Korg Forums

I'm a "player" not a "gearhead".

I've been in love with my OASYS since I got it 2 years ago because of sound quality and DEEP programming potential.

I've used Korg products since the 80's so am very familiar with the programming structure.

I program EVERY sound I use myself, so sound quality and personal taste ( providing MY sound to my listeners) is VERY important to me.

My touring schedule is becoming quite hectic with 2 different touring projects including almost overlapping east coast and European tours and budget concerns and the possible necessity of dual rigs vrs. available backline keys is becoming TOO challenging. ( Almost NO ONE ever has an OASYS available it seems).

I have myself in a bit of a pickle in that I use MY sounds with VERY complex combis for all the material.

Rack options or softsynth options seem to be looming in my near future.

What can I , should I do? I need some BRILLIANT ideas and a solution here!!

Thanks for helping!!

Am just like you - Korg user since 80s... Lots of lovely machines through that time with lots of different approaches!

Re your tour issue. Whilst I know that the Oasys and M3 pcgs aren't compatible, have you thought about getting an M3? (more readily available and more easily transportable - well, 61 key version anyway.

As a veteran and having programmed your own sounds, it probably wouldn't take you too long to get the M3 'race ready' - I was quite suprised at how similar the two machines are although I'm fully aware the O does so much more (and I love it because of it!).

Just a thought...

Given your love for OASYS and your experience at creating Combi's in particular, I would consider the following options (all of which will require you to do a 'once off' conversion of Combi's):

1. Invest in an M3 Rack, fully equipped. Supplement that with NI Komplete or Kore (or alternatively Apple Mainstage)

or,

2. Invest in a Triton Rack, add EXB Sample Cards and a Laptop with Karma MW Software to Karmify the Triton.



An alternative is the Karma Workstation itself. I posted a 'slightly controversial' post here some time back where I argued (but got little agreement ) that a fully equipped Karma Workstation is arguably Korg's most versatile package; and I still feel it is neck and neck with even the OASYS. Consider the package:

Karma Workstation with Karma MW Software, MOSS board, and Two EXB Cards (say for example, Pianos and Vintage).
Plus:
- Significant 'enough' on-board Karma engine and realtime controllers
- Access to the entire legacy of Triton, Triton-Studio and Triton-LE Factory Programs and Combi's.
- Access to the entire MOSS sound collection of programs: Prophecy, Z1, Trinity-MOSS and Triton-MOSS (an unsurpassed synth engine and sound set).
- Access to tens of thousands of free and 3rd party programs for the Triton and MOSS engines.

2nd hand Karma workstations go for $500-$700 these days.


Overall, it would make sense to stick with a 'Combi' based system where possible; but a tightly configured computer will give you good performance options too.

I agree with Cello that the M3 is very close to the OASYS - and in deed for live playing I do no believe that OASYS offers any significant advantage over the M3, or even the Karma and Triton Workstations with the Pianos EXB board added. It is only in studio work where the range and depth of the OASYS's uncompressed samples and its various synth engines come to the fore. No PA system does justice to even top end samples (let alone real instruments) or AL-1 'low aliasing' oscillators - any half decent work station with a good piano sample works well enough for standard gig work (unless you are playing in high end acoustic environments/setups?).


Kevin

Thanks for the options and ideas. All seem to be "do-able" alternatives that could make sense.

I'll do some trials and research and decide! QUICKLY!! hehehe....

As I mentioned before, even though I AM an accomplished programmer I am NOT a "gearhead" SO, with that in mind I have a couple additional questions!

As per 1 piece of advice above-

1. Invest in an M3 Rack, fully equipped. Supplement that with NI Komplete or Kore (or alternatively Apple Mainstage)

Can you please explain to me what exactly the supplements of NI Komplete OR Apple Mainstage ARE!!...OR do?

Thank you again for your time and knowledge!!

newguy2008 wrote: Can you please explain to me what exactly the supplements of NI Komplete OR Apple Mainstage ARE!!...OR do?

Google can be a powerful tool in these situations
But anyway, they are the names of software products:

NI (Native Instruments) Kore is an application that effectively lets you do what you do in KORG Workstations' Combi mode, but with your plugins.
That is, to organise them into multitimbral arrangements with arpeggiators and sequencers and such too.

Apple Mainstage typically comes with their DAW (recording/sequencing) package Logic, and allows you to pretty much the same as you do in Kore - set up instruments with keysplits and layers etc from your plugins. Although I don't think it has any arpeggiator or sequencer features like Kore does, as far as I could tell.

NI's Komplete is basically their 'master package' which has a vast array of their software plugins and sample libraries all in one set at a heavy discount over buying each element individually. I'm not sure whether it comes with Kore but I thought I was pretty sure it didn't.
They certainly have some great software instruments but I think some of the best ones - e.g. their Hammond Organ clone 'B4 II' - were dropped in their latest Komplete package (Komplete 7). They seem to be focusing more on samples now and less on modelled instruments.

Anyway, I've been seeking a system for myself which I can use on my computer for live performance, for a while. I think NI Kore is the only thing which really comes close to Korg's Combi experience, particularly with the arpeggiators and sequencers. But still out of my own budget, I'm considering developing some software myself to do the same thing.

So is it true that if I went a computer based direction that I would need a sound card like Apogee or something?

First , what is the most ubiquitous keyboard/controller that any/every
rental might have these days ?

Yamaha Motif ? what else ? Answer that , then, pick up a laptop and fill it with any or all stand alone VIs, including a soft sampler to maybe even sample all your Oasys sounds before leaving that will deliver the horsepower and soundset you need. If the lap top is not to your liking then try a
Muse Receptor. http://www.museresearch.com/

Lastly , rent/ borrow whatever keyboard/controller most widely available out on the road at the various rental houses and program all the needed splits/layers needed (minus the onboard sounds) to trigger all the sounds you need in your sound source(s) for the gig , whether that would be a receptor
or Laptop. Save all your keyboard setups to a little USB thumb drive that fits in your pocket. (provided of course that the keyboard/controller of choice has a usb port)
In summary, buy a 3 or 4 space SKB rack for the receptor and maybe a rk mount power strip and maybe a 1 rk spc line mixer and the usb thumb drive
and you're good to go. IF you go the lap top route, get the small rack deep enough to allow a rack mountable pull out tray that you can attach the laptop to and a rack-able audio interface. HTH - Schweats
If interested PM and I'll send a photo of my little rig and even how I wired it

If you go the Laptop route - be 1000% sure that it works in a live scenario. It is my experience that Laptops do NOT have the processing power and I/O low-enough-latency for keyboard players in live scenarios.

I cannot comment on the Macbook; but Windows is too layered in its 'streaming' of audio from driver to driver layer; coupled with the data pack-orientated nature of USB, to allow for real-time performance with high polyphony over USB controllers

For example - I have a Dell 1525 with a Core-Duo processor and 4BG Ram and I've optimised it every way I know, but I cannot get 8 note polyphony our of Arturia CS80V in realtime without having to increase the buffers to remove digital glitches, and hence I introduce a latency that makes it useless for real time performance.

So I would be VERY careful about going the Laptop route - it all looks great in theory but it does NOT work for live performance for keyboard players without a lot of work put in to configure a top-end laptop.


Forums are laiden with those promoting a DAW / Laptop only solution - but they usually only record one solo line at a time and do not use their environments live.

As said I can't comment on even the top end Macbook - but I would strongly advise getting a demo from someone to be sure you can play live with multiple sounds before investing time and money in a computer only solution for live playing - that's why I strongly recommend using a module of some sort.

Kevin.