RE : Korg M1 (Programing & Questions?)

monsterjazzlicks · Post by **monsterjazzlicks** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 6:49 pm

Hi folks,

The Korg M1 (hardware) does not seem to have it's own dedicated thread here. And the 'Korg Synths General' is quite vast (some 32+ pages long!). I was searching for a topic which (I was hoping) somebody may have already started a thread discussing Programing/Questions (directly relating to the Korg M1). But all of the subject matters run right across the board (as one might expect of course).

Anyway, rather than try and tag this onto a pre-existing discussion of old, I decided I would open a fresh topic here. I trust this is OK and as I said, I did run searches in case such questions had already been posted/answered.

So, my first two questions being (please), are there any current M1 owners out there willing to help and discuss certain aspects about the programing and synthesis side of the machine? And also, is this particular forum the most active and popular on the www please?

Many thanks in advance.

Best,

Paul David Seaman

monsterjazzlicks · Post by **monsterjazzlicks** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:02 pm

Hi again,

I wondered how the KORG M3R compared to the M1 (keyboard) please? And if it would play/read the same EXPANSION PCM CARD's?

One has popped up in Liverpool on eBay but I am a bit unsure about the spec's etc:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Korg-M3R-Rack ... 2c9c35637a

I asked the eBay seller about the M3R and his reply was:

Korg released the M3/R rackmount in 1989 as a followup to their ground breaking M1 and M1/R workstations. It has many of the same features included in the M1 - AI synthesis, 16 voice polyphony and many of the same types of sounds that made the M1 so popular. However to scale back on costs, the sequencer was eliminated and all voices were processed through a single oscillator instead of the two oscillators available on the M1. This can be a limitation in the sound creation process, but programs can be layered in combination mode to achieve the double oscillator effect.

The M3/R also included 33 of the same effects in the M1 including reverb, chorus, delay, an exciter and a good equalizer. It could also read many of the same PCM data that was on the cards that Korg released as PCM sets for the M1.

Seller

To which I replied:

Regarding scale-backs:

I am not bothered about the sequencer. Same for FX.

From what you are saying regarding all voices being processed thru 1 x OSC, do you mean that in PROG MODE, it is not possible to LAYER (2 x PROG's together) like you can on the M1? In other words, PROG is a SINGLE MODE only?

So it can read most of the same ROM cards of which the M1 can?

monsterjazzlicks

Ta,

Paul

T3owner · Post by **T3owner** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:44 pm

monsterjazzlicks wrote:I wondered how the KORG M3R compared to the M1 (keyboard) please? And if it would play/read the same EXPANSION PCM CARD's?

See http://www.ebay.com/gds/Korg-M1-and-M3R ... 793/g.html

monsterjazzlicks · Post by **monsterjazzlicks** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 5:54 pm

Hi T3Owner,

Thanks very much mate.

So the M1 and the M3R (and also T1) can SHARE the same PCM cards.

But the PROGRAM cards are device specific and are distinguished by the prefix: MCP or RCP.

I think that is correct?

So when you purchase a PCM card, you also get a PROGRAM card (ie in one package)?

Ta,

Paul

monsterjazzlicks · Post by **monsterjazzlicks** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 7:02 pm

Hi,

I am a bit confused as to why KORG made the M3R similar to the M1, but the M3 is a completely different instrument all together?! I mean the M3R is nothing at all like the M3 (on could be forgiven for thinking the former was a rackmount version of the latter!).

Ta,

Paul

T3owner · Post by **T3owner** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 7:36 pm

monsterjazzlicks wrote:Hi T3Owner,

Thanks very much mate.

You're welcome.

monsterjazzlicks wrote:So the M1 and the M3R (and also T1) can SHARE the same PCM cards.

But the PROGRAM cards are device specific and are distinguished by the prefix: MCP or RCP.

I think that is correct?

So when you purchase a PCM card, you also get a PROGRAM card (ie in one package)?

Ta,

Paul

Yes, that's all correct. The idea was to provide new PCM samples, and Programs that used them to advantage.

I never bought any of the card sets. Partially, because the T-series already included samples in ROM that the M1 didn't have. Instead I bought ten Korg "RAM" floppy disks, TSD-01 through TSD-10, which contain PCM and Program material similar to the equivalent card sets.

T3owner · Post by **T3owner** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 7:50 pm

monsterjazzlicks wrote:I am a bit confused as to why KORG made the M3R similar to the M1, but the M3 is a completely different instrument all together?! I mean the M3R is nothing at all like the M3 (on could be forgiven for thinking the former was a rackmount version of the latter!).

I agree. The situation isn't helped by there also being the M3M, an M3 module.

monsterjazzlicks · Post by **monsterjazzlicks** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 8:15 pm

Hi T3,

T3owner wrote:The idea was to provide new PCM samples, and Programs that used them to advantage.

So the PCM card has the (data) ROM (sounds) on it?

What does the other card do please, and do they BOTH need to be inserted at the same time (into the device)?

Ta,

Paul

monsterjazzlicks · Post by **monsterjazzlicks** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 8:16 pm

T3,

T3owner wrote:
monsterjazzlicks wrote:I am a bit confused as to why KORG made the M3R similar to the M1, but the M3 is a completely different instrument all together?! I mean the M3R is nothing at all like the M3 (on could be forgiven for thinking the former was a rackmount version of the latter!).
I agree. The situation isn't helped by there also being the M3M, an M3 module.

Great, I am glad I am not alone here! lol

Paul

monsterjazzlicks · Post by **monsterjazzlicks** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 8:25 pm

Hi again,

monsterjazzlicks wrote:I wondered how the KORG M3R compared to the M1 (keyboard) please?

. . . regarding all voices being processed thru 1 x OSC, do that mean that in PROG MODE, it is not possible to LAYER (2 x PROG's together) like you can on the M1? In other words, PROG is a SINGLE MODE only?

I took a couple of screengrabs of the MANUAL but I don't think it is possible to UPLOAD a Jpeg/PNG to a thread on this forum?
Cheers,

Paul

T3owner · Post by **T3owner** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 8:50 pm

monsterjazzlicks wrote:Hi T3,
T3owner wrote:The idea was to provide new PCM samples, and Programs that used them to advantage.
So the PCM card has the (data) ROM (sounds) on it?

Yes, the PCM card has the sounds/samples ("Multisounds").

monsterjazzlicks wrote:What does the other card do please, and do they BOTH need to be inserted at the same time (into the device)?

The other card contains Programs, which is Korg's name for "patches" - that is, the name/number of the Multisound selected as the Oscillator, and all the Parameters affecting it such as level, pitch/filter/amplitude envelopes, etc.

Both cards don't have to be inserted at the same time. Any Program could use the Multisounds from a PCM card, and Programs from a card could use ROM Multisounds, for example.

T3owner · Post by **T3owner** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 9:02 pm

monsterjazzlicks wrote:Hi again,
monsterjazzlicks wrote:I wondered how the KORG M3R compared to the M1 (keyboard) please?

. . . regarding all voices being processed thru 1 x OSC, do that mean that in PROG MODE, it is not possible to LAYER (2 x PROG's together) like you can on the M1? In other words, PROG is a SINGLE MODE only?
I took a couple of screengrabs of the MANUAL but I don't think it is possible to UPLOAD a Jpeg/PNG to a thread on this forum?
Cheers,

Paul

The M1 and T-series Programs can use either one or two Oscillators. The M3R is restricted to one Oscillator per Program. Of course, Programs (Progs) can be layered in Combinations (Combis).

monsterjazzlicks · Post by **monsterjazzlicks** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 9:10 pm

T3,

T3owner wrote:The M1 and T-series Programs can use either one or two Oscillators. The M3R is restricted to one Oscillator per Program. Of course, Programs (Progs) can be layered in Combinations (Combis).

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed clarifying. So in other words, on the M1, you could LAYER (say) 2 x ORGANS an octave apart, and SAVE this LAYER as 1 x PROG.

But on the M3R, you are saying that you can not do the aforementioned and so instead, would create each ORGAN individually and SAVE them to 2 x different PROG locations. And to get around this, you simply LAYER them (as a combi) in COMBI MODE?

I think that's what you mean here?

Paul

monsterjazzlicks · Post by **monsterjazzlicks** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 9:12 pm

I grabbed the MANUAL from here:

http://dasound.net/files/lib/Korg_M3R_Manual.pdf

T3owner · Post by **T3owner** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 9:40 pm

monsterjazzlicks wrote:Thanks, that's exactly what I needed clarifying. So in other words, on the M1, you could LAYER (say) 2 x ORGANS an octave apart, and SAVE this LAYER as 1 x PROG.

But on the M3R, you are saying that you can not do the aforementioned and so instead, would create each ORGAN individually and SAVE them to 2 x different PROG locations. And to get around this, you simply LAYER them (as a combi) in COMBI MODE?

I think that's what you mean here?

Yes.