How to add custom sounds to a Korg Pa (Pa4X, Pa5X, Pa1000)
Adding a custom sound to a Korg Pa arranger means turning your own audio into a User Sound you can play across the keyboard. The chain is: import the WAV as a sample, build a multisample that maps it to keys with loops and tuning, then create a Sound (program) whose oscillator reads that multisample. The mapping is the part that makes it playable — without it, one sample stretches across all keys and transposes wrong. Xampler builds the Korg KMP/KSF multisample (key map + loops + tuning) from your WAVs in the browser, so the hard mapping work is done before you import it on the Pa.
- 1Build the multisample in Xampler and export Korg KMP/KSF.
- 2Import the multisample on the Pa (Sound / Record mode → Import multisample).
- 3Create a User Sound with an oscillator that reads your multisample.
- 4Save it to a User Sound location so it's there on the next power-up.
01How do I make a new User Sound from a WAV on my Pa4X / Pa5X?
How do I make a new User Sound from a WAV on my Pa4X / Pa5X?
You import the audio as a sample, wrap it in a multisample (which maps it to keys, with loops and tuning), then build a Sound whose oscillator plays that multisample. On the keyboard the mapping and looping are the slow steps. Xampler does the mapping and looping for you and exports a Korg KMP/KSF, so on the Pa you import a finished multisample and just assign it to a Sound.
02I imported one WAV but it plays at the wrong pitch as I go up the keys. How do I stop that?
I imported one WAV but it plays at the wrong pitch as I go up the keys. How do I stop that?
That happens when a single sample is mapped with normal keyboard tracking, so it transposes across every key. For a fixed sound (like a one-shot effect) you set the oscillator's pitch tracking to zero so it plays at the same pitch on every key. For a real instrument you instead want a proper multisample with each sample on its own key range and correct root. Xampler detects each sample's root and builds that multisample, so pitched sounds track correctly.
03What's the difference between a User Sample, a multisample, and a Sound on a Pa?
What's the difference between a User Sample, a multisample, and a Sound on a Pa?
A sample is the raw audio. A multisample maps one or more samples across the keys, with root pitch and loops. A Sound (program) is the playable instrument that reads a multisample through an oscillator, with filter, envelope and effects on top. You need all three layers; the multisample is where the key mapping lives. Xampler produces the multisample (KMP/KSF) so you only build the Sound on top.
04Where are custom sounds stored on a Pa, and do they survive a restart?
Where are custom sounds stored on a Pa, and do they survive a restart?
They go into User Sound (and User Sample / Drum Kit) locations, and newer Pa models have more of these slots. As long as you save the Sound and its samples to a User bank, they reload on startup. If you only keep them in volatile memory they're gone on power-off. Xampler's export gives you the multisample files to save into the User area.
05Can I make a custom drum kit on the Pa from my own hits?
Can I make a custom drum kit on the Pa from my own hits?
Yes — you import each hit as a sample and assign it to a key in a Drum Kit, or build a sliced kit and map it across the keys. Xampler's drum mode slices a loop into hits and maps them chromatically, then exports a Korg KMP, which gives you a ready set to bring onto the Pa instead of assigning each hit by hand.
06Do I need a computer, or can I do everything on the Pa itself?
Do I need a computer, or can I do everything on the Pa itself?
You can sample and build sounds on the Pa alone, but the mapping, tuning and looping by hand is slow and fiddly. Doing the multisample on a computer first — then importing it — is much faster, especially for instruments with many notes. Xampler runs in the browser (no install) and exports the Korg KMP, so the computer step is quick.
07Will sounds I build for a Pa4X work on a Pa5X or Pa1000?
Will sounds I build for a Pa4X work on a Pa5X or Pa1000?
Korg's KMP/KSF multisample format is shared across the modern Pa line, so the underlying samples and maps generally carry over, though Sound/program details and bank locations differ between models. The safest portable piece is the multisample itself. Xampler exports standard KMP/KSF, which is the part that moves between Pa models most cleanly.