How to load custom samples onto a Korg Pa / Kronos (step by step)
Loading custom samples onto a Korg Pa or Kronos has two parts: getting the audio onto the keyboard, and giving it a structure (key map + loops) so it plays like a real instrument instead of one sample smeared across the keys. The audio loads from USB in Disk/Media mode; the structure comes from a KMP multisample file. If you skip the KMP and load loose samples, you get sound with no mapping. The clean path is to build the KMP/KSF set first, then load that. Xampler builds the KMP/KSF from your WAVs so the file you copy to USB is already structured.
- 1Copy the KMP + KSF + KSC set (from Xampler) to a USB drive.
- 2On the Korg, go to Disk/Media mode, scan the USB device, select the drive.
- 3Load the set to RAM — the KSC pulls in its KMP and KSF files together.
- 4Add the UserBank.KSC to the Global KSC Autoload list so it loads on every startup.
01How do I actually get a WAV file from USB into my Kronos?
How do I actually get a WAV file from USB into my Kronos?
Plug in the USB, go to Disk mode, scan the device, select the drive, find the WAV, and load it to RAM. That puts the audio in memory — but a bare WAV still has no key map or loop. To make it a usable instrument you then build a multisample around it (root key, top key, loop) and save it. Building that structure on the hardware is the slow part; Xampler exports a ready KMP so you load a finished multisample instead of a loose sample.
02I loaded a multisample but the samples show as 'not loaded' — what happened?
I loaded a multisample but the samples show as 'not loaded' — what happened?
Almost always the program references samples that aren't in memory — the KMP or KSC points to KSF files that didn't load, so the keys are silent. The fix is to load the whole set together (the KSC manifest plus its KMP and KSF files) so every referenced sample is in RAM, then autoload it. Xampler exports the KSC manifest alongside the KMP/KSF so the set stays self-contained and loads as one unit.
03How do I save my edited sample or multisample so it's there next time?
How do I save my edited sample or multisample so it's there next time?
Save the sampling data to disk (which writes the KSF samples, a KSC, and a UserBank.KSC), then add that UserBank.KSC to the KSC Autoload list in Global mode so it loads on every startup. Otherwise the samples vanish on power-off — they live in RAM. If you're building the multisample off the keyboard, Xampler's KMP export already gives you the KMP + KSF + KSC set to drop into that autoload folder.
04Where do I assign the root key and key range for each sample?
Where do I assign the root key and key range for each sample?
On the multisample / recording page — you pick the sample, set its root (original) key and its top key, and create the zone; repeat for each sample so they tile across the keyboard. This is the key-mapping step, and doing it by hand for a full instrument is tedious. Xampler assigns root and top keys automatically from each sample's detected pitch, so the map is built before you ever touch the hardware.
05My samples load but vanish when I turn the keyboard off. Why?
My samples load but vanish when I turn the keyboard off. Why?
Because user samples live in RAM, not in the keyboard's permanent memory — power-off clears them unless they're set to autoload. Save them to a KSC and add it to the Global KSC Autoload list; then they reload automatically each time. Xampler gives you the KSC so this autoload setup is straightforward.
06Do I load the KMP, the KSF, or the KSC — what's the difference?
Do I load the KMP, the KSF, or the KSC — what's the difference?
The KSF files are the actual samples. The KMP is the multisample map that tells the keyboard how to lay those KSF samples across the keys. The KSC is a manifest that lists everything to load together. You load the KSC (or the KMP, which pulls its KSF), so the whole instrument comes in as a unit. Xampler exports all three so they match.
07Can I load samples into a Pa-series arranger the same way as a Kronos?
Can I load samples into a Pa-series arranger the same way as a Kronos?
The idea is the same — get the audio to RAM, then a multisample to map it — but the menus differ. On Pa models you typically import the multisample in Sound (Record) mode. Both read Korg's KMP/KSF. Xampler's KMP export works for the Pa multisample import and the Kronos sampling load alike.