Whether Fantom X-8 or Korg M3 88

[sishan]

Hi,
I have never used any Korg / Roland product previously. Currently have Yamaha PSR, Casio WK-3500 (76key) board. As a bit of background I'm doing my Grade 6 piano from Royal School and keen on composing, recording myself as I do a lot of that on existing boards. Mostly into classical, semi-classical, jazz, contemporary, light rock and new-age instrumental loving person.

Now am looking for a real piano feel 88-key board with sequencer, sampler and "mind-blowing" sounds. Can someone please share some NEUTRAL opinions on whether I should go for X-8 or M3 88.

The PROs of x8 are I have read plenty of reviews from experienced users and have access to lots of materials on "ho-to-do" sort of things. Since the M3 88 is very recent addidion, I don't have that many reviews on the internet re particularly keyboard feel.

Any NEUTRAL opinion will be highly appreciated.

Many thanks,

[stanley]

hi sishan....

i think the roland will satisfy you in terms of piano coz they r all great patches...the sampler n seequencer is great and easy to use.....i have the x6 .....n the pianos r great.the x8 is having the weighted keys....so does the korg m3 88 but from playing the korg ramge of keyboards i didnt find the pianos all that great......i like korg for its other sounds n specs...i think you should go for the roland x8... it will have the audio track expansion kit too...

Happy purchasing:))))

Rgds,
Stanley

[sishan]

Thanks for replying Stanley. Did you have a Korg weighted keyboard for you to compare the key action between roland and Korg? One other adv for X-8 I have found (though I should have said this in Korg forum) is that : the user interface seems much easier to handle and manage than the m3 interface.

All Korg and Roland product owners, do you think Roland will have a less steeper learning curve?

Also, Stanley, will non-piano sounds (particularly strings, synth, woodwind, brass) in x-8 be inferior than M3?

Any other views anyone??

Thanks,
Shan

[Diametro]

If you're getting an 88-key workstation, obviously, the keys and piano sounds are going to be very important ...

I can't comment on the M3-88's keybed ... but I can say the grand piano patch in the M3 really left me cold ... it's very percussive to my ears ... not very rich or "grand" ...

You'd think Korg could get this right by now ... In general, I've been very unimpressed with the M3 (even though I was considering replacing my Fusion with it) ... while it has a few cool features (per track EQ, tocuhscreen X-Y pad, fancy arpeggiator ... none of which will really influence your playing) ... it is hardly a next-generation product that just competes with the older but better, IMO, Fantom X ...

good luck!

[ROCCOTO]

I own both fantom x6 and m3(sound module)....As far as sound comes..I love the pianos,pads,bells, Strings and synths on the M3------Fantom have much better and much more guitars, rhodes,and piano and synths ......I really can't compare the patches between the m3 and fantom- they are different in their own way, but they do compliment each other very well, ---- ---As far as drums - The M3 whips the fantom a$$ ---And I'm pretty sure Artemio would co sign that..


As far as features goes-- I find myself sequencing alot on the fantom I find it alot easier---- Skip back sampling is the greatest feature created in all time---,And if you have the time you can created Killer Patches, even better than the presets------On the other hand M3's technology Karma blows away the arps on the Fantom/ And the XY, HOLD, MODE, is amazing

Eventually either one you can go wrong---In my opinon

[stanley]

hi sishan,

no i havent played the m3 88 but i have played the FX 8 at the showroom... i love the weighted keys too but its too heavy to take it on a gig...so i opted for the x6 coz it was kind of cute )))

i also do use the korg triton classic at my work studio so i keep comparing my fantom to the korg n i can proudly say that i just long to get back to playing my fantom...
I use a lot of strings n ochestral sounds and the the fx is the best for the strings....
korgs according to me have amazing pads n pulsating patches... thats all

again the woodwind n brass stuff is great...moreover u have the xv- patches for the fantom x to download n there r tons of great sounding patches there...

Bottom line... u wont regret buying the fantom x coz its gonna be really easy sequencing rather than on a korg...

i have sold most of my previous synths but i intend on keeping my fantom..)

Regards,
Stan

[sishan]

Thanks for your opinions guys.

Few other things.
1) Is the USB port only for MIDI connection or I can xfer files from x8 to a PC using this (in which case I would assume it would appear as a separate drive after connectiong it to a PC)

2) Can I create a final .wav file on the x8 itself using "re-sampling" and write it back on a CD?

3) If I hook up the USB port directly to an external CD writer, can I write the .wav file directly from x8 or I have to copy it onto a PC's hard drive first as a staging area?

4) Is it possible to record vocals into x8 and mix with instruments tracks? How large is the 400,000 notes capacity? What length (in min) of vocal+instruments song it can hold and play back?

Many Thanks,
Shan

[chubbylove]

If you plan on gigging you better get the x8 the new m series stuff korg has cheap build quality, trust me im a gigging musician and I have already heard it from other people. its kinda like the Ensoniq stuff back in the late 80's great in the studio but on the road forget it.

not to get off subject too much, but do you think roland will prosecute the guy that just released all the fantom x sounds as a reason refill I heard them and I couldnt believe my ears ,If I were roland I might have to think about suing that guy because he basically duplicated the entire soundset. I heard it was done on an open labs neko

[Natural Black]

shishan
1. yes you can do file transfers and thats exactly hw it works
2.Yes you can resample but youd most likely use the file transfer to get it offf the fantom. and I believe its an aiff file, no big deal(6 of one half dozen of the other)
3.no only connects to pc
4.i have the Xa so im not totally sure but I believe the audio inputs update handles that

[da-man]

WEIGHTED ACTION OF X8
I tried a lot of keyboards out over 2 years ago and none were in the league of the Fantom x8 regarding action. That is completely an unbiased opinion. Also it is really heavy. That is completely an unbiased opinion.

However everything is subjective. You must try one yourself. And don't expect perfection out of anything you buy. All tools have exciting features and limitations.


AUDIO RECORDING INPUT ON X8
you can record vocals and instruments on the fantom but due to the older computer technology inside it takes longs times to save and load wav files.

I occasionally use it for short samples of 1 or 2 bars and then copy and paste those wavs and that way it takes no time to load or save.

[sishan]

Many thanks everybody for your opinions.

To NaturalBlack at point 3, "no it connects to only PCs" -- in that case I won't be able to hook it up to even an external USB hard-drive. Is it true?

Few other clarifications guys regarding different memory areas. If someone can answer these

1) 128Mb Wave ROM is for storing the preset internal sounds and patches and this area can not be used by a user. Am I right?

2) All user created patches, sounds, samples, final wav file if I create any using MIDI+audio go into 32Mb sample RAM. Is it correct? Also how it can be upgraded to 544Mb (max)? How and where to use a Compact Flash card for this? Any other option other than CF card?

3) For 16-track sequencer, somewhere I read that it can hold in total up to 400,000 notes. Now which memory area does this go? Is it that 32Mb sample RAM or some other area?

4) If I add an SRX card, does that add any memory to any of the above areas or it just adds more patches?

Sorry if these are really basic questions but I would really appreciate if someone can take time to answer this.

Thanks in advance

[Igglethorpe]

Hi Sishan,

I am also working through the ABRSM theory / music books. While you appear more advanced, I think we are similar in needs. I bought a Fantom X8 and do NOT regret it at all. If I were in the market for a workstation for composition and technique (like you appear to be) I would do it again, even with all the newer hardware synths out there right now. The Fantom is just better geared for this kind of thing. The keyboard action is awesome (light compared to a grand piano however). You will need to really work your hands to ensure you are keeping up your technique properly. Lets face it. If you want true weighted keys, you need a real piano (preferably a Grand).

Anyway, lets move on with your questions:

1) The 128 MB of ROM is where the WAVE files are that make up a patch. The ROM patches themselves are stored in another area of memory that is inaccessible. The user memory can utilize the 128MB of ROM samples, however only the patches are stored in the 32mb of memory. The samples are merely referenced from the ROM bank of 128MB. I hope this makes sense.

2) I think I answered some of this question in question 1. Anything you do that is modified in the Fantom is stored in internal memory (32MB) or a CF card adapter (flash memory). To upgrade your memory and/or purchase card adapter / flash memory, please consult the FAQ located here:

http://rolandclan.info/media/documents/ ... d-FAQ.html

3) You choose where you want to store your song. While I've never created a song up to 400,000 events, my guess is that it wouldn't fill up 32mb.

4) Adding in SRX cards adds more WAVE ROM. 64 mb per card. It is accessible exactly how the WAVE ROM is accessible in the Fantom's built in 128MB. You get more WAVE ROM to work with, and get a bank of patches (ROM) that you can use for the SRX board. You can (of course) add more patches that reference and use that SRX WAVE ROM and save them in user/card memory.

Your first question was actually about using an external hard drive with the Fantom. This can not be done. The Fantom can not host a hard drive such as that. You would need to connect the Fantom to a computer and then drag and drop data into the Fantom disk which shows up when the Fantom is set to storage mode in USB properties.

Hope this answers most of your questions.

[sishan]

Thanks Igglethorpe, yes they are more or less clear.

BTW, which ABRSM grade you are on?

Shan

[Igglethorpe]

1!

Actually, I'm more advanced than that (probably 3) but I'm with a new Piano teacher that actually teaches theory (gasp). You wouldn't believe how difficult it was for me to find someone as good as this.

Anyway, I'll plow through the earlier grades and probably test out at level 3 and then do each subsequent grades at a time.

[sambasevam]

Hiya Shishan!! Are you from india? Your name sure sounds like it.

I completed ABRSM Grade 8 practicals in solo piano, grade 5 in theory when I was 16, completed Grade 8 in Trinity College also, but most people only recognize ABRSM. I'm 19 now and havent touched the old classical pieces in a while (got into electronic music making, and the like)...I think finishing the grades is not a great challenge, but pursuing classical music, even after that, is the challenging part. I wanted to do Performer's candidate, but I left india before I had the chance.

I think fantom X8 is a great choice. Good luck!