Cast a Vote - Should KORG release past keyboards as VSTi's.

[Jan1]

I would be very angry if korg would release a VSTi with a keyboard that in the past cost me above 1000 euro.

When I bought the T-1 it kost me almost 12000 Dutch Guilders (approx. 5000 Euros), but I LOVE the fact that KORG released part of the T-1's functionality as a software instrument.

Why?
Because my T-1 is nog going to be around forever, and having a software instrument version makes it much easier to integrate the T-1 in a DAW.
To put it in religious terms, creating a software version of an instrument is a bit like saving the soul of the instrument for eternity.

In addition to that, current hardware offers so many improvements in performance that I very much welcome software versions of older instruments, especially if that software offers improvements over or added functionality to the old hardware versions.

If I would become angry over the fact that I might lose money, well, I'd go beserk over the fact that I bought a Proteus 2000 module 10 years ago, and now there are FREE software versions available of the module.

When you buy any instrument such as a workstation or a keyboard you will almost ALWAYS lose money if you try to sell it again.
So, from a financial investment point of view you're much better off buying a house or gold (...) than buying a keyboard.
You have to look at a keyboard or workstation as an investment in your musical talent, and not as a financial investment.

[cminor]

To put it in religious terms, creating a software version of an instrument is a bit like saving the soul of the instrument for eternity.

Well , I agree with that...

[ozy]

Build and sell better keyboards, before you build a software museum to what you ONCE were.

As the owner of several "digital vintage" korg instruments,

which still sound great and have a distinct personality

VP-1 and M3's vocoders, and still won't sell the DVp-1. Ditto dor m1's trumpets or basses, or for wavestation's pads).

And I listend to their software emulations. O boy...

Well, I think Korg should focus on stopping people from dearly missing their Triton (pianos, rhodes, hammonds, moss leads) or their wavestation (pads) every time they turn their M3 on.

In the mid-90s ALL my digital hardware was Korg, I didn't even test the new yamaha or roland. The "new korg keyboard" was always worth buying. Analogue + Korg had it covered.

In the past few years, I can't say the same thing. I gotta shop around for roland pianos, yamaha winds, etc...

To put it in religious terms, creating a software version of an instrument is a bit like saving the soul of the instrument for eternity.

where "eternity" is defined as: that operating system's lifespan...

My M1rex outlasted 7 or 8 generations of software which I bought in 1989 and will NEVER be able to use again, short of keeping in my studio a spare Atari, a spare Macintosh, a spare win 98 PC, etc etc.

Come on. Say anything, but let "eternity" alone as long as software is concerned.

[Jan1]

It's a figure of speech, Ozy.

[kenackr]

Jan1,

You make an excellent point about the longevity of hardware. Mechanical degradation (entropy) happens regardless of how well we care for our babies & best friends. It's inevitable.

From that perspective, I agree totally that at some point it would be great to have a "clone" of the T1 as a fall back. I can't, of course, determine when that would occur. It wouldn't bother me if Korg was selling a VSTi of the T1, because I'll always think the real thing is always better.

Ozy,

You also make a good point about the longevity of operating systems and as many others here, I have experienced not being able to use music software (Opcode's Studio Vision) that has not been updated to the latest OS.

I also agree that a forward looking approach for Korg in terms of new creations is MUCH better than dragging out the slides from the last vacation to show your friends yet again.

Every one now,

I'm recalling the Rolling Stone's favorite: "you can't always get what you want" and of course the retort: " but if you try sometime you can get what you need".

Truer words were never spoken. Just as "both sides are equally correct" is surely a paradox. I can't get no resolution.

Ken

[vEddY]

You're right. You don't know what rude is.
I'm not ripping on MOSS. I'm pointing out that MOSS was developed under license of physical modeling patents by Sondius XG, who are/were owned by Stanford University and by Yamaha. Those patents still belong to Sondius, Stanford, Yamaha, whoever, but not by Korg. Also, Korg no longer is licensing the technology and licenses are no longer being issued. Now, tack on that MOSS had minimal resources allocated to it's development when Korg was licensing it and those resources are no longer available to KORG - AND NEVER WILL BE. And I'm pretty sure that when Korg was licensing this that was when they were partly owned by who? YAMAHA (which made the license possible). FYI, Yamaha doesn't own Korg anymore.

True (almost), although we could speculate a bit more on this. Most of the Sondius patents were issued somewhere in the 90s, from 1990-95, if I remember correctly. So they're either expired, or very close to being expired. If I remember correctly (yet again), they last... 17 years?

Beating a dead horse, yeah, but still, if we're searching for some facts, this might be one on the table.

[vEddY]

I think the problem with a Moss VST-i is that Moss has never been superseded or surpassed by anything, other than the OASYS-PCI card. As such, Moss is still effectively 'top of the line' (flagship technology) with regards to the physical modelling side of things, it still sounds really good. As such I wonder if Korg feel they could risk giving away the end product of all that R&D into a VST-i that could effectively be 'cracked'.
However the Moss is a generation behind the Oasys-PCI so they could risk releasing Moss as a VST-i without compromising their more modern algorithms.

... And what a beautiful-sounding card that is. I have a separate Win98 computer with OASYS PCI inside and... it still makes me smile to hear sounds from it. Thanks to Sharp for selling it to me

Back to original topic... that would also be a superb VSTi to have (OASYS PCI). And don't even get me started with OASYS as a VSTi. Yesterday I was doing some recording for my friend's album... we were doing this crazy, completely whacked tune that sounds like a horror-movie soundtrack, as if you've gone to hell and back, completely demented, with a lot of odd-time signatures and combinations (13/8, 19/8, and stuff like that)... I had OASYS turned on and just browsed through my collection of sounds and.. it took me 20 seconds to find four sounds that I needed for that song. I never seem to lack in sounds (even with the built-in sounds) with OASYS. If I had that as a VSTi... that would be like a dream. And it would probably be the only VSTi that people would pay ridiculus sums of money for.

[Vadim]

still hoping and waiting for TRINITY software version