Rocky Theme.

hmmmm.. seem the forum software tags for embedding Youtube clips is disabled.
Here's the direct links.
Roland Edition - Link

KORG Edition - Link

Regards
Sharp.

Good detail in the arrangements. I thought the guitar at around 1:17 on the version with the Integra was far more realistic.

To my hears the Korg option seems more Full and Rich, and notice a big difference in sound quality between both options (Korg is better), but the Integra one seems more "defined"...

The Guitar seems more a synth than a guitar, but again this is all very subjective

Very good arrangement BTW

The Korg one sounds warmer to my ears, but like Paolo said, the Integra version feels slightly harsher, but more defined.

To me the Kronos brass sounds are less natural than the Integra ones. The Kronos sounds more crisp and direct, but more artificial, the Integra more distant, but closer to the sounds of a natural orchestra. There is a difference in the orchestration however, the Integra version has an additional lower ocatve in the brass.

What a fun exercise!

I had to listen several times to each, but the Integra version to me sounds very "thin" comparatively. The brass on the Kronos is much more "out there" and the mix sounds more well spatialized since I can clearly hear the harp glisses whereas on the Integra version I had to strain to hear it. Perhaps the Integra needs the Motional Surround!

Also noticed the different drum kits...heard bongo like sounds on the K but not on the I. I always prefer the Roland cymbals to Korg's, and I think that is where that personal preferences bit comes in where one either likes the "warm" Korg sound or the "bright" Roland sound for certain parts.

As for the guitars, I'm with Paulo on that score and can't say I like either one! LOL It''s bloody hard to please a real guitarist with that particular type of pick attack guitar sound!

I haven't used the Integra much in my tunes so far, but mixing the OASYS or Kronos with the V-Synth's and Jupiter gives the best of both worlds.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

With the KRONOS and the Integra, the biggest difference I find between them is the most basic thing in the world, the reverb.

The KRONOS effortlessly sounds much warmer, and up front thanks to it's O-Verb effect. Where the Integra sound much colder and distant by default. I will have to spend time on that to find the magic recipe for warmth and presence.

There seems to be something else going on too though I'm not entirely happy with.

If I set a Reverb value for a track to suite a SuperNATURAL, but then I decide I would like to try other sounds on that track, the second I switch to a PCM sound the track becomes totally swimming in reverb. There's a massive and totally unacceptable difference in the amount a SuperNATURAL sound is effected by vs PCM sounds.

I think if I can work out what the heck is going on there too, it will make a really big difference to everything I do.

Regards
Sharp

This is a fabulous comparison! Great arrangement!

I'm not a Korg fan in general, but I have to admit that the KRONOS version does sound 'warmer'. Was it recorded in a mutimbral format? (Was the Integra as well)? I do think Roland's acoustic sounds still do some cold even after all these years. I usually compensate for this by adding a ton audio effects in my DAW.

Can you indicate whether you used PCM or SN-A sounds with the Integra? To my ears, in the Integra version the brass sounds a bit "synthy," whereas I find that the SN-A horns are far more acoustically 'accurate.' But maybe because I tend to play then only as solo instruments, rarely in sections.

In terms of the sounds from my POV, I'd say that the Korg wins on brass and overall 'presence.' The Integra wins on drums, bass and 'vocals. I don't like anyone's ROMPLER based electric guitars, but the Integra's sounds a lot more like the real thing.' I can't say anything about pianos because they're a bit buried in both mixes.

How did you record the sounds themselves with each version/ Through analog or digital outputs?

I originally sequenced this on my KRONOS, so just as a test I remapped it to work with Integra.

We all need to remember that perhaps not all articulations were properly used on the Integra-7 since it appears that Sharp played this originally on the Kronos and then remapped that MIDI file to the Integra-7. I find that I play different sound sources based on the response that I get from these instruments. All these modules, keyboards and VSTs respond very differently based on how the patches were programmed.

I counted 12 Programs on the Kronos Combination but only saw 7 or perhaps 8 Parts going on the Integra-7. One of the great things about the OASYS and Kronos is that you can double, triple or even quadruple-plus several different types of horns or even brass sections for maximum effect. Especially useful when coupled with the KARMA function and split across several different GE's.

As usual, this type of "head to head" comparison will generate the "which one sounds better" and so forth discussions, but the bottom line is that they are both magnificent sounding machines, and it is in the deft combining of both at once that yields superior results in an overall mix.

I completely agree, SoundworldA.D.

howardS wrote:

I completely agree, SoundworldA.D.

+1

Conceptually, I agree with you totally, Soundworld.

Realistically, the problemis that not everyone can afford two different expensive modules or keyboards, so sometimes these kinds of comparisons give us as much information as we're likely to get, given that it's damn near impossible to find an OASYS, Kronos or Integra to demo at your local Guitar Disaster.

I did have a question about your statement of the ability of Korgo's to 'double' or 'triple' of horns. Couldn't you do this same way by simply assigning two or more brass sections to different parts in a Studio set on the Integra and run those two parts on the same MIDI channel, assuming this combination wouldn't break the 128-note polyphony barrier? (This would be easier to do if you used the SN-A sounds, because I believe they only sound one 'voice' at a time, unlike the SN-S and legacy XV and SRX sounds, which have multiple partials per patch).

I did have a question about your statement of the ability of Korgo's to 'double' or 'triple' of horns. Couldn't you do this same way by simply assigning two or more brass sections to different parts in a Studio set on the Integra and run those two parts on the same MIDI channel, assuming this combination wouldn't break the 128-note polyphony barrier? (This would be easier to do if you used the SN-A sounds, because I believe they only sound one 'voice' at a time, unlike the SN-S and legacy XV and SRX sounds, which have multiple partials per patch).

No doubt you could build some interesting brass arrangements by using several parts on the Integra. But then finding just the right effects and cross modulating and sequencing it all would be too much work for the Doogenator! What I was specifically referring to on the OASYS was that on some of the EXs3 (Brass and Woodwind) combi's, there are like 10 or 11 horn programs assigned, and they all sound at different times, and can be programmed to sound on certain Pads and so forth with the KARMA function. You can get these rich sounding "bands" going on real quick.

What I do is get those going and then add a V-Synth horn or lead synth sound or another V-Synth arpeggio to sync up with the KARMA groove. I added the JayB patch "PluckdSomethng" with an arpeggio (thanks Paulo!) to my tune "Sir Trancelot (Tilting at Windmills)" to great effect. That is what I meant by the different synths being so complimentary.

By the way, the jury is still out on that "1 voice at a time" with the SN-A sounds! ;-)