M3 - Totally worth it!

[Stipes Vigilo]

All very nice! But they are all contextual, (pads, effects, etc.) and decays are kept shorter in these examples. But thanks for sharing, it does show the power of this board.

[gnbutt]

I have not had one problem with my M3 and it gets lugged around on gigs several times a month in a Gator Bag, always works flawlessly. Have been considering a Kronos at some future date but as a hobbiest player in a 50's 60's band (6 old farts playing songs we love), the M3 works perfectly for my application. GNB

[cyros1]

Sorry to rain on your parade folks but having spent all afternoon sampling with my m3 I am about to take to it with an axe.

try some serious synthesis or sampling with the thing it really is so frustrating and non intuative.

I wonder is the kronos any better in these areas whereby the only thing the m3 does easily and without a headache is play the sounds it comes with out of the box

I will have to put a wishlist together and you guys can tell me if such a workstation exists

[Bald Eagle]

Sorry to rain on your parade folks but having spent all afternoon sampling with my m3 I am about to take to it with an axe.

try some serious synthesis or sampling with the thing it really is so frustrating and non intuative.

I wonder is the kronos any better in these areas whereby the only thing the m3 does easily and without a headache is play the sounds it comes with out of the box

I will have to put a wishlist together and you guys can tell me if such a workstation exists

The basic architecture of all the major Korg synths is the same. If you are not happy with the workflow using an M3 it is unlikely that you will be happy with a Kronos.

That being said, I find that that Korg architecture is better than most but that's just my opinion.

[Saxifraga]

I will have to put a wishlist together and you guys can tell me if such a workstation exists

The Kronos is no real workstation. It´s a very good sounding synth with 9 engines, Karma and some goodies from the 90ties that are now badies.
UI and OS are mainly from 1995. The M3 sampler is very slow (loading and saving from/to USB drive). The M3 sequencer has more features but the machine is lacking in processing power, so everything is slow.

My conclusion is: Forget about sampler and sequencer from Korg.
Use a decent DAW and software sampler.

The workstation you are looking for is a computer!
And it´s even much cheaper!

[Stipes Vigilo]

Well, how they define 'workstation' definitely makes the Kronos and the M3 a true workstation. Electronic keyboards are dedicated computers so any comparison for the most part comes down to sound and components used to achieve it. Other functions, while maybe not to your standards, is what makes it a workstation. I don't use them that way either, but I don't deny what they are by what I don't use. For me, sampling is for personalizing the samples for the individual. Above that, the Kronos is the first keyboard since my old Rhodes and Clavinet that actually plays like an instrument and not just a dedicated computer. I haven't found a computer that does exactly what it does. I know people that use the M3 and Kronos as a workstation and do great things with them. I personally feel nothing beats the hybrid between computer and hardware and most of the VST softsynth's sound painfully homogeneous. And while great for all they do, they don't do what certain keyboards do. Sound is important, but instruments are more than just sound.

Edit/add: BTW, a good computer with software to match will be more expensive than the M3(M) these days.

[Spud]

I so called "downgraded", from KORG Kronus, I am happier with this keyboard, what a beautiful machine... It just works, in ways, I think. Love the feel of it's 88 key keyboard.

Hi Pcode.

thats real interesting that you 'downgraded' to an M3. I have recently put up a thread about whether I should go for a Kronos or M3. My heart tells me an M3 but there is so much stuff around about the better sounds in the Kronos. Anyway I'm getting the loan of a Kronos for a week to try it out.

cheers
Spud

[michelkeijzers]

I will have to put a wishlist together and you guys can tell me if such a workstation exists

The Kronos is no real workstation. It´s a very good sounding synth with 9 engines, Karma and some goodies from the 90ties that are now badies.
UI and OS are mainly from 1995. The M3 sampler is very slow (loading and saving from/to USB drive). The M3 sequencer has more features but the machine is lacking in processing power, so everything is slow.

My conclusion is: Forget about sampler and sequencer from Korg.
Use a decent DAW and software sampler.

The workstation you are looking for is a computer!
And it´s even much cheaper!

The Kronos is a real workstation ... however it does not have a 21"+ monitor as most decent DAWs have which is good, because otherwise it would not be portable anymore.

The UI and OS are indeed having the same architecture/menu structure from the previous century, which also is very good. If you are used to a Korg, you can use a newer Korg instantly, without having to search for hidden features.

But - in contrary of most other synth facturers - a lot of enhancements are made, like a touch screen (which is invaluable and works great) and big color display.

If you only use it in a studio you might consider options, for live purposes, almost nothing beats the Kronos.

[_joe_]

Great videos Marco! Keep up the good work.

Indeed unfortunately it's a non ending war.

The pianos on the M3 are great, but people will ALWAYS ask for more.
Sad story it's always "greener on the other side".
So people will always feel the need for new stuff.
This is true for anything: Xbox/Playstation, Android/Iphone, Korg/Yamaha....

People, just enjoy what you have!

Piano sounds so nice...

http://youtu.be/wXMc8usS4Sk

http://youtu.be/oeUN0W3WI0o

http://youtu.be/eWqgzsg_peo

[Pcode]

I so called "downgraded", from KORG Kronus, I am happier with this keyboard, what a beautiful machine... It just works, in ways, I think. Love the feel of it's 88 key keyboard.

Hi Pcode.

thats real interesting that you 'downgraded' to an M3. I have recently put up a thread about whether I should go for a Kronos or M3. My heart tells me an M3 but there is so much stuff around about the better sounds in the Kronos. Anyway I'm getting the loan of a Kronos for a week to try it out.

cheers
Spud

I did not buy M3 for it's sampler or sequencer, I needed a easy to use 88 key keyboard with lots of good "usable sounds".. I use cubase 7 for everything I do, what an awesome DAW, and I have some great softsynth workstations as well. But i still like using sounds from m3 as they are simply great "pre-configured" sounds. The sounds in this instrument simply breathe...

[Pcode]

I will have to put a wishlist together and you guys can tell me if such a workstation exists

The Kronos is no real workstation. It´s a very good sounding synth with 9 engines, Karma and some goodies from the 90ties that are now badies.
UI and OS are mainly from 1995. The M3 sampler is very slow (loading and saving from/to USB drive). The M3 sequencer has more features but the machine is lacking in processing power, so everything is slow.

My conclusion is: Forget about sampler and sequencer from Korg.
Use a decent DAW and software sampler.

The workstation you are looking for is a computer!
And it´s even much cheaper!

The Kronos is a real workstation ... however it does not have a 21"+ monitor as most decent DAWs have which is good, because otherwise it would not be portable anymore.

The UI and OS are indeed having the same architecture/menu structure from the previous century, which also is very good. If you are used to a Korg, you can use a newer Korg instantly, without having to search for hidden features.

But - in contrary of most other synth facturers - a lot of enhancements are made, like a touch screen (which is invaluable and works great) and big color display.

If you only use it in a studio you might consider options, for live purposes, almost nothing beats the Kronos.

I do not agree with that, no piano role editing, and it's not very easy to copy and paste midi events. You need a mouse to do work quickly, if only KORG can get Roland G like sequencer in their workstations, so one can quickly zoom in and out of midi and audio events, but in a clean visual way.

[Spud]

I'm finding my Triton Classic is more than capable in the sound department and I use Sharp's 'Steinway solo' for piano sounds from my sample assault CD which I bought ages ago. Its the connectivity I now find difficult, e.g. I download a sample off the net and its 4mb and I cant put it on a floppy disk. I have a SCSI board in the TC and ZIP drive, but the modern day laptops don't support the SCSI's.

At the moment there's only around 5 - £600 difference between the two from my local music store.

Still not sure though, don't want to buy the wrong Keyboard..

[orpheus2006]

Have you ever tried imitating guitar playing techniques (sliding, hammering, strumming) or glissandos with MIDI? It's a pain!
Same goes for Brass falls, dynamic synth lines with smooth effects, drum rolls and many other textures.

The KARMA engine (combined with the control elements of the M3!) just does it all for you, in realtime and w/o any hassle. IMO that's the killer feature! Alternatives: not many, only Kronos or Oasys have similar capabilities, but they are more expensive.

Any suggestion from the Software Synth hawks how to replace the mighty KARMA? I'll have a hard time selling my M3 unless I find a solution.

[Bald Eagle]

KARMA is great. I don't think there is anything else quite like it. If you are using KARMA for its auto accompaniment and arranger like features there are a lot of things available.

http://www.synthzone.com/midiaccomp.htm

As far as articulation features like guitar strumming I don't know of any general purpose stand alone software packages. But many dedicated virtual instruments have very capable articulation features.

I still think that a stand alone version of KARMA would be a good idea but I don't see that happening.

[orpheus2006]

I still think that a stand alone version of KARMA would be a good idea but I don't see that happening.

Yes, that'd be great.

I'm following the discussions and announcements at KARMA-Lab a couple of years now, and don't think Korg has got an exclusive license for the KARMA technology.

If Stephen should require some crowdfunding for it, I'd open my wallet and buy a version upfront. I can imagine many others would do, too.