micheleferrucci Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Hi guys, wondering what will you suggest me to buy because I've read a lot about these two great machines but I'm still confused... I know that XL will be easer to connect to my laptop and "probably" (that's what I've read in some forums actually)the classic version will sound perfect for techno-music's sounds. What do you think about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tristancalvaire Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Hi guys, wondering what will you suggest me to buy because I've read a lot about these two great machines but I'm still confused... I know that XL will be easer to connect to my laptop and "probably" (that's what I've read in some forums actually)the classic version will sound perfect for techno-music's sounds. What do you think about? They're both different synth engines but they both serve the same functionality. They're virtual analogue (digital emulations of) subtractive synthesizers. In terms of easier to connect to a computer- yes and no. The XL does have a USB port for MIDI (which is not sound, but rather information about which key you pressed, how hard, etc.) but in terms of audio you'll have to connect both the MicroKORG and XL the same way. If you want to use USB with the original MicroKORG you can buy $0.01 USB-MIDI 'cables' (they're technically mini interfaces) off ebay- they're fairly unreliable but incredibly affordable. However, I'd recommend against using USB with either the original MK or XL as it'll often introduce a high-pitched whine to your synth due to noisy cable. In terms of features, the XL does have a few more– it has more effects, some newer DWGS waveforms (a special wave format for Korg), a higher polyphony (more notes can be played at a time), among other things. However, most users find that the XL's sound is a bit colder and more sterile than the original MicroKORG- it uses the Korg Radias's MMT engine to form its oscillators and filters, whereas the original MicroKORG uses the MS2000 engine that is modeled after the very harsh and warm MS20. If the choice is between the MicroKORG or the XL, I'd personally choose the original MicroKORG as it has an inherently more pleasant characteristic to its timbre. However, if you need to create massive chordal sounds that'll use up a lot of polyphony (say, a synthesized orchestra all from one timbre), you have have to go with the XL; it can play 8 notes at a time whereas the original MK is 4. It does also have slightly more features for sound manipulation, but I find that this isn't nearly as important as the synth's character (especially when you can apply effects to the sound in Logic). However, if you can afford it- I'd sport to buy a used Korg R3 (or even a Radias, if you can), or a used Korg MS2000. The R3 and Radias make up for the cold engine with far more polyphony, effects, filtering and waveshaping options. The Korg MS2000 has a similar tonality to the microKORG, but more polyphony and features. Best of luck! Also, saying what styles of music you're specifically interested in making may be helpful for choosing a synth– unfortunately 'techno' has become a generic term for electronic music and isn't all too specific. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micheleferrucci Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 Whoa, that was a fantastic comparison! Thank you very much! Really interested in XL's polyphony because it will sound probably more "professional" but I suppose it could be the same for the classic one if I set the right eq etc. Yes you're right: I'll be more specific by posting a little clip of a track I'm trying to create: https://soundcloud.com/micheleferrucci/sabotage-clip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tristancalvaire Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Whoa, that was a fantastic comparison! Thank you very much! Really interested in XL's polyphony because it will sound probably more "professional" but I suppose it could be the same for the classic one if I set the right eq etc. Yes you're right: I'll be more specific by posting a little clip of a track I'm trying to create: https://soundcloud.com/micheleferrucci/sabotage-clip Err... not so certain more polyphony = more professional. Some older and even modern, very professional synthesizers are monophonic- meaning they can only play one note at a time. It really depends on how big of timbres and chords you need to form. Four notes is enough to form pretty much any chord; you only really need more for voice doubling. Either Microkorg would be fine for that styling, though a lot of it is sample-based (taking small recordings of audio from various sources and splicing it together). The XL might offer you more features and is a bit more harsh/digital which'd help for sounds akin to what you linked. I'd still sport for an R3 or MS2000 though, if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micheleferrucci Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 Well a lot of friends uses polyphony for their works and the final results is quite great, so i've been probably misleaded Why do you spot for a R3 or a MS2000? Have they got a different engine inside? Sorry mate, I know my questions are stupid but I would like to know more before doing this "investment" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tristancalvaire Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Well a lot of friends uses polyphony for their works and the final results is quite great, so i've been probably misleaded Why do you spot for a R3 or a MS2000? Have they got a different engine inside? Sorry mate, I know my questions are stupid but I would like to know more before doing this "investment" Polyphony isn't really a... sound? All it does is allow you to play additional notes at the same time. If you're recording in a DAW like Logic, you can always record multiple tracks of the same synth timbre playing differing notes to feign a higher polyphony count. I'm not exactly sure how to better explain it but it's very rare that you'll need eight notes of the same timbre at once, especially for electronic music. The MS2000 has the same engine as the MicroKORG (or rather the MK the same as the MS2K), just with more features. The R3 has the same engine as the XL and Radias, just with more features than the XL. You can usually find either on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micheleferrucci Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 Yeah, I didn't mean to say it was a sound and actually Logic's AUs let you set polyphony's notes, I was probably milseading something while listening to their tracks Thanks man, you gave me a lot of information I'll try to see if I can find some second-hand goods on Ebay Again, thank you so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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