Is the OASYS really all that?

[jenius_92000]

Is it the same as using an 88-key MIDI controller with a high-end PC loaded with all sorts of vsts? Surely you could do that, and load up the PC with a decent sampler, a bunch of softsynths of different types, perhaps a few modelling synths?

[Sparky93]

Owners of Oasys could answer.

[gylfih]

I think the OASYS is good, but I really don't understand the price. You could probably get a more versatile set up with a controller, computer and VSTs. Thinking about it, good controller is about £700/800. Laptop is £800. Enough VSTs and a DAW to be better than OASYS is about £1500/2000. Total is max £3600... I'd go for OASYS over VSTs though because I wouldn't have to take my laptop to gigs:tongue:

[-=AnatomiC=-]

I predict sudden appearance of calmar :biggrin:

Hmmm.... Oasys is the best you can get (if you are talking about power(?)) - if professional musicians can afford it, why not?
We already discussed the fact, that price of the Oasys, for a professional acoustic instrument (like a set of trumpets) is normal - yet nobody will compare the "power" of the Oasys with something like a trumpet :rolleyes:

Personally, I would never buy it - I bought very cool stuff I've always wanted. With everything I have now (x8, radias, couple of other very cool synths, a PC, other stuff) it would be still not enough to buy Oasys.
If I would have 7000 euro, I would pimp my home studio, and save something for later music studies.

A sampler can do everything live - I made (with just basic sampling and COSM filter, which sounds awesome) some very cool polyphonic Rogue pad patches, sounds epic and organic! So just having a sampler, means that you can put every instrument in it - it doesn't have to have dozens of synth engines. And it was only like 60 kB sample. And I haven't really made anything with it's sound engine (only basic sampling), because I'm too lazy. I make patches with pure synths.

Anyway... for live, I think something like Motif, Fantom, Triton (sampler-workstation) + a VA like Radias for extra coolness would more than enough and for recording, even Oasys can't beat standard PC/Mac with a DAW, which would be 8 times cheaper.

[Devnor]

Well if having "all that" in one enclosure is what you need, then yes it is.

If you don't mind a bunch of pieces and parts...i.e. interface, computer, cables, monitor, software & authorizations, ilok, ect you can certainly do more for less.

There is a certain viceral quality to putting your hands on a big, shiny, impressive looking synthesizer like the Oasys.

[osiris]

I went to PMT in salford on Saturday to have a look at the V-synth GT, and when I was browsing I just thought why the hell is the OASYS so expensive.

Cant understand why its so much dearer than the Fantom. Its got a few more features that are a bit snazzy, like the tilty touch screen and the cd drive... but it baffles me :frown:

if I had the money though, tbh I'd probably look at getting one.....

[King_Ellesar]

Yes. It is.

[Bigs]

For studio use, a Workstation keyboard with a DAW + some VA hardware probably could do just as well. But if you're looking for a live tool or for an all-in-one solution (even a DAW+controller setup is not really that portable), the Oasys is still the king imo. If I could afford one, I would get one.

[-=AnatomiC=-]

That's the problem - you, and almost nobody can afford it!

[jenius_92000]

Yeah, I agree, because I'm looking for something for a live rig. However, all the Korg OASYS really is is just a bunch of computer parts (Intel P4 Processor BTW) in a workstation casing. Plus, there is a simplified version of Linux running behind the scenes as well. With this in mind, the only real difference is the stability of the two, which should be no problem if you've got a decent amount of memory and you are not using the internet/antivirus/any other stupidly bloated programs (Vista counts!). And IMO, the OASYS is really much too overpriced for what it really is worth. So here is my dilemma: Get a dedicated piece of gear ready to use, or buy a laptop, format the hard drive and remove all the crap I don't need.

[-=AnatomiC=-]

Every professional, working with PC/Mac (video/audio) would say that you can increase performance and stability of your computer dramatically, just by removing all the "crap" from it: Internet, games, anti-viruses, Vista, downloading, other crap...
Use your computer just for 1 purpose, use an other one for Internet etc. You can also make your PC run smoother by tuning it.
Now at school we study computer hardware (as a part of audio technologies), and today we saw why it was so important to do defragmentation now and then.

So a computer can be much more faster and stable, than PC/Mac in your room.

Yes, Oasys is IMHO overpriced - just a bunch of common PC hardware, a screen and keys. 3k, okay... but 7k???

[Ghostlord101]

However, all the Korg OASYS really is is just a bunch of computer parts (Intel P4 Processor BTW) in a workstation casing.

Aren't all keyboards?:tongue:

But even for gigging most people aren't going to need an Oasys, so even though it is the king, few of us will use enough of it's features to justify the cost.

[calmar]

I predict sudden appearance of calmar :biggrin:

lol I don't see what you mean :tongue:

Seriously though, arguing over which keyboard is better than the other is pretty pointless I think. The Oasys is an amazing board, as many other keyboards are, too. It just depends on what YOU like and what YOU need, not what other people will tell you. If I bought the Oasys, it's not because I had money to spend and wanted THE MOST expensive keyboard I could find. It's because it was exactly what I needed at the time, and because overall (and after trying MANY other keyboards) I knew I could do a lot more with it than with the other boards I tried. And it was what I needed. It was an investment.

I've owned several other keyboards before (Motif, fantom, triton, k2600...) and every boards has its pros and cons. The Oasys is still not the *perfect* synth ("humm" patch hold "humm"), but it can do pretty much all I need, and all that in only 1 keyboard, that's why I bought it and still have it.

In fact, I'll be buying 3 more Oasys 88 for my new job soon :biggrin:

Dave

[Gustavo]

I do think too that OASYS is more of a touring instrument, and it is probably the best you can get. IMO OASYS ain´t that overpriced. I mean look back... how costly was a simple sampler? now a days, you can get a decent keyboard sampler for bout 1k usd.

Plus in deep, all keyboards, except analog synths, are just circuitry, a computer processor (sometimes even way weaker, the blofeld has got a motorola chip), a screen, and some custom OS, the OASYS just happens to have one much more advanced, one based on LINUX. I think that to make OASYS, it would cost not more than 2k, but the R&D invested on it was probably huge, since they have been making it since the 90s (Z1 was kinda of a prototype, i believe).

Sure, you can probably get what the OASYS does in many keabords for still half the price, but you still wont have all that portability, and the all-in-one factor. You could do way more with a computer, but its just not the same to carry a keyboard than a computer,monitor, keyboard, keyboard and mouse, when on the road.

Plus keep in mind the fact that a trumpet costs the same lol

GUs

[jenius_92000]

So I would be better off buying a high-spec laptop and an 88-key midi controller?

[FRETPICK]

Of course it's over priced. It had to pay for about 10 years of R & D + some of that archture was taken from else where to.

[Omega Monkey]

Or you could just get a Neko for half as much and load it with whatever software you want.

[jenius_92000]

Or you could just get a Neko for half as much and load it with whatever software you want.

If I had the money I would go for it, but the keys are not weighted and not big enough (I need 88 keys). Thanks for the advice though, synth guru! *bows head*

Neko is a bit of a ripoff though, because again, I could just use a laptop, but the thing is that the Karsyn software on it is literally a direct ripoff of brainspawn forte, just with a skin on it. That kinda makes me angry! :mad:

Ok, I've made my decision: I'm going for a laptop. But which one? Do you guys reckon the Dell Vostro A860 is any good? (Look it up).

EDIT: I only have a £320 budget (for the laptop) :(

[MrT-Man]

Speaking as an Oasys owner, it's more than the sum of its parts.

Sure, it's very easy to look at the specs & say "wow, for the price of the Oasys I can get a fully loaded computer, with the full Native Instruments collection, a bunch of other softsynths from Arturia etc., DAW software, & STILL have cash left over!".

But I think one of the things that doesn't come across, unless you try it in a quiet music store with really good headphones (not the $30 kind that they usually have), is the sound quality -- everything sounds super crisp, warm, and pristine. I tried the softsynth route and I just couldn't get comparable results. Now, I can compose something that's complete crap, and with pretty much no effort I can make it sound polished & professional. :tongue:

The other big advantage is having all the synth engines etc integrated in one box and one UI. I got *really* fed up of pops & clicks, buffer errors, waiting for stuff to load, pressing a key on my controller and not hearing a sound -- and not being able to figure out where in the chain from controller to computer to DAW hosting software to softsynth plugin to hardware interface to digital mixing board the problem was, etc. Now I just turn on the Oasys, I got the touch screen, faders, joysticks etc. & it's just a lot more efficient for me.

Don't get me wrong, I know that you can do a ton more with a PC setup than you could ever do with the Oasys, and I also agree the list pricing was a bit ridiculous... but I think the current street price isn't unreasonable, for what it is and what it does. Like I said, try one out (again, with high-end monitors or headphones) and hear for yourself.