M3 or Motif XS ?

davc · Post by **davc** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:04 pm

i think they're all equally prone ,or not, to electronic problems ...

got my first electronic synth type board in 1975 ..(started playing in 63 )

and have never had any electronic problems with any keyboards ....... i did have a recall on my S90ES .... though it was probably un-necessary ...

i think Korg , Yamaha , Roland have used a lot of the same samples for about a decade .... yeh , they get a little cleaner each generation ... and we'll get a few new ones here and there .....

but , i guess i just go thru phases where i'm probably just getting tired of hearing one manufactures sounds , and just need a change ... something fresh to my ears ... i haven't developed any loyalty to just 1 brand ..!

but the M3 brought some nice features to the game ... everyone as there own noval performance features also ....

and i'd prefer to always have 1 of each of the above mentioned keyboards on hand .... luckily at this stage of my life , i can afford to do that ...

so i'd pick the one which feels/fits best to start ...

bctines · Post by **bctines** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:53 pm

I use it for an Electronica version of " she's too fat for me '

That is a fun one. Plus the XS has enough room to park the Schlitz that goes with tunes like that,.

(Nothing like a Polish wedding gig!!!)

so i'd pick the one which feels/fits best to start ...

The best advice there is since it's so subjective.

I think we're all saying you can't really go wrong with these choices if you do in fact select what turns you on the most. Try to get it from a place that has at least a 30-day return in case the bloom on the store rose wilts when you get it home.

PS--I'm real curious about how Roland's new software that supposedly allows instant patch changes works out on stage.

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:33 pm

bctines wrote:
I use it for an Electronica version of " she's too fat for me '
That is a fun one. Plus the XS has enough room to park the Schlitz that goes with tunes like that,. (Nothing like a Polish wedding gig!!!)

so i'd pick the one which feels/fits best to start ...

you betcha

I can park a Schlitz on the upper left and right side of my XS with no problem

Plus, the XS has 8 Control knobs and 8 Faders. I can wedge a Polish Sausage in a bun between the Control Knobs and the Faders

You CANNOT do this with the M3. Do NOT attempt it.

Daz · Post by **Daz** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 12:59 am

Having had a play on a friend's XS I have to say I was very impressed with it, especially with the sequencing arrangements. Pattern mode was as much fun and as intuitive as working in Live. There were lots of details that just made recording on the XS something I found myself enjoying more than I have on the Triton or Oasys (both very similar to the M3). I also particularly like the fact that you can also edit your Voices (Programs in Korg land) right there in Pattern mode (in the Mixing). Oh and the fact that the Voices can easily be pulled up in Pattern mode with their effects. 8 of them anyway ... you can have 8 Voices each with their 2 assigned IFX (a total of 16 IFX versus Korg's 5). The lack of a touch screen was not as painful as I had imagined either, and when laying down tracks I really didn't notice. I did notice when programming Voices though, and that was more like working with the Kurz or a Triton LE, a bit clunky but not too bad though.

If I had to buy a workstation to sit and make music with (using nothing else), then I'd go for the XS rather than the M3, irregardless of the fact that I prefer the Korg sound and synth engines. It's not a patch on the Oasys sound wise, especially for the sounds I personally prefer.

I think Korg need to focus more on things like the Sequencer and the ability to program sounds ... those two things seem to me to be the 2 most fundamental activities you do on a synth/workstation. Workstation = Synthesizer + Sequencer, right ? Even the mighty Oasys languishes in those 2 regards.

Some combination of the G7, XS7 and Oasys would be an awesome instrument

Daz.

bctines · Post by **bctines** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:04 am

Greg,

You CANNOT do this with the M3. Do NOT attempt it.

Definitely, unequivocally NOT with the KKS panel up.

Thanks for pointing out another advantage on the XS...thank goodness those faders are not automated!

Jeez...now I'll have to name my next program, "Cabbage Patch".

Going to the BBQ now...

But first--Daz,

ou can also edit your Voices (Programs in Korg land) right there in Pattern mode

Yes, that is very nifty.

But one thing I think the M3 has over the XS, at least when sequencing, is that the Sequencer buttons on my M3 work more positively. Those on my XS are a bit loosey-goosey.

And I still like the screen readability on my M3 vs. the XS. But that might just be age

he lack of a touch screen was not as painful as I had imagined either

And in the heat of liveness, buttons/faders can be better when/if tweaking FX to punch through.

Daz · Post by **Daz** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:29 am

Fortunately I don't have to make the choice of something that will work well as a standalone workstation, so I just choose things that make good sound sources.

I mentioned this because it's so tempting to try a keyboard in store, by listening to all the instamatic Combis or Perfomances (workstations are turning into dysfunctional arranger keyboards), but not to actually experiment with making music on the machine. I think this is where the current workstations differ most from one another, and if you're going to have one as your primary tool for making music then you need find it easy on the brain as well as easy on the ear.

Blah ...

Daz.

bctines · Post by **bctines** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:47 pm

as well as easy on the ear.

...with teakonomics that make it easy on the rear!

--why it's so important to get a minimum 30-day return on one.

Important blahs at today's price points...especially since you don't want to get the after-sale blahs each time you confront it.

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:29 pm

bctines wrote:Greg,

You CANNOT do this with the M3. Do NOT attempt it.
Definitely, unequivocally NOT with the KKS panel up.

Thanks for pointing out another advantage on the XS...thank goodness those faders are not automated!

Jeez...now I'll have to name my next program, "Cabbage Patch".

Going to the BBQ now...
h.

very true, I have the M3M, and its easy for me to say that

You know that great Stephen Kay Combi " Ham 'n Pickle" ?

I have one named " Sauerkraut 'n Bratwurst "

ok, I will work on that some more

bctines · Post by **bctines** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:12 pm

I have one named " Sauerkraut 'n Bratwurst " ok, I will work on that some more

Suppose i could port that into my Wurstlitzer-61?

[[Forgive me...it's been a v-e-r-y intense six weeks!]]]

Daz · Post by **Daz** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:31 pm

Voltan · Post by **Voltan** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:16 am

OMG

bctines · Post by **bctines** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 3:18 am

Voltan,

re your location!!

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:46 pm

Voltan wrote:OMG

see ? We can't escape our past

bctines · Post by **bctines** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 4:39 am

(Way out of Candlestick!)