Really basic M3 question

[goldberg96]

Hi folks. I have played Korg workstations for quite a while now. But I don't buy them very often and I am currently gigging with a T2 and Triton Studio 76. While the T2 still works perfectly (gigging 25 years with it and it has never broken), I know that when it finally breaks in some way it will be unlikely that it can be fixed.

Recently I became a traitor and purchased a Kurzweil PC3. I had tried a PC3X (88 key weighted) in a store and knew I didn't want weighted keys so I didn't pay much attention to the actual keybed.

Well the PC3 I bought just arrived a few days ago and the 'semi weighted' keys are really too stiff for my liking. I was musically trained on the organ, not the piano.

The learning curve on the Kurzweil also looks like I could spend months just trying to recreate all the patches I need.

So now I'm considering sending the PC3 back and buying an M3. I don't want a Kronos because I don't want a 61 key board and I don't want weighted keys. If Kronos 73 had synth action keys, I'd be there in a heartbeat since price is not really an issue for me.

At any rate, I want someone to confirm for me that the M3 keys are actually synth action keys like my Triton Studio. I am 57 years old, my hands get a little stiff when playing, and I don't want the added pressure of stiffer keys.

I plan to go to a local music store and hopefully try the M3 in person in the next couple of days but I figured someone could easily tell me in one sentence what the keys on an M3-73X or whatever its called now are like.

P.S. While the Kurzweil has very excellent sounds and is amazingly deep in its programming capabilities, its organization I find very confusing. But it really helped me to realize how nice the touchscreen and the organization of patches is in the Korg boards. I had thought that if I got an M3 it would be too similar to the Triton but considering that I know my way around Korg boards and considering what I'm playing with now, I am beginning to think that I can get the new board up and running at gigs a lot faster with the Korg.

Sorry, long post just to ask what the keybed on a M3-73 is like. Late here and I've obviously started rambling.

Thanks all. Assuming I get the M3 I plan to spend a lot of time in these forums. A while back I practically lived in the Triton Studio forum. And I still love my Triton Studio. I play strictly in mono for gigging with my band and I have found the Triton to be superb in adapting sounds for mono playing. Looking forward to hopefully getting the same result with an M3.

Rob

[karmathanever]

Hi Rob

If you still have and love the Triton Studio-76, have you thought about getting the M3M (module) and driving it from the Triton? I have this and drive it from my 76 note Korg Arranger (PA2Xpro). M3 will blow your mind!!!

Sorry I can't help directly with your M3-73 question.

All the best

Pete

[ozy]

While the T2 still works perfectly (gigging 25 years with it and it has never broken), I know that when it finally breaks in some way it will be unlikely that it can be fixed.

not true. replacement parts are widely available. Hold on her, and trust her!

Recently I became a traitor and purchased a Kurzweil PC3.

why a traitor? They make a nice couple. I use a t3 on top of a pc3, and they complete very nicely.

I moved from m3 to pc3 and I'm very happy. It took me 1 week to grasp the setup thing and 3 months to grasp VAST's basics, that's true.

But the only part where the pc3's screen is less clear than the m3 is the sequencer (which I don't use anyway).

Quick access and setup are easier than on the m3 [no need to copy and setup effects when you add a program to a setup... that's a big plus]

So now I'm considering sending the PC3 back and buying an M3.

don't do it. It's SONICALLY two notches below the pc3.

fact: the m3's keys are NOT t3-like. they are slightly more "heavy".

the t3 is definitely vintage-synth-action (shallow, with a quick response to aftertouch). the m3 opposes a bit more resistance.

Of course, if your hands HURT when playing the semi-weighted pc3, I can't recommend you suffering,

(I have some arthrosis problem as well, and I don't use full-weighted anymore for that reason).

but you'll definitely lose something sonically.

BTW, about arthrosis: did you try TENSE? (basic program, 80 bucks, ask your doctor for instructions and location).

I have an initial arthrosis due to sport injuries over decades, and my right thumb aches,

I apply TENSE for 1 hour each night on each hand/wrist, and it's very beneficial. It doesn't CURE anything, but it lifts pain and aching after the effort. The cumulative effect of non-pain for some weeks is EXHILARATING).

Yes, I feel stiff after playing two hours, but without the pain it's just... fatigue, not a nightmare. So I don't think about it while playing (which is what spoiled all the fun for some months)

[goldberg96]

Thanks for the replies. Firstly I don't want to connect an M3M to my Triton Studio because I want more playing space. The extra sound module would be great for sounds but I gig with two boards for the room to set up multiple parts for a song and still have room for a lead that I want to use most of one board for. Unless there's some other way to do that I don't know about.

As for repairing a T-Series board it depends very much on what goes wrong. If some of the buttons fail to work you can still buy the button contacts and replace them on the main board. But if jacks on the output board stop working or any of the circuit boards at all need replacing, as far as I know you're not going to find those boards anywhere. Does anyone know beyond any reasonable doubt that this is not so?