buying a R3

hangMan · Post by **hangMan** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 11:53 pm

Hi,

i'm thinking in buying a korg R3, I never tried one before but I've already played on a microkorg and micrkorg XL and I love the sound

I want a synth capable of play some 70's 80's song's , I don't know if this is the right synth for me...

Right now I a own a yamaha Psr295 and it sucks,

i'm pretty sure that I want a virtual analog but is it possible to record songs with the R3 ? what is the best way to do it ?

any tips for a noob like me ?

thanks

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 12:03 am

You can record songs on other gear of the sounds that the R3 makes, but you can't record songs ON the R3 (or the MKXL/MK). The R3 doesn't have a song/track sequencer or an audio recorder. That's not usually a problem because lots of synths don't do this, and there's plenty of other hardware and software that can record the output from them.

If you want a keyboard that can do it all, you're looking at something like an M3-61 with EXB-Radias card.

hangMan · Post by **hangMan** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 12:12 am

thanks xmlguy

I forgot to mention a little detail that's the price range

something about the 500€ is my limit

i'm doing a little bit of reserach and the easiest way to record a synth is connect it to a PC via Midi and use something like ableton or something, am i right ?

thanks

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 12:43 am

Yes you are right.

The R3 is a good choice if you like to create/program your own sounds. If you are looking for an extensive "synth" that comes with all sounds and drums for music production then the R3 is not what you are looking for.

Another good point for the R3 is it's software editor which makes sound editing and managing a breeze.

xmlguy has said all about how to record its sounds. If you want you can look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7IkBQO6fec where I did a song only with the R3 and a recording software.

you are welcome

hangMan · Post by **hangMan** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:01 am

thanks axxim

that is amazing

may I ask what do you use to record it ?

that is exactly what i'm looking for on a synth...

for piano sound, organs, and drum i've my crappy yamaha, If I had enough money to spend I'll probablly buy a motiff or a G8, but for now I want a R3

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:49 am

For a first synth at 500€, I'm going to suggest that you look at the X50, the Roland Juno-Di, or the Waldorf Blofeld for a european buyer. The Juno-Di has the most versatility at that price point for doing full songs, as it has a good chunk of the Fantom X engine, except the sequencer. The Blofeld module has a more powerful VA synth engine for the price in Euro countries, but you'd need to add a midi keyboard controller. The X50 is more versatile than the R3 or other Korg VA synths, even the Radias, because it has higher polyphony, is multitimbral up to 16 parts, can play general midi songs, and still has the power of the Triton engine to do a lot of hybrid VA synthesis. It doesn't have a vocoder. The Juno Di does. I think Korg has fallen a bit behind in the lower price range Romplers.

I only suggest getting a VA synth after getting a rompler or sampler/workstation, because I view their roles differently. The rompler/workstations can handle a large number of tracks with a wide variety of sounds for doing full songs. VA synths are more specialized tools to get specific analog synth style sounds. They are both important, but I give priority to versatility and power to do songs for a first synth.

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 9:58 am

For recording I have two "low cost" software modules. One is Digital Orchestrator Plus (D.O.P) from Voyetra. I have this since 15 years! It has no audio edit functions(except cut and paste) and besides volume and pan that is all you can do on your audio tracks. MIDI-Functions are standard. It is either to be seen as a pure Audio/MIDI recorder. It's main advantage for me, is that it has no audio latency!!

Once recorded, I import the audio and MIDI in Sequel which is a low budget recording and editing software from Steinberg. It has good audio editing and effects, rompler and loops. It is capable of record MIDI but has one disadvantage: no MIDI-Out! I've tried other audio SW like Ableton, Reason etc, but all of them seem to have relatively large latencies (at least on my DAW). It is a matter of taste and I am not the best one to give you advice in this matter.

Regarding the synth again: Of course there are a lot of synths that may fullfill your expectations, so you have to decide where your goals and preferences are and I would follow xmlguy's advices. Most of the audio recorder SW has romplers or synth emulations that may complement your needs. The Blofeld may be a good choice too, but I wouldn't be happy programming it without a good editor software which (as far as I know) is not offered by Waldorf yet.

I have had my R3 only 4 months and with no other synth I have had such a programming adiction like with it.

As you see, it is a matter of taste and what you really want to do. I was out from music and synths for severall years and reengaged recently with this priorities: create sounds which give me inspiration, use a vocoder and have a minimalistic system (actually: only the Radias).

hangMan · Post by **hangMan** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:36 am

hi

I already tried the juno Di and the blofeld, and i don' like them very much.

I just don't like the feel of a Di has a cool piano and a few good strings, but all feels...cheap... I think it's a very "entry level" product

and the blofeld has a real cool price here, the desktop version is 375€, but is just a preset machine, very poor sound creations features, and isn't very "user friendly", although I'll consider it as an option....

thanks

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:08 pm

Also look at the Novation X-Station, as it has the best keyboard of any synth in its class. The synth engine isn't as powerful as the R3, but it's not bad. The built-in audio I/O interface, midi controller features, and lots of knob and faders - all mappable - make it a good value. If you clearly want a VA synth, the R3 is a great option and one of my favorites. The keybed isn't so great, but it's better than the minikeys of the MKXL for most people. The software editor is great. The R3 is basically a great slice of the Radias at a bargain price. If you can find a used Radias at a good price, that would be even better, since it has all the knobs and a better keyboard, with an equally good software editor.

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:33 pm

Right that. If you like the R3 then you maybe soon will want the Radias (like me) so its worth of thinking (and being lucky to find a good offer) to decide for the Radias.

hangMan · Post by **hangMan** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 2:22 pm

inding a used radias in portugal is a little difficult ande the price (even used) is alot more that I can spend. For now i'm pretty sure that I want a R3 or a VA even knowing that is a little bit limited, right now I can't afford a good worksation and a Juno Di isn't an option.

I'm going to a store this saturday and hopefully try a R3 and a blofeld, but from what I remember the sound quality of the blofeld isn't that good...

thanks

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 2:47 pm

Muita sorte!

I hope to see you here again

hangMan · Post by **hangMan** » Wed Feb 17, 2010 3:06 pm

Danke axxim

I will post again after buying a new synth