Korg M3 XPanded adds new sounds and features

By Ben Rogerson
published

Enhanced workstation ups the ante

The M3 XPanded looks very similar to its predecessor.
The M3 XPanded looks very similar to its predecessor.

Korg has released a new version of its M3 workstation/sampler - the appropriately named M3 XPanded.

Based on the same design as the original M3 (the updated keyboard looks very similar to the old one), the XPanded model has additional piano and classic keyboard samples in its internal ROM.

What's more, three new sample expansions are included as standard (they cover brass, woodwind and acoustic pianos), bringing the total amount of PCM data to 640MB.

In Sequencer mode, meanwhile, there's now a Piano Roll editing screen, a Track View arrange/edit page and MIDI SysEx editing. Elsewhere, the Karma function has been updated to version 2.2, and the TouchView interface is now easier to use.

The M3 XPanded is expected to be available in October, with the price still to be confirmed. Users of the original M3 will be pleased to learn that they'll be able to download an XPanded update at the end of September.

More at the Korg website.

Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.