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Hi guys,

I have a very simple question. Does anybody know if the PS60 uses the same samples as the M50?
My guess would be 'yes', because both use the EDS-I engine. However, I might be wrong. I watched some Youtube videos, but wasn't able to decide based on what I heard.

Thanks for the response!

If you download both the manuals from the Korg website, they each list all their similar and different waveforms.

I did just that over 2 years ago when I was comparing the PS60 to the Microstation, and as I recall there were a few differences in the names of the waveforms. I wish I could remember what I discovered at that time, but I think if you do a bit of surfing on the Korg site you should find what info you need.

They sound remarkably similar, although I think the Microstation has less stereo samples that the PS 60 (and the M50)...

I understood the samples in the ps60 and microstation to be a subset of those in the m50/m3. Based on the price difference, that makes sense.

Hi conundrum,

You are correct - the M50 and Microstation come from the same lineage, if that is the appropriate word to use...

However, there are differences. Whether the Microstation was "tweaked", or whatever the "I" stands for in EDS-I, there are differences. I initially bought the Microstation on its sounds alone. One play on the M50 showed me that it needed help and programming to sound the way I wanted it to - particularly with the electric pianos and acoustic pianos. The Microstation, however, gave me an instantly satisfying playing experience with little need for programming.

It is this point that I miss most about owning one. I eventually had to succumb to the greater possibilities of the M50 which I currently own and like...its really an underrated synth in this climate of Junos and Kronos and Motif.

...but I will always have a soft spot for the Microstation. Even to this day as I play it at stores I hear a really great sounding keyboard. For the price, one could even treat it as a sound module or rack module! Korg's Clavinets are the best out there in my opinion, and its Combi mode features super-fun arps for playing in the wee hours of the night.

Thanks for the help guys.

I can only agree: the M50 is a underrated synth! The only two shortcomings it has in my view is the lack of a sampler and decent uillean pipe samples.
No aftertouch can be considered its third shortcoming, but I don't care for that all that much!

MinorKey wrote:Thanks for the help guys.

I can only agree: the M50 is a underrated synth! The only two shortcomings it has in my view is the lack of a sampler and decent uillean pipe samples.
No aftertouch can be considered its third shortcoming, but I don't care for that all that much!

I concur. My main gripe is that many factory Programs need too much force to sound good. This certainly applies to the EPs. They simply don't sound much at all if played softly.

What I find remarkable is that more people seem to complain about the Programs and Combis in the M50 than in the M3, even though they should be essentially the same. Any clue why this is so?

I have an M50, and it's still a treasure trove to me, with lots of unexplored possibilities.

I noted that e.g. Yamaha MOX (that some have compared to the M50) requires PC software for deeper editing, but on the M50 you can edit everything on the synth itself. I find that a big benefit, even though it's not altogether simple (e.g. AMS routing).

andersborg wrote:I concur. My main gripe is that many factory Programs need too much force to sound good. This certainly applies to the EPs. They simply don't sound much at all if played softly.

What I find remarkable is that more people seem to complain about the Programs and Combis in the M50 than in the M3, even though they should be essentially the same. Any clue why this is so?

I have an M50, and it's still a treasure trove to me, with lots of unexplored possibilities.

I noted that e.g. Yamaha MOX (that some have compared to the M50) requires PC software for deeper editing, but on the M50 you can edit everything on the synth itself. I find that a big benefit, even though it's not altogether simple (e.g. AMS routing).

In fact, I too have noticed that some programs don't sound 100% when played softly. You're right, electric pianos are probably the best example which can be given. The patches I have in mind unless played hardly, don't have quite all the effects/distortion - at least it's not so audible. But who knows... Maybe that's the way it's supposed to work.
- To make things easier for me, I have the velocity curve set to 7, so I don't have the feeling I have to hit the keys all that much to bring out the sound.

Well, I tried the news forum but no answers so far, I have a a question about the products in title, since I will get one of them, but I can not figure it out of teh specs, meaning:

Since the M50 has more pcm rom than M3, how can it has worse sounds? And since Ps60 has more pcm for fewer sounds, and a newer engine, the same as the kross, the same question applies. I am not even putting the Triton Extreme and Studio, that have even less pcm rom BUT are acclaimed even above M3 in terms of quality. Please, someone clarifies this to me!

I do not need the workstation functions, so my focus is better sounds and good layer capabilities, like x50 or m50, is there a SYNTH above ps60?

K.Oz wrote:Well, I tried the news forum but no answers so far, I have a a question about the products in title, since I will get one of them, but I can not figure it out of teh specs, meaning:

Since the M50 has more pcm rom than M3, how can it has worse sounds? And since Ps60 has more pcm for fewer sounds, and a newer engine, the same as the kross, the same question applies. I am not even putting the Triton Extreme and Studio, that have even less pcm rom BUT are acclaimed even above M3 in terms of quality. Please, someone clarifies this to me!

I do not need the workstation functions, so my focus is better sounds and good layer capabilities, like x50 or m50, is there a SYNTH above ps60?

I do not believe that the engine in the PS60 is the same as the Kross. I had the PS60 and still have the Kross 1 (actually, 4 of them) and they are different, especially noticeable in the piano area. I may be wrong...

The PS60 has 49 Mb of ROM. The Kross 1 has 112 Mb of ROM.

I did comment again on your post in the New Member zone and depending on where you are getting your information on the M3, the ROM is 256 Mb. It was a streamlined version of the HD-1 engine that the OASYS had. The M3 had 64 Mb of Sample RAM which could be expanded to 320 Mb. The eXpanded ROM increased the amount of ROM that the M3 had, but the stock version had 256 Mb and THAT ROM is what is in the M50.

I still love my M50 as well and I get a lot of use out of it.

Grace,
Harry