A few points:
1.the styles need addressing - Dom is working on this and very soon all will be well ..He LISTENED when we asked for more and better styles.
2.Dom is a TOP Guy - the fact that he visited me in the UK to go over a number of the features and functionality of the MS speaks volumes!
3.He is open to all sorts of suggestions in respect of future updates for the MS ..Only last week I mentioned a feature that would be good for the layers and combi sounds and it is being added in the next os update.
4.He works "around the clock" to deliver what we as players want.
5.His support for his buyers is unrivalled in the marketplace - he is ALWAYS avaliable to help on line.
6.Last point - if you don't like Dom or his "apparent" poor attitude dont buy an MS ....simple!!
Mark!



[This message has been edited by jonesyboy (edited 12-18-2006).]

I have said it before, I will say it again.

From a pure SELLING viewpoint, Dom should stick with the architecture/development/support of his company's keyboard, he is doing an excellent job. In the latest months he has made strides in delivering the goods, offered new features, new sounds etc etc.

Now for the SALES part, the one that connects with customers, builds relationships, trust, showcases the product, attracts customers, and last but not least, opens pockets and gets checks signed, he should hire someone else. IMHO, Dave McMahan of GEM should do nicely. In my eyes he is a pro, and Dom is in need of a pro in that area.

Dom, a mediocre product can sell well in the right hands. A suberb product, in the wrong hands, will not. Please listen to what people/potential customers say.
Theodore

[This message has been edited by trident (edited 12-19-2006).]

I haven’t responded to this thread yet because I have been very involved in a major remodeling job at home, and have had little time to invest in the petty squabbling I have read here. But at this point I feel compelled to give my opinion. I have been a reader of this forum for many years and a member also posting for almost 3 years. I joined this forum for the exchange of information and fellowship with others who share my primary interest, arranger keyboards and music.

I really appreciate this forum and have gained a lot of good info, plus made some great friends. But there is one thing that I have found particularly bothersome. As soon as some threads start to become a good source of info some people throw a wrench in the gears by starting arguments. This results in a good thread becoming a fighting match because not many people can resist jumping in to a scuffle. But those searching for information are thrown one more stumbling block to learning what they need to know.

The first page of this thread started off great with Fran being asked how he likes the Mediastation so far. With all the interest that has been shown the Mediastation, I would think this is a question many people would like to have more information on. But instead of encouraging more information to be given, it degrades into debates on people’s opinions of keyboard weight, Domeniks temperament, and Lionstracs lack of a proper Marketing and public relations department. This only stops the flow of information and that is bad for everyone, except for those who just want to argue.

If you think that the Mediastation is the best thing that ever happened to arrangers or the worst, then you feelings can be either confirmed or refuted by more information. Isn’t that what we all want??? So doesn’t it make more sense to allow the information to flow so that not only you, but also others can make up their own minds?

I first learned about the Mediastation from this forum and was the first person in the US to purchase one. I have the first X-88 Pro that Lionstracs built. Prior to my purchase I had quite a struggle gaining enough data to make my decision. As you may know there are not a lot of sources available, outside of the Lionstracs website. This forum became the best secondary source I could find. But every time I begin to learn a few new facts about the Mediastation, the focus would again shift to people’s opinions of personalities and not to the topic of the technology that I so desperately wanted to learn about.

I am very happy that I was able to sift through the contention and strife and read enough “between the lines” to decide that this was the keyboard for me, despite all the negative comments from people who really had nothing of use to offer. Domenik and I have since become very close friends and I am able to get the info I need from him, but there are others who are where I was one year ago. Trying to gain the information they need. In consideration of them I wish we could see less confrontations and more info and opinions from people who actually have something to offer.

As far as the weight of the keyboard goes, you can’t realistically expect a small company like Lionstracs to offer every variety and flavor of keyboard builds. They have decided to give two sizes, 76 semi-weighted and 88 fully weighted hammer action. I feel that the weight of the X-88 Pro is about right and I have no complaints. As a matter of fact If Domenik had made the Mediastation to be a lightweight plastic 61 key workstation, I would not have been interested in it, and to suggest that the few wanting this option is the view of sz is completely in error. I have been doing live performances 1 to 5 times per week almost every week for about 22 years, and using arranger keyboards to do this for about 18 years. I started with the Korg I3 and midi-ed it to a Roland RD300 when no 88 key arranger was available. So for 22 years I have carried an 88 key, hammer action keyboard, weighing about the same as the Mediastation but with much less features. Even my GEM sk880 Powerstation weighs about the same as my mediastation.

It is probably easier to make a light weight keyboard with embedded keyboard parts than using standard desktop PC parts, but I am glad the Mediastation is constructed as it is. I can go anywhere and find the parts to either upgrade or repair should it ever be necessary. I have upgraded my X-88 Pro to a AMD Athalon 4200+ Dual Core processor so I feel very confident in the future of my Mediastation. I am very satisfied that I have made the right choice for me.

And I’d also like to say that I find the comments about Magica Alfa’s English insulting. This is an international forum and I am glad to have sz members willing to attempt English even though it is not their primary language. In the case of Magica Alpha it is his third and I have no problem understanding what he is saying. I admire him for that. I think a little understanding could serve us all well.

Squeak, I agree with you, many of us have anxiously awaited a workstation / arranger / computer hybrid and complained because no one would attempt it. Now that some one designed one we complain about any rough edge that is not fully polished. No wonder no one else would try it.

My Mediastation sounds great and I wouldn’t trade it for a Tyros2 and a Pa1x pro combined, though both of these are great keyboards. I also prefer it to what I know of the wersi, though I highly respect that keyboard as well. It is just right for me. Everyone has to make up their own mind

I hope that Domenik will continue to share info with this forum, and that Fran will continue to give us his thoughts, as he becomes more familiar with it. I am conversing regularly with Fran and Mark, offering any assistance as they learn a new OS. I also talk with Magica Alpha often and have found his technical expertise to be very valuable to me. With Ensnare you, Dan, Domenik and a few others we are becoming an active and supportive user group.

Also to Frankeive I am in SC on the east coast of the USA though maybe still a long way from you. If you were passing through my area I would be glad to arrange a demo for you.

Richard Shiflet

As always Richard - you make great sense...
I for one fully appreciate the help and assistance you have given me - this is a different arranger/workstation and I for one am glad that I have stuck with it ..I am now starting to see the real benefits of the Mediastation - I have said it many many times - if you don't want a Mediastation then don't buy one
Mark

I aplogies if my comments have ofended anyone or obstructed them in finding out more about the MS . That includes Fran and Dom

Thanks for the reality check Richard.

Regards Spalding

I'm having a problem understanding why there is all this intense emotional attacking and defending here. I've heard enough testimonials here about Dom to accept that this man has a lot going for him, so i don't have a huge problem with his temperamental nature, or lack of tact. People like Dom who are brilliant creators are entitled to
a wide berth. The rest of you who are standing up for the
MS in the face of what you perceive to be attacks on it are the real problem. Instead of MEDIATING, and helping Dom see the other side, which he definitely needs to do to be as succesful as all of us would like him to be, you are adding fuel to the fire, and unlike Dom, who can offer technical explanations from the horse's mouth (and also sometimes from the horse's ass lol) it is not inappropriate for him to feel emotion re criticism of his creation, but your emotions are misguided, misplaced and do more to hurt the MS cause than help it.

As far as I can see, there are those who are saying they need more and better styles and more and better arranger functions from the MS, or they don't have an incentive to buy it, and those like myself who are saying they need to have a lighter version of it or they don't have an incentive to buy it. Either the MS can be adapted to fill one or both
of those quite legitimate real-world needs, or it can't. In this case none of us are sure if can't just means won't...
because someone who wants/needs more arranger functionality and better syles ootb doesn't want to be told
he's an idiot who doesn't know apples from oranges, and someone who wants/needs a lighter kb doesn't want to be
told weight is no big deal, lighter means crappy.



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Miami Mo

So let me ask this, can the MS read Yamaha styles or any other styles or must they be converted first? It seems someone could write a program like OMB using all the MS dedicated keys and button's?
If the styles need to be converted can they be converted with one of the available style conversion programs.
And also isn't converting styles a big pain, I think I have read here before that a lot of people just don't think it is worth the trouble.

[This message has been edited by mikeathome1 (edited 12-19-2006).]

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[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 12-20-2006).]

Hi Fran
Not impressed with the piano or sax voices used, and I also thought the B4 sounded a touch harsh, the style seemed fine for general use, not as sophisticated as Tyros 2 but they can sometimes be over the top.
Overall for an off the cuff (So to speak) performance it seems fine.
BTW you will find that for backing (And a lot of solo work) Akai samples will be as good as any. (The advantages of High End VSTs tending to get lost in a mix)
Look forward to some more songs, particularly when you’ve got the Mediastation optimised.

Bill

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[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 12-20-2006).]