Lionstracs New Rack Unit... True Open Tech.

Post by **Sharp** » Sat Aug 07, 2010 1:58 pm

Hi Guys.
Don't know if you have been following the developments of this, but check out this post. The entire thread is a good read, but if you click on this link first you will get to see the actual Rack in development.

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... 167#343167

Regards
Sharp.

shmuelsan · Post by **shmuelsan** » Thu Dec 16, 2010 12:51 pm

Hello I am interested in it when it is released?

Post by **Sharp** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 7:15 pm

Sorry I've no idea.

There's been a change to the specifications of the Rack. Far as I know it's going to have almost all the function of the Lionstracs Keyboards now and some other advancements.

The keyboards are available now though.

Regards
Sharp.

ozy · Post by **ozy** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 3:56 pm

sharp:

I have been curious about lionstracks for some time now, but it's difficult to test them personally /they are nowehere to be found in shops), and I have read furious forum discussions about them in Italy (it's possibly a serious case of Nemo propheta in patria... Italians HATE their fellow countrymen who make something unusual).

I've read people foaming at their mouth against its "unprofessional" products.

Problem is, they look amazing on paper, but there's this barrage of bad reviews (sometimes by people I trust) and no way of asking my ears for an opinion.

Since I know and appreciate your work at irishacts and I see that you endorse and support their products: is there a way of discussing more details, maybe in a separate, non-korg forum?

Is there a place with serious demos?

I am curious about the rack-mounted synth. I don't use a computer for playing, so I never used VSTs, but they tell me there's some good stuff pout there, but I also found the MUSE boxes, well, a bit disappointing.

A small, two-units thing loaded with sounds I can't get from a hardware synth is something I could consider. Also; I keep a korg M1 for two or three patches, a wavestation for two patches... I'd have alreay gained one rack slot by replacing them with the legacy software.

Thanks in advance for pointing me to a forum, or demo place, to know more.

Post by **Sharp** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 12:32 am

Hi ozy.

I have read furious forum discussions about them in Italy (it's possibly a serious case of Nemo propheta in patria... Italians HATE their fellow countrymen who make something unusual).

I've read people foaming at their mouth against its "unprofessional" products.

I think you will find that no matter where you go in the world.

Problem is, they look amazing on paper, but there's this barrage of bad reviews (sometimes by people I trust) and no way of asking my ears for an opinion.

They are equally amazing in real life, but I ain’t going to sugar coat anything either. Because it's an OPEN system that was means to be both an arranger and a workstation it will get a very mixed response.

As a Workstation is mind blowing and you simply will not find a single person with a bad things to say about the keyboards. As an Arranger it comes with no content at all, and it's gone through a few changes. Sort of like it doesn't know it's true identity if you know what I mean. Also the third party arranger application that was being used has it's own problems, which also also since been pulled.

So, as an arranger the story continues. OS5.0 which is on the way will see Qranger slip back into place as the Arranger functions, so it will be interesting to see if that's finally the tool for the job.

Since I know and appreciate your work at irishacts and I see that you endorse and support their products: is there a way of discussing more details, maybe in a separate, non-korg forum?

You can talk in this thread all you like, or start something in the general Music section. Btw.... I'm not really endorsing any products here. I'm simply talking about something I own as an end user to a community of fellow musicians.

I have no connection with Lionstracs, but because of the products and how I feel about them, I do hope that will change in the future. In only the last 3 weeks or so an idea has been thrown back and forth that could potentially be a mega hit.

Is there a place with serious demos?

Not really. Most of the demo's online are off a camera mic. About the only things that are recorded right are the videos and mp3's I have been uploading, but I'm not doing these in a professional sense. It's just me fooling around at home in my spare time. They are not promotionally material as I don't have any connection with Lionstracs.

So really all I can suggest is my own YouTube Channel.
http://www.youtube.com/irishacts

This one might interest you from a preformance point of view.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slNVkQ4Ll7g

Also there's 2 backing tracks I made on the keyboard here.
http://www.irishacts.com/lionstracs/Daniel.mp3
http://www.irishacts.com/lionstracs/Dan ... 20Away.mp3

I am curious about the rack-mounted synth. I don't use a computer for playing, so I never used VSTs, but they tell me there's some good stuff pout there, but I also found the MUSE boxes, well, a bit disappointing.

Well if there's anything you need to know just ask.

Working with a system like this is nothing at all like working with a PC. It still very much so remains a musical instrument. Even to the point that if your running a VSTi, you don't even need to see it on the screen. You can select different sounds just the same way as you do on any normal workstation.

I also wrote a free Librarian for it that manages your sample libraries and allows you to integrate all the VSTi's with the Lionstracs OS. So no need to learn how to write LSCP Files manually or VSTi files.

My program even comes with many VSTi's already setup to go as well as certain Giga Libraries.

Regards
Sharp.

ozy · Post by **ozy** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:53 pm

thx a lot for the info.

It's definitely a case of lionstracks badly needing a guy who can manage mp3, the web and youtube. And somebody else (maybe the same guy) who is really able at sales and communication.

Silly covers of the "blade runner" end-titles theme are everywhere to be seen and heard, played on the latest K or Y arranger by desperate losers,

but there's no way of getting a professionally recorded sample of what seems to be a good product devised by a small firm, too small to be lost in neverending decision processes.

An anecdote about "heated forums": in one forum quarrel about lionstracs, in Italy, THE lionstracs guy (the owner of the company), stepped in to defend and explain his products. Well, he was so clumsy [obviously not a nerd, skilled in flaming and trolling and the like] that he managed to get things even nastier for his product.

I suspected it wasn't as bad as HE managed to make it look like, and you confirmed my suspect: there's been some defect on the arranger side [who cares about arrangers, btw?], it has been corrected, etc. In a small firm's product, I tend to accept that, because they usually rush to correct the problems and release free fixes as soon as they get bad feedback.

Well, I'll keep an eye on this thread for further news as soon as you get them.

Post by **Sharp** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:44 pm

For starters, sorry for all the typo’s in my previous. I was typing on my iPhone and its simply far too small for such a long reply.

It's definitely a case of lionstracks badly needing a guy who can manage mp3, the web and youtube. And somebody else (maybe the same guy) who is really able at sales and communication.

Yes, which was part of the reason why I took the time to actually record some video’s and mp3’s myself using the direct line audio. On other forums the company was criticised for not releasing demos of where the actual audio had been recorded by direct line.

The argument one can make there though is why would you need to hear how it sounds? Sure it’s going to sound exactly like the Plugin your running on it, or the Giga Library. I think that’s the view the manufacture had and so all they focused on was telling you what it could do.

Obviously the right solution would have been to do both, but hey..!!! I’m not Lionstracs. The actual keyboard can record it’s own sound anyway. Connect a good WebCam to it and it will do both

Either way though it does indeed function exactly as advertised, and will reproduce the sound of your Giga Libraries and VSTi’s as good as any top end DAW will.

As I said, you will not find a single person anywhere that could possibly have anything bad to say about the product as a OPEN Workstation.

Try labelling it an arranger though and you will find people with something to say. This maybe sorted in the future with OS5.0 and Qranger, so we will see. Not that this is something many people are going to be interested in anyway. Most people interested in an OPEN keyboard are going to want a Workstation, not an Arranger so there’s no point in even going on about it. As a workstation it simply far exceeds your wildest dreams.

Well, I'll keep an eye on this thread for further news as soon as you get them.

I know the specs right now and I’m bloody excited.

Regards
Sharp.