The Korg CX-3 is a terrific copy of the venerable Hammond B-3 organ, down to subtle details like the positioning of the drawbars and switches, and even smaller details like the "ping" that you get when you turn on the percussion with notes already held down. Early models of the organ, though, may have some minor flaws. Most of the problems seem to be firmware-related, which means that they can be corrected with a code update.
In the interest of helping out the current owners, I'm keeping a log of the problems, their effect to the user, and workarounds or fixes, if they're available. Many of these issues were either learned through information in the Keyboard review, or discovered on a pair of early CX-3's, S/N 000150 and S/N 000155. Corrections were verified on my own S/N 001383. Some of the information about corrections is from Korg, but much of it is unofficial. The Fix column refers to the present or future method of correction, based on the best information that I can obtain; availability of such corrections is not guaranteed.
NOTE: Most of these issues pretain to the "Version 1" CX-3, rather than the newer "Version 2" CX-3 or the BX-3. The easiest way to tell which version you have is that Version 2 shows a drawbar animation on the display during power-up, while Version 1 only displays the words "KORG CX-3" during this phase.
The CX-3 has several "Easter egg" features that can be found by holding down buttons during power up. NOTE: Be patient; the buttons must be held down a relatively long time, until the display goes from "KORG CX-3" to displaying patch A-1.
Holding the '1' and '8' buttons while powering up displays the 'low-level' firmware revision -- kind of like the BIOS in a PC. The latest (and only) version that I am aware of is --
Ipl V2.00 000422AB
Holding the 'DISPLAY' button during power up shows two more firmware revisions:
Mwwxxyyzz Skkmmnnpp
These numbers refer to the code loaded in the Master and Subsystem CPUs. The latest revisions available are --
M01070501 S00111400
THE UPGRADE SOFTWARE HAS FINALLY BEEN RE-RELEASED AND POSTED ON THE KORG USA SITE. (KORG USA HAS ASKED ME NOT TO POST IT ON MY SITE.) I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!
This upgrade is much more user-friendly than the earlier upgrade, but it is not a "no brainer." If you have a reliable PC -- there should be a Mac version available shortly -- with a rock-solid MIDI interface, and feel confident about doing software upgrades like patches to programs and BIOS updates, this upgrade software will allow you to add significant new features to your CX-3 in a matter of about 15-30 minutes. If, however, this kind of upgrade makes you queasy, you might want to have a more technical friend help you. If you don't have such a friend available, consider sending the organ to a computer-savvy tech or a Korg service center.
NOTE: One point that doesn't really get hammered in place in the readme file is that the Global channel of the CX-3 MUST be set to CH1 for the upgrade. After that, you can put it back to whatever channel you were using beforehand.
The previous update to version M00111500/S00111400 is no longer available from Korg Canada. It corrected many of the problems seen in my list (below).
The details about what has changed in Version 2 are available here.
Holding down the '2' and '7' keys during power up brings up a prompt, "Load Factory Data?" to allow the user to completely refresh the unit to factory condition.
| Problem | S/N Range | Info Found | Fix | S/N 001383 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keyboard causes occasional double-strikes. | 1-600 | Keyboard article | replace keyboard | fixed |
| DSP settings sometimes change in Preset mode, cause "drawbar jitter." | 1-600 | use of S/N 000150, KORG Tech Support | update to M111500/S111400 | fixed |
| Pitch Bend returns to +7 level on power down. | unknown | testing on S/N 000150, 001383 | update to M111500/S111400 | fixed |
| Receipt of MIDI patch changes cannot be disabled. | unknown | testing on S/N 000150, 001383 | update to M111500/S111400 | fixed |
| Rotary Speaker simulator does not obey foot pedal in Local Off. The correct MIDI data is sent by the CX-3, and will be obeyed on playback; just not in real time. | unknown | testing on S/N 000150, 001383; fix verified on M01070501 | M01070501 | not fixed |
| Fast playing causes stuck notes (without the use of MIDI). | 601-1179 | reported on S/N 001017 | update to M111500/S111400 | fixed |
| Fast use of expression pedal causes erratic behavior. | 1-600 | KORG revision list | update to M111500/S111400 | fixed |
| "Scratchy" treble control. | 1-600 | KORG revision list | update to M111500/S111400 | fixed |
| Pops and clicks heard in the audio. | 1-600 | reported on two units | update to M111500/S111400 | fixed |
This page's contents will be updated periodically as new information becomes available. Check back to see what's been added, and let me know if there's something you think is missing.
This site is not affiliated with Korg or Korg USA, Inc. No commercial benefit is derived from the dispensing of this information.
Last updated 7/2/2003.