Korg M3 vs. Yamaha Motif XS

[Song80s]

very impressive

 

I spent 15 minutes demoing the various XS violin Voices. I have been searching for the best reproduction of electric( jean luc ponty) or acoustic violins and the XS does the best job

 

 

[Bobadohshe]

That violin's sounding pretty good. Thanks for sharing.

[Bobadohshe]

Personally, I believe everyone should wait for the Kurzweil PC3 to be released. I know I am....This is not bashing any manufacturer or an endorsment for Kurz, just trying to play it smart before dropping $$$ on a new synth.

 

I second that emotion.

[mildbill]

The PC3 looks better to me than the other options, but I'm not sure someone would have to wait till it's released to compare them.

There's not going to be anything really new about it, it's just going to be a sort of combining of most of the best features of the Kurzweil line - including controller capabilities, VAST, KDFX, and the sound roms (but no sample ram):

 

http://www.kurzweilmusicsystems.com/products.html?Id=1863

[cnegrad]

mildbill,

 

The PC3 looks better to me than the other options, but I'm not sure someone would have to wait till it's released to compare them.

I really don't know how you can say that. You can't judge the feel of a keyboard without trying it for yourself. You can't judge sound quality without hearing it for yourself. You can't judge how intuitive an interface is without trying it for yourself. Then there's the whole issue of subjective opinion.

 

Personally, I'll wait to try the Motif XS for myself before deciding. And like GEM, if Kurzweil can't manage to get their product into the Sam Ashs and Guitar Centers of this world, then unfortunately they're out of the running for me. No try, no buy...

[MikeT156]

Quote by Cnegrad:

 

"Personally, I'll wait to try the Motif XS for myself before deciding. And like GEM, if Kurzweil can't manage to get their product into the Sam Ashs and Guitar Centers of this world, then unfortunately they're out of the running for me. No try, no buy..."

 

That's unfortunate for GEM and Kurzweil if that's the case. I remember Dave from GEM saying as a company they don't want their product in the major internet resellers of the world, there's so much competition andthe price gets down and dirty, so their dealers don't make any money. But if players can't try it, they won't buy it.

 

Mike T.

[mildbill]

mildbill,

 

The PC3 looks better to me than the other options, but I'm not sure someone would have to wait till it's released to compare them.

I really don't know how you can say that. You can't judge the feel of a keyboard without trying it for yourself. You can't judge sound quality without hearing it for yourself. You can't judge how intuitive an interface is without trying it for yourself. Then there's the whole issue of subjective opinion.

 

Personally, I'll wait to try the Motif XS for myself before deciding. And like GEM, if Kurzweil can't manage to get their product into the Sam Ashs and Guitar Centers of this world, then unfortunately they're out of the running for me. No try, no buy...

 

 

 

 

About the sounds - (from the link):

 

"Factory Presets: 832 Factory Programs- Includes complete PC2 Base Sound ROM, the Orchestral, Classic Keys, General MIDI set, 64 KB3 programs PLUS new String Section ROM Bank"

 

 

I know what those sound like (except for the new string section). There might be some small variation due to converters, but my hearing's probably probably not good enough to pick it up if there is one.

 

About the interface: I can tell what it will be like to navigate from my experience with Kurzweil products and from the pictures.

 

You're right about the feel of the keyboard. If it's new, I won't know what it's like till I try it. I can say that I get along well with some boards that are considered to have pretty crappy keys.

 

About 'subjective opinions'. It's all subjective opinion - even people's interpretations of 'subjective' facts.

 

 

The M3, the XS, and the PC3 will all be fine boards I'm sure. The PC3 is the only one of the three boards that I'd consider though. (For subjective reasons).

 

 

 

[cnegrad]

Ah; so what you meant to say was that you knew what to expect from the PC3 based on your experience with the PC2.

 

Your post read as though you'd decided that the PC3 is better than the M3 and XS and without experiencing either one of them, and reaching this conclusion via hearsay and spec sheets. That's what I was refuting.

[mildbill]

Yes, I was only referring to the PC3. And my experience is with the K2600, not the PC2.

 

I know very little about the M3 and XS other than the fact that neither one of those boards are capable of generating release velocity and using it as a mod source.

[delirium]

I've just seen nice demo of M3

 

M3 demo

 

It looks more like a robot or machine not a instrument with these removable modules etc. But sound nice.

Motif XS looks much better, although not a beauty either.

[Song80s]

I now have the XS7 and it is quite wonderful

 

An important item- EASY to navigate. Really.

 

I am Zipping around on Voices ( programs) and Performances(combis)

 

The Category function and 4 arrow buttons are well done. The color LCD is excellent for a general or higher view via Category , then you can drill down

to what you want

 

Appearance passed a critical test. My girlfriend likes the look and color.

 

I am very impressed by the ARPS and chordal intelligence- this works very well for strums and bass accompaniment

 

The quality of Voices and Performances is excellent. Yamaha thought this thru and provided something for everyone

 

A slight note- the bass on many Performances seems eq'd up. I have a low pass filter on my Mackie Onyx which I engaged. Bingo. Crisp and clear

 

My setup is now the XS, Rd700sx and Extreme 76. It is easy to dispense with those silly ' comparisons ' by a quick A vs B or A vs C or B vs C

that some folks are passionate about

 

XS7 Keyboard feel - it is nice. Its subtly better than the Extreme 76 synth action keys. I recall Busch says the XS7/6 is semi weighed. It might be. My old A50 ( roland midi controller) was semi weighed and was definitetly a good hybrid between weighed ( piano weight) and the light synth action

[cnegrad]

Thanks Greg; you've got me excited about getting mine....

[Song80s]

very cool. The XS7 is a bit lighter than my Extreme 76 and easier to haul up and down stairs.

 

The bottom range of the Full Concert grand is superb

 

I have midi'd my Rd700sx to the XS7, a real treat to have both acoustic piano samples to mix and match

[MikeT156]

Greg:

 

Don't forget to "play" some of the lower and higher notes that are out of the dynamic range of guitar patches. Yamaha put string slides, muted sounds, tapping on the guitar body, and a whole lot more neat guitar sounds that are not musical onto those keys to add to the realism of their guitar patches. They take some getting used to as to where/how to implement them into your songs, but are very realistic.

 

Enjoy!

 

Mike T.

[cnegrad]

Yup; you'd be amazed how much realism is achieved by simply adding a few fret squeeks and a bent note here and there....

[DonaldM]

Well, I looked and tried both the M3 and the Motif XS. In a word, I was blown away by the Motif. So much so, I bought one.

The Korg is great and does amazing things (think where were just 5-8 years ago to what we have now), but feature for feature, ease of use and intuitiveness, I found the Motif the easy winner.

 

And the sound and feel are terrific. For studio work, which will be my primary application, I can't imagine anything better!

 

 

[cnegrad]

Donald,

 

Where'd you buy it? Do you mean that you ordered it, or actually brought it home?

[DonaldM]

Donald,

 

Where'd you buy it? Do you mean that you ordered it, or actually brought it home?

 

Well, I could have brought home the floor model, but choose to wait for an untouched one out of the box. It'll be here this week.

[cnegrad]

Which store?

[Song80s]

Well, I looked and tried both the M3 and the Motif XS. In a word, I was blown away by the Motif. So much so, I bought one.

The Korg is great and does amazing things (think where were just 5-8 years ago to what we have now), but feature for feature, ease of use and intuitiveness, I found the Motif the easy winner.

 

And the sound and feel are terrific. For studio work, which will be my primary application, I can't imagine anything better!

 

 

Korg has said May 17 is the M3 launch date

 

So you are the first ' official ' M3 sighting in the US

 

Care to expound on the M3 ?

[DonaldM]

From a sound designer's standpoint, even though I haven't played one yet, I'll take the XS over the M3 because it has 8 independent programming lines per voice, versus just 2 on the M3. Korg hasn't expanded this basic building block of sound construction on their synths since the M1 almost 20 years ago, while Yamaha and Roland has long ago moved on. But I like getting right in there and making my own sounds from scratch on workstations, and Korg knows very well there are not many players that do.

 

Me too. I miss the old analog days with all the nice nobs, dials and sliders...patch cords etc. Creating a sound is half the fun!

[DonaldM]

Well, I looked and tried both the M3 and the Motif XS. In a word, I was blown away by the Motif. So much so, I bought one.

The Korg is great and does amazing things (think where were just 5-8 years ago to what we have now), but feature for feature, ease of use and intuitiveness, I found the Motif the easy winner.

 

And the sound and feel are terrific. For studio work, which will be my primary application, I can't imagine anything better!

 

 

Korg has said May 17 is the M3 launch date

 

So you are the first ' official ' M3 sighting in the US

 

Care to expound on the M3 ?

 

My bad. I got the M3 confused with the Triton Studio 88, which is what I actually looked at. And I was also discussing the M3 with the guy at the store, so somehow confused myself into thinking it was the M3 I played.

 

But, when I say down at the Motif, I was thrilled. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the M3 will be as great as everyone says it will be. Korg has great stuff! (hey, I still use my DW8000 - one of the best at the time and still great! -- love the apreggiator) But, for my purposes, the Yahama Motif fits the bill perfectly.

[DonaldM]

Which store?

 

Woodwind and Brasswind. Talk to Nick Meade there, he really knows his stuff.

[Song80s]

 

Korg has said May 17 is the M3 launch date

 

So you are the first ' official ' M3 sighting in the US

 

Care to expound on the M3 ?

 

My bad. I got the M3 confused with the Triton Studio 88, which is what I actually looked at. My bad. I got the M3 confused with the Triton Studio 88, which is what I actually looked at.

 

DOH!

[burningbusch]

Sweetwater is showing a street price of $2499 for the Korg M3 61 note and $1999 for the module. The Radius board is $299 street.

 

They are showing a delivery date of July.

 

Busch.

 

 

 

[Song80s]

I am glad I have the XS7 to keep me busy

[Mark Schmieder]

A Muse Receptor is cheaper than either one, and both more flexible and more extensible :-).

 

Nevertheless, I maintain some mild interest in the M3, if only because I want to see how the expansion architecture plays out. I did enough research this past weekend to convince myself that I should upgrade my MS2000BR to a RADIAS family instrument; whether the rack version, the R3, or the EXB for the M3. I was quite happy to learn that a conversion tool was written and that for the most part the two synths really are patch-compatible. I wonder if the same can be said of Triton patches loading into the M3 with reasonable defaults, or if that is even possible?

[Clifton]

A Muse Receptor is cheaper than either one, and both more flexible and more extensible :-).

 

I'd say a powerful laptop is even more flexible, that and it can double as a portable recording studio (with the right firewire box, of course).

 

Or have we already had a laptop vs. Receptor thread? Cus I personally am still mentally debating.

 

 

[NuSkoolTone]

Sweetwater is showing a street price of $2499 for the Korg M3 61 note and $1999 for the module. The Radius board is $299 street.

 

They are showing a delivery date of July.

 

Busch.

 

So $2800 for a still not loaded (Still need Ram board, Plus whatever else you want)61 M3. I would want the 73 key version, so tack on another $500 most likely. $3300 We'll say. Add the Ram board for me and it's probably closer to $3500. The XS7 will be what? $2800 maybe?

 

Unless the M3 simply BLOWS AWAY the XS(which I doubt), Korg has pretty much guaranteed I'll be getting the XS! I might even be able to grab a used Radias (though not my first choice of VA) for <$700 and get the same if not come ahead. Sure I won't have the dual module on one keyboard thing, but is that privilege WORTH $500? I don't know.. been fine without it so far!

 

If there's ever an M3 in my future, it'll be used in a couple of years. I just don't feel any value at the price they're asking. They went too lite on the hardware IMO so not to eat too much into the big O's sales. If they had twice the ROM size and took 1GB+ of standard RAM without needing an add-on board to do it I'd be looking at it more seriously. Though the more I read and do the Math, the less interested I become.

[Song80s]

3, or the EXB for the M3. I was quite happy to learn that a conversion tool was written and that for the most part the two synths really are patch-compatible. I wonder if the same can be said of Triton patches loading into the M3 with reasonable defaults, or if that is even possible?

 

Highly doubt it

 

Different PCM, ARPS vs Karma2, different synth engine