korg EMX1+KP3 Vs Korg M50, TR,LE,MC 505,Yamaha MM8

ricardS · Post by **ricardS** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:35 pm

Hi

I need some advice, i will buy a keyboard or a Groovebox for DNB Drum and Bass/Breakbeat/Darkstep/Jungle, DUB, Downtempo, Shoegaze, Noisepop, Dreampop, Ragga, Minimal Techno and Hard Trance styles, but i don´t know which are the best solutions for those music styles.I think an EMX1 groovebox is the best one, but other machines like MC 505, Korg M50, TR, Triton Studio, LE, Yamaha MM8, Roland Juno G, Fantom S88 are also good workstation solutions, the price of them is the same .The sounds, filters, oscilators, vocoder with robotic like Galactica Cylon 1978 serie, sequencer, FX effects with delay, very easy and fast to use and are very important to me.The M50 is very good with 256Mb of excelent sounds but EMX1 is a machine for dance music and Drum and Bass, or it´s limited?

Thanks and Regards

Krog · Post by **Krog** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 10:21 am

Hi there,
Your final decision will be based on a lot of things, cost of the equipment being one of them.

I will offer you advice based on my experience over the past year or so.

I own an Electribe MX-1 and an M50 workstation.

Although they can both produce very good musical compositions of any genre the main difference is how they do it.

The M50 is a traditional keyboard workstation. Its sounds and functions are first class and it will take many months to start to get the best from it. For most people a machine like this will be all that you should need. I think its also important to note that if you can play keyboard competently, then this machine will reward your playing skills. This is also reflected in its sequencer functions. It can record in real time and step time but it really favours the real time player as its step sequencer, although great as it is, is not the easiest to program.

The Electribe is more of a groovebox type instrument. It allows you to lay down a drum part and up to five synth parts. Its a far better device for just laying down ideas and then building up on them to develop them out. Overall, its far easier to use than the M50 but nevertheless will take many months to master, especially its sound editing functions !

If I were in your position, I would probably compromise and get the best of both worlds by buying an Electribe and then hooking it up to a midi external keyboard. This then creates a mini-workstation set-up that gives you a keyboard to physically play and the Electribe is used as a pseudo synth module !

Whichever way you go, I'm sure you will have plenty of fun !

Good luck,

Krog.

ricardS · Post by **ricardS** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:28 pm

I think i will buy a Electribe EMX1, because M50 don´t have those analogic sounds (Drums, Kicks, snares, Leads and powerful Basslines for Drum and Bass, DUB or Breakbeat, etc) and filters.I like the sounds but i don´t know if EMX1 has a Vocoder like Microkorg.I can connect to an EMX1 a microphone to create Vocoder Robotic effects?

Krog · Post by **Krog** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:55 pm

Hi again,

I do not think you will get vocoder effects from an Electribe

If that is what you want you could buy a Microkorg synth and an Electribe.
Both of those would still be less cost than buying an M50

Good luck on your choice,

Krog.

ricardS · Post by **ricardS** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 10:09 pm

A electribe EMX1 and KP3 is the best solution ?I love electribes sounds,EMX1 in particular, more then M50, but 256MB of PCM ROM sounds without MMT korg analog tecnology and better sequencer i will think a little more if i will go to EMX1+KP3(with effects and vocoder too), or EMX1 + Microkorg XL or classic Microkorg or R3 or an M50 or even an M3.i like electribe sounds more then other grooveboxs like mc505, but M50 is also excelent buy for drum and bass i don´t know well.I see in Youtube some sounds that i like, but i will choose a better solution:

(Vocoder EMS2000 Cylon Robot voices)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sli2JRQ0i8w

Dub Machine EMX1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtwk2ouG ... re=related

DNB/Dubstep Machine Electribe EMX1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hKwfv6FiRo

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:23 pm

Just a small word of advice. Don't go for the MicroKorg XL at all. It isn't worth it when you consider you get so much more from the R3 for not much more money.

If you enjoy programming and full sized keys, and want more a few more knobs on the front, the R3 is great. One of the most important points is that it has all of the effects from the radias, with two inserts per timbre and one master whereas the MicroKorg XL only has two inserts shared and one master, and the selection of effect algorithms is very different - there are no reverbs for example on the XL.

So unless you specifically want a microKorg for the sake of having something small and portable and battery powered, the R3 is definitely a better call.

But then, you can do almost all of what you are asking from a Radias, but you would need an external sequencer or hard disk recorder to create full tracks. However you can do a lot of 'live' performance all from one program, with four timbres including a great 16-part drum section.

chad9477 · Post by **chad9477** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 7:02 pm

I have both the EMX and KP3, and for the past few years they have been the heart of my setup for both live performance and recording. I love them both. But based on what you've said here (and in a few of your other posts, which I've just read), I'm going to play devil's advocate and suggest you answer these questions for yourself first:

-Do you have a computer that you can use with your groovebox?
-Are you a good enough keyboard player that you can play complex lead lines?
-Are you enthusiastic about spending a lot of time with sound design and synth programming?

I ask these questions because:

The EMX has a lot of capabilities, but you cannot expand its internal sounds. For the number of types of music you want to play, you might consider getting the ESX sampling electribe instead (or in addition). You can load any sounds you like from a computer sound library onto the ESX.

The EMX synths are also monophonic. They have a lot of character and with the onboard effects they can do a lot. But they are limited, and you mention elsewhere that the sound of your synths is important to you...so if a lot of polyphony and highly editable oscillators are things you want, perhaps a different synth would be better.

Regarding the KP3: It does have an internal vocoder with several available harmonies (M7, m7, etc.) and its other effects work well with the EMX. It can also capture loops made with the EMX quite effectively (up to 4 bars in length). Just be aware that the KP3 has well-known timing issues. If you expect to have a loop running on the KP3 while you play patterns on the EMX, the timing will eventually get out of sync (you can keep re-aligning it manually, but it's distracting while you're trying to perform).

Again, don't let these issues scare you away from the EMX and KP3 -- they are both very user friendly and I have yet to find a problem I can't work around with a little thought. I like to do a lot of research too before I buy anything so I know exactly what I'm getting for my money. Good luck!

ricardS · Post by **ricardS** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 9:08 pm

Kaoss pad 3 vocoder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_pK80XuGNA

EMX1 Dubstep

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CdPnBQE ... re=related

Emx1 is a monster machine too.

ricardS · Post by **ricardS** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:41 pm

I will buy a EMX1 Electribe, i always love its groovebox sounds