Korg M3

Today we’re going to talk about Korg M3 keyboard. The M3 emerged as a refinement on its predecessor the OASYS line of Korg keyboards. Some of the features of the M3 keyboard not only evolved from the OASYS but also from the enhanced definition synthesis (EDS) sound generator.

What’s really interesting is the drum tracks which provides some instant preset rhythms you can play along with. The M3 features an incredible 1,028 samples and 1,606 drum samples. And to make your music even more expressive the keyboard features dual oscillators, four level velocity switching, cross fading and layering giving you greater flexibility to shape your sampled sounds in a variety of ways.

Korg has also included in the M3 a filter section to further help you shape and mold the sounds to your liking. In addition there are two resonating filters for each independent oscillator which can be configured either in series or in parallel. The M3 comes complete with 4 filters including a low pass, high pass, band pass and a rejection filter.

Included in this keyboard is an overdrive circuit within the amplifier that can enhance and give your sounds some edge. Another feature on the M3 is the wave shaping features such as envelope generators and modulation capabilities that are designed to create more advanced sound processing.

Now we’re going to talk about the effects section for this particular keyboard which features 8 effects including insert 2 master and 1 total effect. Additional effects include chorus, flanger, delays, reverb, and phaser. This keyboard features a rich assortment 170 types of effects including the more common compressor, limiter an interesting assortment of speaker effects.

Upon first inspection it becomes quite apparent that the M3 is not as nice looking as some of Korg’s previous models. But for whatever the M3 lacks in esthetic refinements it makes up for in functional features such as the number of sound programs and the degree of flexibility in modifying those sounds.

One of the key features of the M3 synthesizer is its combination mode which doesn’t sound like anything new or exciting but the M3 is an exception with Korg introducing some novel features. Not only can you do keyboard splits and layering, you can also integrte velocity switching and cross-feeding and truly create unique and complex sounds as a result of these features.

I found the M3 to be an inspiring and interesting keyboard to let my creative juices flow. Typically you would find many keyboards on the market that will have a few sounds that truly shine, but I found that the Korg M3 features a wealth of sound patches that I truly liked to play with. that pretty good in my book!