The Korg SV1 is a terrific digital stage piano.
It’s old (released in 2009) and long-discontinued, yet it still shines because of a few enduring strengths:
- Instant on: want to be playing music within 5 seconds of powering up your keyboard? An SV1 can’t be beat.
- Knob per function: single-function controls allow for instant sound editing and almost no learning curve.
- A+ user interface: no screens, good spacing, clear labelling. Even dummies like me can use it well quickly.
- A+ keybed: the SV1’s keybed feels as good as any electric keyboard, past or present. It may not be your personal favourite, but it happens to be mine. It’s more “grand piano” than “synth” or “organ”.
- Gig-ready: it’s easy to set up, the 8 button presets are great, and the retro sounds are close enough for almost any application.
What are the limitations?
- Limited sound options: the flip-side of the SV1’s instant usability & simplicity is the inability to do refined sound editing. You can dig a little deeper using the SV1 Sound Editor, but compared to modern software instruments the SV1 is far from flexible or comprehensive.
- Samples, not synthesis: if you’re craving full-stack sound design, you’re S.O.L.
- Retro, not futuristic: again, the SV1’s strength (immediate good sounds; certain sounds) is a weakness if you happen to want different sounds.
- Emulation, not pure analog: to solve this, just fill your basement with several thousand pounds of vintage physical organs, EPs, speakers, amps, effects, and acoustic pianos. I’m sure your wife will love that!
- Harder & harder to find: you might need to scour the classifieds before finding one.
Luckily, the downsides are largely irrelevant. No one instrument does everything, though the SV1 does have have the flexibility to do a lot more than just 36 retro sounds. Here’s the best way to solve the SV1’s sound design limitations:
- SV1 as software MIDI controller: connect to your favourite external software (Arturia, Hauptwerk, MainStage, Modartt Keyscape, whatever) for extended sound sculpting, voices, or synthesis. Then, when you just need an instant-on sound for something quick, use the SV1’s on-board sounds.
- Use [MIDI out + Audio in]: control a hardware poly synth via the SV1’s MIDI out, route that synth’s audio back into the SV1’s audio in, and suddenly you’ve got a layered tone machine as flexible as you are.
- External effects: I like the SV1 effects as-is, but running the output through a series of pedals would be a piece of cake and could yield 1000 tone variations.
- Use the SV1 Sound Editor: the UX is pretty clunky (it is desktop era software), but the SV1’s Sound Editor software has a surprising ability to change the SV1’s sounds. It is definitely worth trying at least once. Pro tip: watch the Sound Editor video below before trying anything else in this list.
As for the availability issue, the upside is that SV1s are typically half the price or less of newer, more complex stage pianos. That’s great for me, especially since I’d rather have the SV1’s instant-on & knob-per-function features than all the onboard computers in the world.
I’m on my second SV1, in case that’s useful information, both 88s. I had the first one from 2010 to 2020. Eventually I got tired of the limited sound options, but hadn’t yet figured out its main strengths: instant-on, simple UX, and the role it can play within a system. It took a few years of enduring new and different problems (too much complexity; analysis paralysis) but I got another SV1 in 2025 and now have great studio flow. Once again, I have instant-on sounds that are good enough almost all of the time. But, now when I want or need different sounds, I switch to MIDI or layer it with a synth and have all the tone I could ask for. This happens maybe 5% of the time, but it’s real when I need different tone. Or, I switch to an acoustic instrument (for me, an acoustic piano and an old Hammond). But a lot of the time, the SV1 is the first tool I turn to.
Creative Use of the Korg SV1 Sound Packs
Korg created three sets of 36 sounds: one pre-loaded factory set of 36 sounds that I’ll call “SP-0”, then two later-released sound packs that I’ll call “SP-1” (Sound Pack #1) and “SP-2” (Sound Pack #2). These are fun to play with in their raw form and can be found here.
Install the Korg sound packs, play around awhile, and eventually you’ll find yourself wondering, “this is cool, but how does [sound x] compare to the similar sounds in other sound packs?” … at which point you’ll need to stop playing music, go back to your Sound Editor, and very slowly work out the answer to the question.
Having done this several times myself, I got tired of the Sound Editor step and just made new .sv1 Sound Pack files that allow for much quicker sound comparisons. I put all of the EPs on one custom .sv1 file, then all the pianos & organs in another second .sv1 file, then all the remaining sounds in a third. For each new .sv1 file, the sounds from SP-0 went into the “E.Piano 1” & “E. Piano 2” sound banks, the sounds from SP-1 into “Clav” & “Piano” banks, and the sounds from SP-2 into “Organ” & “Other”. This made it easy to keep the sounds organized, even though a different system would be better for gigging.
If you’re interested, the files are here for free:
- All Electric Pianos: p45-eps.sv1
- All Clavs & Acoustic Pianos: p45-clavs-pianos.sv1
- All Organs, Synths, Tapes, and Novelties: p45-organs-others.sv1
I haven’t done anything to any of the sounds, they’re just re-arranged them for quicker browsing. This makes it easier to find your favourites, then put together your own custom sound packs.
Korg SV1 Videos
Perhaps you’ve seen some but not all of these, or you haven’t seen them for a long time. If you’re an SV1 player, these videos have direct & actionable information in them. Plus they sound good!
SV1 Official Introduction:
Pre-loaded Factory Sounds:
Sound Pack 2:
Unique Features in the Sound Editor:
Detailed Side-by-Side with the SV2:
Final Thoughts
Everyone wants and needs something a little different when evaluating keyboards. Before making your own decision, spending a few minutes with an SV1 can’t hurt. You may even realize that it’s exactly the one you’ve been seeking.