Wished Korg had come out with a Triton Extreme rack for gigging.... any alternatives?

[wheresgrant3]

I may be the only one on the planet, but I really think that Korg could have produced a Triton Extreme rack circa 2005-2006 to update their previous offerings. For one... the M3M cannot be racked which is SACRILIEDGE to a gigging keyboardist (WTFWTT-what the F**k were they thinking!!!). Second, the Extreme had some nice features over the original Triton rack-96MB of sample ram space, all of the expansion cards, USB connectivity... etc. It's those reasons I'm not trying to look for a old Triton rack.

 

It would really fit in my current situation. Maybe someone could suggest an alternative.

 

For years I've played in a high energy party cover band that has played all around NY and New England and as far south as North Carolina and Key West. For years I settled on a standard for my rig which was Roland XP30 (for brass sounds, some organ and synth) and a Triton Extreme for everything else. The band has been a real money maker for me, thus I haven't wanted to mess with my setup much.

 

So last year, I had to step away from the band for a while and had a sub cover for me. When I returned, we've decided to keep the other keyboardist and I've decided to take a differn't role in the band as a utility player-playing keys, guitar...etc. I'm using a stripped down setup- a keytar for most of the show and I'm midi'ing my Extreme as a sound source. I'd prefer not to lug that 47lb beast to shows and some venues we really don't have the space for two keyboard rigs. So I intend to rack everything I use into one rack...

 

Line6 X3 rack for guitar

Wireless midi

Synth sound source with sampling (currently have an XV5080)

Line mixer (to submix and send to FOH)

DI

Wireless receiver for guitar

 

I'm currently using a Roland XV5080 as a sound source for my keytar. It's only been a few weeks but... I'm just not feeling it. The XV5080 is a fine box and great in a studio setting I'm sure. Live I'm just not getting the sounds and setups I need for the type of music we play (lots of 80's, and current pop and dance). For current songs... songs that were likely recorded using a Triton in the studio, the XV just sounds dated. I'm sure I can go through great lengths to create all my previous patches from scratch, however I neither have the time nor the workaround knowledge with the XV's editing environment (I can spin patches left and right in minutes through Korg's menu system). The real killer is Roland's convoluted sampling archietecture which requires 17 differen't steps to save samples to memory (using outdated smart media). Luckily I don't have buyers remorse and I've found a home for some JV-SR and SRX cards I had laying around.

 

I know racks are slowly going by-by with the idea of soft synths and virtual racks in a live gig environment. I neither have or would trust a laptop to run my setups... especially in some of the venues we play. Any suggestions on a unit I could move forward with instead of backward. I've considered the Motif ES rack (used $600-800)... I'm bypassing the Fantom XR-more of the same with the XV5080. I'm looking into the Muse Receptor... but the price when all is said and done is a bit out of my budget.

 

 

Any suggestions?

[ChristianRock]

If that's the case, why did you choose the XV5080 over the Triton Rack? You can add 8 expansions to the Triton Rack... well, I don't know how important sample memory is for you, but if you have big samples, can't the other keys player trigger them from his rig?

 

Another option would be to create a custom "case" for the M3-M...

[wheresgrant3]

If that's the case, why did you choose the XV5080 over the Triton Rack? You can add 8 expansions to the Triton Rack... well, I don't know how important sample memory is for you, but if you have big samples, can't the other keys player trigger them from his rig? Another option would be to create a custom "case" for the M3-M...

 

 

Well for one... do I really want to be chasing down expansion cards for a 10 year old rack unit? By the time I find a Triton Rack in good condition, and acquire the cards I want and need... well I could just buy and M3M and be done with it. Second... sample playback is important to me... I have 25+ samples I am constant accessing and playing (soundclips, sound patterns) and before you suggest for me to get a DR404, 505 or 909... I'd like to just keep this down to one piece of gear OR something that will fit into a rack. Third... I want... I NEED USB connectivity/editing. I can always get a USB/Midi connector but my days of SCSI transfer are long overwith. 20minute loads for 30MB of sample data... um, ridiculous.

 

I choose the XV5080 because I wanted a replacement for my XP30 (It stays in our band trailer primarily and the other keyboardist and I share it on stage). I had some leftover cards after I sold my Fantom and some cards I wanted out of the XP30 (SR-JV15-Special Effects for instance). I originally bought an XV 5050 for $300 but within days found someone with an XV 5080 willing to trade down with me for only $150. I thought it was a score. So at least I can house my SRX, JV-SR cards... etc.

 

As I said, I'm not unhappy with the XV5080 at all. I intend to keep it. It just lacks in prescence and scope what the Triton can acheive in terms of sound. I know everyone has their preferences... (Yamaha, Roland... etc)... but even with the Ultimate Keys card installed the synth offerings are... a bit anemic and from a preset standard a little useless. My common complant with Roland soundsets: Why so many presets either running some useless sound loop or with "plink, plink, tic, tic" arpeggiations in the background? the sound bank I most often fall into is their Tek (Techno) for attempting to cover stuff like TI, Lady Gaga, BEP. Most often the patches are preset with some assembly than just doesn't fit any user application. They say when you are viewing a house you want to buy imagine your furniture in that house and how it would look. With Roland, trying to imagine how some of their synth oriented patches would sound on songs we plan to cover is like trying to imagine my furniture in a house where the wallpaper is Zebra print. All I want is some nice FAT pure sounding sawtooth wave based presets for experimenting with... with Roland anything useful in that department must be created.... with Korg, everything is right there... reverse engineering is a snap, (for me) quick and easy... and very easy to assemble using Combi patch banks for splits, layers and so on.

 

I'm not giving up yet on the 5080... I haven't given it enough time to pull it from my live rig yet. The problem is I don't really have the time to spend re-inventing the wheel. I work full time, often times leaving right from work to the gig. Seriously if you have helpful suggestions CR (always respect your opinions on this board ), for navigating and creating setups with the 5080, I'd be grateful. As a band we strive for a full, fat sound right down to the electronics we use. I need bread and butter but I also need a terrific synth base. I thought the 5080 would offer both. So far I'm feeling a little empty.

[wheresgrant3]

I like the suggestion of a custom case for the M3M... but the idea of paying a premium for a case when I could just rack something is, well, not appealing. Additionally, I really want to keep things down to just one rollered rack case. If not for gigs (to limit the 2-3-4 trips to the car/van/trailer for load in), but also to may rehearsals and working at home quick and easy. One rack case, pre-wired for power, and audio outputs, so that all I have to do is drag.... drop... plug in.... and power up. I already have a seperate 4 space rack housing a V-Synth which I use for vocoding occasionally. So another seperate rack case is not really that desired. Of course it may be the route I eventually take.

 

I should mention that my Triton Extreme needs to be replaced regardless. The master volume slider pot is shot (functioning in only the top 3/5's of the register), many buttons require repeated pressing to register data and the ac power plug is flakey... requires the plug to lay at just the right angle. So this beast must move back home and out of commission. It's been a great board... almost 5 years and over 400 shows.

[ChristianRock]

I understand in a way, Grant, because even though the interface of the Fantom XR really put me off, it was the perceived sound quality that eventually made me sell it and stick with the Fusion (too bad they don't make a Fusion rack by the way). If it had been just the interface, I could eventually live with it because it might be a pain to create a patch but once you have it created, and you're happy with it, then you just leave it (I'm talking rompler sounds, synth sounds are different because you're constantly tweaking...)

Anyway, sound quality (or perceived quality) is different and if you can't get it to sound the way you want it to, it's very hard to justify keeping it.

In your case, if you could find a way to get a custom case for the M3-M for traveling, it would probably be the ideal situation... if you're handy with wood you should be able to or maybe you have friends who could do that...

From what you're telling me, I don't think you'll be able to live with the 5080 in the long run. The Roland XV/Fantom sound, either you love it or you just don't...

 

Oh about your TE - I've had people tell me that opening the case and cleaning the contacts under the buttons solves a lot of problems for a lot of different equipment... sometimes just dusting off will help, but it seems like in your case there might be a "crust of dirt" under the buttons...

[ChristianRock]

Hey Grant: I think you just need some wood to go around this case:

 

http://www.gearnuts.com/store/detail/M3-Mat

[AnotherScott]

 

I like the suggestion of a custom case for the M3M... but the idea of paying a premium for a case when I could just rack something is, well, not appealing.

 

 

Check the thread at http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=344890&

for a couple of ideas