This thread is for anyone wanting info on the Mediastation keyboards. Some of this info can be found in another thread started by Lionstracs announcing their new sound bank at this link. http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/014383.html
I hope that by starting a new thread with this title we can make it easier for people to find it both now and later in the archives.

I am relying on all SynthZone members who have any info to contribute. So everyone please feel free to ask questions and add comments. I do not want this to be a one sided sales pitch for Loinstracs, but a complete source of information so that those considering purchasing can make an informed buying decision. We do not need users that are unhappy because they bought with unrealstic expectations, but knowledgeable informed users who have found a new tool with which to make music.

I am no expert on this subject as I have only recently (this year) began using computer based music. Therefore as I am only a newbie sharing what little I know; others with more experience with computers, softsynths and vst’s will need to add knowledge to make this exchange meaningful.

I thought that my experiences with the Mediastation may be of interest to someone so I will include some quotes from a couple of previous threads.

Here are some excerpts from the first Post I made about the MS in June :

"Ok here we go, I have had the Lionstracs Mediastation for several weeks. I got the X-88 Pro Version; as I needed 88 keys, hammer action, the works. Let me start by saying that the looks of this keyboard are very impressive, puts you in mind of a 747 cockpit panel. Lol. But while a little daunting at first , a quick look around reveals a well thought out and rather intuitive layout.

Located in the center of the keyboard directly above the keys are the transport controls for the two players. These players are currently able to play midi files, audio wave files, and mp3’s in 24 bit quality. Also you can crossfade between these players manually or automatically with one touch. But the most amazing feature of the Mediastation’s players are their ability to engage a powerful time stretching / pitch shifting engine and to, at the turn of a dial, speed up or slow down audio files without changing pitch and without degrading the sound quality. The opposite is also possible to change pitch without changing speed."


[This message has been edited by richard_shiflet (edited 11-10-2006).]

Let me describe the physical case. The build of this keyboard is extremely solid and very road worthy. I believe the housing is constructed of aluminum with nicely carved wooden end caps. The finish is silver in color and has a nice modern look. The labeling of all the controls is in large easy to read dark blue printing that contrasts very well and makes finding all the controls easy during live performance. The buttons are large and brightly lit dual color led silicon buttons. This is a big plus to me as I have tried keyboards with small gray buttons that simply blended into the background and were not appropriate at all for live performance.

To the left of the display are the arranger controls. No need for two button combinations when using the arranger because each style part has its own dedicated button: four intro’s, four fills, four endings, and four variations. It also has all of the usual functions that you would expect any good arranger to have plus a few extra that I have not even learned about yet. The Mediastation styles can read standard GM/GS midi files and incorporate audio wave files and giga samples. And there is no limit on the length or file size of these style elements and wave files.

The “User Keys Pads” are a nice touch. You have eight buttons to which you can assign the audio wave of your choice such as a vocal phrase or a special effect. These are available for instant play at anytime. I think Yamaha has something similar to this also.

The quality of the components in this keyboard seems very high. I was amazed to see how nice the sliders used for mixing volumes were. As anyone who has done audio engineer type work, mixing sound on a professional sound desk, knows that the larger the faders are the easier it is to mix sound on and when they have a good smooth feel it makes using them a lot more enjoyable. Well you won’t be disappointed with these faders! They have a high quality smooth action with just the right amount of resistance for accuracy. And they are very large over 3 inches from top to bottom; my Gem SK880 sliders measure only about 1 and ¾ inches long. My X-88 Pro has ten of these faders used for keyboard sounds and outputs as well as two more dedicated to XLR microphone inputs each with its own gain, mute, eq and effects control. Thank you Lionstracs I may even leave my Allen & Heath mixer at home. Lol. There is also one more fader beside the data entry wheel this fader operates different parameters based on the keyboard mode or the current contents of the screen.

Many of you may be used to using registrations. They are called Performances on the Mediastation and are really easy to use. You just press “Performance”, then “New”, an on screen keyboard comes up and you can use it or any attached keyboard (ps2 / usb) to type the name and enter. You can also group them in categories with any name you desire. The performance takes a complete “snapshot” of all the mediastations settings at that moment. Including all sound patch settings / splits, styles, even mp3 or wave files loaded in the player. They can then be recalled by the performance name, the group or the ID number; for easy organization. I think the maximum number of registrations is 999,999,999.

Here is a quote from a post I made a few weeks later about an upgrade to my Mediastation. The upgrade itself is not really relevant anymore as this chip will not be used after the next LS 4.0 upgrade is downloaded, but I felt that this account speaks to Lionstracs support and service after the sale:

"Mediastation Keyboard Upgraded

After owning the Lionstracs MS X-88 Pro Mediastation Keyboard for only a very short while, I am happy to report that I have already received an upgrade to the internal sounds. It came in the form of a 64 meg flash DIMM chip with a complete sound set already burned in.

There are some great sounds included in this set. Domenik sent me a video showing how to properly access the interior of the mediastation, outlining which screws to remove and how to open the case.

Once inside it took only a few seconds to swap the chips. During the process I must have inadvertently pulled one of the ribbon connectors loose from the motherboard. Since I had no idea where it was supposed to be plugged I took a look at the Hardware Manual he had sent me and found the connector clearly labeled. I reconnected the cable, closed the case, and replaced the screws. That was all there was to it!

Domenik even included two brackets specially designed to hold the panel of the Mediastation open. Kudos to Domenik for making what could have been a daunting task very simple and painless!

I know I must sound like a Lionstracs advertisement, but we are quick to complain when a keyboard manufacturer gives us anything less than perfect service. I just thought that excellence should be noticed as well. When is the last time anyone has seen this kind of “service”?

And the cost of this upgrade? It was free! I was not even asked to pay the shipping costs."


[This message has been edited by richard_shiflet (edited 11-10-2006).]

Here are some excerpts from the post "New GM/GS Soundbank" http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum37/HTML/014383.html
That is mentioned at the top of this page:

Mediastation Weaknesses:

Now before you guys begin to think that I am either on the Lionstracs payroll, I wish, or just some idiot who thinks his keyboard is perfect and has no faults; let me tell you what in my opinion are the weaknesses of the Mediastation. First and foremost it is the styles. If you think that a brand new company like Lionstracs is going to start out with a library of styles that surpass companies that have been extensively developing styles for 20+ years; like Yamaha, Korg, and Roland; then you do not have very realistic expectations. As for as the question, ”did Domenik ever get someone to develop styles for him?” The answer is yes. When I first purchased my Mediastation, about 6 months ago it already had a small number of styles included. I decided that I would rather base my purchase on the quality and the features of the hardware installed and the open ended upgrade path that would provide me with the most current abilities well into the future than purely on the number of styles available. I was rewarded with in a few short weeks with the first organized library of 270 styles that I was able to download from the Lionstracs site.

Domenik does have people that he pays to develop styles but he has stopped adding styles to the current library as he is now designing the next phase of Mediastation development and it will be another first for arranger keyboards! Are you ready this? The first ever software driven arranger, incorporating audio and midi and………

Based solely on Giga sounds and Virtual Instruments (VSTi’s). If you know the quality of VSTi’s and Giga sounds then you realize how big a leap forward in technology and sound quality this will be! Not only incorporating the occasional Giga sound into a style, but also building the styles from the ground up using all Giga sounds for all style accompaniment parts and then throw in the VSTi’s for good measure. So all mediastation owners will also receive Gigs upon Gigs of fantastic sounds!

This new all Giga and VSTi Style Library is based on the technology of LS 4.0 a new version of Linux Sampler that Domenik is helping the open source community by funding. It is slated for release in the first part of December, so I do not anticipate the G.V.S. Library until early next year.

Another weakness as I mentioned in the other post is the fact that there are not that many active users yet. So you will not find the large user groups and dedicated resource web sites that the larger older companies enjoy. However you will find a much more forward thinking company that is willing to take risks with innovative products that the others will not try.

And when it comes to customer service, larger is not necessarily better. The smaller, more personable atmosphere I enjoy with Lionstracs has provided customer service far beyond the norm. I can speak with the C.E.O. and Hardware engineer of lionstracs through Yahoo Instant Messenger almost anytime. Has anyone else ever had that level of access to another keyboard manufacturer?

However I do see the definite advantage of the large user groups that Korg, Yamaha, Roland enjoy and I look forward to the day when even more of my SZ friends are also Mediastation users.

I have forgotten to describe the actual feel of the Keybed. My Mediastation is the MS X-88 Pro, which is the 88 key version. The keys have the full weighted, hammer action feel. The keybed is from Fatar and it plays superbly. It has good dynamics and is very responsive and when used with the included Giga Piano It definitely feels like playing a real piano!

As far as the X-76 keybed some one else will have to step in there as I have not used it and therefore cannot comment

Should get my 76 this week so will post my initial thoughts then...
Mark