wheresgrant wrote:
Those are my two options really.... either a used 10 yr old rack with no USB, no CF or smart media and no PCM Expansion... or buy another used Extreme for the interim while this is repaired.... does it make any sense in why I don't feel like shelling out another $1800 for a new platform for just a stage board?
In contrast I see rackable Motif's a plenty in the $400-700 range and used Motif's in the $600-800 range. Amazing... for $1500 I could get a complete identical setup in rack and in a board... be able to move patches freely back and forth. And Yamaha is still supporting their Motif. Amazing.
My days with Korg are numbered.
Sorry wheresgrant,
but here I have to jump in.
Buttons and knobs can be considered as parts which have to be replaced sooner or later. Just like tires on a car. Maybe you didn't say the whole story, but just because some knobs don't work anymore doesn't mean that your Extreme is dying. It also depends on how you treat your instrument. You can't expect that it will work always under any circumstances regardless how hard you use it.
A service is something normal and a lot of keyboarder do it even without serious problems with their keyboards. Just to prevent some potential problems (like cleaning the inside of the instrument).
Another point, if you have more than 500 gigs in 5 years, that's more than 100 gigs per year. If you put just 4 crappy dollars aside per gig, you'll have the money for a new instrument in 5 years.
Regarding the Motif. Yamaha doesn't still support their Motif. There are 4 keyboard versions of Motif (not counting the Mo). How do they support the original motif or the motif es?
Sorry, I don't see any difference here between Korg and Yamaha.
I would even say, that Korg always reacted more early by providing some essential updates. For example, cross fade looping, an essential tool for creating proper loops where implemented on the triton classic. At the same time we got tap tempo functionality. When I complained as a motif es owner about tap tempo, I got the answer that it is in the work. Actually, not even the xs has it. The users still wait for it. Korg gave us a 16 part monster combination with the M3, while the whole Motif line is still at the 4 part performance mode. And if you need a more complex combination, you have to "abuse" the song/pattern function where you can split/layer up to 16 sounds, but you are limited to just 64 setups, 128 in both modes. That's almost the same number as we had with the M1 22 years ago!
The other keyboard player in my band uses a Motif rack (with controller). The guy can zip in and out of shows with lightwieght setup. I think he secretly laughs at me.
Ehm, why should he laugh at you? Is it easier to work with a module and a controller, instead of a compact keyboard? Is it faster to setup, either on stage or at home for some programming?
Please, let's be serious. He has to setup two devices on stage. He has to program at home the program change data on the midi controller for the module. He has to take care where he places his rack on stage.
All you have to do is to put your Extreme on a stand and connect it to power and to the amp. No midi programming at all. At home, you can do everything fast by programming your Extreme directly on the keyboard, while your friend has to use a computer program because the motif rack is almost impossible to program without software. So, where is the reason for him to laugh at you? Is it the weight which should be about the same as your Extreme, or is it the fact that he needs two cases or something else.
