Members Michael Blue Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 Round 1: Korg vs. Roland vs. Yamaha... "IN GENERAL" which company's products do you tend to prefer - and why? If you prefer one for use "a" and another for use "b", that is also valid, as long as your don't completely muddy up the waters. I know there are TONS of other companies not on this list, but they're mostly no in competition with the "big 3"'s workstations, etc...That is a different battle. ...Just curious what other people here are feeling... -- I'll go first; I've always (well, since the '90s) preferred Korg's workstations for general use, while Roland's "Groove" boxes, synths, etc. were a close second - but were only used for rhythmic synths and percussion (groove stuff, imagine that, lol!). I really haven't been turned on by a Yamaha, well, ever. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dreamtronix Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 Roland all the way. They sound great and they tend to augment or compliment my workflow. I am having trouble liking the workflow of my MC-808 though which i find really strange... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpaceNorman Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 I'm split....I use a Yamaha CP300, Motif ES Rask and Roland RD700SX. I like the keyboard feel of the Yamaha best ... as well as Yamaha's accoustic piano sounds. (It sounds a hair brighter to me ... and is a little more natural in how the each note decays. To my ear it just sits better in the mix). The Roland keys feel is good but a little mushy compaired to the CP300. I like the Roland e-pianos, clavs and organ sounds better than the Yamaha. I like the Yamaha brass better than the Roland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MuzikB Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 Korg: I currently believe that they are the forerunners in making instruments with electronic music in mind with another aspect besides player performance. They've also managed to currently steal the dance music title in this department from Roland IMO. Roland: I do not agree with their current vision and therefore don't support them at this time. Yamaha: Their current focus is on player instruments and not synthesizers. They produce great sounding romplers but little aspects of their products bug me. A: Why are their keyboards so big? B: The logic behind the sequencer setup in their workstation products eludes me. C: etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mysteron Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 I'm a Roland string fan. You can spot it in any recording its that distinct. Been through several Korg's but none of them grabbed me (except the EX-8000) although the new synths are certainly a cut above the last couple of workstations I owned (M1, X3, O1W/FD). I like my RM1X so would like to see what a decent Yamaha board can do (the CS6X intrigues me) but I am reluctant to look beyond the Roland A-80 or JV-90 when I upgrade my D-70. I've always had good service from Roland too and that's a huge plus to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members marmorek Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 I like Yamaha, but I use mostly acoustic and electric sounds. For synth type sounds, Korg is better (or vintage Roland or Yamaha). Roland has some nice boards too, but I don't find them to be as useable or fun to play as Yamaha's. I do think my ultimate synth would be a Korg, though (Oasys!). No real Roland or Yamaha equivalent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dr.Innovation Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 My direct experience comes from playing pretty much every keyboard in existence that is classified as a workstation... KORG definitely has won me over, but sonically my current Korg (Triton Extreme) can't compete with an OASYS. The M3 is a let down from the hype generated from touters concerning the "new" synthesis engine within it.The Triton Extreme has everything I could want Rock, Progressive, RnB, Jazz, Blues, but I have spent hours tweaking the sounds to come up with some original sounds yet to be heard on ANY Korg, Oasys included! Roland has definitely let me down. I have a Fantom XRDecent sounds with a horrible Digital to Analog converter so the output is piss poor. I guarantee sound buffs as well as studios have to use excessive gain, EQ, and compression to achieve the sound quality it should have. I fund the new Roland G to be no better than a PLACEBO effect synth with the best keybed in the history of synths. My old XP-30 had great sounds, but again, I tweaked every patch I come across. Yamaha-I have played every Synth they have offered to date, owned a few, but don't have anymore. The XS, and the Tyros have realistic sounds, but the piano in both lacks dynamics, and realism. I mention the piano because everyone thinks it's the best... It always depends on what type of music you do, and what type of sounds are most appealing to you and your work...a rundown.... Roland: Decent piano, sweet layering on some patches, airy sounds, drum kits aren't very good, strings are o.k Yamaha: Ethic sounds are top notch, Spanish Guitar is the best I've ever played. People think it's real when I play it ( my next board of choice) Drum kits better than Roland's offering including G, however open hi hats suffer degradation and crap sampling...Orchestral, strings, are great, as are the airy sounds especially the synths. Korg: THE BEST electric guitar ever played on a synth, including the COSC from Roland. The limitless effects 5insert 2 master, and limitless editing capabilities make this a must for a tweaker! Touch screen is great and has the best Joystick of the 3 hands down! Layering is almost unlimited. Strings, orchestral are great, however EP's suck! I forgot to mention the internal samples are very good giving you some nice drum sounds to play with The M3 is a good board, but for me considering price I'd get an XS rack, then Midi it to either the Kurz or the TE88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Woody4 Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 I look for a company that supports/fixes bugs in its instruments over a reasonable period of time and mostly they(3) dont with korb 1 and rollon last. They can all sound good imo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wineandkeyz Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 Korg vs. Roland vs. Yamaha... D. All of the above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Korg: Like there VA and RA. Dislike there romplers. Roland: Like there VA, RA and romplers the best. Yamaha: Like there VA, RA and romplers second best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Blue Posted July 5, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 Good feedback! Keep it coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xmlguy Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 I don't choose based on the name of the manufacturer at all. I have no commitment to any one of them. I buy based on specific objectives and whatever I find that seems to best fill that spot in my line-up. If anything, I prefer to buy gear from a maker other than what I already have so that I can get a wide selection of options. I own Yami, Korg, & Roland. I use the Yami PSR-S900 for acoustic guitar, sax, bass, trumpet, and nothing else comes close to its Super Articulation voices in my price range (and I think it sounds better than the XS expanded articulation for my purposes). Only the Tyros 2 is better, and even then only for voices that don't matter to me. I use the Roland Fantom X6 for its aftertouch, pads, sampling, workstation tracks, and pianos. I use the SP-404 for portable sampling & effects, and live playback. I use the Korg R3 for VA & vocoder, X-50 for Rompler, KP3 for live sampling and FX, and Kaossilator for, well, everything it can do - rhythm, overdub looping, arps, pads, & leads. I'm holding off buying the Waldorf Blofeld and Access Snow, based only on availability, pricing, and my budget. If a used ESX-1 and/or EMX-1 come up at the right price and right time, then they will probably be my next purchases, unless Korg updates them soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 Korg for synth design, arpeggiation and woodwind sounds. Yamaha for XG format. Roland for ease of use and old synth sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dr.Innovation Posted July 5, 2008 Members Share Posted July 5, 2008 Korg: Like there VA and RA. Dislike there romplers.Roland: Like there VA, RA and romplers the best.Yamaha: Like there VA, RA and romplers second best. It's their.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jez Posted July 6, 2008 Members Share Posted July 6, 2008 In general I have tended to go to Yamaha. They give me everything I want and very little I don't. For example: 1) Presets that need very little messing with to do the job if I'm in a hurry 2) Great feeling synth and piano actions, a joy to play 3) The exact right sort of piano sound I want 4) Piece of piss to work with and get the results I need without spending all day swearing and cursing the thing... I just "get" them, almost instinctive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 ... to me: Korg: Good for VAs Roland: Best vintages from the big three. Yamaha: Best keybeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Karma1 Posted July 6, 2008 Members Share Posted July 6, 2008 I used to be more of a Roland guy - Juno 60, 106, D-50. I still have my JD800 and JD990 and like them a lot. But Korgs have taken a more predominant role in my rig, with the Karma being my main board for about five years. I also have a Triton Rack, Wavestation A/D, and Micro X. Although I'm planning to sell some of them to buy an M3 in the next few months. I was never that much into Yamahas', although I do have an FS1R that offers a whole different flavor than anything else I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Birdienumnum Posted July 6, 2008 Members Share Posted July 6, 2008 Surveying from a "word of mouth" point of view, from reading KSS on a daily basis for God knows how many years now: The latest Roland workstation - lots of negative press here The latest Korg workstations - M3 & Oasys - " " " " " The latest Yamaha workstation - not a lot of complaints Perhaps this is because Yamaha has taken the most conservative approach lately, even getting rid of their PLG boards. The only real complaint against Yamaha is precisely how dull they are . . . but not being wealthy, if I had $4000 to blow and I only could get one of these monsters, I would play it safe and get a Yamaha. At this moment in time. I can make good music on any of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hoopaa Posted July 6, 2008 Members Share Posted July 6, 2008 I'm a Korg fan. Their synthesizers are great, and affordable. Yamaha and Roland don't really make stuff like the Radias or MS2000 series synths, and I don't care about live performance, so I don't even consider their products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members enx Posted July 6, 2008 Members Share Posted July 6, 2008 I think roland workstations have the best interfaces (though I've never tried the Korg Triton Extreme or Oasys) for VA, I'd have to say it's a tie between Roland and Korg For Analog (back in the old days), I'd have to say Yamaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dereksljuka Posted July 6, 2008 Members Share Posted July 6, 2008 If this question isn't just referring to workstations, then say Roland for all the excellent synthesizers they've put out over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Blue Posted July 6, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 6, 2008 Primarily talking current product, and mostly workstations or equivalent. The true "synth" question will come when this thread dies down some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members midi Posted July 6, 2008 Members Share Posted July 6, 2008 Roland: #1 - all they make is synths...great company. Yamaha: #2 - cant beat 'em for acoustic pianos or high-quality Motif sounds, largest music manufactuer in the world. Korg #3: That polished Korg sound is all over recordings for the last 10 years at least...Triton is an industry standard. Current Equip: Roland: Fantom G8 V-Synth GT MC-909 XV-3080 Yamaha: T116 acoustic piano Motif XS6 EX5r Korg: M3-61 w EXB Radius Moog: Little Phatty DSI: Prophet 08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Audacity Works Posted July 6, 2008 Members Share Posted July 6, 2008 I'll say Roland because they tend to have taken the biggest chances over the years. Yeah, yeah, not necessarily as of late, but it takes balls to throw all their proprietary technology into a blender, set it to frapp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I'll say Roland because they tend to have taken the biggest chances over the years. Yeah, yeah, not necessarily as of late, but it takes balls to throw all their proprietary technology into a blender, set it to frapp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.