The instrument
The Korg M1, released in 1988, is one of the most iconic digital synthesizers and considered as the first workstation in music history. It was revolutionary for integrating a synthesizer, sequencer, and digital effects in one unit, making it a versatile tool for musicians and producers. Korg duplicated the M1 with the 2 U rack version M1R. The sound generation is identical. The M3R rack module is a reduced version compared to the M1 and M1R.
Details
The M3R does without sequencing and has only one oscillator and therefore one sound per program compared to the two oscillators of the M1/M1R. It has only 75% of the ROM sample memory, which cannot be upgraded. The polyphony of 16 voices, the number of eight parts and the digital effects have been retained, as have the PCM ROM sample cards, which are compatible with the M1 series. The internal sample ROM contains 89 multisounds and 45 drum sounds in 16 bit. Korg has also added DWGS synthesized sine, square, pulse and sawtooth waves. There are 100 multisounds and 100 multitimbral combinations on the expander, and a further 100 can be stored on the RAM card. Four drum kits with 30 samples each can be programmed. The program structure follows the pattern of oscillator-filter-amplifiers with separate five-stage pitch, filter and amplifier envelopes as well as pitch and filter modulation generators. There is attack velocity, aftertouch and 33 programmable effects. (Source: muzines)