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🌿 Loading patches, sounds & backups on the Korg Pa1000

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Loading a custom patch, sound, or data set onto a Korg Pa1000 is done through its Media functions with a USB drive. Here’s a file-type-by-file-type walkthrough covering every format the Pa1000 handles.

File types at a glance

ExtensionWhat it holds
.PCGPrograms, Combinations, Sequences, Global settings, Drum Kits
.SETStyle Sets (Styles, Style PCG, wallpaper, …)
.SNGStandard MIDI Files / Songs
.KSCSample / sound-library data (EXi sounds, multisamples)
.PA1000Full backup of the whole instrument

Rule of thumb: load a .PCG for sounds/programs; load a .KSC for the samples those sounds use (often shipped as a PCG+KSC pair); use .PA1000 only for a full restore.

General setup (all types)

  1. Format the USB drive as FAT32 if needed - the Pa1000 can do it via MEDIA > Utility > Format.
  2. Copy your files to the drive (root or subfolders - the browser navigates both).
  3. Insert it into the front USB port (labelled USB HOST/DEVICE).
  4. Press the MEDIA button to open the file browser.

From here, what you do depends on the highlighted file type.

1. .PCG - Programs, Combinations, Sequences, Global, Drum Kits

  1. Highlight the .PCG file in the Media browser.
  2. Tap Menu (top-right) → Load PCG.
  3. Choose what to load: All, Programs only (pick banks - User-G, User-H, User-EXi…), or Combinations / Drum Kits / Global individually.
  4. Choose the destination bank if prompted (e.g. into User-G).
  5. Tap OK, confirm the overwrite warning, and wait for the progress bar.

Warning

Loading All overwrites your existing Global settings and user banks. Back up first if unsure.

2. .SET - Style Sets

  1. Highlight the .SET file (or folder, depending on packaging).
  2. Tap Menu → Load Style Set (sometimes just Load).
  3. Choose a destination Style bank (user styles land in free user slots).
  4. Confirm and wait.

Note

Some third-party Style Sets ship as a folder structure (subfolders like Style, PCG, Wallpaper) meant to be copied directly into the internal user-style folders rather than loaded via the menu. Check the vendor’s readme.

3. .SNG - Standard MIDI Files / Songs

  1. Highlight the .SNG (or .MID) file.
  2. Enter Sequencer / Song Play mode, or tap the file and select Play.
  3. To keep it around, copy it into a Song folder on the internal drive via Media > Utility > Copy.

These don’t need a formal “Load” step - they open in the sequencer when selected.

4. .KSC - Sample / sound-library data (EXi sounds, multisamples)

  1. Highlight the .KSC file.
  2. Tap Menu → Load Sample/KSC (or Load Data, depending on OS version).
  3. Confirm loading into RAM - large libraries (100 MB+) take a while.
  4. Go to Program mode, pick the EXi/appropriate category, and confirm the new samples appear.

KSC data loads into RAM and is lost on power-off

To keep it, either enable Auto Load so it loads at startup (Global > Media / Auto Load), or reload the accompanying .PCG + .KSC together each session. Most third-party EXi libraries (Fantom, EasyStyle, PaSound…) include their own persistence notes - follow them.

5. .PA1000 - Full backup

  1. Highlight the .PA1000 file.
  2. Tap Menu → Load All (full system restore).
  3. Confirm - this overwrites everything: Programs, Combinations, Styles, Global, user samples, preferences.
  4. Wait (several minutes); the instrument may restart afterward.

Total overwrite, no partial option

Always back up your current data first with Media > Save > Save All before loading a .PA1000 - there’s no way to load just part of it.

Tips

  • Many third-party sound libraries ship a .PCG + .KSC pair meant to be loaded together - the PCG references samples in the KSC.
  • When in doubt about a library’s layout (load-via-menu vs copy-the-folder), the creator’s documentation is authoritative (Korg, PaSound, EasyStyle, etc.).
  • Never remove the USB drive mid-load - wait for the progress bar to finish.

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