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jcaudio79 · Joined: 05 Feb 2008 Posts: 5

I just bought a R3 a couple of weeks ago, and I was thinking that I so impressed with the sound, I think I want to get a Micro X. I know that the Micro X has a different engine behind it, but is the Micro X good for dance sounds?

4NDRW · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:15 pm Post subject:

i think they would complement each other nicely

and yeh, the micro-x has alot of sounds that would be good for electronic/dance music
so you should be right there

the micro-x can create alot of sounds that a VA synth (like the R3)
probably cant, and some really complex sounds.

tho the R3 would probably be better at synth leads, crazy mangley stuff, as well as simpler to program yourself.

i'm too tired to write much more. if you can, give it a listen at a shop
put the 2 next to each other, and see if you think it would give you new sounds that you think you would use.
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BONES · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 11:53 pm Post subject:

I was looking at doing the opposite - buying an R3 to complement my microX but I decided my software has all the V/A bases covered so I didn't bother. OTOH, the microX does stuff really well that I struggle to do at all in software, so I'd say it would complement an R3 very, very well. They are fundamentally different beasts that will give you enormous firepower.
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xmlguy · Platinum Member Joined: 26 Nov 2007 Posts: 3605

The R3 and MicroX/X-50 are very complementary.
The R3 has a vocoder, mic, and top panel XLR mic input. MicroX/X-50 doesn't.
The R3 records, stores and plays vocoder formant data. MicroX/X-50 doesn't.
The R3 is a Virtual Analog Synth with DWGS wavetables, and no multisample waves.
The R3 is based on the Radias, which is relatively new and hasn't built up a large patch library.
MicroX/X-50 is based on the Triton, which is well established and has a large patch libary.
MicroX/X-50 has inherited a large multisample ROM from Triton, although there is some differences. The X-50 is closer to Triton TR, while the MicroX has more new samples.
The R3 doesn't have full GM drum kits, the MicroX/X-50 do.
R3 has dual timbres, 8 note poly.
MicroX/X-50 has 62 poly in single mode, 32 in double.
MicroX/X-50 plays GM 16 channel midi.
MicroX/X-50 has 8 program Combis.
R3 is single channel midi and no GM midi playback.
R3 has a single arpeggiator, plus one mod seq per timbre.
MicroX/X-50 has dual arpeggiators.
R3 has 30 effects.
MicroX/X-50 has 89 effects.
The R3 has 4 assignable knobs with LED parameter feedback and LCD description.
MicroX/X-50 have four assignable knobs, but no LED or LCD feedback.
MicroX/X-50 have two programable switches, the R3 doesn't.
MicroX/X-50 are better for full song playback with an external sequencer.
The R3 is better for single track lead/bass/pads,arps, vocoding.
MicroX/X-50 has 4 outputs, the R3 has two.
The MicroX comes with the orange case, the X-50 and R3 don't.
MicroX/X-50 have a VST/RTAS plug-in, the R3 doesn't.
MicroX/X-50 are basically MicroTritonTRs.
The R3 is basically the MicroRadias, and the replacement for the MicroKorg.

BONES · Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:12 am Post subject:

Wow! Talk about suckin' the fun outta something!?!
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4NDRW · Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:26 pm Post subject:

jcaudio79 · Joined: 05 Feb 2008 Posts: 5

I am still new to all this stuff, but one thing is Korg has the best sound. I love the way my new stuff is sounding. I have a Novation X station too, but the R3 (as far as editing and sound) kick the crap out of it.

But does the Micro X have that thick, sweet sound like the R3 has?

I am either getting a Micro X or Roland Juno G!!

BONES · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:16 pm Post subject:

If that is your choice, I would definitely go the microX. When I was running through the R3 presets in a store, I didn't think it sounded nearly as fat as my microX, so I think you'll be very, very happy with one. I actually wasn't all that impressed with the R3, it seemed far too limited compared to the microX. As I said, nothing I can't do with free software. Mind you, I don't here anything in a Virus that I can't do with free/cheap software, either. After all, it is all just software these days, running on dedicated hardware. It all comes down to programming and there is no reason why the Virus guys should have the wood on anyone else. Over here the prices are just ridiculous, too.
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xmlguy · Platinum Member Joined: 26 Nov 2007 Posts: 3605

BONES · Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 2:40 am Post subject:

Well, given that it was the same store and the same headphones I used to listen to the microX before I bought it, I'm confident it was a reasonable basis for comparison.
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4NDRW · Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 4:01 am Post subject:

bones, before i spend all my money

what software do you use/recommend?
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xmlguy · Platinum Member Joined: 26 Nov 2007 Posts: 3605

BONES · Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 10:55 pm Post subject:

Most of the microX sounds I use are based around the SuperSaws-style sample-sets. I couldn't give you specific patch names because I long ago renamed all the things I've modified. I just didn't find that the R3 offered me anything new, whereas the microX is the first hardware instrument I have found a use for on an album recording since we moved to software in 2000. My current band's first two albums are strictly software-only but the new one will have prominent microX parts on at least a couple of tracks.
We use hardware synths mostly on stage, to give our live sets a different sound to the recorded versions. I never found a use for Trinity, Prophecy, CS1x, K-Station or Micron once we got our software set-up sorted but the microX does some things that our software cannot do as well.

4NDRW, I use ORION Platinum. Its more of a virtual studio, a bit like Reason except that it supports both DX and VST plug-ins. It is the only software I have found that works the same way we always have and the quality of the included instruments and effects is as good as even the most expensive plugins. I'd say that around three-quarters of our music comes from internal instruments, most of the rest being the ones I make myself. There is only one effect plugin that I use regularly, PSP MixSaturator, all the rest of the effects are internal to ORION. But its not for everybody, its focus is on quality rather than sheer number of features so it won't do everything that the big sequencers do. e.g. The guy who makes it tried all of the realtime time-stretching algorithms that he could license, because a lot of users have been asking for time-stretching, but he wasn't happy with the quality of any of them and wouldn't put it in. That annoys some users but its the kind of attitude I really appreciate. You can download a trial version from www.synapse-audio.com
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xmlguy · Platinum Member Joined: 26 Nov 2007 Posts: 3605

BONES · Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:29 pm Post subject:

I wasn't suggesting that I didn't like the R3 presets, just that I can do that stuff just as well for free in software. I don't quite understand why, but software ROMplers seem to struggle to match the usability of a 64Mb sample ROM in hardware, even with several Gb of material. It really is the one thing I think the hardware vendors can still do better than software, yet you would expect it to be the easiest thing to better in software. Weird.
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