Korg Workshop hands on review

[elwoodblues1969]

I had the fortune of attending one,of only two Korg Workshops in the entire country(currently),which happened to take place at my local music store!

First off,I must say,that my impressions of the Korg M50 run deep,because this is a very DEEP keyboard and in fact,the most in-depth workstation keyboard you'll find in this price range!
Amazingly enough,there are advantages in functionality over my Triton Extreme,such as a larger array of effects to choose from and to sweeten the deal,a 3 band EQ for each track in the sequencer mode!
Also-unlike my Triton,you can add 3 extra sample layers per program,for a total of 4 layers of sound per patch-incredible!

Another considerable draw for me personally,is the improved selection of guitar sounds that actually have the same tone quality of my Triton...yes...really!

As for overall sound quality,about 80% of the M50's sound quality of the programs are on par with my Triton...in fact,the only noticeable difference between the two,is the piano sounds,but with the advanced layering capabilities of the M50,it's an extremely desirable keyboard & a must have for people with modest incomes that are just starting out.
I am so very impressed with this keyboard,that I have decided to add this synth to my gear list,so it's a definite purchase for me...somewhere down the road...eventually.

-Thom  P.S. Yes,the key-bed action on the M50 is superb!

[elwoodblues1969]

I went back to my local music store to further demo the M50,because I could not sway my thoughts away from this magnificent keyboard....I think I've developed an M50 fetish!
I spent a solid hour & a half digging even deeper into the sounds,tweaking them & just devoting extra time into combing through all of the patches....wow...I am head-over-heals in love with this synth!
I've now discovered that the M50 has the guitar & drum sounds that I've always wanted,but that were not present in my Triton....not only that,but the effects also,are a step up from my Triton!
Additionally,there are quite a few new synth pads & leads...and man,are they ever impressive!!
Upon first demo-ing the M50,my plan was to buy the Propellerhead software first,then buy the M50...but now I am seriously considering purchasing the M50 first...this keyboard is just so unbelievable for the price!!

The Korg M50 really has to be thoroughly demo'd to be believed,because this synth has far exceeded my expectations by leaps & bounds-woah-ho!!

-Thom   P.S...I would advise anyone interested in this workstation to completely disregard the factory demos-because they're awful & they do not do this keyboard justice at all...as a veteran Korg owner for 20 years-mark my words on this!

[Oren]

...my plan was to buy the Propellerhead software first,then buy the M50...but now I am seriously considering purchasing the M50 first...this keyboard is just so unbelievable for the price!!
The Korg M50 really has to be thoroughly demo'd to be believed,because this synth has far exceeded my expectations by leaps & bounds-woah-ho!!

Judging by what you can do with the Triton, this M50 might be a good move... 

[Moon]

Yeah, but do check the sound of the M50. I know Kara had a look at it and he was dissapointed because it didn't sound at all like the M3, which is strange because I thought they had the same sound engine (unless they've cut down the effect section).

Moon

[elwoodblues1969]

Moon,

What exactly do you mean by "check the sound"?Between the Korg Workshop & my own demo-ing,I've spent hours with this keyboard,comparing the differences between my Triton & the M50 & I've concluded that the M50 is a good fit for me-personally.
Yes,the M50 has the same EDS engine,as it is a spin off of the M3,but the M3 was a spin off of the Oasys,meaning that the M3 has the HD-1 engine as well and the M50 does not.
If Kara was expecting similar quality-such as Karma & Radias qualities,then of course he'll be disappointed.
The only real short-coming of the M50,is the acoustic piano sounds,but that is inmaterial to me,because I already have piano sounds that I am happy with,with my Triton.
I want the M50 for it's synth pads & leads,guitar sounds & equally important,is the effects & sequencer,because in fact,the M50 has the very same sequencer & effects of the M3.
I really don't know how familiar Kara is with Korg,or how much time he spent listening to the M50...but in any event,he has his opinions & I have mine.

I've been a Korg user for 20 years & without a doubt,the M50 offers the biggest bang for the buck on the market right now-with regard to keyboard workstations & the M50 will be a welcome addition to my studio,because it has the features I'm seeking.
The main differences between the M3 & M50 are very obvious...the M3 has sampling & Karma & Radias for deep,expansive sound architechture-whereas the M50 does not,because basically,the M50 is a closed box.

I very much like the M3 for what it offers for the money,but since I already have my Triton EX & Alesis Ion,I will have just about everything I could want when I get the M50, and then of course,there's the Propellerhead software...which will complete my studio ten times over!

The M3 is priced lower than ever right now,going for $1899(USD),but the cost of the M50 + the Propellerhead software is still cheaper & ultimately the more expansive option...so my choices are not on a whim,but rather,they are rock solid.

-Thom

[Moon]

Thom,

If you buy the M50, be sure also to get the Karma software. You'll add the Karma feature to your M50 and will be amazed what these two combined can sound like. I'm a real Korg fan so you don't have to convince me the M50 is a great product

Moon

[kara]

Don't misunderstand me 
The M50 is a good synth and can be a good addition to a studio. I was only very spoiled by the M3 of Moon and my proper G2X, so I was a bit disappointed about the M50.
But then again the price isn't exactly the same neither....

k
 

[elwoodblues1969]

Moon,

Adding Karma to theM50 is a great idea & even though the M50 is a very compact keyboard,it's still too big for it to fit on my cramped computer desk.
Maybe I'll have to buy a seperate pc for music making.

Kara,

I can certainly understand your disappointment,as Korg has always designed their keyboards to become obsolete(with the exception of the Oasys),as that is their marketing strategy-hence the limited expansion options.
It would be a wonderful thing if Korg made a basic budget synth that you could continue to build on as you progress in the future,but that has never been Korg's game.
With the proliferation & explosion of the music software era and from a marketing perspective,it does not make any sense to create an expensive & elaborate keyboard for the masses to compete with computers,since pc workstations are so incredibly cheap to own.
As for myself,I never had high expectations of the M50-cetainly not for the given price point,but for a product that was meant to be basically a portable budget synth,it's really quite remarkable what it does have to offer.

It's really interesting to me what the M50 means to one person-as supposed to another...I read how one person was disappointed with the fact that the M50's touch screen was black & white,instead of it being blue.
Some people love the piano sounds,while others can't stand them.
I actually read one review were someone was upset that they spent the money on thier M3,when they could have spent half the price on the M50,because this person was that impressed with the M50...wow!
I have also read where this one person-despite him being a huge Korg fan,could not stomach the piano sounds of the M3...so much so,that he actually considered going with a Yamaha Motif(which is actually a very nice synth...the best Yamaha has ever created,I think).

For me personally...being a Triton owner,I am so very impressed with the sequencer of the M50,because it's significantly better than my Triton's sequencer & I paid almost $3,000 for my Triton!
The effects are noticeably better than my Triton,the program layering capabilities are significantly better than my Triton and there are some amazing sample ROM sounds that my Triton does not have...really impressive stuff,actually!

If your seriously interested in buying a Korg at some point-specifically the M3,then it may be in your best interest to wait like say,6 more months,to see if the M3's price will drop any lower.
I'll keep an eye out for you & keep track of the M3's pricing & if I see it lower anywhere than it is right now,I'll let you know.

-Thom

[Moon]

...In the mean time I'm waiting for the prices of the Oasys to drop... but I'm afraid this still could take some time since there's no signs of an Oasys 2

Moon

[elwoodblues1969]

Moon,

I think we'll see the next ice age before we're likely to see Korg release a product like this again.
Seriously...think about it...the Oasys is an entirely different platform from anything Korg has ever made before....and I think that the only other company that has a keyboard similar to the Oasys,is Open Labs.
It's literally a computer within a keyboard with unlimited expansion possibilities & endless upgrades...so don't make any plans around the hope that there will be an Oasys 2...this particular keyboard workstation will hold it's value longer than any other product you will ever see in my opinion.

If you want to upgrade from what you have now,perhaps a Kurzweil PC3 will provide you with what you want and the 76-key version is only $1,999.95(USD).

As for myself,I have(at least for the time being) given up the idea of getting a Kurzweil,because even though Kurzweil is making a 61-key version that I wanted,it's unfortunately going to have no weighted key action and also,Kurzweil is still ironing out memory card compatibility issues...so that being said,it's not in my best interest anymore,to wait around for Kurzweil to get up to speed with the competition.
Hopefully one fine day...when the battle between the corporate bean counters & the research & development dept. is over,I will be ready to make a Kurzweil purchase at that time.

-Thom

[Moon]

Still, there's some room for improvement on the Oasys. I also read that Korg started to have troubles with the components for the Oasys. The fact that the Oasys is partly build with computers parts makes it difficult to keep it building since computer parts aren't made for more than a couple of years.

I'm still hoping that here will be an Oasys 2. From the outside, it may be the same unit as we're used to see, but the inside may be enhanced with an even more powerfull CPU and support for 24bit audio, better integration with the PC (like the M3), etc...

There's nothing wrong with hoping... who knows we'll see an new Oasys in 2010... 

Moon

[elwoodblues1969]

Moon,

That's some good information to know..wow...I just can't imagine spending $7500 or $8500 on a workstation & having those problems!

A few months ago,I had read that there were some small problems with some basic functions,but nothing that could not be corrected with a new OS update.

Hmmm...maybe having a computer or hard drive in a keyboard is something to avoid altogether.
The Alesis Fusion was a disaster,the old Korg Triton had a hard drive-which they no longer make & now the Oasys has problems.

Now more than ever,I think the best move(s) I could make,would be to get the Korg M50 & eventually the Propellerhead software...no worries.

-Thom

[Moon]

The funny part of the story is that the Oasys's hardware components support 24bit resolution all the way. But unfortunatly, the software doesn't support it.

Don't get me wrong: these issues can't be tagged as 'problematic', because the Oasys is still one of the greatest sounding boards out there. But it even could be more...

So, I keep hoping that one day the Oasys wil become even better and fit in my wallet 

In the mean time, there's plenty for us to do with the great sounding M3 or M50 combined with Karma...

Moon

[kara]

The Alesis Fusion was a disaster.....

Sorry Thom, I just picked one phrase out of your reply... But since I happen to have a Fusion I wonder why you consider it a disaster ?

Or did you mean a 'commercial' disaster ?

k

[Moon]

Or did you mean a 'commercial' disaster ?

Well, I can answer this one: the Fusion was going to be the 'Oasys Killer'... In the mean time we know which off the two will live happy after...

Still, this doesn't mean the Fusion is a bad synth, it has a great synth engine. Pitty Alesis didn't made a good workstation out of it.

Moon