Korg Triton Rack

well the user interface is annoying as shit. to find a sound you have to browe through a whole bunch of pages to search for a sound by catagory. they shoudl have but a catagory button on it like the roland jv series. also i read the manual on how to sync the arpeggiator to an external seq and how to use the realtime performance knobs in multimode and still cant get them to work. tried to get some help from some korg user groups but to no avail.

16 channel midi, lightpipe i/o ( coax wouldve been better...most soundcards are coax; so this is annoying), six outs. also when i took mine out of the box it weighs like .0005 pounds. i know this sounds ridiculous but i usually equate weight with quality. there must be alot of chips and boards cause its very very light..

the triton has some decent sounds. i got it mostly to use for rnb and pop tracks; but have found myself to get quite bored with the sounds that i do use. the stock unit (havent heard the expansion cards) has good strings, and some decent lead sounds and pads. otherwise than that most of the sounds are better than your casio sounding general midi stuff; but far from inspiring.
all in all there are probably 15 patches stock that are really fantastic.
also where is the bass? the closet one to be useful is dark rnb bass which sounds good in pre-production but doesnt translate in mixes. otherwise than that the preset bass sounds are wack.

i used to get alot of hung notes but updated the os and things are peachy. otherwise than that things are rock soild in this area

overall a decent module but not designed very intuitively and the manual isnt very good either. if you are lazy like me and like to just call up patches and are not intrested in making your own sounds you will get quickly bored by this unit. try it out and a store and see what you think.....im bored with mine and will be selling it very soon.
ive found my jv-2080 expanded to be alot more integral to my studio. as far as other gear i have a nord lead 2, access virus b and mpc 2000xl runnning on cubase.

Pretty straight forward. Got around most features without looking at the manual - just as well because that one is hardly readable bar understandable. Setup is easy & quick - you'll be playing in no time.

What a pitty the effects go "off" when you play in Multi-mode. Of course you can assign them but that involves manual reading (yikes!) and trying out until you get it right - and until the idea you had whilst jammin' in Programm mode has vanished. Korg - please note, thank you. Expansion boards are average to good - let's see what they come up with next (in that regard I think Korg should pay some serious attention to Roland). Efects are good, the arpeggiator is a great feature but - yet again - some serious reading is required before you can change the sets.All in all - an all-in-one synth that is just that.

With so many sounds and so little polyphony of course the sounds are sometimes thin, sometimes shallow, sometimes downright useless and annoying - and sometimes superb. I personally feel there is too much that sounds too similar to "been there, heard that". I've had an RW/05 for years, and the keyboards there are a notch better than on the Triton. But - once again - with some editing after / while reading the manual (yikes!)you get to configure your own sounds for some really stunning results. And I have yet to find a rack synth with an arpeggiator and expansion slots that delivers such vast variety of sound ideas for you to elaborate (Yamaha & Roland & Alesis - hello?!?). If you're into top notch sound quality above all stay clear of this rack and buy the real thing. If you want a grand piano that sounds like one go buy a Steinway. Period. But if you're into the "basics" with expansion capability and enjoy some serious & fun sound creating then this one's for you.

Good, solid, no flimsy buttons & knobs. No problems.

not required - yet?

I'm rather pleased with the Triton overall. You know, there's always something missing in any synth rack these days: the Yamaha EX5R has no expansion possibilities, the Korg N1R & TR are obsolete, and the Roland XV's & Alesis QSR have no arpeggiators. The Triton is a basic workhorse that will give you great tools (by far more than any other rack out there) to shape your ideas with at a very reasonable price. If you're a "plug & play" type stay clear. If you're anal about sound quality stay clear. If you're not a "loop"-type and play your drums "live" from the keyboard stay clear. Seriously. Before I'd buy another one I'd probably have a closer listen to Roland sound expansion boards and wait & see if the Yamaha Motif will become available in rack-version. As for now the Triton is simply the best synth-rack value you can get for your money by a long, long shot. Period.

I think version 1.1. I was kinda worried about getting a rack version of a synth that has
a touch screen interface. But so far it seems useable. Although, I
don't like where they put the Menu button so far away from the screen
and it's hot buttons, cuz I use the menu button just as much as the
other ones, but it's a far reach to the right.
Also, trying to figure out the effects is a little daunting. It's
a complex synth, with lots of flexibility...a lot to control.
There are LOTS of button pushes involved to edit things, or get into
sampling...Calling up "programs" and "combis" are extremely easy.

For features, this thing is LOADED. Tons of sound patches..Lots of
effects to get into. Dual arpeggiators. It's a sampler. Lots of
flexibility. AND lots of Expandability too...Although, I wish it came
with a built-in hard drive...or scsi built in, for that matter. But
there's lots of options to take the Triton in different directions. I'm
waiting for my SCSI add on card to come it...hopefully it implements well.
And when I pay off the credit card, maybe I'll add the MOSS option, and see
what everyone's drooling about. For another 400 to 475 bucks, it may
be worth it.

I bought it for those slammin' Korg sounds, which kill my thinner
sounding Roland JX-305. Drums SLAM, Strings are thick and juicey.
Basses are super deep. Pad and synthy sounds are beautiful, I could
go new age very easily. I didn't know it when I bought it, but it has
awesome organ sounds, good EP piano sounds...Good bells. A lot of
people knock the piano sounds...if you want a piano, go sample one, or
got GET one. There are probably better, cheaper modules for pianos.
I could totally do without all those techno-robo-voice patches...I
HATE that....I'll look for a way to delete those soon...they don't
even sound understandable, let alone cool...they don't even sound like
techno...they just suck. That's the only patch that I don't like.
One thing I'd wish for is an add-on Korg joystick/ribbon controller, that
I could connect to my keyboard controller, as my Roland's pitch stick
just don't cut it. In that respsect, I wish i got the keyboard, instead
of the rack.
My only other gripes is the way multi mode works. The patches come up
dry, with no effects. I realize they can't all have the same effects that PROG mode
has...But, i wish it would try to come close...If you want the same
effects, ya have to copy them over..which seems tedious....but it's
just part of the learning curve for me..I guess. I guess if I got what I
wanted, the patchs to come up in Multi mode with the same effects they have in Prog
mode....I suppose it would eventually sound like a lot of mush. The
only way to really find that out is to buy more Tritons.
Really, the thing to do is build your own multi templates...which is
what I'm going to end up doing..Not fun when you want to just sit down
and make music, but once I have the templates done, I can do just that.
Simularly, it would be nice to be able to copy Combis into Multi mode too, and have
it just automatically assign it to a single midi channel..but the Triton's
not really designed for either of those things.
It's not the fault of the gear, just me getting used to the paradigm.
If you're a real keyboardist (unlike me, just a bedroom studio musician) you'll
LOVE the sounds in COMBI mode.

well, only had it a couple of weeks...Looks fairly solid..Just put it
in a rack, and don't worry about it. I was kinda upset that the power
supply was another outboard box...I have a small major city of power supply boxes
and wall warts on my floor...But outboard is more quiet...And if you're
smart, throw it in a rack and forget about it...Couple of well placed
wire ties, and/or velcro...solves that crazy power supply thang.
Gig without a backup? If i was giggin with it, I wouldn't worry about
the Triton...I'd worry about midi cables and audio cables, always have
backup cables. One of my midi cables got rolled over and cut by my chair
it shorted and the Triton froze...but I replaced the cable, and no probs.

Haven't needed any yet.
Everyone complains about manuals, and with
a device like the Triton, the manuals are complex enough without
translation...But I did take a few semesters of electronic music at our
local community college, so I can read the manuals and usually understand
what's goin on. There's 2 of them, a quick one, and then another that's a
huge reference bible on the Triton..Once you get the knack of the interface
you probably will rarely need the reference...But I can imagine the
first time frustrations, even with touchscreen keyboard version

1. Don't lose gear.
2. Don't steal gear.
3. It hasn't completely grown into my studio yet, as I'm still learning
what I can do with it. If I had to do it again, I'd want the keyboard
version...(are keys and a sequencer REALLY worth THAT MUCH MORE to charge
that much more?) Although, the KARMA's pretty close in price, and supposedly
has the same soundset...I could've gone that way, if I didn't want a sampler too.

Another thing I could've done is look at a used Trinity rack and cheap Emu
sampler...But I like the idea of getting new for something this big.

I think it fits well into my setup...Bigger sounding sounds to work with,
and I can use the sampler to add polyphony to my Nord MicroModular, which
is awesome on it's own...but lacking polyphony, and effects...I think
it will go nicely with my Triton.

Presets are fine for most music styles. Horns sound good in a mix, acoustic guitars are nice especially when using the arpeggiator and the drums kick ass. The front panel is intuitive and the manual goes into pretty good depth.

Despite the polyphony limitation I found the unit to be extremely versatile. Sampling capabiltlies, comprehensive arpeggiators, pattern and playback sequencer and upgradeability make this unit a player in the market.

I love the drums. A crisp snare drum and sizzling cymbals... great. The basses I believe are passable and the pianos can sound very good with some tweaking. The string sounds are diversified and I found them very colorful and the brass sounds are as good as I've heard except for the Kurzweil. Some nice guitars although I don't use them a lot since it's my main instrument.

Seems sturdy enough. Haven't had it all that long though. Have used it on a gig without problems though I did have a backup.

Haven't used them yet

I have to say if it were lost or stolen, I'd probably get another although I might try to find one used and already upgraded. I have been in music for most of my life and own a K2vx, v50, Dobro, and various fender guitars. I love the drums, I hate the fact that they make you buy scsi support for this but all in all with mLan support which I believe will be huge and the Moss upgrade to utilize other synthesis techniques, fairly easy editing it has helped me improve the sound of the backup band.

One of the greatest assets to the marketing world has always been to create a decent product but give it a really big name, so hats off to Korg for paying homage to tradition and creating the TRITON..This bland sounding all in one bag of tricks is just that, a bag of tricks. Korg's revolutionary HI synthesis is no more then the other revolutionary synthesis that's came before it. Stock sample waveforms are the brunt of this system OS. But with the editing capabilites and the effects section I'm sure there is light at the end of the tunnel. The preset sounds are thin and very Korg like. The realism of the programs are few and far between. I will give a nod to the programmers for there string sounds,they were very good but not enough to pay over $1500 for them. The drum "kits" are useful but need to be tweaked or they all sound the same. The effects section is comparable to the Yamaha EX5/R but in no way is it the EX5/R.The ablities of the effects section is nice, 5 effects for use with 5 timbres in a combination of 8 is a nice touch. This of course falls under the bag of tricks because if the sounds are not that good to begin with then what's the point of being able to color them. The editing of this beast was what I found to be the most remarkable. I was up and running and could navigate thru pages without the use of the manual. Everything was laid out as such that editing was a breeze. The manual is very detailed oriented but needs to be with what is offered for the editing capabilities.

64 voice is a red book standard for any synth and the Triton delivers just that. The rack version has no seq but will play back seq data collected from a PC. There is a muti mode that offers 16 part multi timbral functionality. Now as before, the sounds are weak but just like Honda you need to upgrade to get the best and the expansion is supreme here. There is room for 8 ex boards and other things but they are not cheap and could push your $1500 Triton into the $3000 mark and that to me is just criminal.

Buy the Yamaha EX5/R the sounds are far more realistic and it has a sampler as well with the same editing functions as the Triton except for the Time Slice and Time Compession. As I said before this thing really would of been the king if the pallette of sounds were better. OK you can sample and create your own and use them in as a voice but so can the EX5..

I have had it day and it gets shipped back so no chance to see if it screws up.

Korg has been helpful for other Korg product I own and they have been pretty supportful.

If sound creation and ease of use are your thing then I wouls save up that $1500 and buy the other Korg products that I will say are the greatest things so far The entire Electribe series and the MS2000.Those machine are the reason I got a Triton too bad it didn't live up to my expectations. Buy a Yamaha EX5/R that bit of kit is the true Triton of them all..

Using version 1.01. To me the presets are very good, and the combinations are extremely inspiring. Playing the first 20 pathces in the combinations, can really expand your musical ideas.
As far as editing patches, if you have have owned a Korg keyboard in the last 10 years, you will find editing easy. If you are new to korg, you may find that the manual assumes some things, put you can work through this.
I don't deal with patch editors, so I really can not comment on them. There are several manuals, and they are as deep as you want them to be. I have found the manual to be fairly useful, although again, it assumes you know certian things
which can drive you nuts some time. I have created quite a few of my own sounds, and I find this machine to allow and inspire a wonderful range of creativity. You can be complex in your sounds with out needing a degree in programing. My XV3080, in comparison, is a bear to program.

Polyphony of this unit is 62 voices. The effects are up there with the best. Yes it does have room for 8 EXB-expansion boards.However, I will say that there is somewhat of a combersome process in loading these boards on.
Now for the exiting part. The Korg Z1 (Known as the MOSS expansion board) is an incredibly powerful music tool, a must for me. In the Trinity series, you could only use one moss sound out of eight when creating a combination.
In the Triton series, you could use multiple MOSS programs when creating a combination. Beleive me, it is worth the $500 it cost. The MOSS sounds are as good or better than any pre-trinity korg keyboard out thier IMO. Midi capbilities are extensive. It does not have a sequencer, but it can play sequences created on the TRITON.
This box is loaded, and yes it has a decent sampler.

First of all, no truly serious musician gets caught up in a keyboards ability to duplicate thier main "Axe"
So I don't judge a keyboard by the pianos or guitar sounds, becuase when I record, (I have worked on 6 albums and have worked with a recent grammy nominee), There is real acoutist piano present and real giutarist present. Having said that,on thier own the Korg Triton piano sounds are average, very tinty, almost too bright.
However,playing live and in layers, this works well in cutting through the mix. Horns are superb. The organs ARE THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS. If you play Gospel, R&B, or JAZZ (I play Gospel and instrumental JAZZ),Check out program 39B "Sinewave organ." Electric pianos, are good alone, great when layered with my Roland XV3080. Guitar sounds are sparse, concentrated toward acoustic, but they are passable.
The drums are suberb. They are imaginitive and work well. They are leaned more toward tehcno field, but thier are enough to sastify all musical disciplines. Velocity is fully programmable. I have not had any problems with midi messages. Standard Midi in/out/through configuration. Rhodes are decent, but Rolands are better. Wurltizer is very good.Atmospheric sounds are the best in the industry, always have been
The effects are extensive. For a combination, you get 5 insert effects and 2 master effects. You route sounds through them quite easily. Thier 89 possible effects, high quality. When sampling, you can also apply these effects to the sample, which gives a lot of flexibility. For what I understand, the Triton Sampler is limited, but the effects make it a farily decent sampler in camparison with others. Again, view as a nice little add on, not the main part of the machine.
If you have the money, go by a stand alone sampler.

I've had it for three months, gigged all over, and havehad not problems. As with all equipment, rack it up, keep it in cases.

Korg is okay, I'm in the Virginia/Maryland/D.C. area so thier are many quality repair and service center around town.

If it were lost, I'd save up and get another one. I own a Korg X2,Trinity V3, Alesis QSR64
Roland XP80, XV3080, A couple of Yamaha PSR's and some Alesis Q cards. I do home recording as well as major studios.
I play gospel with some Gospel-Jazz on the side. The Triton Rack, in three months, has become a central part of my arsenal.
The sound quality is pristine, programability is high, and the learning curve is no where near that of it's Roland Competitors.
I've seen Triton Racks for as low as $1699. It's better than my XV3080, and it stands shoulder to shoulder with the Roland XV 5080 (Another great machine)
XV5080 has far superior pianos. but again, that's not a major concern with me. I highly recommend this machine. For the stlye of music that I play, it fits perfectly. Truly
this machine can prove to a be blessing to your music creativity.

I am currently using version 1.0.1 of the operating system, as I own both a Korg X5dr and Trinity I have found the Triton Rack extremely easy to use and edit, the programs and especially the combi's are very well programmed, sampling features in my opinion are excellent, no re-sampling but I have found easy work-arounds to overcome this obstacle, for the beginner I would say however prepare to spend a lot of time getting to know the machines OS

In my opinion, putting aside the fact it's only 16 part multi-timbral and offers the slight anorexic figure of 60 notes polyphony, this thing is amazing, I use it for Hip Hop, R&B and speed (two step & 'bedroom' ) garage and the thing is quite capable of producing top quality 'modern' music straight out of the box ( well maybe after adding the scsi option and 96 meg ram anyway. Best Fx routing, easilty the best file structure system ( saving and organising files )I've come across outside of a PC/Mac operating system, a vocoder, can work as an Fx box, sampling, 8 expansion slots, SCSI, Moss, MLan its da sh#t

Sounds, Sounds, Sounds ? Always a subjective area, in my opinion only the Xv5080 can be compared to this thing and here I think it comes down to a straight choice of what type of music you are into, If your into making Jazz, Classical, traditonal music the roland is stronger I think, imitative sound quality is excellent, if your choice of music like me is dance, hip hop, R&B then Triton wins over and over again, the Roland is very open, realistic and dynamic sounding whereas the Triton is Phatt, warm and and has a kinda 'vintage'sound.
I love the sound of the Triton but again that probably has a lot to do with the type of music I do, no doubt however it is a pro-machine

Never and I repeat Never ( Touch Wood ) had a problem with any of my Music gear be it Korg, Roland, Emu so........

Again never had to deal with them

I'd definately buy this machineagain, although I must admit it was a really close thing between this and the XV5080, when it comes to real sound quality I think these two machines represent best S+S synths ( can't speak about the K2500 although the Americans love that thing )on the market. Listen to the Triton, the XV5080, and if moneys tight the P2K ( I own one and they are fantastic )or one of its siblings and judge for yourself, but me, If I could choose only one then my moneys with Korg.

Software version 1.01. Presets are overprocessed. The acoustic presets, i.e. piano and horns, are pretty bad. The synth and drums sounds are cool. Editing patches is fairly easy. The box comes with 2 manuals that are decent (one overview and the other a perameter guide) .

polyphony - 60 voices.
plenty of built in effects...I haven't really tried out all the effects yet.
Lots of expansion - SCSI, ADAT, MOSS, and 8 PCM expansions. I've installed 2 PCM's, SCSI, ADAT, and MOSS expansion with out any problem. What's not cool is the PCM expansions aren't any good with out they're 3.5 disk counterparts. Each time you power down you have to reload your multi's. You would think that installing a PCM ROM board you'd have everything ready to go. If you had 8 PCM ROM expansions you'd be wasting a lot of time loading. The other thing was once installed the Sounds were all over the place. The future loops expansion sounded terrible before tweaking. A few minor adjustments and all is well. The SCSI expansion - worked great loading AKAI samples. AIFF was another story. Also - if you want to attach a new drive - say you have a floating CD drive that goes from machine to machine... you have to power down the Triton to hook up an external drive. Doing that erases your multi's! The MOSS expansion I've yet to test out.

Instruments don't sound realistic.
The electronic patches are good. The drums are this beast's best feature.
The onboard effects are numerous - but have yet to be tested sufficiently.

I've only had it a couple of weeks. It seems solid.

Very impressed with customer support. They were available, helpful, and knew what they were talking about. A rare find.

With the expansions this machine is running close to $4000. It's not worth the money. You may say - "oh look, it's a sampler and a triton" but beware. I've always been skeptical of boxes that do it all and I remain that way today. If you want a sampler get an EMU E-IV or Gigasampler Gigastudio.