I'm planning on buying a synthesizer workstation but I just don't know which one to get . I have several in mind so I would appreciate feedback on the following synths . Tell me a little something about each in terms of their ease of use , features and sound quality .

1.Korg Triton LE
2.Yamaha Motif
3.Roland Fantom Xa


There are also the more expensive models the Motif ES , Fantom X and Korg Triton Extreme . What additional features would they have that would warrant the much steeper asking price ? Should I as a beginner even bother with them ?


Finally what kind of player and music would require 76 key or 88 key versions of these synths ?

Any help would be appreciated .

I sell all 3 of your choices. My 0rder of recommendation would be:
1) Fantom XA
2) Triton LE
3) Motif

The Triton Le is the least expensive with the Motif and then the Fantom close behind.

Now, if you were considering the Motif ES, this would be my first choice. What you get in the ES is much better acoustic samples, phrase factory and improved everything else.
However, for the money, the Fantom XA is a powerhouse. It is very good with sounds, sequencer, sampling and have pads for programming drum beats and storing loops. It does not have exactly the same sounds as the more expensive Fantom X and does not have aftertouch, but both this and the Triton LE I think you will find easier to use over the older motif.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

How do the Motif ES and Fantom Xa compare in terms of ease of use ?

The Fantom XA is in my opinion the most powerful arranger of the three. If you plan on doing synth and pad voices more than orchestrial the Roland if more in your ball park. Roland has always had fantastic OS making it a breeze going through the sounds, sequencing ect. Its basically the same thing as the Fantom-X, but it looses in the tiny screen, 9 small buttons (no velocity or after touch on them i think) Everything that the X could loose to save money is what the XA is. Same Fantom sound engine, same Fantom sounds, same effects processor ect. I would strongly reccomend looking at the Fantom-S, same thing as the X, but four shade lcd screen, 64 polyphony, 64mb wav rom. The XA is exspandable to 192 rom with 2 SRX boards (that X allows 4 boards)

The Motif is is very good workstation, I was contemplating between that and the Fantom-S for a while. It all came down to the Motif has a small screen, I wasnt big into orchestrial playing, the OS was what ive heard somewhat difficult to learn but all in all fully functional. 85mb rom is very nice, however I dont think its exspandable. I would highly reccomend savign your money, and sticking with the original Motif, there arent enough changes that is worth the extra grand, especially with the Fantom-X worth the same amount.

I dont have much knowlege about the Triton LE, it looks like a very nice board, however IMO overpriced, id far rather get a used Fantom-S which is even cheaper than a new LE. Like the Roland, Korg does way more pads, synths, ambient ect. However if you have not played a korg before id reccomend playing one just to feel the keys, because just for me the key feel would make me never want to buy a korg, they just feel very weak, and you cant get any emphasys into the sound.

The Triton Extreme looks way cool, im not a fan of the OS but the thing is loaded, and has some very cool features, if you have a CG or something around you its worth the trip to drive there, play them all and decide from that.

All in all I think the best value for what you get would be a Fantom-S, used perhaps, no more than 900 bucks, exact same thing as the X, but less rom, no color screen... and well thats about it. For a thousand bucks less, the coice is obvious.

Phil

[This message has been edited by Pennywizz6 (edited 03-27-2005).]

Hmm well I would occasionally require accustic sounds but my biggest passion is music such as Depeche Mode with Alan Wilder .

The Motif ES and Fantom X are probably too high end for my current needs . I'm not sure about the Korg Triton Extreme . It obviously has way more sounds than the LE but I wonder if those sounds have improved in quality or if they're just more with the same quality .

Often times its just more sounds, not really more higher quality ones. But obviously the more exspensive the board the better the sounds to some degree. Roland has IMO the best accoustic grand, fantastic organs and stringed guitars.

Phil

A couple of things to point out......
the Triton LX is the least expensive of the bunch at just $995.00.
The Fantom XA has the same engine as the Fantom S which is no longer made but the Fantom X6 has a different rom set so if you expect the same piano in the XA as the X6 you won't find it.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

I have noticed that the Motif ES doesn't have even just a tinsy bit of sampling memory included . Also I did not see a Mic input in it's specs , what's up with that ? That added to the fact that the Motif and Motif ES supposedly have the most difficult OS make don't make it very attractive for my needs . Sure they may have the best sounds but it's all about balance .


I guess I'm kind of torn between the Roland Fantom X and the Korg Triton Extreme . How do these two compare ? I know the Roland costs a bit more .



[This message has been edited by Darksounds (edited 03-27-2005).]

[This message has been edited by Darksounds (edited 03-27-2005).]

You can add sampling memory by adding PC100 or PC133 sticks of ram. I didnt know that it ships with none, thats pretty stupid. Not sure about the mic in thing, im sure theres something that works.

The Fantom-X and Extreme are closely matched. But i cant think of anything that the Fantom doesnt have or exceeds that of the Triton. Are you destined for new or would you buy used? Check Ebay if your lucky you can find really nice great condition ones for 4 hundred less.

Phil

I'm currently A Motif-ES owner. I used to own the Fantom-S which has a similar operating system to the Fantom-X and I also had the experience of owning the Triton Classic too. After trying all three of them live and home and even using their internal sequencer each, here is what I found.

**Easy of use when you get them out of the box.

Triton classic.
Fantom-S.
MOTIF-ES.

**BUT here is the key to what I've been looking for, Fastest workstation to work with once you learn how to use it. Here is how it ranks

Motif-ES
Triton classic
Fantom-S

The reason I ranked the Motif-es first was because even though it has a smaller screen than others, all the necessary buttons to use are actually layered infront of you VS haveing those buttons in menus.

It is also a lot faster to sequence on the motif than the others. The other cool thing about the motif compared to the others is that when you sequence using the internal sequencer and sounds, The Motif's sounds don't really need the internal effects in order to sound good. and you have the reverb and the chorus right infront of you in the sequencer for each sound. The triton's sounds and the fantom x/s's sound do need the effects in order to sound good when you using the internal sequencer. and you only have 3 INS effects with the fantom-s/x and 5 with the triton. The Motif-es has 8 ins effects which I don't use really sometimes when sequencing.

Fastest keyboard to use during live situation. here is how it ranks.

Motif-ES
Triton
Fantom-s/x

In a way the motif takes three buttons (steps) to be pressed inorder to select a sound. same for the triton, however the Fantom doesn't operate the same way as the motif and the triton do, So you have to with the fantoms to scroll and go through sounds in order to get the sound you want. The reason I ranked the motif-es first before the supposedly "touch screen=easy" triton was because when you select sounds in the motif, you are actually pressing real buttons so it's hard to miss and you can press it as hard as you can, The triton has it's touch screen for the secound and third step in order to select a sound and sometimes it doesn't click(touch) or you miss it sometimes because touch screens are sometimes not as fast as you are. Touch screens are not (IMHO) as reliable as real buttons.

This is My 2 cents from using all three in those three different citations. I thought you should know.





[This message has been edited by vic83 (edited 03-28-2005).]

"Hmm well I would occasionally require accustic sounds but my biggest passion is music such as Depeche Mode with Alan Wilder "

Then you might want to check out.

The Ion ( 600$/800$ ) or Micron ( 400$ ) from Alesis. I happen to like the interface of the Ion over the Micron...both sound great.

Or the MS2000 ( 700$ ) or MicroKorg ( 400$ ) from, well Korg :P Each have a nice dark grit to them...much like the boards from Alesis I like the MS2000 over the MicroKorg for real time controls.

While these are out and out virtual analog synths...you would be surprised some of the accustic/wind sounds you can get out of them. While you might not get straight up acoustic guitar out of them ( not what their made for )...you could just get a sub 100$ acoustic to meld with them...hahah plus you could run the acoustic guitar through the synths and all their filters/effects and so on.

Beyond that out of the workstations you listed...I would have to say the Triton. It would take care of the acoustic sounds you might need. Plus some peoples subjective gripes of the Triton could work for you...such as its sounds hollow, digital what the hell ever they might say. Plus if the Triton lacks something you need...just add the sampler option to it, problem fixed.

"Touch screens are not (IMHO) as reliable as real buttons."

I agree with this...just note Touch Screen isnt a factor of the Triton Le as it doesn't have one Only hell I dont like the $$$ that gets tagged on over a touch screen reliable or not, your paying for a " luxury " feature that does nothing for the sound. Heck I dont like a harddrive in my keyboard ( hahaha and that can enhance the sound )...my random wacky ways.

Anyhow to the topic starter...go to a physical store and play these all the keyboards they have in person for hours and hours. MP3 demos online dont help all that much, midi files dont help all that much, the words people say outside of try in person for yourself dont help all that much. That said you can get a kick keyboard for 1000$ or WELL under that...dont feel that more money is going to equal your ideal keyboard that gives you the world as there is compromise at any price point.

I've seen some of the synths I mentioned used on E-bay but honestly I don't trust some dude on E-bay with such a big purchase . Also I remember my parents once bought me a used Roland keyboard when I was young and that thing never really worked properly so I'm not too hot on used gear .

Hahaha yeah I've dealt with touchscreens on other tech gadgets , I don't like them too much , I also prefer real buttons .

As I mentioned the Motif ES does not come with any sampling memory though if as you say it uses PC RAM sticks those are not that expensive so that would take care of that . I'm still puzzled over the lack of mic input though , maybe they label it differently ?

Speaking of the Motif ES my small keyboard experience is with pressing buttons to selects sounds rather than searching trough menues or using touch screens so perhaps the Motif ES' so called complicated OS might actually suit me . I have played around with Yamaha portable PSR keyboards in stores and while I'm sure the Motif ES is much more complex I found the PSR boards easy to navigate .

The PSR and the Motif are set up quite differently. They are arrangers, the Motif is not. I like how the Fantom is set up, I just love the screen to, especially the X's They set it up in banks and instruments. Like Brass, piano, bas, pads synth and is all easily accessed at one screen or you can scroll through presets A, B, C ect. I dont know if the XA has this feature but the X and S both have bookmarks so you can save a screen and assign it to the pads. Which os the fastest way possible to call up a screen.

If you buy from ebay anything up to 1000 bucks is refunded if its a fraudulent purchase. If you buy from a good music store with thousands of items sold it its a good assurance that you will get exactly what is listed. Some places offer a money back guarantee up to 30 days or whatever.

Like I said before you cant loose, each board is great. My choice is by far any of the Fantoms then the Motif and last the Triton LE. It all depends on what you want to do with it.

Phil


[This message has been edited by Pennywizz6 (edited 03-28-2005).]

I see . If I've seen correctly then one needs to buy an expansion board to be able to connect a mic to the Motif ES , I think it's kind of silly that one has to buy extras for some very basic things as far as the Motifs are concerned .

Both the Fantoms and Tritons come with some sampling memory included ( more can be purchased) and both have a mic input .

I kind of like the Fantom X because it's kind of a middle ground between the Korg and the Yamaha in terms of sound and it has the things included which Yamaha deems should be sold separatly .

Yes it would probably be good only to buy from an established music retailer on E-bay .

Thats good choice if I were you id concider http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38090&item=7310843946&rd=1

Great price, respected member..

Phil

Yeah Im not that big on used gear...if its something thats still on the market I can get my hands on. Used or...vintage for some things is a good thing a very good thing.

Ebay...lol NO, even IF the transaction goes down without a problem you get the gear and its working the way you want...you still stand a chance that you just paid for some stolen gear. Someone lifts some gear in XXXX town...they cant play gigs there with it, they cant take it to a pawn shop without risk.......yet they can Ebay it :P

Heck one of the members in this very topic just lost a bunch of cash to a Ebay deal gone bad Not to say they are to blame for the dishonest actions of someone else. Note to the person...I hoped against hope for you and I was happy for you when you got your funds back from alternate sources.

"Speaking of the Motif ES my small keyboard experience is with pressing buttons to selects sounds rather than searching trough menues or using touch screens so perhaps the Motif ES' so called complicated OS might actually suit me ."

Perhaps it will...go demo the hell out of one, just when you do...PLEASE turn off the click track. Its funny as heck when someone wants to check out the sounds then you hear CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK on top of everything :P

" I have played around with Yamaha portable PSR keyboards in stores and while I'm sure the Motif ES is much more complex I found the PSR boards easy to navigate ."

Yup they are easy to navigate...and to an extreme the low line Yamaha boards can be workable within 80s synth pop ( whatever ). Something you MIGHT want to think about...cause if this is your "first" keyboard a 200$ PSR295 could bring you much enjoyment ( within reason ). Cause its 200$ for around 700 sounds, a five track sequencer, some reverb/chours effects, user banks to store your voice edits and so on. 700 voices when you can split and combine them gives lots of options. Heh plus maybe Im stupid or something...but stuff like synth square leads, transformation, many string sounds, electric pianos, some organs and stuff ( raw tone ) sound fine to me on it ( to spite its not a synth synth :P ). The only real lacking for what you might want to do...would be the fact the PSR295 lacks pitch bend/mod wheels, but its 200$ so what can ya say. Just know this is random idea mode Im throwing at you, not end all be all anything.

More random for you...cause you said Roland and spoke of navigation. The Juno-D ( while it doesn't have a sequencer < its got little arps for drum loops and stuff >)...I LOVE its interface. Its one of those things where its so simple you wonder why you dont see it more. All its soundbanks for FX / Drums / Keys / Guitar / Bass and so on have buttons from left to right ( or the other way around :P )...press a button scroll a bit simple as that. Its also got pitchbend/mod and a beam controller...plus real time knobs that let you adjust sustain/decay/resonence and all that ( much like the four knobs you see on the Triton ). Plus its got some nice samples in it...just basic FX stuff like a stream of water, thunderstorm, windhowling and whatnot I would put right next to a Triton without much worry. Juno-D also has a fair amount of effects to toy around with. NOPE the Juno-D is not a retro analog synth and YES you will encounter many that hate it just for this reason...but it puts out some nice sounds and if you feel you could deal with some drum loops and arps in place of a built in sequencer you might dig it. For me the Juno-D has some sounds I would use over stuff offered on the Triton/Motif without debate. Hahaha plus its black has to get some props for that with all the silver star trek boards floating around.

I wish you the best of luck with your keyboard shopping...cause to a point finding a keyboard you like is harder then finding a guitar a bass or an amp that suits you or at least is balanced with what you want to spend.

"Great price, respected member.. "

Much like the guy that got In a car wreck with your 700$

Right now the bids up to 1.4 K...he could get one, two, three random keyboards in random number new from a store he walked in for the same price or less.

For some reason I never really go with the buy something cheap and then buy something better as you need it approach . I always like to buy something that will serve my needs as my skills progress , furthermore I really once and for all want something that can match the sounds of what my musical idols use .

There is a store in my area which I believe carries all three of the brands I'm considering , I'll have to check it out .

"Hmm well I would occasionally require accustic sounds but my biggest passion is music such as Depeche Mode with Alan Wilder "
Then you might want to check out.

The Ion ( 600$/800$ ) or Micron ( 400$ ) from Alesis. I happen to like the interface of the Ion over the Micron...both sound great.

Or the MS2000 ( 700$ ) or MicroKorg ( 400$ ) from, well Korg :P Each have a nice dark grit to them...much like the boards from Alesis I like the MS2000 over the MicroKorg for real time controls.

While these are out and out virtual analog synths...you would be surprised some of the accustic/wind sounds you can get out of them. While you might not get straight up acoustic guitar out of them ( not what their made for )...you could just get a sub 100$ acoustic to meld with them...hahah plus you could run the acoustic guitar through the synths and all their filters/effects and so on.

Beyond that out of the workstations you listed...I would have to say the Triton. It would take care of the acoustic sounds you might need. Plus some peoples subjective gripes of the Triton could work for you...such as its sounds hollow, digital what the hell ever they might say. Plus if the Triton lacks something you need...just add the sampler option to it, problem fixed.

I just spoke with Yamaha Canada's customer support and they informed me that one of the Motif ES numerous inputs can be used for a mic among other things , they just don't label it that way so that takes care of that .

Actually I think Alan Wilder uses a Korg Pax Pro Keyboard these days among other things though I have no idea what he used to use in his DM days .

I had the original Motif and now have the ES. I work as much with software if not more than hardware right now, but the Motif ES is quite useful to me.

I pretty much agree with what Vic 83 said. The OS is a bit of a pain to learn and there is a pretty big learning curve, but once I did learn it, I found it to be intuitive and well laid out. Unlike most other hardware boards I've used, it's sequencer is quite useful and easy to manuever in.

I could also easily be happy with a Fantom X or Triton Extreme. They all have some nice sounds. I think though, value vs dollar, especially on the lower end of the scale ( think Triton Le, Fantom S or original Fantom ), I'd easily choose the original Motif. I just thought the soundset was better than the others at that time.


As much as I have gone toward software for better and more realistic sounds, I find that the VL150 module still provides me better horn and reed ( sax ) sounds than anything available in the software realm. That's kind of amazing too, since the VL technology is at least 10 years old now, and hasn't changed much if at all in that time span.

The AN150 is a very nice analog module. You can interchange patches with the AN1x or AN200 harware synths, and there are many good patch sets out there. The AN emulates the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 very nicely btw, and the P5 is one of the great classic analogs. The drawbacks for me are that I have to edit and then save each patch as a user patch in order for it to be able to work with the internal effects of the ES, and that more detailed patch editing has to be done in a software editor. Of course you can do basic editing and control it with the ES' knobs from inside the board.

You can always add to your analog sound palette by adding a few softsynths, as long as you don't mind working through a computer. This is still the area where I think software shines, although the acoustic sets are getting very good as well. Some of the analog models available today are unmatched for sound palettes. Think V synth, Wavestation, all the old classic analogs, etc, but with maybe even better and more useful selections. Absynth, Pro 53, Arturia's CS80V and Moog emulations, Imposocar, to name a few, but these are just a sampling of what is out there now.

AJ




[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 03-30-2005).]

Well I don't really want to sound too vintage so I prefer not to use analog synthesizers , I just happen to like what was done with them in the past .

The Trick to Alan Wilder sound seems to be that he uses alot of synthesized accoustic instruments .


Just to clarify I would one day like to be able to compose and record actual music tracks in the New Wave/Synth Pop style with vocals . Will these Synthesizers allow me to do that or should I look at an arranger keyboard for that ?


[This message has been edited by Darksounds (edited 03-30-2005).]

Many of today's softsynyths also focus on modern sounds, even some that emulate the older stuff. The CS80v is a good example. It does a lot of the vintage stuff, but it also gives more modern sounds as well. If you're looking for up to date and synthesized instruments, an arranger might not be the best choice. It depends.. Try one out and see what you think...

If I wanted to design my own sound palettes based on synthesis, particularly of acoustic instruments, an arranger would be low on my list, while most workstations ( Motif, Tritons, etc ) would be somewhere in the middle of the pack. There is nothing wrong with an arranger btw, just that this isn't really what they are designed for as a strong suit.

AJ

[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 03-30-2005).]

Sorry to ask this question but what exactly is a soft synth ?

As for designing my own sounds yes some day I hope to be able to do that but at the beginning I would make more use of the stuff that comes preset .

A soft synth is one that is hosted inside of your computer, as opposed to the module that is housed in a hardware keyboard.

My two favorite hardware boards for modern synth sounds would be the Korg Wavestation and Clavia Nord lead 3, but there are other very good ones as well. These might be the kinds of boards you would want to try out based on what you have told me.

There is a softwware emulation of the wavestation that is excellent btw, and now there is one of the Clavia as well.

AJ

AJ

Um no I actually prefer a hardware keyboard .

Some random synths that are on Depeche Mode records...big surprise, some of them are exactly whats currently on the market that I directed you to in the first place.


YAMAHA DX-1

YAMAHA DX-7

KORG MS2000*

KORG DW-8000

Korg Rhythm 55

KORG M1

KORG Poly-800

KORG Trinity

KORG Triton*

KORG WaveStation

ARP 2600

"Well, I don't really want to sound too vintage so I prefer not to use analog synthesizers."

In a few years...if you stick with music and all that stuff, this statement will be embarrassing to you.

Anyhow GO to a store and play some keyboards...cause you have NO idea what you honestly want, or even what basic standard features are. Heck you dont even know one bit of gear a band you like that you wish to emulate in part have used.

LOL I mean there was a reason I pointed out some keyboards to you...wasn't so you would run off and buy something someone you dont know told you about...it was so you could get a diverse foundation of what the market has to offer, that in the end would give you a basis of comparison to make a logical informed choice. Someone that "prefers not to use" something ANYTHING they have no experance with is just slamming the door in thier own face.

I feel I should mention that I've had my Yamaha CS6x synth for about 3 years now and will NEVER sell it. For me, it has a fantastic mix of modern synth sounds and some nice acoustic stuff as well. It take Yamaha PLG expansion boards so you can always add the VL, DX, AN, etc boards for even more sounds.
http://www.planet-groove.com/yamaha/cs6x.html

Carrie

I like hardware too. The reason I pointed softsynths out to you in the first place is that many are very close sonically to their hardware cousins.

Most also have good working demos which would allow you to get a feel for their sounds. It costs you nothing to try them, if you use demos and freeware hosts and synths.

Examples : Clavia Nord lead - Emulated by Synth 1 ( freeware ) and Disco DSP Nord Lead edition ( demo )

Korg Wavestation - ( demo ) made by korg and does a very close emulation of the hardware sonically.


NI FM 7 - ( demo ) emulates the Yamaha DX7.

Arturia Arp2600, CS80v, Moog Modular - Excellent emulations of their hardware cousins... all have demos

There are many more..

OTOH, arrangers and workstations are great tools, but they are both geared more toward bread and butter sounds. I only assume that you also had at least some interest in arrangers, as you posted here in the first place.

When you mention Alan Wilder and Depeche mode, well.. I think more cutting edge.... and if you're looking for cutting edge preset synth sounds, including those based on acoustic instruments samples, I think it's quite likely you're going to fall short of your expectations in any arranger or rompler workstation. That is of course unless you are willing to do a lot of patch editing, which most arrangers don't have the facilities for in the first place.

I can do a lot of editing in the Motif ES, btw. It has the facilities, but if I'm focusing on more cutting edge sounds and tweaking, give me a VA and / or a dedicated sampler any day. Much easier and more productive to work in for that kind of work, and the presets start out closer to what I want in a VA.....

Then again, I have the AN150 and VL150 in my ES, so I can get a little more cutting edge.. but as I said before, not without editing on a computer.



But hey.. it's your money.. Good Luck.


AJ



[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 04-01-2005).]

I appreciate all of those feedbacks but from what I know my local store only offers synths from the big three (Korg ,Roland and Yamaha ) and there aren't many websites which sell synths that also ship to Canada where I life .

I do know that the band And One I also like used the following equipment on their 1997 album : Akai 950 , Roland D110 , Kawai K1 (or2)

As for not using software synths I don't want to be stuck to my PC at all times when it comes to making music which is why I wouldn't go for a softsynths . I'm aware that some tasks will have to be done on the PC or at least should be but I prefer not to do everything there which is why I will only buy a synth with a built in sequencer .



[This message has been edited by Darksounds (edited 04-01-2005).]

I've heard some samples of the Korg Triton and I also know a band which uses them . While I like that band I don't really like the sound of the synth , it sounds too bright and artifical for my taste .

Maybe I'll end up going with the Motif ES after all , it maybe a little harder to use but I like fiddling around with stuff .

Read my thread http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/010446.html it has some useful info and opinions about the fantom.

Phil

I've already that post but thank you . Which Fantom were you talking about exactly ? I'm interested in the Fantom X.

I also noticed these new synthesizers coming out from Alesis and Korg , the Fusion and Oasys respectively . From what I can tell they use more than one synth engine to provide a much more varied sound experience and they also have nifty features such as harddrives and lots of cool production tools .

Do you think those synths would be good for my purposes ?

In my thread the review was of the Fantom-S, however most of the stuff I said applies to the X as well. The Oasys is most likely out of your range, at 8000. The Fusion is very interesting, and priced very nicely sitting around 1700 (i think, please correct me if im wrong) 20gb harddrive, nice large screen. I dont like the looks of it though, it looks like toy. But thats only through pictures.

Phil

"Do you think those synths would be good for my purposes ? "

Well, given you have shot down the basic building blocks of what you supposedly want with contradictions...

" biggest passion is music such as Depeche Mode with Alan Wilder .

I really once and for all want something that can match the sounds of what my musical idols use .

Well I don't really want to sound too vintage so I prefer not to use analog synthesizers , I just happen to like what was done with them in the past."

lol then...

"I've heard some samples of the Korg Triton and I also know a band which uses them . While I like that band I don't really like the sound of the synth , it sounds too bright and artifical for my taste. "

Your honestly all over the place...just go play some keyboards, even if you have to drive for hours to get to them just go play some keyboards. Hahaha cause right now your having half baked realizations about things that were already spelled out in earlier posts.

So it's true that the Korg Oasys will retail for $8000 US , I heard that but I thought that info must be wrong . Yes the specs look impressive but come on one could almost buy a Triton Extreme , Fantom X and Motif ES for that price . I don't understand why the Korg Oasys would cost four times as much as the Alesis Fusion .

Actually I'm not really all over the place with what I want . When I say I don't want to sound too vintage then I mean I don't want to sound like DM with Vince Clarke or what Erasure sounds like . If you know the latter DM with Alan Wilder then you know that those synths are strong and powerful in their sound . I would also like some good sounding accoustic instruments in there .

Some people may not understand why I am against soft synths period but as I already explained I don't wish to be tied to a computer at all times when I create music .

I like the Korg Triton Extreme because it simply has so many preset voices but I don't like it's somewhat harsch sound .

The Fantom X looks very good and seems to have no obvious definecies which would greatly bug me though I can't say anything about it's sound quality , supposedly it ain't as harsch as the Triton Extreme .

The Yamaha Motif ES is renowned for it's great sound but what bugs me about it is one is practically forced to buy extras with this one . It has no sampling memory so one is forced to buy some to sample and while the memory it uses is relatively cheap it's still an extra expense . Add to that the fact that it seems unnecessarily complicated to move samples from and to a PC on the Motif ES.

[This message has been edited by Darksounds (edited 04-03-2005).]

I recently purchased Fantom Xa, the Rom on Xa sucks, it is worse then an AWE SoundBlaster Live with SF2 technology. I would not wish XA crap on my worst enemy, so I returned it 2 days later to guitar center. I also owned a Motif6 Classic which has nice Arps and decent sounds but 60 voice Polyphony,.... I wanted more, so I went back to guitar center & tried TRITON EXTREME and MOTIF ES, I liked motif ES because it has lost of sounds that sound realistic and useable along with crazy amount of Arps( I LOVE AREPS) and EQ on all 16 Channels!in a musical sequence that is very important, KORG Extreme sounded good in combi mode had digital outwith and A big touch screen and name "KORG" on it BUT! in multi mode sound did not sound as good and had less polyphony so I purchased a Motif ES sold my original motif on Ebay and called it a day. I say for $900 more get an ES it’s well worth the price, I did buy RAM for it and a SM card but that was only $115 of Ebay… 256 MB RAM PC100 and 128 MB SM CARD....

[This message has been edited by Pcode (edited 04-13-2005).]

One suggestion with the SM Card. Back up everything you do, because I had two of 'em go bad on me in my ES, and I know from reading pots on other forums that I'm far from being the only one..

I'd had enough after the second time. fortunately, I did back everything up. I switched to a USB thumb drive ( 128 mb ) and haven't had any such problems since. I still back everything up though...


The thumb drives are also great for quick transfer of files from my laptop to my PC and vice-versa.

That's probably the only real complaint I can up with for my ES. I guess I'd like more internal control of my two plug in boards, but once I'd made my edits I can say that they perform well.

AJ

I think I'll probably end up going with the Roland Fantom X6 because the Motif ES intimidates me , I'm sure that all the talk of a difficult OS is not just empty smoke . Everyone mentions that there is a steep learning curve with the Motif ES .