Korg Triton vs Nord Lead 3

  • Thread starter Thread starter Skye
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Skye

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Well, here's the deal. I'm really into these two stations, but I am not sure which one I want. I'm not asking for a choice between them, just some details from anybody who owns them.

I'm into hip-hop, r&b, soul & reggae. I need a synth/rack/station that can give me a library of sounds for these genre's. If anyone has heard Dr Dre's, Chronic 2001. Remy Shand's new album, and especially Alicia Keys, Songs In A Minor. I want to cover all of the vibes in this area, if you have mp3's of your work with these two items then please feel free to share them.

Also, if you know of a rack/synth/station that I could look at that has these features, drop the name and where I can look for it. Ill thank you in advance, and any idea's, suggestions, or tips for my search for my first synth/rack/station would be really helpful.

Skye
 
Of those 2 definitly the triton, you need the bread and butter sounds that the lead wont give you, but if I were you, I would look into the Yamaha Motif ........
 
Skye, those are two completely different synths. The triton is definitely what you want to start out with. Alot of people around here really like the motif8, then some like the kurz alot, but I think the tritons are sold more than either. All three offer the same features basically. I own a kurz k2500s and I love it, but if I were looking today, I would personally choose the triton. Do you have a music store that carries those models? If so, go check them out and decide for yourself. Their all good starters.

The other synths I mentioned was a list of the most popular and best virtual analog synthesizers out today. Nord lead 2 or 3, /access virus b, kb, indigo or c, indigo 2, c rackmount /korg ms2000 /novation supernovaII /waldorf (any) are all good choices available for a wide range of prices. For instance you can get a lead 2 for about $1000 less than the lead 3. Same with the virus B and C series. And a supernova II or a waldorf Q+ is gonna be real expensive.

A work station like the 3 mentioned is going to give you sequencing and sampling capability, along with tons of every different kind of sound you can imagine. You actually don't even have to have a computer to compose music on one of these. Depending on what model and options you have you may have a hard drive right in the synth or you will use floppy, zip or cd to import and export sounds. I guarantee it will take you a year to fully learn any of the three. The capabilities and possibilities will make your head swim! They are really cool. And that's definitely what you need to start (my opinion).

A virtual analog synth on the other hand is probably my favorite thing in life, and I don't even play well. Probably cuz I spend my life replying to threads like this instead of practicing.
:rolleyes: Anyway, they unlike the workstations produce sound without samples. In a workstation sounds come from memory or samples off of a cd or sampled by the onboard sampler, or however the sample gets there, it's a sample. It's as sample as that:p . Virtual analogs create sound in a variety of ways using generated wave forms in a variety of shapes or types. To make that a little simpler... It has a thing that goes "woooooooooooooooooooooooooo" or "BRRRRREEEEEENNNNNGGGGHHHH" ( my phoenetics are a little rusty ) and that sound is fed through a programmable array of oscillators and filters and modulators and efx and etc, to produce sounds that are just plain crazy sometimes. So basically the sound is made by the machine onsite rather than using something prerecorded.

Both a workstation and va synths offer endless programming possibilities, and it's really quite fun doing either. But I epecially love va programming. If you got good deals you could get the workstation and a rack unit va synth for under $2500 maybe less or just a bit more depending on what models. And that would give you the flexibility to produce all the rythym sounds, accompanying bass or pads or stings or what ever all together as well as the expressive leads, fat basses, and wild arpeggiated soundscapes that come from a va. They both do things in acompletely different way. That's why it's nice to have more than one. But I warn you, synths are addictive. The next one is never enough!

Hope that helps. Happy hunting.
 
I just read me a novel!

Wow, much props for the indepth response again sub.

Well, from the sounds of it I can tell you like VA alot too. I haven't used, touched or even heard either to my vast knowledge. I have to go to the music store next week, while I'm in a town that they carry almost everything. I've got a massive list too, but yet again you have helped me out quite a bit. Ill be sure to consider and research all of those models you suggested. Until then, the continous count of questions I have, continue. :D

Btw, all of those synths you mentioned, are va right?
 
The second list. The nord leads, virus', ms2000,nova and waldorf are va.
The korg triton, kurz k2500s and yamaha moti 8 are sample based workstations.

Like I said, if you can pick up one of each you'll have the best of both worlds. I personally like having keyed versions, but you can save normally several hundred dollars by getting rack units. Of the va's that is. I would stick to the full keyed versiions of the workstations, and use that as your primary controller.

Like I know for instance you can get a fully loaded k2500s that cost 4k a few years ago for about 1500 these days. And if you were to go with a virus B or nord lead 2, you could get one of those for somewhere around $1000. Maybe less. Add a good soundcard and monitors, another $1500. And your set! That would still leave you money for software and/or some toward a new computer if your'e gonna upgrade.

Again, that's just how I would do it. Because it's gonna take you a while to learn how to programm and use either or both. By the time you get a grip on that, you'll know what else you want to go with it and hopefully have more money to spend by then.
 
hmmm...

i don't think you'll be needing V/A synthesis much... on the motif you have plenty of synth programming available and the sounds are awesome... it also provides you with a better sampler than the triton does, and if you ever want to get some V/A, then theres a neat expansion card containing the Yamaha AN200 synth... cheap and extremely effective and integradable...
for those bands you mention, i'd get a sampling workstation... the tritons ain't bad either, but they're no match for the motif or the kurzweil...
 
nope... it's a true V/A plugin... you can also get the DX200 as a plugin... fully modulable like the desktop versions... exact same stuffings and same quality... rather clever... (and about time it became an option on workstations like these...)
 
I'll have to check it out. It's gonna be hard to convince me that it would sound as good as a lead or virus. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt until I do.:rolleyes:
 
supah... but just so you know, it isn't quite as good as a virus or a nord lead, but it's more than sufficient - should i think - for rnb and hip hop... lovely sound and great modulation, only one part though...
 
Hmm..

This isn't a 100% choice, but here's what I have in mind.

Korg Triton w/ Nord Rack 3, is it possible to encorperate both?

(Using the Triton as a main unit, but will I still be able to hook up the Rack to the Triton unit?)

Oh yeah, alot of people I hear talking about the Nord Lead and all the va synths. They say those synths are for techno! There's no limits with va am I right?
 
Of course you can get both and use them together, no problem!

And of course there are limitations with virtual analogs. Tons of them. A good sampler typically has other limitations. It's a matter of choice. For the type of music you are mentioning, a Triton will be a better fit. And to get those neat electronic sounds, maybe a second hand Nord Lead 1/2/3 rack as a compliment?

The most unlimited virtual analog you'll find is the Nord Modular. But it has loads of limitations too.
 
Thanks!

Man, this site is great!

Thanks all, I appreciate it. Ill mos def look into all of these, and Ill look around for used Nords. But, Ill probably buy one of the racks from Nord for sure. Im just stuck on a workstation, I might just be able to get one with the rack. But, thanks for the great replies.
 
I don't know what you guys mean by "limitations"...

VA's do make sounds that are techno. But you also get the fattest bass' and the most unique sounds from a va.

As far as getting a lead 3 and triton, I would spend some time playing with various models, since it's your first one. Lead 3 aint cheap. Lead 2 is, ms2000 is and virus B's are. I'm not saying don't buy it. I really like mine, but I really like my ms2000 too, and it's about 1500 less new right now. Just kinda depends on your budget. But I will tell you that the sounds the Lead3 make lend themselves more to someone that knows how to play keys. But it does have a ton of sounds. 1024 patches and 256 performances, as compared to 128 patches on the ms2000. I'm not sure how many the virus' come with.
I think it would be easy enough to use a va in hip hop & R&B, especially for bass.

But, Ill probably buy one of the racks from Nord for sure. Im just stuck on a workstation, I might just be able to get one with the rack
Click to expand...

Get a full keyed version of the workstation.
 
Chriss said:


besides from the microwave/wave by waldorf.. :rolleyes: .. old discussion
Click to expand...

Ehm, no. That's a completely new discussion, to me at least. And it would be pretty quickly ended.

Lets see. Would you be able to implement a Karplus-Strong physical model of a flute in the wave synthesizers? Would you be able to implement a pong game with it?

You can do that with the modular.

Now, which of the sounds *best* is another matter altogether. :)
 
OK regebro, I can understand with your programming back ground you are a super geek, and something like a synthesizer being able to emulate a pong game seems like the coolest thing that has ever happened... But It's not exactly relevant when shopping for an instrument.:rolleyes:

I meant "super geek" in the nicest way. Like a compliment you might say.:p
 
regebro said:


Ehm, no. That's a completely new discussion, to me at least. And it would be pretty quickly ended.

Lets see. Would you be able to implement a Karplus-Strong physical model of a flute in the wave synthesizers? Would you be able to implement a pong game with it?

You can do that with the modular.

Now, which of the sounds *best* is another matter altogether. :)
Click to expand...

lol... i knew this was coming... do you need a karplus-strong physical model of a flute? heeell no :D i rather want the hard sync and the wavetable of the microwave.... matter of taste.... but the nm is kewl...
 
Yes, I do need Karplus-Strong modelling. It's my favourite flute sound, that patch. I do admit that I don't need my Modular to be used as a pong-game, however.

I want wave-tables too, and the Modular doesn't have them, and thats too bad. And it doesn't have any reverbs or anything that requires lots of memory. So as I said, it has it's limitations. But it still is the most flexible virtual analog you'll find. Hey, it's MODULAR, you know. And yes, it has hard sync. You can easily have 8 different oscillators all hard syncing each others asses if thats what you like. :)
 
It would be nice if nord patches were able to be swapped between the modular and the leads.
 
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