KORG R3
Sep 1, 2007 12:00 PM, BY JASON SCOTT ALEXANDER
The Korg R3 is roughly a third of the cost of the Korg Radias synthesizer and delivers nearly all the same goods.
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Check out exclusive Korg R3 audio clips by clicking here
One year ago, Korg released the Radias synthesizer, which expanded on the company's Multi-Modeling Technology (MMT) synthesis across 24-note polyphony. The Radias even implemented the low-aliasing oscillators from Korg's luxury ride, Oasys, and featured zipper-free filters, formant waveforms, a new comb filter, wave-shaping functionality and a wild new formant-motion vocoder. If that list of delicacies was mouth-watering at the Radias' handsome price, then grab a bib, 'cause the R3 goes for roughly a third of the cost and delivers nearly all the same goods.
BACKPACK BUDDY
At 25-by-11-by-3 inches and only 6 lb., the R3 is downright personable, portable and inviting. The 37-note keyboard has full-size Velocity-sensitive keys, but no Aftertouch. Instead of the typical two octaves of many portable keyboards, I appreciate having three for more flexible chord playing and split bass/lead performances.
Aesthetically, the R3 is night to the Radias' day. Gone is the cold matte-silver finish, replaced by a hip dark charcoal fleck. In contrast, the reflective, clear-coated silver-sparkle back panel appears designed for stage flash. On the back sit a single ¼-inch stereo output pair, dual inputs, headphone out, MIDI In/Out/Thru, USB Type B, assignable pedal and switch inputs and a 12V DC jack to accept the included line-lump power supply. The old-schooler in me wished the R3 was battery powered to make it ultimately portable. For a case made entirely of plastic, it seems quite durable and doesn't torque when played hard or put under typical travel rigor.
Windows XP and Mac OS X drivers, as well as R3 Sound Editor software come on a CD. With its powerful librarian facilities, the software allows you to edit, save and manage all R3 settings using a simple USB connection. Although the sounds you edit or create using the editor/librarian software can be used in real time on the R3, at present there is no audio driver support for streaming the R3 output directly to your computer. Because there's no digital output either, it's strictly analog to get a signal into your DAW.
FACE VALUE
R3's elegantly simple front-panel controls are purposely sparse, oversized and well-identified for dark stage use. Starting at far left, a panel-mount XLR jack accepts the included gooseneck microphone or any dynamic mic. An input-source switch selects between that XLR or the rear-panel ¼-inch mic/line inputs (configurable as dual-mono or a stereo pair), and there are discrete input-level knobs for each source. Tucked within this cluster, a simple arpeggiator control section includes tempo control.
In the center bank/program-select section, red LEDs surround a softly detented rotary knob used to select 16 available sound-bank categories: Bass, Lead, Poly Synth, Pad/Strings, Keyboard, Bell/Metal, Motion, Percussive/Hit, Special Effects, Arpeggiator/Sequence, Vintage Bass, Vintage Lead and Poly, Formant Motion, Vocoder and Favorite. Eight backlit buttons glow red when activated to select the program, and they also act as the eight-step entry pads to the arpeggiator. Another row of illuminated buttons serve more utilitarian purposes. R3's 128 factory presets are organized by category, but you can overwrite the programs and rearrange banks.
A rather small 8-by-2-character red backlit display shows information about the currently selected program during regular play and the names of edit pages or various other system messages. Rather than cramming a confusing array of parameters onto this main screen, Korg implemented a streamlined auto-parameter page system that makes editing sounds straightforward. Turning the Page Select dial beneath the main display scrolls through the 48 pages of edit parameters. The dial is influenced by acceleration, and the most common pages are near the front.
Editing involves selecting a page and turning the four user-assignable edit knobs, which default to the most relevant four parameters per sound in Play mode.
The R3's halo of green LEDs surrounding each of the four edit knobs reflect the current knob position and illustrate relative parameter values. Eight-character sub-displays above each edit knob indicate the specific parameter and its value. This operating system makes efficient use of limited space, automatically updating and presenting only relevant parameters for each edit knob as you make changes. For example, on the OSC1 page, if you change the oscillator type on Knob 1 from Sawtooth to Audio In, the remaining three knobs change from waveform-specific parameters to input gain, pan and so on — very smart.
EIGHT-NOTE WONDER
The R3's sound engine is indeed a chip off the Radias block. Though scaled down to 8-note polyphony and a maximum of two timbres per program, it delivers the same combination of virtual analog (VA) synthesis (saw, pulse, triangle and sine-wave types), DWGS (digital waves made from harmonic additive synthesis), formant synthesis and external audio processing. With external audio as an oscillator, you can filter or effect it using the full gamut of R3 synthesis parameters.
Each program comprises as many as two timbres, which can be split, layered and zoned to a specific range of keys or individually played by the arpeggiator or a step sequencer. Each timbre contains two freely assignable oscillators and a noise generator.
The sawtooth and pulse waves sound gorgeous, especially when combined with the R3's flexible multimode resonant filter design that can be configured in series, parallel or an individual structure, allowing each oscillator to have its own dedicated filter. Filter 1 — with 24 dB/octave and 12 dB/octave lowpass, highpass and bandpass types — can sweep through each filter type in continuously variable fashion. Filter 2 has 12 dB/octave lowpass, highpass, bandpass and comb types; the comb algorithm is simply gorgeous and can feed back to boost multiple series of overtones. You can apply cross-modulation, pulse-width modulation, unison voice-thickening or variable-phase modulation — a simplified form of FM synthesis — to Oscillator 1, while Oscillator 2 can modulate Sync, Ring or a hybrid Ring+Sync modulation.
Three ADSR envelope generators, two LFOs, three modulation sequencers and six “virtual patching” matrices per timbre bring R3's sounds to life. Virtual Patches allow any of 12 modulation sources (three of which are MIDI Control Change numbers) to be routed to any of 15 parameters. The LFO's Shape control can extensively modify each of its six waveforms. The final timbre stage, the Amp, can add either Drive for a warmed-up tone or Waveshaper, which can lower the sampling rate, limit/distort the waveform, add suboscillator content, attack transient punch and more. For each timbre, you can apply a 2-band EQ and two insert effects. There's also a Master effect for applying reverb, delay, etc.
MOTION PICTURES
The R3 wouldn't be half as cool as it is without the awesome-sounding Formant Motion and Vocoder sections. Using the vocoder's specialized filter banks to analyze any input signal (a human voice, instrument, beat, etc.), the Formant Motion recorder can save as many as 16 instances of motion data into the R3's internal memory, each a maximum of 7.5 seconds in length, and play them back to create complex moving-vocoder programs that don't require any mic input. This unique-sounding oscillator fodder can then be played polyphonically to create complex textures, or you can manually trigger saved motion recordings one-shot-style. Motion data can be offloaded and archived to the librarian software.
Featuring 16 adjustable frequency bands, the vocoder sounds supersweet and is capable of far more sophisticated things than traditional robotic effects. Nearly identical to that found in the Radias, it is the most intelligible and musical vocoder I've heard, not to mention the easiest to set up, program and use. A close-miked technique of subtle lip movements and breathy whispers produced delicate and soothing padlike timbres, fine-tuned by adjusting formant offset, vocoder resonance and envelope-follower sensitivity.
Six arpeggiator patterns come built-in (Up, Down, Alt1/2, Random and Trigger), with a maximum of 4-octave range and duration control over each of the eight steps. Gate time, swing amount, resolution and key-sync on/off are programmable at the preset level. Similarly, the Modulation Sequencer can apply time-varying changes to a specific program parameter. You can set the sequence length as high as 16 steps, choosing whether to play back forward, backward, looped or one-shot, and vary the degree of change for each step.
Each timbre provides a “motion-record” feature that captures movement parameters over time. There are 16 steps available, and each can use directional movements to infuse uniform tonal changes into a program.
THREE CHEERS
The R3 is a winner on many fronts. One obvious customer is the DJ/producer/keys player who is looking for a quick and easy setup delivering gutsy modern tones and performance sequences that will cut through any mix. Another would be the keyboardist of a minimalist act who'd prefer to stand behind a funky little podium and sing sweet harmonies into a statement-making vocoder mic. Finally, your average Jane or Joe who needs something portable to flip under an arm with a laptop under the other could take this to a pal's house for a jam session without disrupting his or her home studio in the process.
In all three cases, you're getting an extremely powerful synthesizer with outstanding vocoding and real-time formant recording, as well as thick, lush sound quality that will satisfy professionals. With 8-note polyphony, you can't expect the same multilayered, complexly animated presence of the original Radias, but every R3 factory program sounds awesome in its own right. Though the majority of the 128 presets skew toward dance-y/trance-y fare, it ships with a number of raunchy funk pianos, grinding organs, dub-style basses and hip-hop leads to get you smiling. Between the VA synthesis, PCM and formant tables, I guarantee you'll be able to roll any goodie you like.
Don't be fooled by size or appearance — the R3 is a full-fledged battle axe. Without having to surf a single menu, it's fast and easy to navigate presets onstage. In the studio, those menus provide deep editing and a sophisticated synthesis at a great price.
For exclusive Korg R3 audio clips, go to remixmag.com.
KORG
R3 > $799
Pros: Sounds great. Flexible, fully programmable synthesis architecture featuring low-aliasing oscillators and continuously variable filter types. Highly intelligible vocoder. Includes XLR gooseneck mic. Formant-motion recording. Performance-based mod sequencing, plus arpeggiator. Quick and compact panel layout. Highly portable.
Cons: Maximum 8-note polyphony. No multitimbral operation. No digital outs.
Contact: www.korg.com
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