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Looking for a good tone generator, have M3 in mind


SaturnA

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For a new live project I'm setting up a different system from the standard keyboard stands. I'll be using a keytar (deciding between Vortex and Lucina), a Loop Station RC-300 and a tone generator. The M3 looks pretty good to me at this point but it is aging and still running $1599 everywhere I look. Is it still worth the price or are there some other options I should look into? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

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You can do much better than $1599...look around for used, B-stocks and demos. You should be able to come in for around $1200.

 

I assume you've heard it and like it?

 

How much real time control do you need? The Korg MicroStation gives you a Triton/M3 sound engine inside a tiny package with tiny keys for $400, one of the best synth bargains around today.

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The M3-M is a module without the keyboard and that is my preference for this project, not a board with keys. I played an M3 in-store years ago and I really liked it over my Triton but there are none around here anymore to test. I will take a look at this MicroStation, that sounds interesting.

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I would expect to pay around $950-$1100 for the module, and $1200-$1300 for the 61 key version in used but excellent condition.

 

I paid $1200 for my M3-61 a couple of years ago, and for what it does, it would have been a bargain at twice the price. It's a great workstation -- the perfect complement to my PC3X.

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How did you get a new one for $1095? I can only find new for $1599. Blemished/Re-stock I don't have much faith in from too many bad experiences. If I could buy a new one for $1095 I'd do it in a heartbeat. $1599 is the standard at zzsounds, Sweetwater, Musicians Friend, Guitar Center. If anyone knows where to get one for $1095~ new please refer me!

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The M3M is big. I'm not sure how durable it is for frequent gigging.

But it's a brilliant piece of gear - especially for the studio.

It is the heart of of my set-up.

 

As a gig module though, I might choose something smaller & more facile.

But if it's great sounds you want - the M3 is loaded. And there are a lot more to download.

You may want to get the EXB-M256 memory expansion card & a Radias card for it

if you can afford it.

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I will take a look at this MicroStation, that sounds interesting.

 

The Microstation is a great piece for lots of M3-style sounds in a cheaper, lighter package, with a keyboard attached besides. But it is nothing like having an M3. Fewer sounds, no RAM expansion for more/custom samples, no pads to play, fewer real-time controls, more cumbersome sound editing, etc. But if the Microstation has enough to do what you need, it's a lot for the money.

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How did you get a new one for $1095? I can only find new for $1599. Blemished/Re-stock I don't have much faith in from too many bad experiences. If I could buy a new one for $1095 I'd do it in a heartbeat. $1599 is the standard at zzsounds, Sweetwater, Musicians Friend, Guitar Center. If anyone knows where to get one for $1095~ new please refer me!

 

 

The $1095 I quoted was from ebay.

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One brilliant thing the M3M offers is sampling & resampling to USB at 24/48 - even w/o the expansions.


I get better recording quality out of the M3M than I do through my DAW.

It has totally changed how I compse & record msic.


But I would never gig with it. It's big and the touch screen is temperamental on mine.

 

 

My experience is almost opposite of yours. I took my M3 61 to band rehearsals for almost a year and never had a problem with the touchscreen.

 

I found the sampling features to be difficult to learn to use.

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I just want the M3-M module, without the keyboard attached. When at home I can use my Triton Pro and it's 76 keys which is still going nicely after all these years. So, I don't need the keybed just the module. I just wondered if there might be another tone generator without keyboard out there that I wasn't aware of that might be worth looking into. I see they make a rack version of the Motif but it seems crazy to deal with programming something of today's complexity with a little non-touch digital readout.

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Given the M3 series have been out for a few years now you should be able to buy the M3-M at a 20% discount off MAP or lower. The prices you see ($1599) are MAP (mimimum advertised price), which are the lowest a dealer can advertise; they can sell for anything they want.

 

I would check out one of the eBay sellers who are authorized distributors (for warranty purposes) that have a "Or best offer", then offer them $1279 or lower. For example, I see this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/KORG-M3-M-M3M-M3-TABLETOP-SAMPLER-MODULE-XPANDED-NEW-/370575764866

 

Alternatively you could call/phone a dealer and ask them for their best price for a brand new, never opened, Korg M3-M including shipping.

 

Good luck.

 

P.S. -- Here is another eBay dealer selling B-Stock for $1249 OR LESS -- I would offer them $1,000:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Korg-M3-M-M3M-Synthesizer-Sampler-Sound-Module-/390430973802

 

Final thoughts: You might consider buying an M3-61 then only use the module portion of it for two reasons:

1. You might like having the keyboard functionality

2. Resale value -- M3-Ms are a lot harder to sell since most want the keyboard version

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I see they make a rack version of the Motif but it seems crazy to deal with programming something of today's complexity with a little non-touch digital readout.

 

There is a computer-based editor for it.

 

But while I think computer-based editors make sense for things like this, I worry about the long term. I already have equipment where the computer editors are useless because they don't run on any modern computer. So you end up needing to keep an old computer around if you want to keep using the software.

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The M3 is great cause the sequencer is pretty easy to use, it's got drum pads, it can expand with the Radias board inside, and for a full fledged keyboard workstation is the best deal going (unless the PC3 is still going at blowout prices). The price of the M3 is what most people pay for the light version of most workstations.

 

Different people have had different luck with the touchscreen. Mine was fine for the several years I owned the board. Martin Hines is right, getting the full keyboard will give you more flexibility when you go to sell. And I've seen plenty of deals on ebay for $1,000 to $1,200 for exclnt condition boards.

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Thanks for all the replies. I'm not sure about those ebay dealers I don't know if Korg would really consider them "authorized dealers" for warranty purposes. I don't tend to ever sell my instruments because I create unique things with each one that I don't ever want to be able to not reproduce, so resale isn't important to me. It seems like my Triton Pro, which is still in fantastic condition, would be a great controller for the M3-M for home purposes. I really don't like that they are making the boards with just 73 keys now instead of 76 but 73 drives me nuts. Since the M3 is based on that M3-M detachable module there doesn't seem to be any actual advantage to getting the keyboard part of it if you already have a Korg keyboard with the two switches, ribbon and joystick.

 

This idea of calling and asking for discounts does appeal to me. Come to think of it, Musicians Friend gave me $100 off the sale price of a new Loop Station recently and I didn't even ask for it, they just did it when I called to order. I guess I should try that on an M3-M module and see what happens.

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I bought a used M3M on Craig's List a few years ago for $995. It was in perfect condition and has been working fine since then. I later bought a used Radias board for it as well. The M3M is an amazing synth. I have mine midi'd to a Roland V-Synth as a controller - awesome combo! The Korg Karma was my main synth for years before this but the M3 takes it to the next level. I highly recommend it.

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SKB makes a case that fits it pretty well, the one for the FCB1010



 

 

 

Just wondering if you could a bit more detail on how "pretty well" the SKB case fits the M3M. The link on Amazon doesn't provide the dimensions. I've been looking for a case and this sounds decent. Thanks.

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Thanks for all the replies. I'm not sure about those ebay dealers I don't know if Korg would really consider them "authorized dealers" for warranty purposes.

 

 

For the purpose of repairs, I think you should be more concerned about who Korg considers to be authorized service centers than authorized dealers. There are typically more dealers than there are authorized service centers for a given product line.

 

Also, consider this...

 

Let's say you buy an M3M used for $1100. Some idiot spills beer on it so it stops working. You send it to an authorized service center. Your repair bill is $100. So now you've invested $1200 total in your M3M. That's still cheaper than $1599 for a new one even with warranty, right?

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