Unfortunally for you, what I MUST is to produce asap another 100 MS Expanded, for the oriental area, Slovenia and Croazia: http://www.lionstracs.com/store/images/production/100grooex7.JPG

All the styles that i already made, 90% will be NOT used there, because they have a totally different music styles.
Oriental people need for the 80% only Oriental sounds, where with the other keyboard the Sampler is only a toys, RAM limited and SLOW to preload the sampler...
They gave me 2800 GIGA oriental sounds ( about 14Gb of data) that only the mediastation can load.
Finally they can also use my new Qranger system for make a totally new generation of oriental styles, ALL the other keyboard never can loading this all sounds in realtime.
( yes, T2 can load 1Gb...but after 50 minute you can start to press the first key...)

then, at the end, the mediastation Expanded cost officially only 3200 euro, MUCH less that other professional keyboard OR the last one ( xxx) with the new 9 sounds...or the new annunced for october XXXYX...

Still the MS will remain unique under this PC system and still after more 4 years, no one was able to copy nothing and IF they can copy my system, it mean that you have to waiting another 5-10 years..

This is waht I MUST, make happy people that had placed a secure orders for big quantity of MS and then of course, to try to make someone there happy too.

Diki... I still not understand you at all..
You are the last one that continue to play with the G-70, ONLY midi based system and you continue stressing the all others..
IF you don't like the MS, PAX, T2..leave the all other to play and enjoy what they like.
If you are not happy with your G-70, just buy one 300 dollars PC windows laptop, insall the all VST that you like and put it over you G-70.
Where is the problem??

Dominic.......I enjoyed playing the MS Fran has in his studio.....built super tough, great keyfeel, buttons, display nice & large, very decent sounds & styles & this was last year & very navagationaly adequate for live performance. The only thing that I would need is a much lighter unit if I would ever even consider a MS...why does it have to be so heavy?

because the MS is not made in plastic and in China.
If Fran is able to upgrade this old MS with a new mainbord 64bit, 2Gb RAM and SATA HD, will then able to enjoy the all new Qranger features on OS 2.5.
Is only a small hardware investment of about 150 US dollars ( MUCH less than upgade one keyboard)

Maybe for you, wait on beginn september the new MS 61 keys, economic version and not so havy like the 76 version.
cheers

Diki,

The Mediastation is far more advanced and much better sounding than you are portraying it to be. You are basing its sound quality on MP3 demos that don't even show off its true capabilities. Contrary to what many others write the Mediastation isn't some BETA version instrument, it works and sounds great. Sound quality is true 24 bit with amazing dynamic range, much more than anything the big three has to offer. Just because the MP3's demo's suck doesn't mean that the instrument does. You can bash the Mediastation all that you want but why not wait until you actually play the instrument in person before you do.

Wersi also gets its share of bashing and those that do bash Wersi haven't heard one first hand. Had I listened to other peoples opinions who never even touched these instruments I'd never have got a Mediastation or a Wersi. Thankfully I base my instrument decisions on first hand use, not conjecture.

Lionstracs customer support is top notch and Domenic is always available to answer questions. When I had Yamaha's top of the line arranger all I got was the runaround from Yamaha when I had issues. The same thing happened to me with Korg when I had problems with my Oasys. If all manufacturers were available to their customers and listened like Domenic does, you'd find the features you want implemented not just some rehashed instrument like the Tyros, Tyros II, and upcoming Tyros 3. What other company listens to its customers like that? Certainly not Yamaha.

Domenic please keep me informed on the new 61 version....thats great news...Thank you

Me, I don't care one jot if an arranger is open closed, slightly ajar, or locked in a coffin. I've got one criterion for whether an arranger works for me or not. How does it sound? Is the voice choice balanced, do the styles work for most western music (just how big is the Slovenian market, Dom? You REALLY want to put all your eggs in that basket?), does it work smoothly without having to completely re-do everything you have?

So far, not one demo (that I've heard) can stand up to the best of Yamaha and Roland, Korg or Ketron. NOT ONE... Unbalanced styles, too much reverb on some things, not enough on others, out of tune parts, unbalanced drum kits, you name it. Go to the Tyros2 demo page, or the PA2X Pro page (or the Roland's, whatever).... You won't find ANY of this. Why is this?

And PLEASE, stop giving me the guff about 'these are only poor MP3 demos that don't reflect the sound of the MS', Ensnare. Those are only poor MP3 demos on the T2 site (and all the others), too, magically, it doesn't stop them from sounding amazing... Simple question, Dom. If they can do it, why not you?

Lastly, if you think that it's more important to bash out at least a hundred styles for the Slovenian market, rather than a hundred GOOD styles (or two or three hundred!) for the rest of the world, you are painting yourself into a corner. Put the majority of your sound and style development into styles that only a tiny fraction of the world plays, you are restricting your mass appeal, and actually alienating potential customers. Knowing your current focus, it is hard for a western arranger user to think that he is likely to see much style development when you put so much effort into your own area's tiny user base, and so little into the rest.

I have never written off your keyboard, Dom. If it actually delivered on your promise (for more than the Adriatic part of the world), I would have got one ages ago. All I need is something that STARTS out sounding and working better than my G70. THEN, to have the potential for me to make it even better. not starting out way WORSE than my G70, and MAYBE I can get it (with unceasing work) to sound as good or better...

After all, I am just some simple beach musician If YOU can't get it to sound better than my G70 (or a T2 or PA2X Pro) across the board, what hope do I have?

I don't agree with your bashing of the media station... it really has some great sounds in there...

I agree with you that they need to concentrate on the style section, i did not even hear one really good style comming from it...


They prolly could use some vollunteer "Musicians" that create styles. because i still feel Mediastation is more of a technicall and programming project then about a musicall instrument. For me a musicall instrument needs a soul, and the soul of an arranger keyboard are its styles and controllers.


Its good to hear you'll be also making a 61 key version... Thats atleast an advantage of the MS, its all hand build and they don't need to set up an extra production line for a different version..... Keep it that way hand build and custom made...


So any western musicians picking up the glove to create some great allround styles for the MS?

And that is NOT 'bashing it'?

Here's the problem. I tell it the way I see it, and it's 'bashing'. You agree with me on some points, and it's NOT...

What's the point of an arranger without ONE good style (IYO )? Just because there are 'some' good sounds in it? At that price, me, I'd want them ALL to be good, not good after I have spent another thousand dollars or more on high quality VSTi's...

As I keep saying - when the promise of this is fulfilled, I will be first on my block to buy one. Until then, I'm just here to keep saying 'the Emperor has no clothes' until he GETS some. He can keep telling you over and over about how magnificent his costume is (and how awful ours are, too!), but if you keep looking hard, you'll see that it's still bare flesh...

Now, if you can grow cotton, and weave your own yarn, make cloth, cut it and make a suit from scratch, this may be the thing for you. Me, I kind of expect a bit more 'off the shelf', 'ready to wear' than this... It's not that I don't mind a BIT of work to get things personalized, but having to start from scratch, or do major surgery to convert non-native styles to the MS strikes me as a bit much, especially at that price.

So, as I say, I don't consider it 'bashing'... just a reality check, past the hype and on to the facts. At least to my ears (and apparently yours too), this one ain't ready for the big leagues unless you ARE capable of making your own style library for it. I've heard hundreds of 'conversion' styles, on all kinds of arrangers. NOT ONE of them ever sounded better on the new arranger than the original. There's something about the sound and the playing being as one, that playing a part on a different sound always sounds inferior to it on the original. If the playing is any good, anyway...

Dom needs to bite the bullet, and bundle the MS with a REALLY good VSTi already loaded. Colossus, something like that. THEN develop ALL the styles for a sound set that is ALREADY far superior to a T2 or the like, not develop them for the semi-good set that exists, then expect the user to chose a whole bunch of different VSTi's, and then try to convert these styles for it himself. Styles always sound best on the sound they were created with (and great sounds would inspire his style creators, too).

Yes, it would jack up the price of the MS, but let's face it, nobody in their right minds is going to get this, and then NOT spend a large chunk on VSTi's. Might as well pay upfront, and at least have styles developed specifically for it...

But what do I know...? I'm just a 'basher', apparently

There are allready some very good inhouse sounds.. (As you mentioned)


I tested the Linux sampler under Linux, and it sounds just as good as any of the other top vst sample players like kontakt or halion. This giga sampler (thats a free download under Linux) was developed espescially for the mediastation and is the base of the mediastation sound.

There are allready some free vst's bubdled with mediastation.


I'd hate it if they would "Force " people to buy one very expensive vst with the mediastation, as that takes away from the people's freedom of choice. People are free of will nad can decide for themselves what they want.

Next to that the VSt will not be used as the base of the sound, but as added solo sounds.

Somehow people seem to forget what Linux is/was all about ... You buy a piece of hardware and the software comes with it for "Free" so adding payd expensive vst's would not support that.

Dom still has got a lot of credit with me, i am in the software development buiseness myself and i know how much effort it takes, not to create things... but to get them working flawlessly.

But i would not advise anyone to buy the Mediastation right now, as we haven't heard it live yet and because the style section is still performing under par untill they have a few hundred top-styles for the new Q-ranger. Sadly Dom and Lionstracs need the money from their sale to pay for the further develoment and their own livings.

Dom would best concentrate on the musicall part of the instrument and find some really great musicians that can create some really great styles... Somehow i think Dom himself is more of a wizzkid technician then a musician. And a wise man knows what he can do himself and what others can do much better.

Dom is doing the right thing by focusing his attentions on the market that actually buys his product. There is no point in becomeing another 'me too ' arranger provider. It would appear that the oriental, croation and slovenian market is expanding and customersw are buying the MS but my guess is not for its arranger capabilities.Anyway it is much wiser to develope those markets and use the profit from that to develope the product rather than continuously trying to break the western market where our requirements are much more diverse.