IS the Oasis worth it?

[jjohn031]

I am writing to find out is the Oasis(Korg) worth taking out that loan? Please rate this monster machine.

[jfw3]

Originally Posted by jjohn031

I am writing to find out is the Oasis(Korg) worth taking out that loan? Please rate this monster machine.

Are you kidding? The Korg OASIS is a joke. I would not give you $2k for the thing and I play keyboards.

I certainly hope that the person that was doing market research for Korg has been fired and is enjoying a career in the food services industry.

Seriously, $8500 for a keyboard? I don't care what it does. I don't care if it looks great and dances naked for you twice a day.

It's still $8500 for a keyboard that will be worth $1500 in six weeks.

Seriously, if $8500 is burning a hole in your pocket and you want to make records...

M-Audio Project Mix I/O - $1000
Pro Tools M-Powered - $200
Set of nearfield monitors - $1000 / pair
Power Mac G5 - $2000
extra RAM / HD - $500
Monitor - $300
cheap 49 or 61 note US keyboard - $200
SM57 + Chinese mic (MXL etc) - $500
Some software synths / sampler / Plugin pack (Spectrasonics, NI, etc) - $1000
Necessary cables - $300

$1500 left

If you NEED an 88 note weighted keyboard, go pick up a second hand Yamaha MOTIF8. Sounds better than a Triton anyway, which is what the OASYS is, more or less.

If you don't need the 88 note keyboard, go get a decent mic pre or channel strip.

There are 2 roads here.

One way, you are making records (or at least good demos) and possibly generating income. The other way you are standing there with your Johnson in your hand playing by yourself.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by jjohn031

I am writing to find out is the Oasis(Korg) worth taking out that loan? Please rate this monster machine.

First, this is the wrong forum.... Second, If you have to take out a loan, then no way.... it's not worth it!

EDIT: Has since been moved to the proper forum.

[jfw3]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

First, this is the wrong forum.... Second, If you have to take out a loan, then no way.... it's not worth it!

I didn't even take note of the fact that this IS in fact the wrong forum. I guess I'm adding to the problem by continuing this thread.

I second the notion about not taking out loans. Make the money work for you, not the other way around.

[Kaneepa]

For what is worth.... I bought an Oasys 88 last month after demoing in my studio for a week... I must say it's a pretty exiting machine.

Basically it's the triton sound made right! Hyper cristalline highs but not sawing your ears (like the triton).. Karma implementation is fantastic and more powerful ...
And the working speed with that Linux opeationg system is so fast you can't believe..

Just try to have a demo in your studio...

My 2 cents..

Michele

[imusic]

I bought one last year-it shure is a lot of money, but it is a music instrument!
People tend to see it as a computer,...
We are talking here about a musical instrument-an expensive one, but if you can afford one, get one you won't regret it!!!

I am very happy with it and see it as an investment in my musicianship , ...

cheers, imusic

[DDD]

It might be the wrong forum, but it is GEARSLUTZ!

M-Audio Project Mix I/O - $1000
Pro Tools M-Powered - $200
Set of nearfield monitors - $1000 / pair
Power Mac G5 - $2000
extra RAM / HD - $500
Monitor - $300
cheap 49 or 61 note US keyboard - $200
SM57 + Chinese mic (MXL etc) - $500
Some software synths / sampler / Plugin pack (Spectrasonics, NI, etc) - $1000
Necessary cables - $300

forget that crap...get the loan, then get the OASYS! Do not pass go...be a SLUT!
Hell, get the crap as well!

WDIK

[kellyd]

Openlabs Neko would be a better choice than the Oasis.

[Boby Stoica]

Will you play it on stage? If yes - it will worth it if you do complex stuff which will require programing, using samples and grooves, sequencing. It's a nice feeling playing it anyway.

Will you produce music with it, or want to integrate it in a studio? If yes, I will sugest that you pass. Much too expenasive for that, and it won't give you the absolute stellar sounds that will make you the next Pharell. It's sounds are very good - BUT not 8K $ good.

[ctms777]

I had the Oasys PCI. Sold it for 150 euros. It had a lot more synthesis-forms, but not enough horsepower to drive it. It was a very good sound, but very bad presets. And it was not very intuitive to program.

They may have improved all that, but that wouldn't justify the $8500 price. I suspect a Kurzweil K2600 will sound better, and I'm sure the Native Instruments-stuff sounds a lot better.

Coen Thomas

[Dirty Halo]

Are you kidding me?! Like a few people pointed out, with a computer and software, for MUCh less you can do all that and more, BUT also consider this, for that kind of money you cna pick up a used (if you can be so lucky and find one) a used FAIRLIGHT CMI, which was around $200,000 back in the day and did what the Oasis does now only BETTER! Or a Synclavier, we're talking machines that only Sting, Duran and the top artists could afford and they STILL sound unbelievable!

Oasis now? It's just a bad marketing concept considering the alternatives, perhaps if they really went for it and tried to pick up where Fairlight or Synclavier left off.

Go check them out on the internet, their history, their capabilities. Computerwise they are old, but in sonics, there is gear today that still doesn't come close!

-a

DIRTY HALO www.dirtyhalo.com

[rnbeatz]

I'm sure Korg is going to branch the Oasis off into many other Oasis inspired products. I think they already started with the RADIAS. The parts are greater than the Oasis sum so I'd wait for the Korg spinoffs. You'll save a ton of money.

[Duardo]

I'm just curious as to how many of the "no way is it worth the money" people have actually heard (or, better yet, used) they keyboard? I thought Korg was on crack when they announced it myself, but it seems like there are quite a few people who are very impressed with the thing. I've heard it and thought it sounded great, but I'm not enough of a keyboardist to really judge its worth for myself...or maybe I should say that for what I do no keyboard would be worth $8500 to me. I'm more curious than anything as to how many people are saying it's not worth the priced based on experience as opposed to specs and features and experience with previous Korg products.

-Duardo

[Henchman]

Originally Posted by jfw3

Seriously, if $8500 is burning a hole in your pocket and you want to make records...

M-Audio Project Mix I/O - $1000
Pro Tools M-Powered - $200
Set of nearfield monitors - $1000 / pair
Power Mac G5 - $2000
extra RAM / HD - $500
Monitor - $300
cheap 49 or 61 note US keyboard - $200
SM57 + Chinese mic (MXL etc) - $500
Some software synths / sampler / Plugin pack (Spectrasonics, NI, etc) - $1000
Necessary cables - $300

$1500 left

Nice list.

Except throw out the M-Powered piece of Poo, and get Cubase SX.
Same for the G5. Spend $1500,- and get a screaming PC that will have power for days.

[Sharp11]

As is the usual internet nonsense, there are plenty of people posting misinformation here who've no idea what the Oasys is or how it works.

It is the BEST sounding synth you can buy today, hands down. It is NOT a Triton, it's a very powerful PC with an open source linux OS, this means synth engines can be added at Korg's will, there are currently four engines available.

As was mentioned the Karma implementation is fantastic.

It is a work in progress though, I believe the unit is hobbled by adhering to the old Korg modes such as program, combi,song etc., I've also had a couple of reliability issues with mine.

However, there's nothing like it on the market, if you're a professional, the cost doesn't matter as much, but if you're a hobbyist, it might not be a good investment.

Ed

[Dirty Halo]

Originally Posted by Sharp11

As is the usual internet nonsense, there are plenty of people posting misinformation here who've no idea what the Oasys is or how it works.

It is the BEST sounding synth you can buy today, hands down. It is NOT a Triton, it's a very powerful PC with an open source linux OS, this means synth engines can be added at Korg's will, there are currently four engines available.

As was mentioned the Karma implementation is fantastic.

It is a work in progress though, I believe the unit is hobbled by adhering to the old Korg modes such as program, combi,song etc., I've also had a couple of reliability issues with mine.

However, there's nothing like it on the market, if you're a professional, the cost doesn't matter as much, but if you're a hobbyist, it might not be a good investment.

Ed

Is it THE best sounding synth out there? Better than a Moog? Better than Dave Smith's PolyEvolver? How about a Hartman Neuron? How about some soft synths like Absynth? I don't think so...and that's a matter of opinion.

And by the way, that IS a lot of money to pay whether you are a hobbyist or a pro IF you're calling it a synth.

My take is that it was supposed to be much more than that... a workstation, which it still doesn't fully live up to. Again, go back to the Fairlight CMIs and Synclaviers post above.

Lastly, this is NOT a new thing for Korg, in fact, they've ben trying to hock this Oasys thing forever in different formats, in fact, I think I've got a computer card sitting dead somewhere in the studio, an abandoned version of the Oasys idea...

Hey KORG, why don't you send me the NEW version of Oasys, I seem to remember you saying that this card I got was so great because it was an open-ended system of synths, sampler, etc.

And if this isn't THE best sounding synth out there (insert opinion here, I think there are plenty of better sounding synths out there) and if this IS a PC, there are better and cheaper PCs out there.

My point is, if the idea was to create a full workstation like a Fairlight CMI, Korg; you should come to some of us who know the Fairlights, Synclaviers AND your Oasys, yes...I've already had one.

-andrews

DIRTY HALO www.dirtyhalo.com

andrews@andrewsjenkins.com

[Boby Stoica]

Dunno if you could ever call a synth.. the best synth around. But for sure you can say that the Oasys is the best workstation available today. But the question is: does is worth the 8k$, even if it's the best workstation? The answer may vary, as the ppl needs are so different..

[Sharp11]

Originally Posted by Dirty Halo

Is it THE best sounding synth out there? Better than a Moog? Better than Dave Smith's PolyEvolver? How about a Hartman Neuron? How about some soft synths like Absynth? I don't think so...and that's a matter of opinion.

You're comparing apples to oranges, the Moog is a monophonic instrument, the Dave Smith piece I haven't yet heard, but it's also limited in its polyphony, that's not to say I wouldn't own one, but it and the Moog can't cover the bases the way an Oasys can. They're "additional" synths.

The Hartman Neuron is dead so no comment.

As for the Absynth, I own it, I hate it, as I do many native soft synths, they just don't sound good to me, I find them thin and I can't stand NI's lack of commitment to getting OSX right- about the only native ss I have that I like is the Tassman, but it exacts a toll on the CPU.

The TDM Access Virus is great, though, it and the Oasys are my two go-to's today, very VERY powerful programming. I also like the Supernova 2.

The strings on the Oasys are incredibly warm, and I find myself using less and less of my Giga libraries, I can also work efficiently with it as its architecture allows for setting up combis really fast with a lot of control - fast is essential in tv land.

My point about cost for a pro has to do with using something for a year or so, seeing a good return (sometimes a fabulous return) and then, if the development stalls or disappears altogether (like it did on my DMXr100), I've already made back and then some on the unit and perhaps have done work I couldn't have on something else.

These are my opinions.....

Ed

[bigbaby987]

say what you want.. t he oasys is a "HOT" board.. that list you put together is very nice.. but .........
it doesn't nearly add up to the sound and convience of the oasys..

as you guessed it.. i love that board.. and yes i'm going to get one...

the fact is that no other board and or plug in can knock it down pound for pound in the sound category.. if i'm correct, it natively runs higher that 44.1 and it sounds like it..

sure you can get all the components to put something together like an oasys, but it's definitely not the same.. you have to worry about everything talking together, having the right drivers, the cc message, that cc message, this and that.. the oasys is very nice and neatly packed into one package with hyped up pentium chip that runs an os that does nothing but run the board.... no this kernal or that registry.. it's meant to work and sound good and that's what it does.. it has mic pres.. 10 outputs, adat, 4 usb ports, pads to play, you can record actual audio tracks with it--(yes i know the phantom can achieve this.. and maybe even the motif-not sure), it has a mixer, big wide touch screen, and did i mention that it sounds great.. no need for finding the right set of plug ins and other crap or the right combination of stuff that will work well together when the temperature is right under the cherry moon with the next os updates.. and hey, don't get me wrong.. i'm not mad at plugs, but let's face it.. only a handfull can really make the cut like spectrasonics and some NI stuff.. after that.. it's just a bunch of so so immulations.. hey for each his own.. but if you want those sounds that's going to seperate you from the rest of the pack and something that looks like korg is going to put some serious backing behind.. then the oasys is the way to go.. quick note.. it if you're not a pretty decent keys player or some very well paid producer type or your aunt just left you a few hundred grand then you may not want to tread these waters and look into "the list" it's a decent list.. but the oasys is the real deal baby.. no other keyboard can touch it.. and if you don't believe me, call yamaha and roland on it.. they give you the same rap as everyone else--"the price tag"... just continue to ask them what can they do/or planning to do about the oasys.. some of you cats will spend half the price of and oasys on a microphone... why wouldn't a good keys player or producer put some real cash on a real peice of equipment? i will say that would probably want a decent daw just for mixing or be ready to go to a studio for some mixdowns.. but if you can get your hands on an oasys and listen to the classical demo and what the mixdown in real time may not need the other facilities.

[lordmiguel]

will wait for rack version.

[Vermeer]

Too late for arguing now guys...The OASYS is already a hit.

Go to Karma lab and look a the thread tracking the serial numbers. They already sold over 2,000 units worldwide. For each serial number, they have a 76 and a 88 key versions in circulation. At an average of 8,000 $USD that's 16 Millions USD in one year! And they are just getting started (fixing bugs, fine-tuning everything). By the time they come out with the rack version, this baby will have already paid for its R&D.

This reminds me when the Digi Icon came out. Many people said that it would flop because for 80,000$USD you could get a great SSL 4000G. Wake up! Most pros don't think like that. When you buy this kind of equipment you are looking to get an edge over the competition and both the Icon and the OASYS deliver on that!

As mentionned above, most gearsluts don't think twice about getting a ADAM monitor, a Neumann mic or a 1964 Stratocaster. Why should synths be any different? I still use my Korg Triton everyday and this is by far the best purchase I ever made, yet it was only half the price of an OASYS.

Ask Brandon Flowers (The Killers) if he got his money's worth from his Triton. The whole "Hot Fuss" album is nothing but standard Triton sounds (even the T-Rex and shopper fx sounds...).

BTW, Michele, weren't you one of Korg's voicing expert on the STR-1? You couldn't keep the prototype?

Vermeer

[deft_bonz]

Originally Posted by lordmiguel

will wait for rack version.

I'd wait for the plugin

[Vermeer]

I'd wait for the plugin

You'll wait for a very long time my friend...

The idea of the OASYS is that the whole machine is in fact a computer running super-optimized plugins. You can still control it from your sequencer, but it runs on its own resources. Then, Korg comes out with more and more different synth plugins running on the same OASYS platform.

I prefer this approach, cause I've been burned before buying plugings and then having to "upgrade" when I change OSes.

BTW, I have friends who design a well-respected soft synth and they are telling me that piracy is totally killing them. People want soft-synth but somehow don't want to pay for them. Typical...

Vermeer

[ctms777]

I don't trust Korg anymore, allthough Oasys-developer Dan Phillips was a very helpfull and friendly guy at the Oasys PCI-internet-forum, because of the fact that they never developed OSX or Windows XP drivers for the Oasys PCI, wich to me was like 2000 euros down the drain.
And, no, I don't want start up another computer to use it.

Let's wait and see how Oasys development continues.

[Vermeer]

I don't trust Korg anymore

Korg is no different in this regard than Digidesign. For example, I have a Digi001 setup with an Apogee Trak2 front end. Although Digi stopped supporting the 001 two years ago, I will continue using this rig until it freakin' die, cause it works for me.

However, I do think *you are right* not to trust technology products as "future investments". Korg, Apple, Digidesign & EMagic have all burned users in the past by discontinuing some products. That's what they have to do to stay alive: keep on pumping new gear to us.

I can understand both sides...

Vermeer

[rnbeatz]

I've only spent about 10 minutes on an Oasys a few months ago and was pretty closed minded to it because of the price. After reading up on it more and watching some of the clips at Korgs site yesterday I'm starting to get it.

I too understand both sides of the debate and hope Korg sells enough of them to justify future development and competition. I think they pretty much nailed it with the ergonomics of the Oasys. After that, it just sounds like any other good synth to me. I'm not a fan of Korgs PCM soundsets but the AL-1 and STR-1 do sound good though not in a class by themselves. A lot of the sound of the Oasys sound engines is software just like VST and AUs. People like to say soft synths sound thin but plugins are the same as a lot of what Korg is doing in the Oasys. IMO if you run one of the better softsynths through a good DA to an effects unit or digitally into a good effects unit with good DA conversion and program patches to that combination, it will sound just as good as anything you hear the Oasys and any other VA hardware synth do because it is the same approach.

What excites me about the Oasys is I know I could work really fast and be really productive on that machine, assuming it is stable. I have my Motif 8 with its build in Mackie Control set up with my computer, DAW, plugins and mpc pads arranged similarly. The Oasys brings all this together in one unit which is cool, but I don't think at this time the Oasys is worth 3K over what I spent when I don't see much if anything it can do that I can't unless you are looking for portability. When it comes to sample chopping and mangling, the Oasys doesn't look nearly as strong as what I have with Ableton and Battery, or what can be done with an MPC or MV8000, but that could change in a future update.

If I were starting from scratch or currently made more money from music then I would consider it just to not have to deal with getting and keeping everything talking to each other. I'm going to wait and see how Yamaha and Roland respond. I think there is plenty of room for a price drop but only if they sell and the competition competes.

[Ghost Logic]

It looks great, feels great, and sounds great, but you'd have to be crazy to buy it unless you are a Hans Zimmer type and can buy it (as your 53rd synth in the studio) without a second thought as to the cost. A korg triton and N.I. Reaktor would be a far smarter investment for someone getting into production.

[Vermeer]

I really don't think Yamaha or Roland are going to go after the OASYS. The real money is in affortable synths ($700-$1,995). The OASYS is for Korg what Formula1 is for Honda: a way to test technology that may or may not end up in more "bread-and-butter" products. It took them over 10 years to get there.

Korg did the same thing for the Triton range (still milking it by the way...) and they already have the new Radias Synth using some OASYS technology.

Roland and Yamaha have diferent ways of developping affordable keyboards without having a high-price unit like the OASYS. Korg is smaller (btw, Yamaha used to own part of Korg), so every R&D dime must be accounted for. That's how I see it businesswise.

So don't wait for the other guys to "catch-up"; there's not enough in it for them.

Vermeer
"Amateur Korg Historian"

[rnbeatz]

Vermeer, you make good points that I agree with.

When I say catch up I'm talking from the lower end in the same way PC's replaced much more expensive business computers. I don't think there is any reason that Roland or Yamaha couldn't make a $2,000 to $3,000 61 to 88 note next generation Phanton or Motif with the hardware ergonomics that the Oasys has. That's what I'm hoping for. The Motif ES is already close with the remote mode Mackie control but Yamaha needs to take that a step further with more knobs and sliders, trigger pads, and a more information display. A lot of the other stuff I'm happy to keep ITB.

That being said, if I was starting from scratch today and knew how much time I would loose to figuring out all the pieces I currently have, the mistakes I bought and sold, and configuring and learning all the products, I could see it making some sense (not at list price though)

[Vermeer]

I don't think there is any reason that Roland or Yamaha couldn't make a $2,000 to $3,000 61 to 88 note next generation Phanton or Motif with the hardware ergonomics that the Oasys has.

There was a heated debate on the Irish Act board over the price of the components in the OASYS and weither others could copy them. The consensus was that although LCD screens are not expensive, touch screen with industrial-grade reliabilities were. This is why most manufacturers go with a LCD and navigation buttons: it looks the same as the OASYS but not the same ergonomics.

I believe Korg when they say that the price of building an OASYS is several thousands. Hartmann Neuron learned that the hard way (sub-contracting) and anyone who ever owned a Kurzweil knows they were not very well build. Quality costs money.

So yes, Roland and Yamaha could come out with something that looks similar (big LCD, faders and pads) for a lower price, but not with the same ergonomics.

BTW, it would be quite fun to see Berhinger trying their hands on that one: a Casio keyboard with a "Hetch-A-Sketch" screen. "Hey they look the same"

Vermeer