Korg M1 or X5D

N

neno

New member
Both are going for 300$. I need synth for some dark new-agey retro stuff, lot of warm pads etc.
I will be also using it as midi keyboard, I wasn't too happy with key action and cheap feel of some Midi keyboard controlers so I would like to hear how these two Korg models compare.
Thanks.
 
I think you'll get alot of different answers on this. Anyways, I've never played opn the M-1 but it is still kind of popular with some of the bands where I live. Mostly Tejano Bands.

I like the X5D because it reminded me of my X3 which I still use on the road and in the studio. :) I thought it was pretty straight foward and easy to use. The diff from the X5d and my X3 I thought was just the lack of sequencer.

I had a choice to either buy the X5D or an Alesis QS.6 and I bought the Alesis because I didn't want to have 2 keyboards that were the same brand. (Weird Huh?)

You can check out these reviews and specs if you want:

http://www.vintagesynth.org/korg/m1.shtml

http://www.sonicstate.com/synth/korg_x5d.cfm

http://www.harmony-central.com/Synth/Data/Korg/M1-01.html

http://www.epinions.com/inst-Synthesizers-X5D_Synthesizer/display_~reviews
 
Personally I'd go with the X5d, though I once got chewed out for implying (ok, I flat out said) the x5d was better than the m1.
It amounts to this; they're basically the same synth, but the x5d is about 7 or 8 years newer than the M1. On the flipside, the M1 was a "flagship" synth at the time it was released, whereas the x5d was an entry level synth when it was released. So you're looking at newer technology, probably more patch memory, more fx, etc. with the X5d, but you're also getting a slightly flimsier product. I only played an M1 at a couple of flyout gigs when it's all the promoter could rent, and from what I remember the action was decent and the sound was solid, but the programming options were limited and the samples a bit dated. My mom had an x5d (now my brother has it), and from what I remember it's action felt kind of cheap and it has a very small lcd for editing.
That's probably not much help, but what can I say?
 
I have read through some information on these two keybaords ("Keyfax Ominbus Edition" by Julian Colbeck, the sonicstate website, and bsr2002's links) and a few things jump out at me.

The Korg M1 is a classic, a best seller by which all other synthesizers where measured during its first four or five years of production (produced from '88-'94). I have never played one but have heard about it for the last ten years. It has a nostalgia element to me (like a car lovers veiw of a 60's classic Mustang)...

The Korg XD5 came out in '95 (list price - $895) with top-of-the-line sounds (8 MB of waveforms) and polyphony (64 max) in an otherwise barebones package (no sequencer or disk-drive) and a couple of owners mentioned in the links that it's not a great instrument to take on the road implying that it could have been built sturdier and putting into question how the keys "feel" (if that is something that is important to you). It does have a built-in PC interface (I don't know what that means but it might be important to you)

The (basic, unaltered) M1 has only 16-voice polyphony and 4 MB of waveforms (the X5D has 64-voice polyphony and 8 MB of waveforms.)...the M1 was introduced in '88, 7 years before the introduction of the X5D which leads me to believe that the X5D would sound (for good or bad) the more modern of the two.

I have never read pro or con on the sturdiness and the keyboard feel of the M1 (the original list price was $2166, which suggests high quality)...The M1 does have a built-in sequencer (no disk-drive, Hey M1 owners can you save sequences to a card or do you have to hook it up to a computer to save sequences)...

I know none of the above comes close to hearing both instruments and playing them side by side...just my attempt to compare them on paper.
 
Get the X5D. The M1 sequencer has such a tiny memory and is so limited it might as well not exist. The X5D is superior by every yardstick that keyboards are measured by --- polyphony, quality of sounds, quality and quantity of effects, etc, etc...

The M1 got a bunch of attention @ the time because there was nothing else like it on the market. Now there is, and with memory as expensive as it was in the mid-80's the sounds haven't aged well.
 
I owned both, sold the X5D and kept the M1. The X5D is cheap for a reason - it has terrible keyboard action, no aftertouch and it definetly sounds too thin and plasticky. The M1 has the FS keybed (same as the DX7, Motif and Triton synths) and the sound is much warmer because of better DACs.
 
Gotta agree, however reluctantly, with brzilian there. I've played an M1 and own an X5D. The actionless keys are a drag, and there's no internal sequencer. There are newer patches on the X5D along with some from the M1, but given the choice you have, I'd go M1.
 
My brother has an X5, not sure what the differences between that and the X5D are, but the main problem in my mind is that it's not a very programmable synth. The M1 is more programmable and more professional in concept, even though it does have some limitations like the 16 note polyphony. I still have my M1REX, and have never felt tempted by the X5 series.

Does it have to be between those to synths? The Korg O1/W is a great synth, and maybe you could find one of those cheap.
 
I did play with 01/W several years ago, it was really fine synth with rich evolving pads and nice orchestral section and would deffinitely choose it over M1 and X5D anytime, but price is a factor. Used 01/W ( the only one that I know about )sells for 700$. I know I could find it much cheaper on ebay (300$) but shipping cost would add another 300-400$.
 
Ouch on that shipping! I just noticed you are in Croatia.

If all other factors are equal, and it's between the X5D and M1, I'm going to stick with the M1. Despite its limitations I think there will be more you can do with it. Plus, you can buy expansion boards for it, something I don't think you can do with the X5D. Even though the expansion boards are an additional expense, you can buy just the ones you want, and shipping will be low because they are small. The organ and orchestral expansions are really surprisingly good. There are a lot of different boards to choose from, although some are more rare and pricey than others.
 
They may have stopped making the M1 10 years ago and it's "technology" may be dated but you still see them being used by some well known artists at times........that alone should tell you something about them.
 
SonicAlbert said:
My brother has an X5, not sure what the differences between that and the X5D are
Click to expand...


X5D - "D"ouble the polyphony of the X5 (64 vs. 32) and has an additional bank of 100 Patches the X5 doesn't have.
 
Go for the M1

I'd go for the M1. Ok, I've only played an X5D, but the M1 is a CLASSIC.

The M1 is often a model to get synthheads salivating, rather like the Les Paul for guitarists...

It has classic pads for that Clannad/Enya sound. Probably why the M1 always reminds me of Celtic/New Age stuff.

I'm thinking of looking for an M1 myself actually.

The X5D is fun. I used to use one in a band. Handy standard sounds, but nothing groundbreaking that my Roland couldn't do. It includes that overused sequence pad that appears on every Enigma album, which is nice, although a bit '90s...

You don't need an onboard sequencer - you've got a computer...right?
 
I've been using an m-1 for about ten years now and it's stood the test of time.The hey action is still superior to some of the newer synths on the market today.Granted it does have some limitations compared to todays synths but if you can get one for $300.00 , it sounds like a helluva deal for what you're looking for.
 
Agent47 said:
The M1 is often a model to get synthheads salivating, rather like the Les Paul for guitarists...
Click to expand...

Dude, I'm one of the biggest synthheads on the planet. I'm friends with a LOT of synthheads. Not one of them gets wistful about the M1 because its architecture and feel were duplicated across a five year period (at least!) of synthesizers. It's just another boring ROMPLER not half as exciting as a JD800 or Korg Wavestation was. Heck, the stupid K5 is more exciting than the M1.

The M1 is 'classic' in the way that gated drum sounds or hair metal bands were... it screams instant 'cheese'. Avoid at all costs. There is nothing that the M1 that a dozen or so other synths do TEN TIMES BETTER. At the time it came out, however, it combined sequencing, ROM based sounds and multieffects into a single unit and thus was very impressive. Nobody really works that way anymore... that time has passed.

Anyway, almost all ROMPLERS are superfluous nowadays because samplers are so darn cheap. All a ROMPLER is is a sampler without the ability to sample that has to draw from a small 2-6 mb pool of waveforms. Yawn.

If you want something from that era, get a darn Kurzweil K2000 fully expanded and rock on. That is still a great keyboard.

Keyboards that get synthheads drooling are usually way cooler than the M1, and often way older. The Les Paul of synths is the Minimoog. The Fender Strat of synths is the Prophet 5 (my personal favorite of which I own a mint, MIDI'd version). Synths that get synth geeks excited are typically older analogs like the Jupiter 8, Juno 60, Arp Odyssey, or Oberheim OBXa; digital synths that make us excited are usually well-spec'd VA synths that duplicate the vintage analogs, or the occasional weird synth (Waldorf XT) or something that uses a different type of synthesis like additive or FM.

Korg M1... HAHAHHAHA! The Korg Wavestation owns over those and they are a lot cheaper. Uses similar internal architecture and the EX version should have all the ROM snippets in there... and it is cheaper to boot. Vector synthesis... yummy. :)
 
Cloneboy Studio said:
Dude, I'm one of the biggest synthheads on the planet. I'm friends with a LOT of synthheads. Not one of them gets wistful about the M1 because its architecture and feel were duplicated across a five year period (at least!) of synthesizers. It's just another boring ROMPLER not half as exciting as a JD800 or Korg Wavestation was. Heck, the stupid K5 is more exciting than the M1.

The M1 is 'classic' in the way that gated drum sounds or hair metal bands were... it screams instant 'cheese'. Avoid at all costs. There is nothing that the M1 that a dozen or so other synths do TEN TIMES BETTER. At the time it came out, however, it combined sequencing, ROM based sounds and multieffects into a single unit and thus was very impressive. Nobody really works that way anymore... that time has passed.

Anyway, almost all ROMPLERS are superfluous nowadays because samplers are so darn cheap. All a ROMPLER is is a sampler without the ability to sample that has to draw from a small 2-6 mb pool of waveforms. Yawn.

If you want something from that era, get a darn Kurzweil K2000 fully expanded and rock on. That is still a great keyboard.

Keyboards that get synthheads drooling are usually way cooler than the M1, and often way older. The Les Paul of synths is the Minimoog. The Fender Strat of synths is the Prophet 5 (my personal favorite of which I own a mint, MIDI'd version). Synths that get synth geeks excited are typically older analogs like the Jupiter 8, Juno 60, Arp Odyssey, or Oberheim OBXa; digital synths that make us excited are usually well-spec'd VA synths that duplicate the vintage analogs, or the occasional weird synth (Waldorf XT) or something that uses a different type of synthesis like additive or FM.

Korg M1... HAHAHHAHA! The Korg Wavestation owns over those and they are a lot cheaper. Uses similar internal architecture and the EX version should have all the ROM snippets in there... and it is cheaper to boot. Vector synthesis... yummy. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the "synth snob" opinion, but you're basically full of it.

Unlike most Romplers from the 90's, the M1's sound has character not unlike the Roland D-50. Manufacturers still cared about DAC quality and the like from 1987-1990 before electronic parts and solid state memory started really getting cheap in the 90's. The M1's Piano sound is still used today because of the way it cuts through a mix. The Pick Bass sound also has a warmth to it that none of Roland's JV or XP synths could ever touch. My Motif comes close, but the M1 still stands out.

To be honest, the Wavestation never really impressed me. My music does not consist of holding chords for entire measures to hear sounds evolve...
 
brzilian said:
Unlike most Romplers from the 90's, the M1's sound has character not unlike the Roland D-50. Manufacturers still cared about DAC quality and the like from 1987-1990 before electronic parts and solid state memory started really getting cheap in the 90's. The M1's Piano sound is still used today because of the way it cuts through a mix. The Pick Bass sound also has a warmth to it that none of Roland's JV or XP synths could ever touch. My Motif comes close, but the M1 still stands out.

To be honest, the Wavestation never really impressed me. My music does not consist of holding chords for entire measures to hear sounds evolve...
Click to expand...

I'm definately a synth snob. No doubt about it.

If you want those boring old sounds, sure... go for it. The JD800 is far more exciting IMHO. The Wavestation can do a lot more than just evolving tones if you program it.

But I get the impression that you're a preset type of guy. Whatever. First thing I do is get rid of the presets. I don't like romplers much anyways... I like analog synths. Instead of having a rompler, I'd rather have a sampler like the EIII or K2000.
 
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