Posted by
CowboyNeal
on from the under-the-hood dept.
jgwong writes "Korg's newest keyboard, called OASYS, will run Linux with a propietary software developed by themselves. With a 10.4" touchscreen, CD burner and 16-track HD audio recording this looks pretty neat. No information about availability or price, though."
-- EA David Gardner -"... but the consumers have proven that actually what they want is fun."
Re:All well and good...
by
RubberChainsaw
·
· Score: 2, Informative
It was only an attempted suicide. He didn't even succeed at killing himself by jumping from his apartment window.
-- I welcome our new 99% overlords.
Re:All well and good...
by
blueish+yellow
·
· Score: 5, Funny
It's great that everyone thinks this is such a simple mistake nowadays but back when Milli Vanilli did it the backlash resulted in a suicide.
On the SI scale of humiliation what Ashlee Simspon did measures about 400 milliVanillis.
Know what you mean...
by
TommydCat
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· Score: 4, Funny
In my X setup, I see 101-key, 102-key, etc, but where's the 61-key option?
-- This comment does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the author.
Having checked out the promotional video...
by
PornMaster
·
· Score: 4, Informative
It looks like the UI on the touch screen could use some work. It looks too much like a typical computer GUI, and ripe for fat-fingering and just simply not being intuitively instrument-like.
They tout the power of it being based upon a computer, but I think it'll be a few more generations of this before it really makes an impact.
GPL keyboard ?
by
thej1nx
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· Score: 3, Insightful
Hmm concidering that they have proprietary software being commercially distributed, coupled up with Linux.. will they or won't they be bound by GPL to release the code for it ?
Or will they skip on providing any CDs ?
Re:GPL keyboard ?
by
cipher+uk
·
· Score: 3, Informative
no. their proprietary software is not GPL'd so does not conform to the GPL license. just because it runs a linux kernel does not mean it needs to release the source code to its programs running on it.
it does however need to make the source to the GPL software on it easily available. an anonymous ftp server will furfill this requirement. shipping the source code with GPL'd works is not necessary. it just needs to be easily available.
ps. slashbots informed me of this.
Re:GPL keyboard ?
by
SuburbaniteFury
·
· Score: 4, Informative
Ahem.
"In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program
with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of
a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other work under
the scope of this License."
Hmm concidering that they have proprietary software being commercially distributed, coupled up with Linux.. will they or won't they be bound by GPL to release the code for it?
With the number of open source-friendly folks on Slashdot, it amazes me how often this question turns up in comments. You'd think/. crowd knows what the GPL is, and that most readers would have some basic knowledge about the GPL (and thus, be able to answer above question for themselves).
Never read a single copy of the GPL ?!? Just trolling around? Too lazy to go to GNU.org, and check it out?
I have to admit I don't fully understand these all-powerful keyboards. Why not just use a computer? Software synthesis and recording? Better gui (larger real estate for sure), more choices. You could posit portability but I think my powerbook and my oxygen8 is more portable than this sucker. It's cool, it's geeky, but that does not make it worth the cash, especially if I'm just worried about getting things done. It seems to me all-in-one systems are more prone to breakin down. Modularity, right? It is pretty though.
Because setting up a PC and dealing with software crashes just isn't acceptable in a professional live music setting. I saw the Chemical brothers lose their entire library at a live show once and it meant an unexpected 15 minute second intermission. Luckily it wasn't an OS corruption issue, they just reset the looper and reloaded their samples. Not to mention the fact that these things are really friggin rugged to put up with the abuse from roadies. Oh yeah, and these things basically never break down. I don't think I've ever heard of a Korg Triton (previous DAW from Korg) breaking down.
-- There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Because this thing really does "just work": you plug it in and all the keyboard and all the computer functionality is there.
Your Powerbook requires software installation, interface cables, multiple power connectors, a separate stand to hold the powerbook, probably a laptop security cable (so it doesn't get snarfed), software installation, and all the other complexities that come with running a general purpose laptop.
It's cool, it's geeky, but that does not make it worth the cash, especially if I'm just worried about getting things done.
No, the "geeky" thing to do is to become a computer operator in order to play the keyboard. For getting things done, solutions that work out of the box with no fiddling are the better choice.
Re:purpose?
by
Atsi+Otani
·
· Score: 2, Informative
As other people have mentioned, a powerbook and oxygen8 will suck for live use. You want something with minimum setup hassle and top-notch reliability.
On the other hand, I don't understand what Korg is trying to do with this keyboard. Sequencing and recording is easier with a computer nowdays, so their workstation approach seems like an unnnecessary feature that increases the price (have to mention that it was a great thing to do in the Korg M1 days).
Additionally, I don't get what they're trying to do with the synthesis. It seems they're trying to market this as an "open architecture synthesis" board, but it doesn't look like anything new. It looks like a CX-3, analog modelling synth and PCM synth bundled in one box, and I don't see the point of doing that. For example, I don't want to play organ and piano on the same keyboard - I want weighted keys for piano and synth keys for organ. If I had 8,000$ to spend on keyboards, I would buy two or three different boards that can do one thing good. Yeah, it's going to suck dragging them around, but you aren't going to have to worry about running out of keys when you have to play organ and piano in the same song.
Obligatory Oasis joke
by
Rui+del-Negro
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· Score: 2, Funny
Of course, being called "OASYS", that means all your songs will end up sounding like a mix of two Beatles' songs with a bit played backwards.
Re:Is this really in the spirit of the GPL?
by
Aneurysm9
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· Score: 4, Insightful
Is there something we can do about this?
Yes! Celebrate! If they have made changes to the kernel they will have to release them and, hopefully, there will be something of benefit to other Linux audio projects in there. Even if they didn't make any changes, it is a major pro-audio component maker embracing Linux. We need more pro-audio software and hardware support for Linux. I hate it that I have to use Windoze to do postprocessing on recordings that I make, there's no reason Linux can't support VST plugins and (usable) low latency audio.
-- There was Cowboy Neal at the wheel of a bus to never-ever land.
Doomed to Fail
by
copponex
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· Score: 2, Insightful
I work at a pro audio store, and I can tell already that this thing is doomed to fail. I remember someone trying to get us to resell a dual opteron with Windows XP integrated into a keyboard. It was awkward and too expensive for the $4500 price tag it commanded.
Modularity is much more popular in recording studios. Buy a Mac Mini and an MBox, and you've still got $3,000 to spend on good mics, a good channel strip, and a decent keyboard controller with MIDI triggered sound collections. Plus you've got a real interface with a decent screen size, without the "benefit" of being locked into a dead-end all-in-one solution. That's why Pro Tools HD systems and Apple Logic Pro setups are in 90% of the studios instead of crappy Roland workstations or Mackie d8bs.
I actually am a REAL musician and I do make money from my project studio. You do realize it's possible to do that, don't you?
I may not have directly said it in my post, but I'll make it clear: Just because one chooses components over all-in-one units does not make it inferior - particularly when research is done prior to purchase.
Again, Wow. Go outside and take a break or something.
Rumor has it that it's going to be priced around $8000 US. Which is pretty outrageous given that you gan do the same with a PC and some software plus a midi controller for a fraction of that. Not to mention that Alesis is releasing a similarly spec'd beast expected to retail closer to $2000.
How about getting just the proprietary SW, and a Korg soundcard, and a MIDI keyboard (only - just the keys outputting MIDI data)? Maybe they'd prefer to bundle the proprietary SW with the Korg soundcard, the way they sell keyboardless MIDI "brains", without worrying about piracy? Every Linux box (and some still infected with Windows;) could be in their target market. We've already got the HW that runs the Linux and their SW; why raise their prices by selling it to us again?
--
--
make install -not war
Foot in the door for Linux
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Korg first annoucned the OASYS in the early 1990s, long before the Trinity (predecessor of the Triton) hit the market. For a while the OASYS was a DSP card, too. Now it's 3 of their synths rolled into one with a touchscreen. Nothing worth writing home about, if it weren't for their use of Linux as its OS. If they've managed to make it fast-booting, and made fast patch-changing possible, they might not have a winner (boot and patch-changing times on synth workstations are slooooooooooooooooooooow), but it'll certainly lay the foundation for future development. The use of Linux is surprising, as everybody would have banked on Windows, thanks to their Legacy Cell plug-in suite. Will it be a success? That depends if it can stay below the $3500 street price barrier. I've worked in music retail for years, and for 99% of clientel an item like this doesn't exist if it's over 3500 smackers, no matter how good it is.
This keyboard can't be pirated, in the way that software can. Ergo, there's money to be made. Perhaps you won't get it into the hands of as many people, but at least those people will have actually paid you.
Also, not every musician is a computer geek. I've met quite a few who were terrified by them, even though they were happy getting around equally complex audio hardware.
MIDI is serial
by
tepples
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· Score: 2, Informative
It's MIDI, which is unidirectional serial at 31.25 kbps with.
This is not really new
by
DaveCBio
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· Score: 2, Informative
OASYS has been around for years - http://www.korg.com/oasyspci.htm
If I was going to get something like this I would probably go this route so I would be able to run my exisitng software - http://www.openlabs.com/
Korg isn't the only one running Linux for audio hardware - http://www.museresearch.com/receptor_overview.php
Being in audio I don't really see the advantages of systems like this over a good PC, control surface and a MIDI keyboard. That is unless you are using it for live gigs.
Network with a guitar?
by
Linuxathome
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
RE: impact of this synth
by
King_TJ
·
· Score: 2, Informative
No way! As soon as I saw this and read the list of specs, I realized this is going to put a big nail in the coffin of the whole Korg Triton line of synth workstations!
The Triton made a *huge* impact in the music synth scene, with almost every major act wanting to be seen with one on stage or in their studio in photos, etc. I see no reason the Oasys won't be the same - serving as the logical upgrade path for Triton users.
I realize most of the Slashdot readers aren't necessarily that interested in following musical instruments.... but it happens I do (and I've owned 2 different Triton models in the past, as well as a Yamaha Motif).
The first thing you have to understand about synthesizers is their market. Most high-end synth purchasers are pretty techno-savvy, actually - but not necessarily experts with modern PC operating systems. They're the types who aren't scared by electronics with many levels of programmable options and parameters, but their focus is only on learning these things if it directly benefits their ability to create/compose better music. They'll use PCs and MIDI, but will pay a premium for a pre-built custom system that is already configured with optimized sound drivers for low latency, etc. etc. They don't want to mess around with all of that themselves.
(By the same token, they're still using these dedicated music workstations rather than keyboard MIDI controllers and software synth programs because of the stability. They don't want something that requires a long "boot up" time, and then might crash in the middle of a performance.)
The Triton used a fairly MS-DOS like filesystem with short filenames and such - but synth owners seemed happy enough with it. I doubt Korg would see a reason to change it much on the Oasys.
This is not unexpected News
by
Ralph+Spoilsport
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· Score: 4, Insightful
As a professional electronic musician (among other things as an interdisciplinary artist) I can comment on this development.
Basically, the Keyboard People are fucked.
Strike that. They are FUCKED.
Why? As one poster noted above: Software.
Software synthesis already outstrips most anything you can do in a keyboard, and at a much lower cost.
I remember back i nthe ancient 1980s, when a cheezy ass sampler (by todays standards) cost $2000+. In Reason, which costs about $400, you can fill an entire virtual rack with samplers far in excess of what availed then. you want 11 samplers stacked? If you had $25,000 - SURE. In Reason, when you're done, you simply open up a new blank Rack, and fill it with more/other goodies from the drop down menu. Back then, you'd have to sell all those samplers...
It comes with drum machines, samplers, processors, mixers, synthesizers of several different stripes, and on and on.
This, in combination with Reason, offers truly terrifying amounts of musical development and creativity. Recently, Live was upgraded to include MIDI, and a basic drum machine, so now it is even more deadly as a combo with Reason. Live is a Loop based compositional system, but with its new MIDI capabilities, it is now a much more powerful beast. It costs about $350, IIRC.
This, in combination with Live and Reason, makes ANYTHING coming out of Korg pretty much superfluous. With Live and Reason, you have composition systems and tonnes of "Gear". With Max/MSP you make your own gear, and it can be just as weird as you want it to be. Max/MSP isn't a synth, it's a software development environment that resembles an evil cross between Visual Basic and tinkertoys. It's available on Mac and (finally) Windows, and it totally fuckin' rocks. If you wondered how freeks like Autechre makes all that jiggety noise, look no further than:
Max/MSP.
so, lets run some totals:
My guess is the Oasys will likely come in around at a $2500 price point.
I often shop at Musicians Friend so my prices are from there as of today, Jan 20th. They aren't the best, or the worst. It's just a data point.
Reason: on sale: $199
Ableton Live: $399
Max/MSP with Jitter (video libraries): $799
Edirol PCRA-30 keyboard with Audio In: $299
And a computer I found at PC MALL - an IBM Thinkpad:
Intel P4, 2.8GHz processor, 256MB RAM, 40GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD Combo drive,15" XGA Display, XP-Pro, etc.
Which has PLENTY of power for audio. and it's on sale for $1,198.
So, throw in another hundred bucks for a kbd stand and what not and the total is around:
$2900
Which is probably a bit more than the OASYS will sell for. Since Max/MSP is for Advanced User GEEKS, and Jitter is even geekier, cut the $799 out and you have an entire electronic music studio that KICKS ASS for about $2200.
...for a system that will totally thrash the OASYS up and down the street. Cheerfully.
Now: will your system CRASH? Yes. Will the OASYS? Probably not. If you're worried about that, then get a Powerbook or a Linux Book or whatever-the-fuck-book that flips your crank. They don't Blue Screen as much as Windoze box, but there are other issues involved. All in all, unless you're planning to spend a lot of time on stage, you're better off with the compter based system.
In a few years you will have run through most of what the OASYS does. In a few years... I *shudder* to think what Reason and Live will be like...
Basically Hardware Synth manufactueres are doomed. The only ones who will survive are the ones making the uber-geek analogue gear, and they will basically be little more than boutique operations for purists.
RS
-- Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
Re:This is not unexpected News
by
electr01nik
·
· Score: 2, Informative
One thing, however, is you failed to mention latency. For those that don't know what latency is, it's the time between when you, for example, press a key on your MIDI controller and hear a sound coming out of the software synth on your computer. I own a Digidesign mBox, and if I set the buffers down to 128, I get only 6ms of latency, which I find acceptable in most cases. However the tradeoff is that the lower the # of buffers you have, the more the CPU has to work. The device drivers you use (MME, DirectX, ASIO, whatever Logic Audio for the PC had, before emagic was bought by apple...EASI i think it was called) play a big role in determining latency. In contrast, the MME driver for my soundcard (Realtek AC'97) has 23ms of latency with the buffers set at 1024 (they won't go any lower than that). The directX drivers for the same device give 5ms of latency with buffers @ 256. Yes I realize that that is better than the mBox, but the DirectX driver doesn't have the support for 16 internal tracks like the mBox does.
Latency is always a factor, whether the platform be hardware or software. A hardware synth still has latency, but you most likely won't notice it, but nevertheless, it can be measured. As hardware devices are slowly migrated into software counterparts for PCs, these things need to be taken into account. Fewer buffers mean less latency, but the trade-off is the CPU has to work harder. Add more soft-devices into the fray (reason modules, abelton loops, VST plugins/insturments, audio tracks), thus increasing the number of voices, and the CPU has to work even harder. It's not an exact science, but there are some of us who prefer to shell out the extra $2-300 for a dedicated hardware synth/rack module/drum-machine so to not have to deal with the latency that plague many of their software counterparts. Dedicated hardware, IMO, performs better than 'hardware' designed to run in a software environment which may or may not be 'prepared' to handle it, or has to overcompensate because of limitations in the respective OS.
Now if they could do something about the General MIDI spec...then we would be making progress.
Re:This is not unexpected News
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
dude, all due respect you're pretty full of bs.
firstly the sounds coming out of each keyboard or synth are unique because of the signal paths, d/a converters that are in them. So just because my nord rack 2x has certain features, doesnt mean that great emulations of it such as discovery are going to sound quite the same.
Then you have customised interface, most of the real musicians i know don't like to click mouses around and even with dedicated controllers that can control most software, you will not get the same experience as a keyboard with a control panel laid out for its optimal use.
On top of that you have analogue!! No software will ever sound exactly the same as my Alesis Andromeda or a minimoog because analogue digital kapiche?
What's more is hybrid analogue and digital synths like the Waldorf Q+ which has a digital oscillators and envelopes etc but with real analogue filters.
The part where you really missed the point was where you forgot about the musician who likes to take one single item to the live recording, or gig and it happens to be the same single unit that the music was created and recorded on.
Re:This is not unexpected News
by
midifarm
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Interesting that you brought up MAX. Stephen Kay, creator of KARMA and a slew of programming for Korg for 15+ years, wrote KARMA using MAX on his Mac. The main cost will be the highly refined control suface that I'm sure Korg will attach to it. A 76-key and 88-key version is slated with more buttons and sliders etc than a JD-800. I would probably pay $800 for OASYS in software form, if it ran on a Mac. It won't happen, but I'm happy to see the keyboard I dreamed about for years coming to fruition.
Is this thing actually for sale? The OASYS has been the Duke Nukem Forever of the audio world for at least five years.
Re:To which I say "YAY!"
by
BlackHawk-666
·
· Score: 2, Informative
It does seem the next logical step up. I absolutely love my Triton, even if I don't like the "politeness" it seems to impart to all the sounds it makes. Polite that is in comparison to some Waldorf gear. I'd definitely sell mine Triton and get one of these if they come in under £2000 (GBP), but that's mainly because I'd need to recoup some of the cost of the Triton to get one of these and because I don't have room for two keyboards in my bedroom (it's a hobby for me, a bloody expensive one, but a hobby none the less).
NOTE: the main reason I lvoe the Triton is it's big touch sensitive screen, tweakable controllers, and the immedicay of working with it and playing - even if you only want to play for 2 minutes it's not a bother to start her up. Oh yeh, let's not forget the pads, it does great pads.
-- All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Re:Beowulf?
by
kurzweilfreak
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Exciting would be something like mLAN on the Yamaha MotifES, kurzweil KSP8, or other equipment. mLan is poised to be the next MIDI, if only Yamaha would get it working as they promised it eventually would: Audio and MIDI, all devices connected and working together over one Firewire cable. Anyone other musicians have any thoughts on mLAN?
Slashdot Mirror
PS/2, AT, or USB?
...but does it run...Lin...uhhh... shoot.
Well, with the stability and reliability of Linux, Ashlee Simpson will never make a lip-sync gaffe again!
"Backups are for wimps. Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it." -- Linus Torvalds
In my X setup, I see 101-key, 102-key, etc, but where's the 61-key option?
This comment does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the author.
It looks like the UI on the touch screen could use some work. It looks too much like a typical computer GUI, and ripe for fat-fingering and just simply not being intuitively instrument-like.
They tout the power of it being based upon a computer, but I think it'll be a few more generations of this before it really makes an impact.
500GB of disk, 5TB of transfer, $5.95/mo
Or will they skip on providing any CDs ?
I have to admit I don't fully understand these all-powerful keyboards. Why not just use a computer? Software synthesis and recording? Better gui (larger real estate for sure), more choices. You could posit portability but I think my powerbook and my oxygen8 is more portable than this sucker. It's cool, it's geeky, but that does not make it worth the cash, especially if I'm just worried about getting things done. It seems to me all-in-one systems are more prone to breakin down. Modularity, right? It is pretty though.
Of course, being called "OASYS", that means all your songs will end up sounding like a mix of two Beatles' songs with a bit played backwards.
Yes! Celebrate! If they have made changes to the kernel they will have to release them and, hopefully, there will be something of benefit to other Linux audio projects in there. Even if they didn't make any changes, it is a major pro-audio component maker embracing Linux. We need more pro-audio software and hardware support for Linux. I hate it that I have to use Windoze to do postprocessing on recordings that I make, there's no reason Linux can't support VST plugins and (usable) low latency audio.
There was Cowboy Neal at the wheel of a bus to never-ever land.
I work at a pro audio store, and I can tell already that this thing is doomed to fail. I remember someone trying to get us to resell a dual opteron with Windows XP integrated into a keyboard. It was awkward and too expensive for the $4500 price tag it commanded.
Modularity is much more popular in recording studios. Buy a Mac Mini and an MBox, and you've still got $3,000 to spend on good mics, a good channel strip, and a decent keyboard controller with MIDI triggered sound collections. Plus you've got a real interface with a decent screen size, without the "benefit" of being locked into a dead-end all-in-one solution. That's why Pro Tools HD systems and Apple Logic Pro setups are in 90% of the studios instead of crappy Roland workstations or Mackie d8bs.
Seriously, the hardware looks nice and all, but you could piece together a comparable system with components for half the cost.
Really.
Rumor has it that it's going to be priced around $8000 US. Which is pretty outrageous given that you gan do the same with a PC and some software plus a midi controller for a fraction of that. Not to mention that Alesis is releasing a similarly spec'd beast expected to retail closer to $2000.
How about getting just the proprietary SW, and a Korg soundcard, and a MIDI keyboard (only - just the keys outputting MIDI data)? Maybe they'd prefer to bundle the proprietary SW with the Korg soundcard, the way they sell keyboardless MIDI "brains", without worrying about piracy? Every Linux box (and some still infected with Windows ;) could be in their target market. We've already got the HW that runs the Linux and their SW; why raise their prices by selling it to us again?
--
make install -not war
Korg first annoucned the OASYS in the early 1990s, long before the Trinity (predecessor of the Triton) hit the market. For a while the OASYS was a DSP card, too. Now it's 3 of their synths rolled into one with a touchscreen. Nothing worth writing home about, if it weren't for their use of Linux as its OS. If they've managed to make it fast-booting, and made fast patch-changing possible, they might not have a winner (boot and patch-changing times on synth workstations are slooooooooooooooooooooow), but it'll certainly lay the foundation for future development. The use of Linux is surprising, as everybody would have banked on Windows, thanks to their Legacy Cell plug-in suite.
Will it be a success? That depends if it can stay below the $3500 street price barrier. I've worked in music retail for years, and for 99% of clientel an item like this doesn't exist if it's over 3500 smackers, no matter how good it is.
This keyboard can't be pirated, in the way that software can. Ergo, there's money to be made. Perhaps you won't get it into the hands of as many people, but at least those people will have actually paid you.
Also, not every musician is a computer geek. I've met quite a few who were terrified by them, even though they were happy getting around equally complex audio hardware.
There is a relevant cliché here:
Does it record Ogg?
It's MIDI, which is unidirectional serial at 31.25 kbps with.
OASYS has been around for years - http://www.korg.com/oasyspci.htm
If I was going to get something like this I would probably go this route so I would be able to run my exisitng software - http://www.openlabs.com/
Korg isn't the only one running Linux for audio hardware - http://www.museresearch.com/receptor_overview.php
Being in audio I don't really see the advantages of systems like this over a good PC, control surface and a MIDI keyboard. That is unless you are using it for live gigs.
Can it be networked with the Gibson guitar with built-in ethernet?
Linux at home
No way! As soon as I saw this and read the list of specs, I realized this is going to put a big nail in the coffin of the whole Korg Triton line of synth workstations!
.... but it happens I do (and I've owned 2 different Triton models in the past, as well as a Yamaha Motif).
The Triton made a *huge* impact in the music synth scene, with almost every major act wanting to be seen with one on stage or in their studio in photos, etc. I see no reason the Oasys won't be the same - serving as the logical upgrade path for Triton users.
I realize most of the Slashdot readers aren't necessarily that interested in following musical instruments
The first thing you have to understand about synthesizers is their market. Most high-end synth purchasers are pretty techno-savvy, actually - but not necessarily experts with modern PC operating systems. They're the types who aren't scared by electronics with many levels of programmable options and parameters, but their focus is only on learning these things if it directly benefits their ability to create/compose better music. They'll use PCs and MIDI, but will pay a premium for a pre-built custom system that is already configured with optimized sound drivers for low latency, etc. etc. They don't want to mess around with all of that themselves.
(By the same token, they're still using these dedicated music workstations rather than keyboard MIDI controllers and software synth programs because of the stability. They don't want something that requires a long "boot up" time, and then might crash in the middle of a performance.)
The Triton used a fairly MS-DOS like filesystem with short filenames and such - but synth owners seemed happy enough with it. I doubt Korg would see a reason to change it much on the Oasys.
Basically, the Keyboard People are fucked.
Strike that. They are FUCKED.
Why? As one poster noted above: Software.
Software synthesis already outstrips most anything you can do in a keyboard, and at a much lower cost.
Exhibit A:
REASON
I remember back i nthe ancient 1980s, when a cheezy ass sampler (by todays standards) cost $2000+. In Reason, which costs about $400, you can fill an entire virtual rack with samplers far in excess of what availed then. you want 11 samplers stacked? If you had $25,000 - SURE. In Reason, when you're done, you simply open up a new blank Rack, and fill it with more/other goodies from the drop down menu. Back then, you'd have to sell all those samplers...
It comes with drum machines, samplers, processors, mixers, synthesizers of several different stripes, and on and on.
Second Exhibit: ABLETON LIVE
This, in combination with Reason, offers truly terrifying amounts of musical development and creativity. Recently, Live was upgraded to include MIDI, and a basic drum machine, so now it is even more deadly as a combo with Reason. Live is a Loop based compositional system, but with its new MIDI capabilities, it is now a much more powerful beast. It costs about $350, IIRC.
Exhibit Three: Max/MSP
This, in combination with Live and Reason, makes ANYTHING coming out of Korg pretty much superfluous. With Live and Reason, you have composition systems and tonnes of "Gear". With Max/MSP you make your own gear, and it can be just as weird as you want it to be. Max/MSP isn't a synth, it's a software development environment that resembles an evil cross between Visual Basic and tinkertoys. It's available on Mac and (finally) Windows, and it totally fuckin' rocks. If you wondered how freeks like Autechre makes all that jiggety noise, look no further than:
Max/MSP.
so, lets run some totals:
My guess is the Oasys will likely come in around at a $2500 price point.
I often shop at Musicians Friend so my prices are from there as of today, Jan 20th. They aren't the best, or the worst. It's just a data point.
Reason: on sale: $199
Ableton Live: $399
Max/MSP with Jitter (video libraries): $799
Edirol PCRA-30 keyboard with Audio In: $299
And a computer I found at PC MALL - an IBM Thinkpad:
Intel P4, 2.8GHz processor, 256MB RAM, 40GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD Combo drive,15" XGA Display, XP-Pro, etc.
Which has PLENTY of power for audio. and it's on sale for $1,198.
So, throw in another hundred bucks for a kbd stand and what not and the total is around:
$2900
Which is probably a bit more than the OASYS will sell for. Since Max/MSP is for Advanced User GEEKS, and Jitter is even geekier, cut the $799 out and you have an entire electronic music studio that KICKS ASS for about $2200.
Now: will your system CRASH? Yes. Will the OASYS? Probably not. If you're worried about that, then get a Powerbook or a Linux Book or whatever-the-fuck-book that flips your crank. They don't Blue Screen as much as Windoze box, but there are other issues involved. All in all, unless you're planning to spend a lot of time on stage, you're better off with the compter based system.
In a few years you will have run through most of what the OASYS does. In a few years... I *shudder* to think what Reason and Live will be like...
Basically Hardware Synth manufactueres are doomed. The only ones who will survive are the ones making the uber-geek analogue gear, and they will basically be little more than boutique operations for purists.
RS
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
Is this thing actually for sale? The OASYS has been the Duke Nukem Forever of the audio world for at least five years.
NOTE: the main reason I lvoe the Triton is it's big touch sensitive screen, tweakable controllers, and the immedicay of working with it and playing - even if you only want to play for 2 minutes it's not a bother to start her up. Oh yeh, let's not forget the pads, it does great pads.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Exciting would be something like mLAN on the Yamaha MotifES, kurzweil KSP8, or other equipment. mLan is poised to be the next MIDI, if only Yamaha would get it working as they promised it eventually would: Audio and MIDI, all devices connected and working together over one Firewire cable. Anyone other musicians have any thoughts on mLAN?
kurzweil_freak
5th Kyu Genbukan Ninpo/KJJR student
Be the darkness that allows the light to shine.