Is there a Mid-Tier Workstation guide? Which one should I get?

[WhoIsJerryInSeinfeld]

Hi, can I get some advice for mid tier workstations? I'd like a mid tier workstation and it's between the MODX6, FA-06 and Korg Krome. The MODX6 gets the most praise for money for value for all it's features, the main con for it is the onboard sequencer? But is the onboard sequencer really that bad? While the FA-06 and Krome don't get talked about as much but they seem to be just as solid. And then it seems the entry level workstations aren't anywhere near these?

Also theres the new Fantom-0 coming but I have a feeling it'll be priced above the other workstations over here. Will probably wait to see where it sits with these and how it compares to the MODX6 but if it's considerable more then the MODX6 then it's a no go. 

[kaptainkeys]

26 minutes ago, WhoIsJerryInSeinfeld said:

Also theres the new Fantom-0 coming but I have a feeling it'll be priced above the other workstations over here.

The pricing has already been released for the Fantom-0, the 06 will be $1499, the 07 will be $1799, and the 08 will be $1999, so all similar prices to the MODX equivalents.

[Justin Havu]

The MODX (and the Montage) originally didn't have a sequencer, per se.  More like a way to record ideas.  They added a Pattern sequencer with an OS update, but it's still not a full sequencer, which doesn't bother me, as it's one thing in the MODX that I never use.

 

Of the three instruments mentioned in the original post, I prefer the Krome's sequencer.  Unlike the MODX, you can overdub parts, edit them afterwards, and the touchscreen (which is an advantage over the FA) makes that pretty easy to do.

[Mighty Motif Max]

Of course, you also have to load sequences/save them to an SD card on the Krome too. No internal memory, they'll be erased when you power the keyboard off if you don't save them to SD and re-load them every time.

[Justin Havu]

Forgot to mention that.  Kinda ironic seeing as I used to work for a Korg dealer.

[AnotherScott]

If sequencer is important, MOXF6 is still available,  too.

[WhoIsJerryInSeinfeld]

19 hours ago, GotKeys said:

The pricing has already been released for the Fantom-0, the 06 will be $1499, the 07 will be $1799, and the 08 will be $1999, so all similar prices to the MODX equivalents.

Thats about $350 more then a MODX6 in Australia when converted.

 

13 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

If sequencer is important, MOXF6 is still available,  too.

15 hours ago, justin_havu said:

The MODX (and the Montage) originally didn't have a sequencer, per se.  More like a way to record ideas.  They added a Pattern sequencer with an OS update, but it's still not a full sequencer, which doesn't bother me, as it's one thing in the MODX that I never use.

 

Of the three instruments mentioned in the original post, I prefer the Krome's sequencer.  Unlike the MODX, you can overdub parts, edit them afterwards, and the touchscreen (which is an advantage over the FA) makes that pretty easy to do.

Exactly how much less features the MODX sequencer have compared to the competitors? You can't even edit in the MODX? Is the MOXF one that much better? Still, I think being able to make little drafts on it would be enough. Also, are there alternatives to the 3 in my post? Are any of the entry level workstations worth taking a look at?

[AnotherScott]

I don't use sequencers, personally, so I don't know all the ins and outs here. But as I understand it, FA, Kross, Krome, and MOXF have traditional multitrack fully editable linear sequencers. MODX has a "performance recorder" which is linear and multitrack but not fully editable, and a "pattern sequencer" which is multitrack and more editable, but is based on loops (or chaining loops together) and not designed for linear composition. Maybe someone with first-hand experience here can confirm or clarify further.