Fusion-
First off, all three of the major workstations are highly capable machines with a wealth of sounds, powerful sampling, and workable sequencers. They all have their own personalities to be sure, but any of them are going to be able to produce excellent tracks once you learn them.
I'm not sure what deficiencies you find in the Korg hardware. The Triton Extreme comes loaded with just about everything Korg has to offer. The only other option is the MOSS board which is a great addition if you're into analog.
Explaining the KARMA function is difficult because it's hard to do it justice. Did you look at the KARMA Lab web site? Did you listen to any of the demos? To call KARMA an advanced arpeggiator hardly begins to explain what it's capable of, though that is partly what it is. The GEs (Generated Effects) that control the output are musical. They each have hundreds of parameters that control exactly how they effect the notes you play. In the original incarnation of the software these parameters were fixed and they assigned the most important ones to the realtime controllers on the keyboard. In the current version of the software, all the parameters can be programmed and you can create your own GEs (although with the 1190 original ones it might be quite a while before you find the need to do so). You can also choose which parameters respond to the realtime controllers. They're not just static patterns of notes that repeat endlessly either. Now, having one such algorithmic processor working could produce some very exciting possibilities, but, in combi mode, you can have up to 4 of them all affecting different voices to produce mind-blowing walls of sound. Sometimes, it almost feels like cheating! For me, I use these as starting points. It's pretty easy to find something inspiring.
Because it's complicated and extremely deep, I think the KARMA, though it received very positive reviews, was beyond the ability of most sales people in the stores to understand and also difficult to figure out with just a cursory interaction with the keyboard. Consequently, I don't think sales have been outstanding, still Korg has stuck with it and have now included the KARMA function in their new flagship Oasys.
Obviously, I really like the Korg, but I also have to say that in my limited exposure to the Motif ES, I have been VERY impressed with that board. I really like the sounds and grooves it contains. I have the Motif rack, but wish I had held out for the new ES Rack.
Ted
First off, all three of the major workstations are highly capable machines with a wealth of sounds, powerful sampling, and workable sequencers. They all have their own personalities to be sure, but any of them are going to be able to produce excellent tracks once you learn them.
I'm not sure what deficiencies you find in the Korg hardware. The Triton Extreme comes loaded with just about everything Korg has to offer. The only other option is the MOSS board which is a great addition if you're into analog.
Explaining the KARMA function is difficult because it's hard to do it justice. Did you look at the KARMA Lab web site? Did you listen to any of the demos? To call KARMA an advanced arpeggiator hardly begins to explain what it's capable of, though that is partly what it is. The GEs (Generated Effects) that control the output are musical. They each have hundreds of parameters that control exactly how they effect the notes you play. In the original incarnation of the software these parameters were fixed and they assigned the most important ones to the realtime controllers on the keyboard. In the current version of the software, all the parameters can be programmed and you can create your own GEs (although with the 1190 original ones it might be quite a while before you find the need to do so). You can also choose which parameters respond to the realtime controllers. They're not just static patterns of notes that repeat endlessly either. Now, having one such algorithmic processor working could produce some very exciting possibilities, but, in combi mode, you can have up to 4 of them all affecting different voices to produce mind-blowing walls of sound. Sometimes, it almost feels like cheating! For me, I use these as starting points. It's pretty easy to find something inspiring.
Because it's complicated and extremely deep, I think the KARMA, though it received very positive reviews, was beyond the ability of most sales people in the stores to understand and also difficult to figure out with just a cursory interaction with the keyboard. Consequently, I don't think sales have been outstanding, still Korg has stuck with it and have now included the KARMA function in their new flagship Oasys.
Obviously, I really like the Korg, but I also have to say that in my limited exposure to the Motif ES, I have been VERY impressed with that board. I really like the sounds and grooves it contains. I have the Motif rack, but wish I had held out for the new ES Rack.
Ted