Korg X50 vs Yamaha MM6

[sizzlemeister]

If that's the case and you're not too picky about the sounds then you're much better off getting a PSR or some Casio on the cheap. A disposable keyboard, if you will. Those mid-range keyboards are absolutely not worth the coin IMHO. Usually when a person is looking for a workstation it's to be the "center" of their rig. And for that you need something you can count on at all times.

 

Actually, for your puposes I humbly suggest a Roland JV80 or a Roland XP30. Both would be PERFECT, sound great, are inexpensive for what you get ($250 for the JV, about $450 for the XP), and will suffer through any circumstance you can put it through without fail.

[Darkstorm]

The Korgs better for electronica, ambient stuff, soundscapes, pure synth stuff. The Yamahas more a bread and butter ("real") instruments oriented keyboard. I'd say choose based on which better fits main type sounds you wanna do with synth. Keybed on the Korg is imo overeall good synth action one. Not the best, not the worst. Certainly useable enough.

[Cygnus64]

I didn't say poorly-built...I said not well-built. .

 

Sorry Alkliner, my mistake.

 

He wants a gigging keyboard...I would think that as a gigging musician he would know that you don't want something not well-built on tour with you.

 

I try on these boards to somehow answer the questions that are asked. Sometimes it is harder than others. Too many times on boards like these, one hears " that product sucks, get the $4000000 version".

 

With that in mind, lets go back to the top:

 

I'm looking at getting a slightly more portable, less complex set of keys to haul around to gigs (our keys needs are very limited and basic) so I don't have to keep hauling and banging up my motif and want to get some input from you on the X50 vs the MM6.

 

Like it or not, that IS his question. Since both keyboards are sitting in the room with me, I can only say what I have already said. Both are good SOUNDING keyboards, and it has been pointed out in this thread the strengths and weaknesses of both. The X50 is much more portable because it is smaller, has handles and is more compact. The mm6 is "less complex", it is larger and bulkier yet incredibly light. The X50 doesnt particularly FEEL plastic, the mm6 does, it feels like a hollow plastic surfboard.

[Son of HuHefner]

 

. I am amazed at the tight asses here who used the opportunity to showcase their arrogance or insecurities. What painful existances you must live. It must take someone who is horrifically insecure in their own skin to feel the need to do that.

 

 

hmm, ok

 

what did you say or do the last time a woman slapped you ?

[Guest Anonymous]

What's funny is I'm also a guitar/bass/keys player and even I get tired of the ignorance and arrogance of some guitar players.

 

Read sig!!!

 

 

IMO. The Yamaha MM6 has more modern synth sounds in it since the X50 is based on most of the old school Triton sounds. If you went to stores and researched keyboards like you have guitars, unless you just ordered all of your sig stuff online, you would have come to this forum with a little more knowledge and less attitude.

 

[rovito]

Some of us come to this forum to get information. Valid opinions are a source of reference. Some of us do not have a Guitar Center to go to and try out the latest and greatest gear. We need to ask others who might have more experience. I use mail order a lot and would rather not have to return a bunch of junk because no one could take the time to give me a simple, honest opinion. For what its worth. I have an X50. I use it for about the same thing you do. With a little care it is not a bad little keyboard. I gig about 125 nights a year and have not had any problems with this so far.

[wheresgrant3]

 

Well - not all of us can call ourselves god of the keys or son of hu so I probably would not have taken quite as much of a condescending position, but to a degree that is the point. Did you have any input to actually help the question or was your entire response strictly self serving?

 

 

 

Dude... . He brings up a perfectly valid point. Neither board is built with the rigors of gigging in mind. 3 years ago I bought a Triton Le (just as cheaply made) and quickly regretted the decision. Over the years keys went dead, control buttons ceased to function... it stopped writing to memory.

 

Let me put it this way... the same applies to cheap guitars. Would you expect a Squire with stock hardware to hold up to the rigors of the road?

 

You already own a Motif so you know what something that has a solid build quality feels like. It's up to you if you want to buy something new that will end up being completely disposable over time.

 

 

+1 on the XP30 or XP80 suggestion... $250-$450 and you'll have all the sounds you want in a very reliable package!

[steviedj]

Hi - to the experienced among you in this discussion - I would be grateful for your help on a question.

 

I generally play a piano voice overlaid with either an electric piano or some kind of gushy, warm / ooey pad, for my purposes.

 

Re these 2 keyboards, which one would be simpler, please, to use in terms of layering sounds, saving them as a new 'voice', and then having simple access to it at the touch of a button?

 

I appreciate the comparitive comments so far on these 2 keyboards. Authentic piano sounds matter to me but I love the pads on the Triton (which I can't afford.)

 

Thanks for any comments.

[jskpongoui]

A buddy of mine has the mm6, and I have played it before.

 

It feels cheaply made, and in MY OPINION the sounds are a little tacky sounding.

 

maybe it's just me...

 

bottom line- if it were me I'd go with the X50- but it's really YOUR DECISION in the end

[Fuzzball24]

Some of you people on this forum are just stupid.

 

Jesus Christ, he can't afford or doesn't want to spend $3000 on a keyboard doesn't mean you guys can't help him.

 

I swear to God, it's so clich

[Stabby]

True. My cousin has gigged hundreds of times with his X50 and it's still in perfect condition.

 

Heck, remember the cheaply made Nintendo DS Phat? Some people climbed the Everest with 4 systems and they all survived while most other electronics broke down.

[pink floyd cramer]

FWIW I have been gigging with an MM6 since April. I'm sending it back because the LED has failed to light on 2 occasions. Can't afford that {censored} on a gig.

 

It has some decent sounds (although a little thin to my ears) but to use it live I max out the volume on the bank of patches I use (VERY low output) and also set the accompaniment volume to "0" to prevent accidental wonka-wonka rap rhythms being triggered in the middle of a song (that's good for a laugh- the FIRST time). Also, the banjo sucks. And be sure to anchor it somehow on your stand- the first gliss you do will send it flying across the stage.

[Cygnus64]

FWIW I have been gigging with an MM6 since April. I'm sending it back because the LED has failed to light on 2 occasions.

 

Hmmm, I've had that too. Half the screen is white. It goes away after a minute.

[RichF]

 

IMO. The Yamaha MM6 has more modern synth sounds in it since the X50 is based on most of the old school Triton sounds.

 

 

Hi guys, just a quick clarification.

 

The X50 does use the same HI-synthesis engine as the Triton family, and it includes the entire 32mb Triton ROM with lots of familiar Programs and Combis, it also has 32mb of newer ROM samples, including some samples from the OASYS (pianos, EPs, etc).

 

Regarding the build, the X50 was certainly designed to be a reliable gigging instrument. Take another look at those metal handles... They're not only convenient, they add rigidity and strength to the X50, and prevent the case from flexing unnecessarily.

 

Hope this helps!

[akliner]

 

Some of you people on this forum are just stupid.   Jesus Christ, he can't afford or doesn't want to spend $3000 on a keyboard doesn't mean you guys can't help him.   I swear to God, it's so clich

[jskpongoui]

Similarly cliched and predictable are people who come into a forum, rant about the snobbishness of the members, and still not provide an answer or opinion on the original topic. Well done.

 

[Fuzzball24]

Similarly cliched and predictable are people who come into a forum, rant about the snobbishness of the members, and still not provide an answer or opinion on the original topic. Well done. Though this thread is VERY OLD, I would say X50. Still stand by my MO6 statement, though.

 

Someone got a wee bit offended because I basically described him in my post...

[Thorhead]

I am not sure if thats true. They have reputations of being inexpensively built with plastic, thats not quite the same as being poorly built. Sure, they aint tanks, but I see nothing on them that is wrong. Just cheap. I would be curious to hear real-world scenarios. Do they actually fall apart?? Ive been dealing with rare string instruments for 35 years, so I know how to be uber-careful when handling musical instruments. The X50 in particular feels solid (for what it is). The mm6 feels like a kid's hollow surfboard.

 

X50 does fall apart, first thing that falls is the screen or the powerplug. And belive me they will fail sooner or later.

[GigMan]

Since both keyboards are sitting in the room with me, I can only say what I have already said. Both are good SOUNDING keyboards, and it has been pointed out in this thread the strengths and weaknesses of both. The X50 is much more portable because it is smaller, has handles and is more compact. The mm6 is "less complex", it is larger and bulkier yet incredibly light. The X50 doesnt particularly FEEL plastic, the mm6 does, it feels like a hollow plastic surfboard.

 

Cygnus - good descriptions... I have a Triton Le, have had since 2002 and have gigged hundreds of times w/it since then.

 

I know it is cheaply made and I am not crazy about the keybed but it has great sounds built-in and I didn't have to program much, only alter a few patches slightly... otherwise it has tons o' useable sounds & the X50 seems to carry on that tradition. Except pianos, the acoustic pianos are NOT Korg's strong point.

[xmlguy]

I guess I get to be the lucky one who is the first actual owner of an X50 to post to this zombie thread in the last couple days. The X50 is a whole lot more of a Triton than the MM6 is of a Motif. The MM6 is a PSR in Motif clothing. The X50 is a real Triton. The X50 is worth buying over the MM6 merely for the VST editor.

 

My X50 shows no signs of falling apart, but that may be because I exercise due care and diligence for my gear. The X50 is one of my favorites to carry because it has more power per dollar per pound than other keyboards I have.

[Cygnus64]

I guess I get to be the lucky one who is the first actual owner of an X50 to post to this zombie thread in the last couple days. The X50 is a whole lot more of a Triton than the MM6 is of a Motif. The MM6 is a PSR in Motif clothing. The X50 is a real Triton. The X50 is worth buying over the MM6 merely for the VST editor. .

 

I've been contemplating selling my X50. My analogy: it's kinda like bad chinese food. It tastes good for a while then it has a crappy aftertaste.

 

I guess I'm not a Korg fanboy, the only other thing I've owned from Korg was a Poly 800 back in the dark ages. Everything on the X50 sounds artificial and processed. The first year I had it I really liked it, but lately I use it less and less, and the sound is almost irritating to me. I think it's the reverb.

 

For most people, it would be the better choice by far, no doubt. I think I've come to realize that I'm more of an emulative guy when it comes to synths, it's my classical geekdom upbringing. I want an orchestra in a box. Still, the X50 is an amazing unit for a great price, I just think I am happier with a more acoustic soundset.

 

My next step is to buy a better computer and get some serious samples. The East/West Goliath set looks pretty interesting.

[RichF]

I think it's the reverb.

 

Sounds like you might be a candidate for the MFX checkbox in Global mode. Most of the reverb/delay/other ambience effects are in the MFX section, which you can disable without affecting the IFX. If you want a pure, raw "rediscovery" of your X50, it might be a musically useful change of pace.

 

I have a million things to say about our "orchestra in a box" programming, but I'll spare you... except to say that I recommend you spend 30 minutes playing Combi DynOrchestra 2, really exploring the velocity switching and key ranges. I can't HELP but try to compose for the big screen... or at least hack away at some John Williams themes.

[Cygnus64]

Thanks for responding RichF, it's always nice to see youz guyz on a forum like this listening to your customers.:thu:

 

Sounds like you might be a candidate for the MFX checkbox in Global mode

 

I've done it in the past. I'll try it again and try some of my other reverbs.

 

I have a million things to say about our "orchestra in a box" programming, but I'll spare you... except to say that I recommend you spend 30 minutes playing Combi DynOrchestra 2, really exploring the velocity switching and key ranges.

 

It's impressive programming for sure. Combis like that, Modern Orchestra, Psycho Orch, Phantasmagoria, Magic Kingdom are all quite impressive. In context of this thread, the MM6 has nothing remotely close to that. Win for Korg.

 

I'm in the very small minority of your customers that is an actual pro orchestra player for a 1/4 century. The orch combis are fun when I have company over, I can switch on "Modern Orchestra" and be instant Ligeti. On a practical level, I can't really use them. A velocity-triggered timpani on 12 low brass notes isnt real world, Unless you have an orchestra that carries 12 timpanis and a crappy orchestrator that only knows how to double low brass with unison timpani.

 

The combi that makes sense is under "leads", the "oboe split". Strings accompany an oboe, not double it. Even with that one, there is some other patch doubling the oboe, try it and see. Whatever it is, it's an octave higher. Anyhoo, it's a combi that could "actually happen" in the real world, an oboe player playing a separate part from the strings. Most of the combis are layers, and unison ones at that. Orchestras don't do that.

 

My two cents. Thanks for responding, I'm sure I speak for many that it is really nice to see the guys who sell the stuff respond in threads.

[akliner]

 

Someone got a wee bit offended because I basically described him in my post...

 

 

I'm not offended because I'm not a snob. I just don't know why you waste your time commenting on the culture of a message board with which you obviously take some sort of umbrage.

 

As someone who's played keyboards live, many times, I have found quite a compelling correllation between casing material quality and length of life.

 

Call it what you want, I'm just sharing my experience.

 

Troll away, though. Enjoy yourself.

[Fuzzball24]

I'm not offended because I'm not a snob. I just don't know why you waste your time commenting on the culture of a message board with which you obviously take some sort of umbrage. As someone who's played keyboards live, many times, I have found quite a compelling correllation between casing material quality and length of life. Call it what you want, I'm just sharing my experience. Troll away, though. Enjoy yourself.

 

I don't know why you could call me a troll. I'm being serious. There's a lot of people here that are snobs and have the attitude I talked about. I felt a need to point it out.

 

Maybe you're just not taking care of them very well.

 

I've seen bands tour with CasioTone's and not have them break.