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New M50 owner

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 7:30 am
by federicoc
I've found a fantastic deal (41% off for a new unit) for an M50 last week and I got myself one.
I chose the 73 keys version... after years of 61 I wanted to expand my
range a bit (useful for those mega-splits, I thought).

My thoughts so far:

1. Korg's strategy of mini- stuff is a win: I was sold again on the whole
concept of hardware workstation after years of computers and VSTs by the
microKorg XL. I was so delighted by it, both as an instrument and as an
object that I bought myself microSTATION, microARRANGER and
microPIANO (for the living room y'know :wink: ) too. Then the M50 was
just a step away ("oh it's a bigger, better microSTATION");

2. The keybed isn't that bad for me but hey... I'm one of those that like
micro- keys a lot. Definitely not a pianist :lol:

3. The sounds are very good for me, including pianos... in general I don't
care much for the "perfect" something, I just want character and
tweakability and those sounds got both. If I really need I could easily
reach for my iPad/iPhone and drive iGrand Piano via MIDI but I usually
prefer onboard sounds.

4. Strangely, I find presets to be quite bland and uninspiring... much worse
than the microSTATION... that's not a real problem with a Korg workstation
as you're supposed to tweak your sounds, but still....!

5. Speaking about tweaking sounds the relatively big touchscreen is a godsend.
I don't like, in general, using external editors, so having all
those parameters just in front of you, as opposed as hidden in submenus
like the microSTATION really leads you to better programming.

In a nutshell, was it a good decision to buy it instead of a Krome?
I think it was: I got myself a 73 for 20% less than the price of a Krome 61;
I can live without Krome's better piano, as I find M50's samples perfectly
serviceanle, especially if tweaked to my tastes: in a live mix it doesn't
make a huge difference, anyway, and in studio I could easily use a vst,
if I felt the need.

-- Federico

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:15 pm
by Ajbbklyn
Your M50 will shine onstage. You should get many years of satisfaction from it.

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 6:16 pm
by iluvchiclets
In a nutshell, was it a good decision to buy it instead of a Krome?
If you got the M50 for a good price, you have done very well! I tried out the Krome and it appeared that a whole bunch of programs and Combis are directly copied from the M50.

I didn't see a need to upgrade the pianos on the M50 - in fact I prefer the M50 pianos to my Yamaha MOX. The Krome pianos were not an issue for me to require buying one.

Plus you get those wonderful chord buttons! Have fun with the M50 - it's still a very relevant keyboard!