The sounds are great, the main problem is that this synth really doesn't have what it takes to be used alone to write songs. I was away and had only this keyboard and a computer (I didn't have my racks of gear) and it was extreemly difficult to write anything using the sounds on this and even harder to get anything good.

That really is my main complaint about the synth. Some of the sounds really are incredible. I love "Follow Me" in particular, and the N-Strings are VERY good, and B-23 "Euro Pipe" has redefined what I use for organs. Some of the combinations are REALLY great too. A-54 "Power Band" is great and B-29 "Phantom Sax" is very cool. The problem is that it isn't good across the board, and if you are using this for all of your drum tracks you are insane.

For sounds I'm rather a fan of Rolands more than Korgs, but when it comes to Keyboards and action, Korgs are the way I go. I love the fee of this synth. The keys could be a little bigger. The arpeggiator is a neat toy, but not very useful.

I can't say that I've used the sequencer very much. I use this with a computer sequencer and as my controler. Patch editing is not exactly straight forward, and Korg's classic one slider entry (ALA DW-8000) get's REALLY REALLY annoying after having worked with a Roland JV-80 or Alesis QS 7.1.

Overall this keyboard is a great addition to a pre-existing studio, and the controller is great for synth-action fans such as myself, but don't get this as a first piece of gear unless more will follow before you use any of it.

(2). The OS is a travesty. It is a disaster. I have never encountered a more stupid, more counter-intuitive OS on any piece of midi gear or software I have ever used. Korg should be ashamed. Par Example, in order to use the General Midi patch bank with an external sequencer - I must go into the workstation's "Sequencer" mode. Now why should anyone have to activate the workstation sequencer when they are not using it? That is totally stupid! To make matters even worse, there is not one reference to a tech support email address, phone number or even mailing address in the two voluminous manuals.

I give the OS a 1 out of 5.

3. The arpeggiator does not sync to midi. That is terrible. That means I have to record all arpeggiated passages digital audio. The Korg "N" synth arpeggiators sync to midi. But the "N" workstations do not. I give the arpeggiator a 2 out of 5.

4. The Korg N5EX and N1 have XG banks on-board. The N364/264 do not. They can only do GM in addition to Korg proprietary sounds. I give the Korg a 0 out of 5 for no on-board XG bank.

5. The sequencer loads too slow and has too limited a memory to be used in a live environment. I rate the sequencer a 2 of 5.

Overall, I rate this a 2.5 out of 5. The sounds are great. But the lack of a midi syncable arpeggiator, the lack of an XG bank like the N synths have, and the unbelievably clumsy and stupid OS drag this workstation down. For sounds alone - it excels.

Polypnony is 64 in sigle mode and 32 in double oscillator mode. The keyboard action is OK, but the keys are unweighted (no piano feel). Nevertheless, it feels really solid. The built in effects are 47, some of them are really useful (delays, choruses, phasers, flangers,). The synth isn't expandable (no slots - no cards) but this doesn't mean anything for me as soon as it has a FD driver from which you can load any patches you find (the synth is compatible with the x series). You can also store your work on the disk. The keyboard is velocity and aftertouch sensitive, which adds to expressiveness while performing (gig). It has an on board sequencer but I haven't tried it yet. It seems a bit complicated, though. The LCD display is a bit small and requires scrolling through screens.

The sounds are simply amazing, stunning. The strings are the best I 've ever heard, warm, crisp and lush. The synth sounds and choirs are fantastic. Pianos are good, but if you want realistic piano sounds go buy a piano. The effects and drum kits are great also. As for the brasses I hate them in general and don't use any but i think they're ok. The best thing on this workstation are the layered synth sounds and the layered keyboard (piano and electric piano) pads. I play in a new wave/rock band and use them very often. You can layer up to 8 sounds and produce very expressive ones. You can also split the keyboard to up to 8 parts. Anyway I think that its sounds would appeal to everyone's ears, unless they are techno freaks. The keyboard reacts very well, both to velocity and aftertouch.

Reliability: 10 It's really dependable, has never crashed and I 've never faced any problems so far. It's also built like a tank. I would use it on a gig without a backup

Customer Support: N/A I 've never dealt with Korg so far.

Overall Rating: 10 If it were lost or stolen I would definitely buy it again, since I 've fell in love with it. I forgot to mention that it looks very nice, I think it's the most beautiful synth I've ever seen. It has a mat grey-silver color and differs from the typical black synths. I love almost everything about it and if there should be something I don't like this would be the small display (it's a bit awkward, but you can learn to live with). I compared it to its cheaper brother N5 (which doesn't have neither an on board sequencer nor a disk drive). I prefered to give the extra money and buy this far better workstation instead of the N5. The N5 is by no means a workstation, the N364 is. I guess it could also be compared to Alesis and Roland synths of the same price range like Roland Xp50 and Alesis QS6.1. I needed a synth to sound good for rock/new wave and I think I found it. It really helps me make music and produce new sounds. That's its purpose after all!

Submitted by: George Tzimas