I finally got a new toy: Korg X5DR

[Maxime]

Maxime, Congrats on your X5DR!  There is a lot of power tucked away in this thing just begging to unleashed...

I just acquired one of these modules myself... though mainly for all of the 'weird' sounds that it has...

There's a lot of classic Korg sounds packed inside this thing...
  pretty good remakes of M1 -LORE -UNIVERSE -Piano16', to name a few...

Got A LOT to learn about it yet...

Thanks!

The first thing I'd like to learn about it: can we change the GM map instruments (eg. tell the MIDI program #30 to use Combi #4 "CrankItUp!" electric guitar, instead of the default G31 "DistGuitar" preset)? I don't think so, but I don't know :lol:

I'd also love to edit my own sounds... I've looked a bit to the existing editing software... I've nothing against 16-bit Win 3.x software (I use LA-Synth for my MT-32 and it rocks) but I've tried XEdit, for example, and I can't get used to it...

Hopefully, there are a lot of SysEx files at the Korg X5 Sounds Page, especially a "M1.syx" file, which tries to reproduce the default M1 patches on a X5 module. If you know the M1 better than me, you'd probably like it... but, of course, most sounds are only weird emulations... I could not obtain the marvelous M1's "MagicOrgan" on my X5DR :lol:

Gear:
Roland:
3 MT-32's (Normal,Rack,RWI)
SC-55 mkII
SC-88
SC-880
SC-8850
D-110
D-550 (Rack D-50)
PG-1000 (D-50/550 Programmer)
Other:
Korg X5DR
Casio CTK-601
Yamaha PSR-530 (Broken, so sad)

Wow, nice gear  

My next buy (as soon as I'll have explored most of the capabilities of the X5DR) would probably be a Roland SC-88 (Pro?), a Yamaha XG module (but no idea of which one yet) or maybe an older "vintage" synth (Korg M1R, Roland D-550...)

But I'll have to save money for that first :lol:

[Ari]

The Korg sounds great, IMO, although maybe a little tinny (could be it's just the recording).
I liked the way those 3 Sierra tunes sounded, but in the recording of Jump, it sounded a little imbalanced. The drums are way too loud compared to the rest of the instruments.

I must say I like those drums better than the SC-55's Standard set.

[Maxime]

I must say I like those drums better than the SC-55's Standard set.

Maybe I forgot to mention that the Jump recording uses the Power drum kit. So, it obviously sounds louder than the other drum kits. But I have the same kind of loud drums for all the drum kits of my own SoundFont bank, so :lol:

Does the SC-55 has the same Standard drum kit than the MS software synth? Because I hate this synth, except for a very few sounds :lol:

I've also noticed that, strangely, Korg X5DR's L/R outputs seem to be reversed! What about yours, Andrew? I had to put the red jack on the L output and the black one on the R output (the other side of the cable being a single stereo jack 3.5 connector) to get a correct panning (eg. the same as all my other synths - on the drums, for example, the higher toms should be reproduced to the right speakers, and the lower ones to the left speakers).

And it's not even a Korg fantasy on the drums panning, as it occured with any other sound (eg. with a MIDI playing a square wave on the right with my SB Live!, it was being reproduced to the left with my X5DR), nor a misconfiguration of my other gear, as I've carefully checked the jacks position on the X5DR, and the stereo settings on my SB Live!

I don't know if it's a default from my model, but I've actually recorded the two first X5DR OGGs with the reversed outputs! "Jump" has been recorded after swapping the L/R outputs, so the panning is correct. Andrew, to know if yours also has this problem, or if it comes from a misconfiguration on my own side, you can listen to the Jump MIDI with your X5DR and compare to the OGG I've recorded, to see if the drums are reversed

[andrew603]

I've also noticed that, strangely, Korg X5DR's L/R outputs seem to be reversed! What about yours, Andrew? I had to put the red jack on the L output and the black one on the R output (the other side of the cable being a single stereo jack 3.5 connector) to get a correct panning (eg. the same as all my other synths - on the drums, for example, the higher toms should be reproduced to the right speakers, and the lower ones to the left speakers).

And it's not even a Korg fantasy on the drums panning, as it occured with any other sound (eg. with a MIDI playing a square wave on the right with my SB Live!, it was being reproduced to the left with my X5DR), nor a misconfiguration of my other gear, as I've carefully checked the jacks position on the X5DR, and the stereo settings on my SB Live!

I don't know if it's a default from my model, but I've actually recorded the two first X5DR OGGs with the reversed outputs! "Jump" has been recorded after swapping the L/R outputs, so the panning is correct. Andrew, to know if yours also has this problem, or if it comes from a misconfiguration on my own side, you can listen to the Jump MIDI with your X5DR and compare to the OGG I've recorded, to see if the drums are reversed

That is weird...  

I do not have this problem...

Assuming your X5DR is wired correctly as you say it is, try doing a factory reset on the device... (hold '+1' and '-1' keys then turn it on, continue to hold for a couple sec's and then release) ... Don't forget to go to GLOBAL Page '05A PRESET DATA' and have it restore the default presets/combi's after this)

Also, have you tried the headphone jack in the front (using headphones... taking your PC out of the picture...)? Is that reversed too?

... For a quick laugh, here is a recording of Jump using an SC-8850, D-550 (for the lead synth), and an MT-32 (I took the vocal track out.. they always irritate me in midis dunno why).

[Ari]

The lead synth sounds awesome, but the SC8850 doesn't really do this midi justice (or vice versa). The Electric guitars sound pretty bad. I guess this midi was meant for a regular SC-55.

[Cloudschatze]

That is probably one of the most emulated lead-synth sounds ever. While originating on an Oberheim, many, many synths include a "Jump Brass" patch, and it is even part of the GM2 spec.

[andrew603]

The lead synth sounds awesome, but the SC8850 doesn't really do this midi justice (or vice versa). The Electric guitars sound pretty bad. I guess this midi was meant for a regular SC-55.

Agreed... as I said, it was for a quick laugh, I didnt put any time into changing the midi apart from what ports and patch numbers i needed to change for each device...

That is probably one of the most emulated lead-synth sounds ever. While originating on an Oberheim, many, many synths include a "Jump Brass" patch, and it is even part of the GM2 spec.

Yes, but it's still a cool sound
  Specifically I believe it was an OB-XA that was used in the real song.

Also, HERE is a recording of SQ3-Intro using mostly "Combi" and "Program" patches of the X5DR, only exceptions being the GM Drumkit and Whistle...

I tried to have it emulate the MT-32 as best as I could.

[Ari]

I'm not usually one to pat myself on the back, but personally, I think my own XG rendition of the SQ3 title sounds a little bit closer to the original.

[Maxime]

That is weird...  

I do not have this problem...

Assuming your X5DR is wired correctly as you say it is, try doing a factory reset on the device... (hold '+1' and '-1' keys then turn it on, continue to hold for a couple sec's and then release) ... Don't forget to go to GLOBAL Page '05A PRESET DATA' and have it restore the default presets/combi's after this)

Also, have you tried the headphone jack in the front (using headphones... taking your PC out of the picture...)? Is that reversed too?

Yes, I've tried the headphone jack and the panning is correct, that's what led me to think that the two outputs jacks were somewhat reversed. And BTW, the headphone jack output is nice, absolutely no noise, even at maximum volume with a nice pair of earphones such as Sennheiser MX-550

I'll try your first reset method with the +1/-1 keys, although I already tried several times to reset default presets and/or GM mode.

... For a quick laugh, here is a recording of Jump using an SC-8850, D-550 (for the lead synth), and an MT-32 (I took the vocal track out.. they always irritate me in midis dunno why).

Nice synth and drums (it's nearly the same drumkit as the X5DR :lol:), but as Ari said, the guitar sucks. But I don't think it comes from the SC-8850, as I have a Jump MIDI where the guitar patches always sound weird like this, even with my own SoundFont. Maybe it would sound better with the Jump MIDI I've uploaded (it's the best one I have)?

I also MIDI vocal tracks when they use some instruments I often consider as irritating, such as the saxes (like here :lol:), the reeds, the harmonica... but I like that kind of tracks when they use some MIDI patches like the flutes or the Calliope

That is probably one of the most emulated lead-synth sounds ever. While originating on an Oberheim, many, many synths include a "Jump Brass" patch, and it is even part of the GM2 spec.

Yes, but it's still a cool sound  
Specifically I believe it was an OB-XA that was used in the real song.

Absolutely, as confirmed on the Famous Synth Sounds Page (try here if the link doesn't work).

It's one of the many sounds I love and that I never found for free on the Internet :lol:. I also have to find which synths have been used to produce some largely used sounds in my Amiga module files

EDIT: your SQ3 renderings sound nice, guys But I prefer Andrew's one :lol: If you could take some time to tell me which X5DR's combis or patches you've used to make such a nice rendering, and if they are custom or factory sounds (I love that main pad sounding like a D-50 patch... could it be the X5DR's "LA Synth" patch/combi?

[andrew603]

Absolutely, as confirmed on the Famous Synth Sounds Page (try here if the link doesn't work).

It's one of the many sounds I love and that I never found for free on the Internet :lol:. I also have to find which synths have been used to produce some largely used sounds in my Amiga module files

Yeah, Synthmania is a fun website  I love their M1,DX7,and D50 pages..
oh, and if your interested, I put up a zip file of 4 D-50 patches that I made soundfonts of a long time ago. (the 'JUMP1984' patch being one of them) They were all recorded dry so you can do your own EQ/reverb... unfortunately the loops are not perfect.

EDIT: your SQ3 renderings sound nice, guys But I prefer Andrew's one :lol: If you could take some time to tell me which X5DR's combis or patches you've used to make such a nice rendering, and if they are custom or factory sounds (I love that main pad sounding like a D-50 patch... could it be the X5DR's "LA Synth" patch/combi?

I must say, I like Ari's XG Rendering as well, though I do not agree on the choice of the synthbrass... other than that, very nice!

Now... what patches did I use?  The following are all factory patches of the X5DR.

Track  |  PatchName
Intro Pad:  two parts: PreB Combi #73 SilkRoad33 + PreB Combi #29 Dulcimer
BASS:  Program #A36 90's Bass
"SAW":  two parts: Combi #20 Warriors + Combi #53 Big Swell(edited to fade in from 0)
Brass:  Combi #87 Trpt&Bones (playing at normal and +1 octave sometimes)
Melody1 (was bass&lead?):  Combi #23 LayerSynth
Melody2 (was Atmosphere?):  Combi #89 StarLense
Whistle: X5DR GM Whistle
Drums:  X5DR GM Standard Drums

[Maxime]

oh, and if your interested, I put up a zip file of 4 D-50 patches that I made soundfonts of a long time ago. (the 'JUMP1984' patch being one of them) They were all recorded dry so you can do your own EQ/reverb... unfortunately the loops are not perfect.

Nice, thank you very much!
I was a little "afraid" that you give me some D-50 sounds I already have in decent quality (I use many D-50 patches in my own GM SoundFont: Crystal, Fantasia, Nylon Sphere, Pizzagogo, Shakuhachi, SoundTrack, Spacious Sweep, Staccato Heaven) but I did not have the four ones you provided! Thanks!

Now... what patches did I use?  The following are all factory patches of the X5DR.

I'll have a look at this... thanks!

[BlueMax]

THREAD NECROMANCER!!!!!

Why?  Because I can snag one of these modules for $100 locally.  Should I do it?

[Alistair]

Damn, is this thread this old... right after I got married. Feels like just a couple years old.


Anyway, to answer your question, yes, and sell it to me for the same
Seriously- if you have the money spare I think it'd be worth it.

- Alistair

[BlueMax]

If you're serious, I'll see if he still has it and if I can haggle him down to $100.