Korg Triton Extreme

Just bought the Korg triton extreme 61 key AND had to exchange it for a new one because the CF drive did not work. New one arrive last night and was delighted that the CF drive worked and so, immediately did some sequencing which I converted to a wav file. I think the presets sound great, my only complaint(?) is there is too much of everything! I think I want just a basic acoustic piano, and voila, I spend an hour trying all the various keyboards and combos! No, seriously, this thing is awesome.

My only suggestion would be the touchscreen flip up so it is straight in front of you rather than having to lean over to read it. Also perhaps introduce color to the screen, for instance red for "record", yellow for "mute", etc. The manual is comprehensive but perhaps a "How Do I ...?" section would be helpful along with the quick start guide.

120 note polyphony. Keyboard action is nice but believe it or not, my small Yamaha psr 293's keyboard is just as nice if not nicer and I swear, for some instruments the Yamaha sounds better.

There is new valve-force ciruitry with onboard tube,joystick and arpeggiator. Very well laid out and easy to use.

Plenty of room for expansion and comes with 160 MB of 48kHz wave ROM (1,344 programs, 50 drum kits, 1,280 combis, USB audio CD burning and data sharing, CompactFlash data storage, digital I/O, 2 usb ports.

Can export song data in midi format but I have not played around with this yet. On-board sequencer is easy to use-I laid down 6 tracks (drums, bass, keyboard, 2 guitar tracks, and strings before I left for work this morning and saved them on the CF card for editing later.

As mentioned above, there are soo many choices it is impossible to hear them all in a short period of time. I have used several keyboard instruments and find the new Concert Grand piano to be excellent. A few of the electric guitars are very realistic as well and using the joystick, you can produce sounds that rival Clapton. Have used some of the string/woodwinds and combos but have not created a full-blown classical piece yet. One thing I was suprised at was the lack of richness in the drum sets, mainly on the cymbals. If I played through the tube it was better, but compared to the Yamaha, I thought the drums sounded kind of fakey and wimpy, at least the standard kits. Mainly play pop/rock/jazz. I have listened to some of the dance effects and they sound realistic (if that's what you want to call it) to me, but I'm a novice in that genre.
Velocity and aftertouch are fairly good -I haven't compared to a Kawai which I hear is excellent. I have not really figured out the appreggiator yet, it seems to have a mind of its own but I'm sure that is operator error.

I don't know.

I had to call Korg tech support and the retailer that I bought it from because the CF slot would not recognize any cards. This was very disappointing as there is no way to save your song data once you turn the Triton off, unless you store in CF flash or an external cd drive. Korg tech support was polite and basically said I should return it to the retailer, which I ended up doing. I had purchased the "B" stock for about 380.00 bucks less than a brand new one, but ended exchanging it (and paying the difference) for a brand new one as the retailer was out "B" stock. The new one works perfectly (so far). It is hard to find an email address or phone number for Korg support on their website. I got their number from zzsounds. I am supposed to get a free Moss expansion boare from Korg so I will see how that goes.

My main reason for choosing the Korg Extreme was the sequencing and storage capacity (usb, expandable memory, CF flash, etc.) My main interest is composition and arrangement. I'm sure there are features I will never use but it is nice to know they are there. All in all, for me, it is sort of the proverbial killing a fly with a sledgehammer but I found no other workstations that combined the features I needed into one.

Windows XP
The presets sound incredible! I use the DVD Manual (This makes me want to dance). I luv this little blue meanie. It is the best keyboard for the hard, cold foodstamps I paid for it...(just kidding).
This thing has so many features that I am still in the process of discovering what it can do. I purchases several other pieces of equipment, only to find that the TRITON already provided the additional features such as Vocal processing and yes...believe it or not, if you play it right...you can get people to make you breakfast, if you know what I mean : )

As a longtime user of Korg instruments, I admit that it is difficult for me to be impartial in this area. Additionally, I have only had this beast for a little over a week. Nevertheless, I find moving around on it painless. EASY!

My last Korg was a Trinity (which I reviewed in 2000 on this site). I was COMPLETELY pleased with it, however I was disappointed in the newer Triton that had come out months before. The Extreme has really changed a lot of my thinking, but not for the obvious reasons (more later).

Like the Trinity, the Triton can quickly call up a preset based on the type of instrument sound (i.e. Woodwinds, Brass, Synth). For performance, you can also merely punch in the number of the preset and you are quickly taken there with all the effects loaded instantly.

The ever present touch screen is still a joy to use. I recommend a PDA pen. Now if I can find a protector large enough to cover it...

The manual, while complete, is still high on the comprehension level. You need to spend time with the keyboard first...then delve into the manual to get answers to your questions. Fortunately the web also has tons of Triton resources and advice from users which apply to the Extreme version (for the most part).

The sequencer seems to be simplified (from the Trinity...I never owned the Triton Classic). It is the same, but there are now looping features which simplify getting an idea dropped. (i.e. repeating drums or bassline).

My Extreme is loaded with version 1.0.3 of the factory OS. Presets load fast and are easy to navigate. Touch screen makes it easier. Manual can be dense at times. It should come with a DVD. Earlier Korgs came with VHS quick start guides (at least my 01/W and X3 did).

As was mentioned it has 120 note polyphony...or is that poly-phoney. Actually it is split depending upon which ROM sounds are being used. Fortunately, you don't need that much at once...and if you do, such as the case of orchestration, you don't need this board...go software. For everyone else, it's fine.

The Triton feel has FINALLY grown on me. I broke my hand last year, and the Triton Extreme feels awesome. This is the 61 key version, so it is not weighted. Some have said it feels like the Karma. Well I played a Karma today next to my Extreme and they are different. Does this mean it is a different keybed? I dunno. Maybe Korg used the same exact keybed...but it feels DIFFERENT. BETTER. Period. But that is my opinion.

Once again, Korg outdid themselves with the effects. Tons. The tube is rich, warm, and full. It will make a Hammond growl, or a guitar scream. It will warm up your piano tones, or add an edge to that cool synth lead.

Additionally, the Vocoder is a particularly nice feature. You are able to use beats or even a mic input to modulate sound from this board. Awesome! Changing effects has not improved much, however the processor is much faster making edits almost painless compared to the Trinity.

Now I have to split straws: Expansion. Let me explain.

From one point of view, this keyboard has it all already. Three soundsets from existing soundboards for the Triton, and the best of three more. You can add the Moss board which not only gives you modeling capabilities, but also adds 6 notes of polyphony. It comes with 16 megs of RAM that can be expanded to 96 megs for $30 from Ebay. It has a Compact Flash card slot, and two USB ports. It supports a wide range of drives via USB, and can communicate with your PC via USB.

Then again, that is it. No room for sound boards. No way to add an internal hard drive, which really should be standard these days. No SCSI (which is outdated anyway to be fair).

If I had my way, I would have made standard 256 megs of DDR. Additionally I would have added a 20gig laptop drive. And I would have gladly paid the additional $200 this would have added to the cost. (if that)

As stated before the sequences is great. Intuitive, yet easy. The dual arpeggiators are identical to the Triton classic. Also, the keyboard seems to be just like the Triton Studio, complete with polyphonic aftertouch.

So Korg loses a point for not making this board a bit more expandable. But they still get a 9 for just how JAM PACKED it really is.

Korg sounds have always impressed and inspired me. The Extreme falls nothing short of that.

As with most of their Workstations in the past 10 years, the Extreme is equipped with ports for three expression pedals, a joystick, and two switches. Additionally as with the Triton, there are 4 user assignable knobs (easily accessable to the left hand) that can not only tweak filters, but also are switchable three ways giving you 12 virtual knobs. While you are limited to 8 other preset tweaks (associated with EQ, effects, and tube processing) they are all VERY usable in a performance situation, whether live or recording.

The joystick and two assignable switches are also editable in their tasks.

Once again, the sounds are AWESOME. Nasty organs, thick piano, and rich strings round this instrument. Korg has also been known for their quality percussion. With the added vocal samples, and built in expansion boards, the keyboard offers thousands of sounds, all quality, at the touch of a button.

Clearly this board is aimed at dance and electronica artists. But it would not be out of place in any pop or even country band. There are enough flavors to cover hip-hop, though this board would fancy R&B better.

I produce for a variety of acts, and it truly is a Swiss army knife there. So NO complaints. Perfect.

It seems solid enough. It sure is HEAVY enough. I loved my Trinity, and the Extreme seems right up to par. Though it is only a week old, it has been through a few sessions, and some live playing.

And it was alone in the task.

I purposely left my laptop with all the soft-synths behind. Of course, I trust my soft-synths for live playing, so I might not be the most trust-worthy source in this department. But yea. No problems what-so-ever.

I have yet to have a need to deal directly with Korg. The X3 I owned, which had broken keys was fixed locally, so I never had to deal with Korg.

However, considering they kept my Trinity OS up to date and bug free...and considering they have already worked to improve the OS for the Triton Extreme, I would say their support is great.

There are features I would have loved to have seen in this board that are missing. Memory, hard drive. Maybe a SmartMedia verses the Compact Flash.

But...I have heard and played every other major board out there.

This is the one. At least for this year. I would buy again in a heartbeat. I can now say that I have owned Korg instruments for over 25 years. Dang I feel old. But this board is fresh. It is loaded with thousands of sounds, all useful.

The Yamaha Motif sounded great. But it didn't feel right. It didn't feel familiar. I have owned a DX7 (and do have the software version now from NI). It did not feel at home.

Roland has yet to release a board that doesn't feel and sound cold to me.

Kurzweil is still banking on a board and sounds that was initially created 20 years ago.

Is the Triton Extreme new technology? No. Not even close. The design is 6 years old. The overall concept truly dates back to the M1. But the sounds are new and fresh. The effects are clean and perhaps the best on the market. It helps me get my ideas from my brain to CD quicker than any soft-synth ever could.

It inspires.

I don't actually own the Triton Extreme (I have a fully expanded Triton 'Classic'). The Extreme's ease of use is exactly like that of all the other Tritons- it's got the best user interface of all the main workstations. It's GUI is miles ahead of the Motif ES and IMHO much better than the Fantom X but honestly I think Roland have done quite a marvellous job with the Fantom seeing as though all their older boards are so complicated to get around generally!!!!!!!Ive always found Korg keyboards very easy and logical to use and only Ensoniq has come close in the ease of use stakes! I've not seen the instruments manual but I can only assume it would be similar to my Tritons' manual (which is not too bad)! Well miles ahead of all those crappy Roland manuals anyway LOLLOL!

It's got 120 notes of 'pseudo' polyphony. I say 'pseudo' because it's actually a 60+60 note arrangement depending from which ROM bank the oscillator samples are taken from! It would have been better to have proper 120 notes but honestly the programs can only have up to 2 oscillators at a time so it's not really too bad! Adding the MOSS board adds another 6 notes of polyphony. I found the keyboard action not to be as good as that of my 'Classic' Triton. It feels more like a Karma IMHO but perhaps it's only the unit I played in the shop. the fx system is like the origional Triton- 5 insert fx, 2 master fx and master 3 band eq. This is a great system although I think Yamaha Motif ES fx have now bet the Triton series- up to 8 dual insert fx plus 2 master fx and master compressor and eq, plus 3 band eq's on each of the 16 parts! You can add a compact flash card or microdrive for expansion but their is no disk drive (a good thing IMHO as this is antiquated technology now!) Unlike the Triton Studio there is no internal CD burner but honestly I think it's better to be able to choose your own burner which will no doubt be superior to the old technology in the TS. You can burn CD's directly from the Extreme using an external USB CD burner. Oh yeah, there are 2 USB slots for storage. Unlike the older Tritons (Classic, Studio) you can't add the 16mb expansion boards but seeing as though most of the boards are already in the TE's ROM this is no big deal. Actually this is a great thing and hence most of the programs/combi's in the TE are faboulous. You can however add the overpriced 6 voice MOSS board as an option. This has some great sounds (I also own the MOSS board), but it's now very old technology and Korg would have been better off IMHO to upgrade this with more polyphony (at least 12 notes IMHO!).The keyboard is a 61 note velocity and pressure sensitive affair (and there is also the 76 and 88 (weighted) key models). There is a nice ribbon controller as well as the Korg joystick which you either love or hate (personally I love it!). It has an onboard 16 track sequencer with 'in track' sampling meaning you can sample audio directly into the sequencer! This is nice but nothing that the other brand workstations don't do also. The sequencer is an excellet hardware sequencer and very easy to use (judging my Triton Classic Sequencer) The latest verison now has swing quantizing plus the other great features such as patterns, RPPP and cuelists that are so handy. It's also very easy to navigate thanks to the excellent touch screen! You save your data to a memory card. I mentioned the sampler before. This is also very easy to use and if very fully featured for a hardware sampler. It now thankfully includes resampling which the origional Triton didn't have. Plus you can easily slice up samples and do heaps of other editing. The big touchscreen is also great for getting around the sampler!

The Triton Extreme is an excellent sounding keyboard. But IMHO, I think that the Yamaha Motif ES sounds 'better' (I use that term very loosely because 'better' to me could be 'worser' to somebody else LOL). IMHO the TE's forte is in the area of great synth and dance orientated sounds. Some of the acoustic sounds are also nice (I like the new Steel string guitars) but the Motif ES overall beats the Extreme hands down for acoustic instruments IMHO. So does the Roland Fantom X. However saying that, there are still some great brass and string sounds. I must say I think the TE has some really nice organ sounds but the Motif ES has better pianos (both acoustic and electric). Ive never been a mad fan of Korgs acoustic piano sounds but honestly the new Steinway samples in the Extreme aren't too bad IMHO (although I know others have bagged these!). The combination programs are superb and the dual arpeggiators are to die for! Very programmable and put to good use with awesome drum/bass grooves in the combi's. I really like the Korg combination concept that has been in existance since the M1 came out in 1988. You can layer/split up to eight programs in 1 combination as well as have 2 arpeggios going at once (plus you can use 2 arpeggios in the sequencer as well). The Extreme's soundset is very broad so this board will work equally well for a rock gig or to write the latest pop/dance track. I must say I was dissapointed that Korg didn't add (from what I saw) some new acoustic drum samples to the TE's ROM. Whilst there are heaps of new processed drum samples IMHO, Korg has gotten behind Roland and Yamaha in the quality of their 'acoustic' drum sounds. I wish that the filters were a little more flexible. It's basically a resonant lowpass/non resonant highpass filter per oscillator that isn't particularly 'analogue' sounding. I think that both Roland and Yamaha have more powerful synthesis systems but nonetheless the modulation capabilities of the Triton synth engine are very good. FX and LFO parameters are midi syncable which is awesome. I wish that you could have 4 layer oscillator programs like in the competing workstations but layering programs in combi mode gets around this (to an extent!). The built in valve stage IMHO is a waste of time and I found it didn't improve the sound at all (whether I played it through headphones or through an amp). However others have said that they love it so who am I to comment LOLLOL.

I have had no problems with my Triton Classic (except when it got damaged on an international flight). But that wasn't the fault of the keyboard! Of course I'd use it on a gig without a backup. It seems very well built IMHO.

Musiclink Australia have always provided excellent service. They are the Korg distributors here in Australia.

If my Triton were lost or stolen, Id probably get a Motif ES to replace it with the insurace money. Thats not to say that the Triton boards are bad. NO WAY! It's just that I prefer the Motif ES overall sound quality (and thats a big thing for a Korg fanatic such as myself to say!). I've been playing for 25 years and teach piano, organ and keyboard. I also run my own project studio here at home, www.miditek.com.au where I mainly do backing tracks and demos for clients. I had alot of Korg and Roland hardware synths and modules but sold most of it when I went very software based last year. I now have the fully expanded Triton Classic, a Korg Z1 (with 18 note poly) and a fully expanded Roland XV3080. If budget was no object I'd very quickly add the new Yamaha Motif ES Rack with an AN and DX PLG boards. However now I have a Digi 001 with Protools LE 6.4 and Logic Pro 7 with alot of 3rd party plug's from Waves, Antares and IK Multimedia. I now extensively use Sampletank 2XL with Sonic Synth 2 and these provide awesome sounds plus the fact its all integrated with both sequencers. The Logic software instruments and fx are also awesome just as they are. I must say that the Garageband instruments are great and I use then very extensively (owning all 4 Jam packs). The main thing I love about the Triton Extreme is it's ease of use. The main thing I hate is that the Extreme is basically an expanded and repackaged version of the older Tritons (and even the Trinity to an extent). It's about time Korg moved on and they have in a big way with the new OASYS workstation about to be released!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hate it when manufacturers continually repackage their products in smaller and cheaper versions and all manufacturers are guilty of this not only Korg!!!! I compared the Triton Extreme to the Motif ES and Fantom X and found it IMHO to be the easiest to use but the other 2 bet it for overall 'sound quality'. All 3 workstations are great though in their own special ways! I wish that the TE had more and better straight acoustic instrument in particular better guitars, basses and acoustic drums. However those already onboard a perfectly fine- just not up to the competitions standards at the moment! If I owned a Triton Extreme it would definately help me make music. Oh yeah I msst say that the 'Valve' stage is a big stupid gimmick IMHO and does nothing to the improve the instruments sound. Plus honestly I also wish that they left it silver. The blue simply doesn't look so 'expensive' anymore LOL. In finishing, all I can say is that if you are a mad fan of the older Korg Tritons, then the Extreme is the real 'pinnacle' of the range with all the best features and sounds put into one box. Even though I've criticised this board in this review, I'd still be very happy to own one of these if I got one for a good price and didn't already own a Triton Classic.

Easy to use just like other Tritons

Good features but the tube thing is really lame and ultimately just a marketing gimmick by Korg. Only true Class A tube circuitry is worth raving about and that would have cost Korg another 1000 dollars to include that- any other forms are just marketing gimmicks.
Just like all the tube circuitry in effects pedals and cheap 200 dollar tube preamps- they are not Class A either.

Good sounds- tried to compete with the Motif more on this version but still not as good as the Motif in my oppinion

Yeah really reliable

Korg's customer support is really good, although they really bury the phone # in their website. You have to do some sluething around to get their phone #. It's not obvious on their webpage.

Pretty good but I hate cheesy marketing gimmics like the tube thing and like I said, if it's not class A, it doesn't matter.

The manual is pretty good but I bought a CD Video at http://www.sudosonic.com that is very good at explaining the intricate details of this instrument. The patch editor is very deep allowing you to create unlimited combis and programs. I only gave a 7 because without the extra Video I purchased from site above I had a very difficult time understanbing how to best use this unit.

This thing has all the bells and whistles. Sequencer, sampler, insert and master effects, real time controlers, and an extra analog circut that uses a real vacume tube to add warmth called Valve Force. VF can be used as an insert or a master effect. This unit also has spdif in and out ,mic in , line in, and line and headphone outs. It uses a compact flash media, or you can hook up to a computer and an external CD or HD at rhe same time. Also has midi in ,out, and thru.

Let me start out by saying that I am new to the electronic keyboard scene. Although I can play piano it didn't help me much with this type of unit. My main instrument is guitar. I didn't know a Triton from a jet plane. I heard some killer guitar tracks on a Guitar Wars site and the guitarist said that he used a Triton le. So I did some research and read some reviews on this site and then went and tried out a Motif ES, a Roland fantom x ,a triton le, and the Triton Extreme. After many hours of playing with these keyboards and driving the salepersons crazy I decided on the Triton Extreme. Although the sounds on the Motif sounded as good as the Triton , the dual arpeggiators and the Valve Force circut on the Extreme set this unit apart to me. I was blown away by the sounds of all of these unit and I don't think theres a dimes wort of differance in any of them as far as that goes. I would give all these units I tried out a 10 for sound quality.

Its built solid and it very heavy, will only give it a 9 because I haven't had it very long yet.

Emailed tech support about a Video manual and they responded the same day. Very helpful.

I love it . I only wish I had knew how powerful these type of keyboards were a few years ago.