Hi Richard,
just wondering if for someone who mainly uses a keyboard for it's realtime arranger functions , would this type of keyboard really be the best choice at this stage of it's development??

You mentioned something about 270 or so styles?? Have these been specifically written for the Mediastation and a specific soundsouce,
or would users face some of the same hurdles that OMB ( One Man Band ) software users face ie OMB can play psr .sty files but we're pretty much left with having to find our own soundsource be it soundfonts, softsynths etc and we have to basically edit/tweak most styles we use.

When you buy a T2 or even a cheapie like my current psr1500 you have 100's of onboard styles that have been designed for the keyboard ie we have the option of tweaking or not, as the styles have been written for that particular keyboard and they normally sound quite good.

OMB/PC/Softsynth setup suits a user who has the time to spend finetuning styles, soundsource etc etc,
wheras an arranger keyboard is basically ready to use,
just wondering where the mediastation fits in, ready to use off the shelf like an arranger??

best wishes
Rikki
[QUOTE]Originally posted by richard_shiflet:
[B]
Mediastation Weaknesses:

First and foremost it is the styles. If you think that a brand new company like Lionstracs is going to start out with a library of styles that surpass companies that have been extensively developing styles for 20+ years; like Yamaha, Korg, and Roland; then you do not have very realistic expectations.

I wish you the best with the project. When you start making one that weighs less than 40 pounds, I might be interested.
DonM

Hi Hellboy,
may be of interest to you. http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/Forum43/HTML/000039.html
I coudn't find it at the time, and I haven't checked the site recently.


best wishes
Rikki
[QUOTE]Originally posted by hellboy44:
[B]I'm very interested.

I'm also in Australia!

Thanks!

Still not on the site though!!

I'll check back periodically.


(Frustrating!)

The Mediastation is a true arranger and the stlyes that come with it are setup for the Mediastation. The styles unfortunately aren't comparable to what Yamaha or Roland arrangers come with. You can of course import styles and create your own but if creating or tweaking styles isn't something you want to do, then you'd be better off buying something like a Yamaha that has lots of available styles for it.

The main reasons to buy a keyboard like the Mediastation are the features, sound quality, upgradeable software, and expandability. Until you see and hear an Open Ended keyboard like the Mediastation, Wersi, or Oasys in person, its hard to understand their advantages.

Hi Hellboy,
might be worth a phone call just to confirm if it's true, emailing them doesn't always work.

best wishes
Rikki

Thank you Ensnareyou,
tweaking styles is actually something I enjoy doing, so for me personally, it would suit.
Todate I've only gone down the omb/laptop/soundfont path , a fairly inexpensive option to try before getting involved in a more expensive option like the mediastation.
With OMB software I haven't really progressed beyond using soundfonts for the styles themselves. From what I gather ( my knowledge is rather limited) some of the sample players aren't really designed for instantaneous program & bank changes required by my psr styles, loading times can be a problem etc etc , hence I've stuck with loading a soundfont bank as the sounds are available immediately if there are program changes within the various style parts.

Can the Mediastation styles use a variety of sounds throughout a style ie
variation 1 style track 3 48 strings
variation 2 style track 3 51 synth strings
variation 3 style track 3 53 choir
does it accept these sort of program changes in realtime or do you have to use
style track 3 48 strings throughout that style??

Thank you
best wishes
Rikki
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ensnareyou:
[B]

Rikki,

Yes, I do think that the Mediastation would be a very good choice for someone who mainly uses their keyboard for it's realtime arranger functions. As I mentioned before its style library still has room for improvement, but the arranger engine itself has been developed quite well.

The Mediastation arranger has the ability to use up to 16 parts: 4 intros, 4 variations, 4 fills, and 4 endings. It also has a break function that causes a pause in the arranger as long as the break button is pressed.

Each part is made up of 16 tracks of accompaniment instruments plus an additional track for audio wave files.

You are correct about the number of styles. The last style library release had 270 styles. These do seem to have either been written or adapted and remapped specifically for the Mediastation's sound source. So my answer would be "no", users would not be faced with the OMB type hurdles of having to remap sounds when using the included style library.

However, the experienced arranger player will probably want to convert styles they are already familiar with or possibly create new ones to their tastes. These would have only to be saved as standard midi files and remapped to the Mediastation's internal sound engine.

New midi file parts can be created within the mediastation through a very advanced software sequencer named Rosegarden. This software is already included in every Mediastation.

Therefore my answer to your question of where does the Mediastation fit in? Is that it is suited equally well to both the novice or user who does not care to tweak or edit styles but is content with using the included style library; and also to the user who wants to take further advantage of the flexibilty of the Mediastation and convert or create their own styles.

And as the included style library continues to grow I think the Mediatation will prove irself as the perfect hybird system the best of both options, dedicated traditional arranger and software arranger combined.

Hope this gives more insight.

Richard

Rikki,

Being used to the OMB/Soundfont, should make converting style on a Mediastation very easy and intuitive for you. There will be not need to search for soundfonts as the sound source is already provided. No need for Vst Hosts or midi yoke virtual connections, its all handled for you in the OS. Just remap the style by choosing which instruments you like the best.

As to your question about having individual tracks change voices within a style.

I don't think that this is an option currently supported, Domenik can correct me if I'm wrong. However there seems to be an easy workaround.

As the Mediastation can handle 16 individual tracks, in the example above using 3 variations with different instrument sets, you could try the following: lets say we wanted to use audio drum loops for the percussion, a different audio wave file for each variation. Let's also assume that we have chosen a very good quality Giga Bass that will be the same on all tracks. Then with the remaining 15 tracks we could use 3 different sets of instruments for accompaniment on the 3 variations. Each containing 5 instruments unique to one variation. 3 sets of 5 different instruments in addition to the audio drums and giga bass, that's 7 instruments at a time. You probably wouldn't need more and if you did you still have access to the other 10 instrument not already in use in a particular variation.

But you would probably not want to change that many instruments at a time between variations anyway. I think the variations may began to sound too unrelated if more than a couple of instruments change.

Let me know if this doesn't answer your question.

Richard

[This message has been edited by richard_shiflet (edited 11-11-2006).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rikkisbears:
Can the Mediastation styles use a variety of sounds throughout a style ie
variation 1 style track 3 48 strings
variation 2 style track 3 51 synth strings
variation 3 style track 3 53 choir
does it accept these sort of program changes in realtime or do you have to use
style track 3 48 strings throughout that style??

Thank you
best wishes
Rikki

Hi Rikki
is your ID in yahoo: Kats...? If are you, I have replyed to your message but never get back a reply of mine. Anyway if you will contact me, post the message in my web page: Contact us.

About the style:
IF I have good understand, I think you are able to make the styles pattern with the sounds change that you like.
First: when we load one style, we will load ONE time the all program change available inside of all the midifiles. After the style is loaded, we will not send more program change because this will send midi latency and is possible to lose some Note.

The MS arranger work with the full 16 Midifile tracks Channels system and not only 8 tracks like the all others arrangers.

anyway, we have fixed some tracks in this way:
Channel 2: Bass line, use always this CH for the Bass line.
Channel 9+10+11+12 for the Drumsets ( 4 independents midichannels without Transpose mode)
All the remain midi channles are available to record Chords/solist parts.
With the 4 tracks drums you have the freedom to programming complex Drums parts.
Example:
1)You can use the standard midi CH 10 for 1 GM/GS drumkits or GIGA GM drumkits for the all standard Drums and percussion sets.
2) IF you like, in the CH 9, you can load one GIGA Drum Instruments, like the Bass Drums, this GIH instruments is full of ONLY Bass drums and you choose under the midi note the Bass drum that you like better.
3) load again one new GIGA Drum SNARES Instruments in the midi CH 11 and write the note line of the only SNARES that you like better, the SNARES Instruments is full of ONLY snares sounds.
4) Load again in the midi CH 12 one GIGA Hit-Hat instruments OR GIGA ( or GM sounds palette) Percussion sets and record the note line.
result:
now you have 4 independent DRUMS tracks, where in each track you can edit the Volume, Pan Pot, Reverb Send, Chorus send. In this way you are able to MIX the drumkits how you like and make up to 12 different soundset palette of each style too.

Then IF you like have in some Pattern ( intro, Var1,2, 3...) diferent sounds, just COPY/PASTE the midi track in your SEQ and change the midi channels in the new SEQ track.
Example: one Variation 1 pattern can have only 4-5 Midi tracks working and the Variation 4: can have the full 16 Tracks working.
The MS will always play the all tracks found inside the midifile and transmit the midi note in the engine that you like: GM/GS sounds or GIGA instruments.
This MS arranger system allow you to make styles how you like and configuring the Tracks in the engine that you like.

IF you need a special sounds that we dont have in the GIGA soundbank, then make the GIG instruments yourself under gigastudio and use it for make your style.
When the style is ready under your Windows PC, copy the new GIGA instruments inside the MS Gigalibrary.
Open the MS editor, open the Midi Track used for this sound, select GIGA sound key and browse the file editor to the GIGA instruments that you made yourself.
press Enter for loading it, edit the volume, pan, revrb.. and press SAVE.

Now your MS style wil play the all sounds in realtime that you have saved before.

Note: Giga sound need to preload in the Ram chace for streaming.. if you make new giga instrument with 1 Layer only and about 30-50Mb file, the MS will load it in about 0.5 seconds and then you are ready to play the style.
IF in one tracks you link the Piano Bosendoerfer 290, 1900Mb file, the arranger start anyway to play the all sounds available and when the Bosendoefer is loaded ( about 10-15 sencods) the arranger will play the note of this Big Piano too.

So..is a compromise system, can be Fast to load and play a styles or can be slow IF you will load 2-3GB of GIGA sounds ( untill they are ready in chace)
Styles with Audio wav dont have loading latency, because we streaming from HD in realtime, this audio style can be 500Mb too and we start immediatley.

Let me know if you need more info or contact me in Yahoo.
Domenik