttons, but that kind of takes away 3 or so of those buttons that could be utilized for something else.

[@tomblaze2]

I get frustrated with these hardware workstation sequencers in about 2 minutes, I know they work for some. I just end up live playing the synth parts when recording

[@ElectronicazMusic]

I have a Nautilus arriving tomorrow! This was a useful and informative vid. Thx Mr W. 😁 ♥ 🎶

[@popshobbydungeon]

I bought an Akai MPC ONE and use it as a Sequencer and love it So easy to use and has so much more capability (multiple Undo, More knobs and buttons to control, Etc) best regards, Rick

[@wireguy123]

Do you control multiple synths with it

[@popshobbydungeon]

@@wireguy123 Yes you can but I just use id as a stand-alone recorder with my Synths

[@WoodyPianoShack]

Here's a much better composition, on my first attempt (free stream)! ► www.patreon.com/posts/48996396

[@madness8556]

I used nothing but a Korg T3EX with its low resolution 8 track sequencer to do entire musical productions and backing tracks for my clients back in the early 90s. I had access to a friend's Roland XP80 for a few months and could never get into its sequencer, having my that stage using a Korg Triton Classic with its excellent sequencer with the cuelist feature and great touch screen interface. Korg added cuelists and a piano roll editor to the M3 and Krome sequencers but inexplicably omitted them on the Oasys, Kronos and Nautilus. I way prefer to use Logic now but back in the golden days of the 1990s, Korg's workstation sequencers were great to use. Great video Woody and keep up the great work.

[@Curious_Skeptic]

This is a great demo!!! I've never heard Kronos/Nautilus make these sounds. Very much like the Wavestate!

[@TheArpomni2]

I'm sure I used to be able to do this on the old Ensoniq Esq1

[@Cap10NRGMusic]

Good video Woody! Always good to see and hear what you're up to! :D

[@EdgyNumber1]

This is why I am torn between a Nautilus 61 and the Akai MPC Key 61. The sequencer and touchscreen are way ahead of the curve but it just can't do big sounds like the Korg can. Both machines have their pros and cons.

[@seanmatthews5279]

I'm in the same boat between these 2 and Fantom 06. The MPC and Fantom seem to have much better sequencers (and even if they didn't, the DAW integration is better to overcome it). But man, those Korg sounds blow the others out of the park.

[@totallynotabot151]

@@seanmatthews5279 I tried the Fantom and Nautilus side-by-side for a couple of days and you are absolutely correct. The Korg sounds are really good, but their UI and the ridiculously long startup times are terrible. Nautilus should really be a sound module at this point.

[@wireguy123]

So what did you end up with ? MPC or Nautilus@@totallynotabot151

[@MellostormMusic]

I had the MPC Keys, the Fantom 0 and the Nautilus and the only one I kept was the Nautilus. The UI was definitely better on the first 2, but at the end of the day, the Korg had the sounds. It's so easy to get lost and inspired playing this thing. It also feels like a musical instrument, where as the other 2 felt like toys.

[@electrohut3170]

hi. thanks for all your videos. Has the Nautlis sequencer ever locked up? I had 2 new kronos' that locked up and it put me off korg. Id love a nautilus if i thought it wasnt going to lock up.

[@ДмитрийЕгоров-х2к]

Dear friend! And can I record in this application from my Korg Nautilus to the iPad and then to the flash drive and how?.. thank you

[@Keyboardnut99]

I have inserted a wav file (recorded and sequenced in logic)to play a backing track send a click to the drummer on a different output and then change tracks and combine tracks , a great live aid and stops the need for carrying a laptop with me to gigs.... when they start again!

[@borispradel1037]

I'm kind of an old guy who used prehistoric sequencers, I don't like software and I think that today's sequencers are light years ahead of its old counterparts. I can't complain at all, it's just people are spoiled by computers.

[@jaggass]

I've got to admit the Nautilus does sound nice though.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

there's no debate about that!

[@jeanlot]

Very

[@Jack-fs2im]

thats a cool trick.I think we could spend our lives just playing around with sounds like a schoolboy in a sweet shop.haha

[@dykodesigns]

These workstation keyboards could really benefit from a capacitive multi-touch screen. Considering how clunky the UI appears, how many users would still use the built-in sequencer v.s. using it with an external sequencer such as a DAW?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i came into this hoping to use it as a quick, simple and easy pattern looper, with a bit of practise that might be doable, bit of a annoyance to have to interrupt the music to change tracks though.

[@Jason75913]

And Korg sticks to their proprietary touchscreen design from the '90s. Cheap junk smart devices get better screens, Nautilus and Kronos do not for all the money they ask for.

[@Roboprogs]

Warning about iPad style capacitive screens: callouses. I’m left handed, but I play a “standard” uke/guitar (well, only recently the guitar). The callouses you get on your fingertips make it hard to register a tap sometimes. This isn’t a problem on the resistive screen used in the Nautilus.

[@Jason75913]

@@Roboprogs oh wow

[@UniqueThaPoet]

Korg krome / ex has the best synth sequencer. Piano roll is awesome on that machine.

[@NadirTomasiniJunior]

I have both, Krome and Nautilus. Krome's sequencer is much better and I miss piano roll on Nautilus.

[@holidaygames]

It's unfortunate you can't keep recording while switching tracks, that's the fastest and most musical way to lay down a set of tracks on a workstation for me. I enjoyed that on the MOXF, it's clunky on the MODX (sometimes causes sequencer to stutter) but at least it's possible. This is an area where the MPC Key 61 shines. Not sure how it is on the Fantoms.

[@jeanlot]

Fantastic sounds

[@jarodgregor6682]

Because I record one track at a time and only do simple stuff like punch in/out or overdub this sequencer will probably be okay with me. I don't expect to learn everything about all the possible functions of the Nautilus. What is important for me are the sounds and working out at least the important tracks and length of a song before possibly taking it into Reaper or Ableton.

[@rayer2001]

So Woody, now you have had the Nautilus for a while, would you buy it if you had the money and needed a keyboard for a mix of studio and adhoc performing

[@WoodyPianoShack]

if I had to buy something new, and wanted a workstation, then yes, but in reality when I buy, I usually purchase used, and you won't find a used Naut, so I'd buy a used kronos instead. although i would want to try the fantom before spending any of my money :)

[@Hyper5nic]

Hi Woody, the 'seamless transition' feature has been present on Korgs for a long time. I don't think it's documented but I remember a Korg X5 I had that could do just that, hold a note or chord, change preset and then play on with the next. ;-)

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, some other brands do it too, it's advertised so on the modx, but only seems to work well under certain circumstances, the naut is the first time that it really is seamless! i think i remember them improving it on the naut over the kronos, might be wrong.

[@Jason75913]

Kross(2) doesn't have seamless transitions. Neither did the X50.

[@etamboise]

Hello. Does the Nautilus have an Undo/Redo feature ? Can we create a roll or a crescendo ? Sorry for my bas English (I am a frenchspeaker). Thank you !

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i've never seen undo or redo on a synth, that's why I prefer PC , the crescendo might be possible but I think will be difficult.

[@Jason75913]

there should be an undo, though with limitations Kross2 has undo and redo in a menu, wouldn't make sense if the more upscale workstations didn't rolls have to be done manually or with the help of an arpeggiator, crescendos must be done manually or with the help of an expression pedal and the patch in question must be configured by the user to respond that way to the expression pedal as Korg doesn't do that for you expression pedal can be tied to many, many things, including EGs, insert effect parameters, and filter cutoff MIDI CCs can be recorded as you play or overdubbed later if you want, so this includes the expression pedal, mod wheel, and pitch bend, among others

[@mr_floydst]

Excellent video, I can relate. What is the target audience for workstations? It seems the big three don't know the answer, too - they keep updating the models just because. Should a workstation be the center piece of your studio instead of a PC? Or should it be an easy to use, all purpose live instrument? Or both? However you look at it, great sounds are only half the part, the other half is an easy to use, intuitive sequencer. Unfortunately, the sequencers are all cumbersome (at least on the workstations keyboards I tried). There's so much potential there. If only someone could get that thing right... Also kudos for speaking out your mind! Quite refreshing. A bit of constructive criticism is way better than just trotting out some praises and then moving on.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thx for the thoughtful comment, great points and questions you pose!

[@gosampeinturemusique]

Hi Woody , great video , is it possible for example to record a pad , a drumtrack , an arp (track ?) on 3 midi tracks and 2 inputs mic vocal on 2 wav tracks , the all at the same time , in real time ? Thanks

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i don't think so, you need to record one track at a time, definitely for the audio tracks in any case.

[@gosampeinturemusique]

@@WoodyPianoShack Ah ok , that's strange because the manual says we can record 4 audios tracks at the same time 🤔

[@WoodyPianoShack]

@@gosampeinturemusique well trust the manual, not me, but since there is only one audio input...

[@gosampeinturemusique]

@@WoodyPianoShack 1 audio input ? the manual says 2 😁🤗 The manual doesn't say if we can record both MIDI and audio at the same time 🤔 If somebody knows .... Nevertheless , thanks Woody for your response 💚🧡💚🧡🙂

[@agparag]

Does it work in the same way as modx in performances like switching scenes or adding custom beats ?

[@Jason75913]

That's not the Korg way outside of their Electribes.

[@jithinjoseph1057]

Korg should come up with up-to-date revolutionary features like haptic touch screen,full fledged daw connectivity,and so on..... Hope korg will do it in the next year...

[@djtruflava]

very intersting, thank you

[@allanallen1835]

Can someone please explain to me in layman's terms how to connect my iPad and GarageBand with my modx6 so I can record from modx to GarageBand. I have the correct cables ready. Usb to host.

[@kevanbarrett7411]

Hi Woody. I’m not sure I can record like you’re doing here on my Kronos or Modx, but it’s a nice idea to try recording a few random performances to see what comes out and will be easy in the daw😊

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, you could totally do this with naut and daw, but most synths don't do seamless transitions this well, not even kronos? let us know!

[@godzil42]

Well it may feel 2001, but I don't know if you looked at the interface on the Triton when you had it, for me what you have there look futuristic compared to what I have on my 2003 triton :D But joke apart, yeah I agree when I see how the sequencer seems to work on other modern workstation, it feel a bit.. outdated.. Let's hope Korg is listening :) Other than that some of the rhythmic pads are just wow, maybe not perfect, but wow they sound really good! I love how it feel like a nearly rhythmic progression even if it is by luck by changing them in order

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i avoided the seq and edit screens on the triton at all cost, in fact screen was so dim, i could hardly see it... :)

[@taggartjs]

I’ll try to word this question correctly. On my Kronos 2, when I load and append a bunch of songs into memory (?) from the internal drive and I power down, the songs are gone from “memory” and need to loaded again. This worries me in a live situation and I was wondering if the Nautilus operates the same way, or does the Nautilus “retain” the sequences on power down? I hope my question makes sense. Thank you, Woody, for your awesome videos! 👍

[@WoodyPianoShack]

hi, i don't know and don't have instrument to test. it sounds like the auto-load could be a setting in there, suggest you download and study the manual!

[@gargamel314]

that feature was only present on the M1 and the original (non-FD) 01/W - once you had the option to save sequences to disk, you were expected to save and load to disk. They have not updated the sequencer in Korg Workstations since the OASYS in 2005, so that feature def won't be on the Nautilus.

[@Ast3rixMusic]

Why doesn’t korg work on improving the sequencer? It’s been the same for a century and people have said it’s terrible for a century. It’s like they are asleep at the wheel on something so basic. It needs to be modernized to match the things they did to improve the overall work flow of the os. Sad….

[@agparag]

The boot up time 2 min.. any hack to reduce this ?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

nope.

[@neelenpatten2959]

I find Yamaha’s sequencers a lot more complicated…..Korg is one of the most versatile ones available on the market…

[@andreaschristodoulou4274]

Well, Korg and as many other synth'/keyboard manufactures they simply ''repeating'' themselfs, since there no other features, new sounds, programming and soon to be included on their products........right ???

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i wouldn't make that claim in general,, but yes, this synth is a repackaged kronos, which is not such a bad thing! :)

[@Teeb2023]

Nope, having used a Kronos for a few years, they're definitely in the business of innovation, albeit subtle when you just scratch the surface.

[@ilovekeyboards7830]

Wood pione shack what kind of keyboard is that

[@WoodyPianoShack]

korg nautilus my friend

[@bobby-b9876]

Don’t get why the ex has piano roll and they couldn’t use the same software

[@HighlandStudio91]

In some other YT video of yours,I seem to remember you stating that you are more of a player,rather than one who fiddles with recording.In this video,you mention working with Ableton and from my understanding of Ableton,it's more of a simplfied DAW that is popular with DJ's who just makes beats with it.All that being said,I don't think your assessment of the Korg's lackluster recording capabilities is fair.If one is accustomed to using other keyboard brands of sequencers and/or computer DAW's....then of course,transitioning to that of Korg's methods can be daunting & even quite the learning curve.However many have said and I am of the same opinion,that Korg sequencers are more intuitive and if you had many years of experience using Korg sequencers like I've had,you may very well have realized yourself,that Korg is the very next best thing to using a computer DAW.I've used Yamaha sequencers from the MOX & PSR series,which I didn't care for....but then....I never had any experience with Yamaha's MOTIF series.I've also had some experience with a Kurzweil sequencer,which was horrible.I cannot speak at all for Roland's sequencers,as for the most part,Roland has always sacrificed sound quality in their workstations,so I never had any interest in buying a Roland.Although....the new Fantom series seems to have good quality all around & the sequencer appears to have good workflow (but since the Nautilus came out,I lost all interest in Roland,once again.) Ultimately....to each his/her own,but in light of the fact that the Nautilus has the most comprehensive song recording capabilities in the hardware keyboard market AND is affordable,I find your disappointments in the Nautilus to be arbitrary.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

no doubt the naut seq immensely powerful for a synth, with some practice and accepting some of the workflow annoyances it will be fine! I only highlighted two disappointments, to be fair. Yeah, could use ableton, but i'm still hoping one day for an enjoyable and creative dawless jamming experience from a synth, as these machines are always marketed that way but never quite deliver the promise, imho.

[@johnwilson7952]

Philo did you get yours yet? Still waiting for mine!!

[@HighlandStudio91]

@@johnwilson7952 According to the retailer I preordered from,it's due to arrive on April 9th.

[@HighlandStudio91]

@@WoodyPianoShack Yeah....I can see how you would be annoyed with the Nautilus's workflow(that's what happens when one compares hardware to software.) It's not realistic to expect a hardware workstation to behave like a desktop DAW.The old Korg Oasys keyboard was more like a desktop DAW....but then,that keyboard was $8,000. Compromises will always be made with hardware workstations,to keep the production budget down(otherwise they just won't sell.) Hence the reason why the Oasys was only in production for 4 years....

[@WoodyPianoShack]

@@HighlandStudio91 actually no, i'm not comparing to software,, but to sequencers on other workstations, synths, and grooveboxes, many of which are from decades ago, yet they were better (for me) :)

[@summerlaverdure]

i wish i had a naughty lust sequencer 0_0

[@blue.sunset]

The Korg Triton of the 90s has better sounds. Where is the sequencer with its Piano Roll on each MIDI track where we can edit and write manually by touch as in Trinity and Triton? Where is the arrangement view of all the music we are doing as in Korg Trinity and Triton ??!! ... 😑

[@Jason75913]

5:21 LOL! use a smartphone stylus

[@jaggass]

External sequencer's will always be better as they record exactly what you played.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i tend to think the onboard sequencers get that part right! :)

[@jaggass]

@@WoodyPianoShack Hopefully Korg sort that out.

[@Teeb2023]

So does the internal sequencer...

[@ShawnBrandon888]

I don't get on with em..