M3 Xpanded....and it looks like it will be basically free..for M3 owners..
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/shownews.cfm?newsid=7234
http://korg.com/gear/prod_info.asp?a_pr ... egory_id=1
Where is Roland?....hello...are you there? can you here us?..yes,hello....yes its us...your Fantom G /Roland loyal customers.......!!!
Apart from the bug fixes, missing / new features, we would also appreciate some new sounds /patches (from SRX at least)
Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
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iixorbiusii
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 21:13, 7 July 2008
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
Yep, I've only had mine a month and already had some great updates from Korg & Karma Labs.
I don't know if it makes any difference, and not wanting to take away anything from the excellent dedication of Artemy here, but I think Karma Lab's Stephen Kay and Korg's Jerry contact with the customers by way of the Korg and Karma forums helps them to understand exactly what is required from their products.
Cheers.
iix.
I don't know if it makes any difference, and not wanting to take away anything from the excellent dedication of Artemy here, but I think Karma Lab's Stephen Kay and Korg's Jerry contact with the customers by way of the Korg and Karma forums helps them to understand exactly what is required from their products.
Cheers.
iix.
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
roland needs to take a hint or take a hike. one of the two.
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
I'm a M3-M user and this last update it's amazing with beautiful acoustic sounds (flutes, oboes, sax, pianos), also great adds for the sequencer, drum patterns, effects... and the best : free of charge !!! Now I waiting the Roland reaction and I hope an update like Korg for the FANTOM G, if not I think I'll be very disapointed.
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
If roland doesn't put out another update soon and make it worth the wait. I WILL be trading in my G6. There are sooooo many problems and missing areas within the G, I feel a tad bit ripped off, I traded in my MV8800 for this thing and i'm starting to miss it. I'm really trying to hang in there in hopes Roland will update the sequencer options and other issues. Just getting sick of waiting. sorry 4 the rant
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
Kudos to Korg for staying on "top of it" with these new updates and enhancements for the M3. It says in the Sonic State article that Korg is doing the M3 Expanded as a "thank you" to loyal Korg customers. Korg also realizes the threat of the Fantom G series with several major keyboard and music magazines giving the Fantom G very high ratings overall. As a side -Yamaha is also releasing an OS update for the Motif XS series that will give the Motif XS "seamless" transition in Performance Mode?? so sounds don't cut out when switching between them, amongst other OS improvements as well.
Yes, BOTH Korg and Yamaha participate in the online communities at Korg PA.com and Motifator.com, respectively. But here at Roland Clan if you listen real closely you'll hear a cricket chirp and the sound of a pin drop.
NO response from Roland at all, unless it's a day or two before an OS update is released.
For whatever reason (and I think it may indeed be a case of Xenophobia i.e. "fear of foreigners"
Roland Japan is, for the most part, keeping its distance from their online customers, and it could eventually backfire on them big time. >> Roland knows what's going on at Korg and Yamaha in the way of these new updates for the M3 and the Motif XS. But if Roland is happy with the way things stand between us and them, then in my opinion, DON'T expect Roland to go the extra mile for us in response to Korg and Yamaha's recent response and good will to their customers who own the M3 and XS. Roland for the most part won't even talk to us, so I will be utterly surprised if they indeed offer something similar for Fantom G owners to what Korg and Yamaha have done/are doing - for M3 and XS owners. 
But I will still hold out hope that even though we can't "see" Roland behind the scenes working, hopefully they are continually and busily doing so.
Yes, BOTH Korg and Yamaha participate in the online communities at Korg PA.com and Motifator.com, respectively. But here at Roland Clan if you listen real closely you'll hear a cricket chirp and the sound of a pin drop.
NO response from Roland at all, unless it's a day or two before an OS update is released. For whatever reason (and I think it may indeed be a case of Xenophobia i.e. "fear of foreigners"
Roland Japan is, for the most part, keeping its distance from their online customers, and it could eventually backfire on them big time. >> Roland knows what's going on at Korg and Yamaha in the way of these new updates for the M3 and the Motif XS. But if Roland is happy with the way things stand between us and them, then in my opinion, DON'T expect Roland to go the extra mile for us in response to Korg and Yamaha's recent response and good will to their customers who own the M3 and XS. Roland for the most part won't even talk to us, so I will be utterly surprised if they indeed offer something similar for Fantom G owners to what Korg and Yamaha have done/are doing - for M3 and XS owners. But I will still hold out hope that even though we can't "see" Roland behind the scenes working, hopefully they are continually and busily doing so.
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
At roland they are so busy with fixing of 10001 bug in Fantom G that they don't have time to visit the clan. They created a Leaning Tower named FG OS and first of all they need to make it stable (it will be the 34.76 OS update) and than they will come here, press "Unread posts" button and make great surprise for us in form of "Merry Christmas 2023 - Mega Voice Upgrade" at a price just 99.99 EUR. 
Yes and this is why i sent my G6 back
I posted a few weeks ago about my disappointment in the roland g6 only because
it had just been released and I felt it didnt have all the things I needed. I was not happy with the sounds. The m3 has a amazing amount of sounds and the sequencer just got an update. So all in all I think Korg is my in touch with its costumers than Roland is. Fast forward 6 months from now maybe Roland will release some great things .
Doug
it had just been released and I felt it didnt have all the things I needed. I was not happy with the sounds. The m3 has a amazing amount of sounds and the sequencer just got an update. So all in all I think Korg is my in touch with its costumers than Roland is. Fast forward 6 months from now maybe Roland will release some great things .
Doug
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
Let's be fair, though ... The M3 has been on the market more than a year longer than Fan-G ...
Still, that update looks nice ... and maybe addresses the M3's biggest shortcoming as a main workstation ... the lack of a good sampled grand piano ... now all it needs is audio tracks ...
Still, that update looks nice ... and maybe addresses the M3's biggest shortcoming as a main workstation ... the lack of a good sampled grand piano ... now all it needs is audio tracks ...
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
*sigh* It's whining time again... Let me ask you guys who complain about the G:
Synthesizers/workstations are fairly expensive. Don't you check things out before you get them?!?! You may do whatever you wish with your money - none of my business anyway - but maybe you should have tried it out properly before you got it. I'm pretty sick and tired of reading about how you miss certain things and that the patches are too bad. For crying out loud, plug in the headphones in the store and try it out for an hour and ask the staff about the functions and other stuff. I believe that's why they work there.
JG (Happy owner)
Synthesizers/workstations are fairly expensive. Don't you check things out before you get them?!?! You may do whatever you wish with your money - none of my business anyway - but maybe you should have tried it out properly before you got it. I'm pretty sick and tired of reading about how you miss certain things and that the patches are too bad. For crying out loud, plug in the headphones in the store and try it out for an hour and ask the staff about the functions and other stuff. I believe that's why they work there.
JG (Happy owner)
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
it takes time
The g has only been out for a few months
The g has only been out for a few months
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
Yeah, if someone is not at all happy with the FG sounds and or features, then it may be best for them to sell it and get something they actually like as far as features and sounds go.
When I first played the FG I knew it was something I wanted to get and for the most part I'm happy with it to this day. Although I do agree with some other members here that there are a few areas regarding the sounds that Roland could have beefed up before releasing the FG to the public. I know, I know..., just tweak what you don't like right? Sure, you can do that and many times get good results too, but if the foundation (the preset) samples are excellent to begin with it makes it a lot easier for those who don't necessarily want to spend hours and hours tweaking sounds to improve them. They want to open up the box, turn the machine on and have excellent presets across the board in every category for every gigging opportunity or recording session. In many cases the Fantom G has already acheived that very thing, but as I said, there are a few areas in some categories that could have used some help to improve sound quality and realism from the get go, in my opinion. For instance, Roland could have given the FG more of the best of the SRX sounds, but they didn't and one has to weigh the positives against the negatives and make their purchasing decision accordingly. I did so, and I still feel I made the right decision in the purchasing of my G7. Would I like to see Roland do for the FG what Korg is doing for the M3? It goes without saying that I do, as well as every other concerned Fantom G owner out there as well I would have to believe.
You are right though in that a person cannot count on Roland giving the Fantom G all kinds of goodies "after the fact" like Korg is doing for the M3. It would be nice of course but we have no way of knowing whether Roland will come through in that regard or not. I still have high hopes though that Roland will indeed come through for Fantom G owners in the way of product support and enhancements similar to what Korg is doing with the M3 Expanded, etc.). And even though Roland doesn't like to discuss with us about what may be going on behind the scenes with the FG I have to believe that they are doing things with their customer's best interests at heart and also in the best interest of their own bottom line.
I guess the crux of the matter is telling those who aren't happy with the Fantom G in it's current state to either grin and bear it and hope for better days ahead regarding Roland's support for the FG, or sell your FG and take the hit and then spend your dough on something you really can appreciate more fully (if that's possible), in the way of both sounds and features - (again, if that's even possible in today's keyboard market when you compare other keyboards against the Fantom G). My personal opinion of course.
When I first played the FG I knew it was something I wanted to get and for the most part I'm happy with it to this day. Although I do agree with some other members here that there are a few areas regarding the sounds that Roland could have beefed up before releasing the FG to the public. I know, I know..., just tweak what you don't like right?
Sure, you can do that and many times get good results too, but if the foundation (the preset) samples are excellent to begin with it makes it a lot easier for those who don't necessarily want to spend hours and hours tweaking sounds to improve them. They want to open up the box, turn the machine on and have excellent presets across the board in every category for every gigging opportunity or recording session. In many cases the Fantom G has already acheived that very thing, but as I said, there are a few areas in some categories that could have used some help to improve sound quality and realism from the get go, in my opinion. For instance, Roland could have given the FG more of the best of the SRX sounds, but they didn't and one has to weigh the positives against the negatives and make their purchasing decision accordingly. I did so, and I still feel I made the right decision in the purchasing of my G7. Would I like to see Roland do for the FG what Korg is doing for the M3? It goes without saying that I do, as well as every other concerned Fantom G owner out there as well I would have to believe. You are right though in that a person cannot count on Roland giving the Fantom G all kinds of goodies "after the fact" like Korg is doing for the M3. It would be nice of course but we have no way of knowing whether Roland will come through in that regard or not. I still have high hopes though that Roland will indeed come through for Fantom G owners in the way of product support and enhancements similar to what Korg is doing with the M3 Expanded, etc.). And even though Roland doesn't like to discuss with us about what may be going on behind the scenes with the FG I have to believe that they are doing things with their customer's best interests at heart and also in the best interest of their own bottom line.
I guess the crux of the matter is telling those who aren't happy with the Fantom G in it's current state to either grin and bear it and hope for better days ahead regarding Roland's support for the FG, or sell your FG and take the hit and then spend your dough on something you really can appreciate more fully (if that's possible), in the way of both sounds and features - (again, if that's even possible in today's keyboard market when you compare other keyboards against the Fantom G).
My personal opinion of course. Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
Seems like Korg is really stretching the value of their customer's dollars(pounds/eruos/ruppies/etc). With all this talk I might have to look at what they are doing. I don't know about you- but with the price of gas going up (and everything else)- it is hard to justify such a big investment (if you are not making money in music)- Korg might be worth considering (although now I have an odd taste in my mouth- yeuck- did I just consider Korg- what am I thinking????? hehe)
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iixorbiusii
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 21:13, 7 July 2008
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
Keysme is completely right, and I did just that - I spent several hours with the FG, M3 and Motif - and subsequently settled on the last two.
I would still like to add the FG to my setup, but only once I am happy with the way it 'speaks to me' in the store.
I've been lucky that Korg (and Yamaha soon, too I understand) are active with their updates, but when I invested in them, there were no guarantees that updates would come through. You have to assume that the synth will remain the same as it was on the day you bought it - any updates are a bonus I guess.
The M3 and the XS aren't without their critics though - there are a number of owners with issues that affects THEIR enjoyment and I think part of the problem in general is that not everyone is lucky enough to have a GC or equivalent within easy reach - all they can 'go on' for their research are reviews, specs, MP3 demos and forums. I think we have to be empathetic in these cases.
Cheers.
iix.
I would still like to add the FG to my setup, but only once I am happy with the way it 'speaks to me' in the store.
I've been lucky that Korg (and Yamaha soon, too I understand) are active with their updates, but when I invested in them, there were no guarantees that updates would come through. You have to assume that the synth will remain the same as it was on the day you bought it - any updates are a bonus I guess.
The M3 and the XS aren't without their critics though - there are a number of owners with issues that affects THEIR enjoyment and I think part of the problem in general is that not everyone is lucky enough to have a GC or equivalent within easy reach - all they can 'go on' for their research are reviews, specs, MP3 demos and forums. I think we have to be empathetic in these cases.
Cheers.
iix.
Re: Korg (M3) are leading in the updates stakes
All things said, there are only two things I'd point out here:
1) I don't think this is the appropriate place for a "Korg vs Yamaha vs Roland" thread. Also I hate whineing.
2) The only real "threat" I recognize for Fantom-G's dominance on the keyboard workstation market is the Motif-XS. I really can't take Korg M3 at all seriously.
p.s.: I don't think that Fantom-G is exactly flawless or without drawbacks, but the only real rival, in terms of sound quality and features, is the Motif-XS.
1) I don't think this is the appropriate place for a "Korg vs Yamaha vs Roland" thread. Also I hate whineing.
2) The only real "threat" I recognize for Fantom-G's dominance on the keyboard workstation market is the Motif-XS. I really can't take Korg M3 at all seriously.
p.s.: I don't think that Fantom-G is exactly flawless or without drawbacks, but the only real rival, in terms of sound quality and features, is the Motif-XS.