Korg Radias
 

Hello, I have one opportunity to acquire on Korg Radias just to exchange, trade for a job but I have read over the internet about it and the opinions are too different between sites, so if is possible I want to know if someone own it for listen a direct opinion from one forum member.
Thank you.

Hi Wax,

I only have the Radias expansion board in the M3 which seems to be half a real Radius. So my irrelevant comment is that you need to live with a synth to find out if you like it. A Radius sounds bright and thin IMO compared to a Virus. Far less modulation abilities and none of the character of a Virus. The presets for the M3 (including the extra Radias converted bank) don't excite me much.

I recommend you zip into a music shop and try some of the presets and see if you like them. Korg always put a lot of effort into presets, so you'll be hearing it at its best.

Cheers,
B

When Korg released the Radias I tested one on the Frankfurt music fair and it had a rather steppy parameter interpolation (for instance when manually changing the Filterfrquency at high resonance) for a recent synth.

really appreciate you answers guys and for share your opinions with me.
Here, near to me is only one Guitar Center and they dont have demo Radias (even Demos Virus) so I will speak with my friend for try it.
Thank you.

funny thing is Ive been reading a lot of reviews of the Radoas and they all say that the Radias presets are rubbish and are 90% cheesy trance style tones which belies the actual power of the synth apparently. So I guess its just one of those synths you have to live with for a while to get into at depth before you can make a real judgement.

You can try the Korg R3 or the new Microkorg XL (not the old one), which both use the Radias engine. Just to have an idea how it sounds. Every Guitar Center usually has both on display. I have the R3, excellent synth and excellent vocoder. Unless you really like lots of knobs and you hate programming the synth from your computer (the editor is excellent BTW), I would get the R3 over the Radias and save some money. Or even the Microkorg XL. I didn't get that because I hate mini keys and it looks hideous (like a toy Rhodes piano.)

If you were in my neighborhood of the States, as in very close driving distance, I would just consider giving you my Radias Keys...that's how much disappointment I feel about a synth that *could be great if...*, and I firmly believe even if I were to leave the synth on with latched notes, then set it on fire, it would STILL be determined to sound HAPPY though out it's hellfire burning death to the end!!
Tried to like it but only thing I feel it has going for it is cool industrial design. The Radias is like that relative that you love to hate that insists on being violently HAPPY, kissing you with her death breath, over and over!:rolleyes:

I have had my Radias for over a year and it's a keeper as as I'm concerned. It's very versatile and underrated with a great set of built in FX. I don't find the sound overly thin either.

Checkout these examples:

Modulation madness:



1984 - Oberheim emulation



Beautiful Phased Strings (no external FX)



Vocoder Demo



Some nice sequences

:rolleyes:Thanks for sharing those. The Vocoder demo stood out as impressive and expressive and original. Seen SLEWS of JMJ emulations of Radias and point is, want to establish my OWN original signature sound. The Vocoder track displayed original signature use. Remember, that's just my opinion regarding the Radias when taken in comparison to my other synths, AND the type of music compositions my brain wants to make, it just is a weak link amongst: Virus KC, Waldorf Q, XT, Blofeld, Pulse, DSI MEK, and yes, even Korg DW-8000 from 1986, to name the heavy hitters in being able to hold their own in multi parts and not get totally lost in mix of sound.
However, I do LOVE the modulation sequencers and really wish Korg had made it so that also could output and drive via midi other synths, but yes, there is audio input as an oscillator. Mine is keyboard version and being foremost a pianist, the lack of after touch and a craptastic keybed was disappointing. O.S. Version 2.0 and the editor is quite nice, will admit but again, with any synth with all those knobs, why should I need an editor to program it beyond what just about every you tube video shows, rather than being able to push it's sound in brand new territories like can do with both my Virus KB and KC? (I use the KB as a great controller for my Q rack and process external audio when not needing the KB's extra warmness over the KC).
Timo actually put it very well on something that was driving me wacko that he confirmed in Korg Forum in the loads of past threads I read and learn from in that; the Radias has a bit of an oscillator phasing issue, unlike the Virus where you can depend and rely on fact the Virus will sound the way you want it to at each note-on, that is if you want it to.
Radias just has a shiney, glassy HAPPINESS that in not being new to synthesis, am not alone in difficult task in making it sound "dark" or at least useful that is, for compositions am currently working on and future.
Glad you love it and many do. However, find earlier Korg products, even post-analog days, such as Prophecy, DW-8000 (a hybrid that I actually own that has analog low pass filter, VCA, but that DW-8000 Synth is WHERE it all started with Korg's DWGS, of which are part of Radias' s waveforms.

The Radias probably would sound better, (again, just my opinion), run through a Mutator or Sherman Filter Bank to kill it's HAPPINESS ON STEROIDS sound!
Thanks again for sharing videos, it does not change my personal view of it but being an open minded person here, push come to shove and if the Radias were the only synth I could afford in this life and it was given to me rather than a needed pair of shoes, I probably would know no difference not have "tasted" the blood of the Virus and Q. :rolleyes:

Would you use the MX400 when you are using stereo out?