Korg M3 is a
music workstation
A music workstation is an electronic musical instrument providing the facilities of:
*a sound module,
*a music sequencer and
*(usually) a musical keyboard.
It enables a musician to compose electronic music using just one piece of equipment.
Or ...
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
manufactured by
Korg Corporation and introduced at the
NAMM Show
The NAMM Show is an annual trade show in the United States organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), which describes it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...
in January 2007, being released four months later. The M3 is the successor of the famous
Triton
Triton commonly refers to:
* Triton (mythology), a Greek god
* Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune
Triton may also refer to:
Biology
* Triton cockatoo, a parrot
* Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails
* ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus' ...
series. The name is based on the former
M1, which was considered a revolutionary synth at the time (and is not to be confused with Korg M3R rack mount unit of 1989, which was a cost-reduced version of the M1R rack unit).
The hardware synthesizer chip was designed around the HD-1, one of the various engines in the
Korg OASYS
The Korg OASYS is a workstation synthesizer released in early 2005, 1 year after the successful Korg Triton Extreme. Unlike the Triton series, the OASYS uses a custom Linux operating system that was designed to be arbitrarily expandable via softw ...
. The M3 was named keyboard of the year at the
Musik Messe Awards in Germany in early 2007.
Firmware
At the end of Q3 2008, Korg released a major update to the M3's operating system, which changes the unit to the 'M3 XPanded'. This update refines many of the functions of the M3, makes minor changes to the
graphic user interface
A graphical user interface, or GUI, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notation. In many applications, GUIs are used instead of te ...
, adds four additional
PCM
Pulse-code modulation (PCM) is a method used to Digital signal (signal processing), digitally represent analog signals. It is the standard form of digital audio in computers, compact discs, digital telephony and other digital audio application ...
sample libraries including a grand piano (EX-USB-PCM03) library, two brass and woodwind libraries (EX-USB-PCM01 & EX-USB-PCM02), a stereo grand piano (EX-USB-PCM04) library, and updates the KARMA to version 2.2 Kay Algorithmic Realtime Music Architecture developed by Stephen Kay (see:
Korg KARMA
The Korg KARMA music workstation was released in 2001 as a specialised member of the Korg Triton family. KARMA stands for Kay's Algorithmic Real-time Music Architecture. The unit features up to 62 note polyphony and is 16-part multitimbral. Its s ...
).
Korg Komponent System
Korg Komponent System is a unique modular keyboard system devised by Korg that allows the keyboardist to configure their M3 in a multitude of ways. With three different keyboard options Korg explains the system like this:
The 61-key model lets you mount a RADIAS-R analog modeling synthesizer instead of the M3-M sound generator, the 73-key model lets you mount the M3-M together with a RADIAS-R analog modeling synthesizer, and the 88-key model supports the combination of M3-M and RADIAS-R or even mounting two M3-M units simultaneously. Of course you can detach the M3-M sound generator and use it as a sound module, giving you great flexibility for constructing the system you need whenever you want.
Korg M50
In 2008, Korg unveiled a new, stripped-down version of the M3: the Korg M50. It runs on the same EDS sound system as the M3, but it has less polyphony, no support for expansion cards, and no sampling capabilities. The Korg M50 also lacks a Karma engine, but it can still be used if bought separately and installed on a computer.
[http://www.karma-lab.com/karmasoft/m50/m50_main.html Karma M50 software] The 88-key version, which featured the RH3 graded hammer-action piano keys, is the lightest 88-key keyboard Korg has ever made.
See also
*
Korg Kronos
The Kronos is a music workstation manufactured by Korg that combines nine different synthesizer sound engines with a sequencer, digital recorder, effects, a color touchscreen display and a keyboard. Korg's latest flagship synthesizer series at ...
*
Korg Trinity
The Korg Trinity is a synthesizer and music workstation released by Korg in 1995. It was Korg's first modern workstation and marked a significant evolution from its predecessors by offering features such as built-in digital audio recording, 32-no ...
*
Korg Triton
The Korg Triton is a music workstation synthesizer, featuring digital sampling and sequencing, released in 1999. It uses Korg's "HI (Hyper Integrated) Synthesis" system and was eventually available in several model variants with numerous upgrade o ...
*
Korg Karma
The Korg KARMA music workstation was released in 2001 as a specialised member of the Korg Triton family. KARMA stands for Kay's Algorithmic Real-time Music Architecture. The unit features up to 62 note polyphony and is 16-part multitimbral. Its s ...
*
Korg RADIAS
The Korg RADIAS is a virtual analog synthesizer and Vocoder, released by Korg in 2006. The RADIAS' MMT (Multiple Modelling Technology) engine was based on the Korg OASYS synthesizer module, providing for several different synthesis methods, two ...
*
Alesis Fusion
Alesis Fusion is a music production workstation produced by Alesis introduced in early 2005. It uses four different types of synthesis: sample and synthesis, virtual analog, FM and physical modeling. It includes sampling capability through an ...
*
Roland Fantom-X
The Fantom-X (Xa/X6/X7/X8/XR) was a music workstation/synthesizer in the Roland Fantom line, produced by Roland Corporation. It was introduced in 2004 as an upgrade from the Fantom S series. The Fantom-X competes with the Korg Triton/Triton Ex ...
*
Roland Juno-G
Roland Juno-G is a music workstation/synth introduced in 2006 by Roland Corporation. It is based on the Fantom-X series, having a vintage design that resembles the first Juno synthesizers, such as the Juno-106. The Juno-G's main competitors i ...
*
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument that records and plays back samples (portions of sound recordings). Samples may comprise elements such as rhythm, melody, speech, sound effects or longer portions of music.
The mid-20th century sa ...
References
*
External links
Korg WebsiteKarma-Lab Website - M3 pageKarma-Lab Wiki - M3 articlesKorg Forums WebsiteKarma-Lab M3 forums
(archive.org)
{{Korg
M3
Products introduced in 2007
Products and services discontinued in 2013
Music workstations