Korg Triton

[1][2][3] It uses Korg's "HI (Hyper Integrated) Synthesis" system and was eventually available in several model variants with numerous upgrade options.

The Triton became renowned as a benchmark of keyboard technology, and has been widely featured in music videos and live concerts.

The original Triton introduced many improvements over the Trinity, like 62-note polyphony, dual polyphonic arpeggiators, RPPR phrase recorder, onboard sampler with expandable RAM, greatly improved effects & routing possibilities (including the processing of external signals via the internal effects), larger synthesis modulation matrix, faster operating system, significantly faster touchscreen response, sample ROM expandability, enhanced UI including category search (ability to browse through related groups of sounds like pianos, brass, strings, etc.

), additional audio output jacks, redesigned sequencer adding individual track looping and Cue List and significantly more event memory, more than doubled Program/Combination memory slots, more realtime controllers including knobs, portamento, and availability of multi-timbral MOSS synthesis expansion (whereas Trinity's MOSS expansion was mono-timbral).

Further, despite the very close similarly between the Triton and Trinity synthesis engines, PCM ROM, and effects processing, Korg programmed many of the Triton preset Programs and Combinations to appeal to the contemporary pop, dance, and hip-hop genres, making full use of the new dual arpeggiators and RPPR feature.

Although it lost the sequencer audio tracks, digital input and output, these options were rarely installed in the Trinity, so the difference thereof was negligible.

[1] The onboard sampler was another significant improvement, as well as the "instant sequencing" function found in the latest firmware versions of Triton Classic and all subsequent Tritons (which allows the user to convert a combi into a song where all parts (programs) are instantly set up as tracks within a song).

Since musicians would use it as a sound module rather than a complete workstation, requiring a separate keyboard to control it via MIDI, it was designed with different abilities.

The oversized touchscreen was replaced with a smaller, more conventional 240x64-dot graphic LCD, with eight soft-keys under the LCD and cursor keys for user-interface navigation (essentially the same user interface later used in the Triton Le, Karma, and Korg TR keyboards), plus a rotary wheel and ten-key pad for data entry (like the touchscreen Tritons), while also retaining the knobs (here doing double-duty for both synthesizer and arepeggiator control) and floppy disk drive.

Though not equipped with a keyboard, it had advantages over Triton Classic 61, Pro, and ProX models, including storage of up to eight (instead of only two) EXB-PCM ROM boards containing additional sampled waveforms, many extra sound Program and Combi memory locations, expandability to maximum 96MB sample RAM (instead of only 64MB) and featured a built-in S/PDIF digital audio output (not available on the Classics).

A special edition of Le was released featuring a black body, visually similar but functionally different from the later TR.

[6] Released in 2006, the TR was similar to the Triton Le but included expanded ROM and additional programs and combinations.

[11] The X50 and MicroX, released in 2007, were oriented towards the lower end of the market and were consequently less physically robust and included fewer features.

USB connection was available for high-speed MIDI control (and use with the included plug-in editor), but incompatibilities with the other Tritons hampered the use of libraries for those keyboards.

Both included patch editor and librarian software as well as a plug-in for DAW control, allowing the import and export of Triton-compatible files.

[12][13] A USB-powered controller with the 512 programs from the original factory bank of the Classic, the Triton Taktile is offered in 25- and 49-key versions, with the same semi-weighted (though without aftertouch) keyboard used on the KROME.

Both are available as part of the Korg Collection of VST software meant to replicate their previous hardware synths.