Patch/Sample compatibility?

tcwild · Post by **tcwild** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:19 am

Does anyone know for sure if M1 samples/patches can be used directly by a an M3 rack module?

Just looking to expand things a bit.

TIA

Synthoid · Post by **Synthoid** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:25 am

No, you cannot transfer any sounds/samples directly from the M1 to the M3.

You can always sample the M1 sounds and then create your own patches from them using the M3.

That's what this dog is doing anyway...

tcwild · Post by **tcwild** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:38 am

Thanks for the quick reply. Guess I'll accelerate my learning about creating my own samples....

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:43 am

Note that there are two very different M3s now.

The dog is playing a new M3 which comes in a module (M3-M) rather than rack format. The 1 unit rack version M3R is considerably older (20 years or more) and far less capable than the new one -- don't let anyone sell you one as equivalent to the new one.

The M3R is nominally a version of the old M1's synthesis method, but the ROM and synth architecture (i.e., number of parameters per synth page/section) are somewhat different so there is (again) no direct compatibility. However, you probably could duplicate most of the parameters of a given M1 patch on the M3R and get close.

True M1 compatibility is found in the M1-R, which is a two rack-unit version of the M1 -- and it should sell for about the same price as an M3-R.

Physically, the M1-R is a big, heavy and deep unit so if you go for that option you may need an oversized (deep) rack to handle it.

BB

tcwild · Post by **tcwild** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 2:02 am

Great info, thanks Bill. Actually it looks like an M1-R is about double the price of an M3-R. I can get a TR rack for not much more than an M1-R, and I might just go that way instead - for something different.

I'll have to give this a bit more thought, thanks again for the input.

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 2:02 pm

Once again naming confusion sets in -- Korg has released two versions of gear named TR -- the TR keyboard (cousin to the Triton) and the TR-Rack - which is actually a slightly more capable rack version of the Trinity engine... there are some extra waves in the ROM that don't appear on the keyboard version of the Trinity.

Trinity Rack (aka TR-Rack) is a great choice, I think, if you're looking for an expanded Korg-ish sound palate - if I remember rightly it's four banks of 127 - both programs and combis - so there's a lot of room for your custom patches. TriNitro - a free/share librarian (PC only) is great for organizing those patches. I'm not sure if there's a full editor for the Trinity, but that's worth a search. No Mac software that I'm aware of - at least not without paying for it. It has no disk drive so you'll need to figure out some way to interface with your computer if you want to change the configuration in any way.

At one rack unit and not too deep (unlike the M1R) it can go into most modern lightweight rack cases with no problems. It also uses a standard power cord - not a wall wart - so that eases some reliability concerns.

The Trinity is a generation closer to the Triton series than the M1 and the architecture is very similar. So much so that it should be pretty much intuitive if you are at all familiar with Triton.

BB

tcwild · Post by **tcwild** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 4:30 pm

Once again, great input Bill and I appreciate it. With a bit of looking I see that actually a TR Rack is going for only slightly more than an M3 Rack (and less than the M1R). I think that's what I'm going to do.

Synthoid · Post by **Synthoid** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 7:52 pm

billbaker wrote:Note that there are two very different M3s now.

The M3R is nominally a version of the old M1's synthesis method,

Ah yes. The M3R is illegal here in Pennsylvania.