Tell me about the Korg M3

[BluMunk]

There's an M3-61 available here locally for what seems a very reasonable price ($850). I went into the store to buy some music, and ended up playing with the M3 for like 45 mins.

 

Does anyone here use it? I was a little overwhelmed by the features, but I did really like the action. I couldn't quite figure out how to edit programs, but did see how combis go together. Aparently you can get a Radias card for it as well? How does that integrate? Is it full Radias functionality?

 

This would be replacing a qs7.1 I use mostly in a cover band, so in many ways it'd be a huge step up.

[_Maximus_]

well, it is a huge step up i kind of have both, an M3-73 with radias, and an QS6 believe me if you already figured out how to edit programs and Mixes/combis on the QS you'll be breezing trough the touchscreen, doing those kind of things are faster and easier.

 

about the radias the integration is quite good, it will give you an extra 24 VA voices with a max of 4 parts, its not the warmest sounding VA it does have a character more fitted to modern music but you can wrestle some 80's tones out of it

 

just read the manual and experiment with it, and you wont be overwhelmed with the features, and yes the action i quite nice.

[Synthoid]

There's an M3-61 available here locally for what seems a very reasonable price ($850).

 

That's awful cheap. I assume it's used?

 

I've owned an M3 for over 4 years now and use it in almost all my music. The sounds are top notch, and you'll love the touch screen for easy editing. I really like the OS and file system as well--much easier to work with vs. my Motif XS.

 

It takes awhile to understand Karma, as it's light years ahead of basic arpeggiators... but it's a great inspirational tool.

[johnchop]

It's a fantastic synth! I had the same experience when I saw it in a store: I found I couldn't step away. The synth action is still the best I've played.

 

Programs aren't hard to edit per se, there are just boatloads of options. The RADIAS board integrates nicely and is a snap to edit. I ended up programming it more than the ROMpler engine.

 

Highly recommend the RAM expansion so you can load the Xpanded libraries.

 

-John

[NYKeys]

Great Synth - highly recommend karma-labs

 

Video Tutorials

 

[Justin Havu]

I used to own an M3 a year ago. Great synth--for the first little while that I owned it. I would say just about as thin sounding as the Triton, and a lot of the presets sounded like traditional Korg stuff.

[MikeT156]

All the above posts are true and I have to agree that $850 for that synth is a great price, especially if its the only workstation class board in your arsenal.

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

Mike T.

[Dave Bryce]

I have one. I love it. Lots of great, totally useable sound, easy to move around on...and one of the best feeling keybeds (Korg's RH3) of any semi weighted action I've ever played. And the KAOSS pad is just a ton of fun.

 

I also really enjoy the KARMA function - much more than I thought I would when I got the M3. When I want to turn my synths on and just play for a while, I typically fire up the KARMA engine to have something to play along with.

 

$850 is an excellent price.

 

dB

[Synthoid]

I used to own an M3 a year ago. Great synth--for the first little while that I owned it. I would say just about as thin sounding as the Triton, and a lot of the presets sounded like traditional Korg stuff.

 

Once you step past the presets, the M3 gives you access to amazing synth sounds, even without the EXB-Radias.

 

I also own a Korg Triton, and can shake the paint off the walls with it.

[Synthoid]

I also really enjoy the KARMA function - much more than I thought I would when I got the M3. When I want to turn my synths on and just play for a while, I typically fire up the KARMA engine to have something to play along with.

 

Always good to read another "thumbs up" for KARMA.

 

[BluMunk]

Man . . . I woke up this morning thinking about it. Now I've gotta scrape up the cash. Maybe everything I have posted up on Craigslist will sell today . . . or not.

 

The only two real negatives I noticed were that I was not really excited by the piano sound, even for in-band-context stuff it seemed really uninteresting (not that I'm not sick and tired of the piano on the QS, really the only sound I dislike on it), and all the synths, at least as programmed, were really bright and shimmery. Which is awesome, but can it (with or without the Radias) get some richer synth tones? Patches that seemed like they should be versions of some old standbys (synth brass, etc), just seemed too sharp and bitey.

 

Also, I noticed it took 10 or so seconds to boot up. Is this standard for 'workstation' type boards? Is there a spinning hard disk on here that I'd have to worry about failing at some point?

 

And, finally, it looks like you can map all the faders and controls to MIDI CC's, is that true? If so, this seems like a perfect board to control my modest rack of modules?

[Synthoid]

Man . . . I woke up this morning thinking about it. Now I've gotta scrape up the cash.

 

Before you purchase, check out all buttons, knobs, sliders and touchscreen. That is a very LOW price.

 

The only two real negatives I noticed were that I was not really excited by the piano sound, even for in-band-context stuff it seemed really uninteresting (not that I'm not sick and tired of the piano on the QS, really the only sound I dislike on it),

 

The M3's stock piano will be better than your "Q" plus there's the XPanded soundset with more pianos and acoustic sounds to play with. (You can download and install yourself if the M3 you purchase hasn't been upgraded).

 

all the synths, at least as programmed, were really bright and shimmery. Which is awesome, but can it (with or without the Radias) get some richer synth tones?

 

Yes, the M3 is capable of great synth sounds... way beyond the presets. If you enjoy editing--and the touch screen makes that a breeze--you'll find plenty of waveforms and tools to work with.

 

Also, I noticed it took 10 or so seconds to boot up. Is this standard for 'workstation' type boards? Is there a spinning hard disk on here that I'd have to worry about failing at some point?

 

Yes, that's normal for all workstations... actually it takes quite a bit longer than 10 seconds. But no, the M3 doesn't have a hard drive. There is a SD card inside though.

[Justin Havu]

I used to own an M3 a year ago. Great synth--for the first little while that I owned it. I would say just about as thin sounding as the Triton, and a lot of the presets sounded like traditional Korg stuff.

 

Once you step past the presets, the M3 gives you access to amazing synth sounds, even without the EXB-Radias.

 

I also own a Korg Triton, and can shake the paint off the walls with it.

 

The main problem for me was it took about a second and a half to load a new sound, with effects. Also, for what I was doing, I needed a piano that would cut through the mix well. What I ended up doing after I sold the M3 was combine the Steinway from Mainstage with a piano patch on my Quadrasynth. This gave me the ability to just use the steinway for a more mellow tone, then bring in the QS little by little for more top end.

Also the keybed on the M3 took some getting used to. To me it didn't feel as springy as my Triton Extreme. It sounded Nice in the middle, but when I used to solo in the upper registers, it would thin out.

[Synthoid]

I've heard a few others speak of slow patch loading but it seems almost instantaneous on my M3.

 

As far as pianos go, I normally stack up 2-3 in combi mode (sometimes tuned in octaves) and adjust EQ quite a bit.

[MikeT156]

by Blumonk:

 

The only two real negatives I noticed were that I was not really excited by the piano sound, even for in-band-context stuff it seemed really uninteresting

 

With 61 keys, you're not going to be able to do serious piano parts anyway. Sure, in a band context a longer KB may not be necessary, but with more keys you can do more real piano playing, even if the sound isn't exactly what you want. Its the same with playing string parts. If you play string ensemble parts like a KB player plays piano parts, it's not going to sound realistic no matter how accurate the sound.

 

Just a thought,

 

 

Mike T.

[BluMunk]

by Blumonk:

 

The only two real negatives I noticed were that I was not really excited by the piano sound, even for in-band-context stuff it seemed really uninteresting

 

With 61 keys, you're not going to be able to do serious piano parts anyway. Sure, in a band context a longer KB may not be necessary, but with more keys you can do more real piano playing, even if the sound isn't exactly what you want. Its the same with playing string parts. If you play string ensemble parts like a KB player plays piano parts, it's not going to sound realistic no matter how accurate the sound.

 

Just a thought,

 

 

Mike T.

 

Sure, I know all that.

 

Basically, I've found that the 76 key QS I'm using is, in 99% of the songs I do in this particular band, too large. One because sometimes we're squeezed into tight spaces, and shaving an inch or two would be nice, and second because I just don't need that extra octave and a half. I've got a bigger board (Roland RD700-GX) for real piano gigs, but I have no need or desire or room to lug that into a bar to play rock tunes.

 

That said, I was not in love with the sound of the piano, even if I'm just going to use it to play Don't Stop Believing. It's not a realism issue, just a tone quality issue.

 

Well, I think I'm going to sit on this until Monday and then decide. I know it's a great deal (and I did spend time to make sure all buttons, lights, knobs, and faders worked smoothly), but I'd have to of course pay tax, get a case, and would likely feel compelled to get the Radias expansion, so I'm still talking like $1400 all together, which is not chump change.

 

Damn, when I put it like that, it's a lot less appealing. Even without Radias, it'd be $1100 or so with a case.

 

*sigh* Such tough decisions.

[therealvicz]

You can do a lot to tweak the pianos, let Rich explain:

 

[video:youtube]

[GovernorSilver]

The only two real negatives I noticed were that I was not really excited by the piano sound, even for in-band-context stuff it seemed really uninteresting

 

The grand piano sounds that come with the XPanded update are superior, imo, to the piano sounds that were on the M3 before.

 

Try to find out what OS version is on the M3 you are considering purchasing, and whether it has XPanded installed.

[BluMunk]

The only two real negatives I noticed were that I was not really excited by the piano sound, even for in-band-context stuff it seemed really uninteresting

 

The grand piano sounds that come with the XPanded update are superior, imo, to the piano sounds that were on the M3 before.

 

Try to find out what OS version is on the M3 you are considering purchasing, and whether it has XPanded installed.

 

Yeah, it was v1.1.1, but I've been reading that the XPanded is just a software upgrade, available free from Korg.

[Synthoid]

I've been reading that the XPanded is just a software upgrade, available free from Korg.

 

Yes, easy to install... just read the directions carefully.

[GovernorSilver]

I've heard a few others speak of slow patch loading but it seems almost instantaneous on my M3.

 

Patch loading is near-instantaneous for me too. I do have an EXB-M256 (256 MB memory expansion card) installed.

 

I've only done minimal patch editing, while following the Karma-Labs House 101 instructional DVD, but I found it's certainly possible to use EQ, filters, etc. to reduce high end on the synth patches, increase mids, etc. The House 101 DVD is basically a course on how to use KARMA. House music is not my primary genre, but I've gotten a lot of valuable info from taking this course, which can be applied to other musical styles.

[BluMunk]

I did it!

 

$877 out the door. I have to go to work in a half hour so I can't play with it too much today, but I'm downloading the manual/drivers/updates and stuff now. I'm psyched to start digging in. I've got a gig with the band in about five weeks, which should be enough time to get some sweet programs, er, combis set up.

 

 

[Synthoid]

I've heard a few others speak of slow patch loading but it seems almost instantaneous on my M3.

 

Patch loading is near-instantaneous for me too. I do have an EXB-M256 (256 MB memory expansion card) installed.

 

The memory expansion is for loading samples only, it won't affect the loading speed of the M3's stock programs and combinations.

[BluMunk]

Oh, I should add that part of why it was so cheap (I'm sure) is that it does have the slight aroma of . . . having lived in the home of a smoker. After standing at it at home for a while I got a small whiff of it; hadn't noticed it at all in the store.

 

Not a big deal, considering what I paid, and that it will live in a practice space and not my bedroom. I wonder if burning incense around it will, over time, change the aroma?