Not ready to invest in an M3, but need a more flexibility than an X50 can afford you? The new Korg M50 workstation offers the same sonic power as the flagship M3 "distilled" -- but don't think of it as the "light" version of a real workstation.

The M50 is both a full featured workstation, and a sophisticated performance synthesizer. The core of the keyboard's sound is Korg's EDS, or Extended Definition Synthesis engine. The newest additions to the EDS palette include a three-stage velocity-switched stereo piano (featuring a full range of damper samples resulting in an extraordinarily natural sound), a number of vintage keyboards (including the classic Korg SG-1 Sampling Grand), numerous electric pianos and clavs, and even 1960s-era tape playback "trons" with strings and flute sounds.

The on-board 256MB of PCM data stores 608 playing programs and 384 "Combi" sets. There's also room for 640 banks of user-definable programs, 512 Combinations and 48 Drum kits. This multitude of sonic options is further malleable by virtue of the many sound shaping options on the M50, including low-aliasing oscillators, Filters, Envelope Generators, a Drive parameter and AMS (Alternate Modulation Source) Mixers. The integrated virtual effects mixing offers 5 Insert Effects, 2 Master Effects and 1 Total Effect. 170 Effects types with up to 32 Effects Presets each, an independent three-band EQ is available for each Program, the Drum Track and each of the sixteen timbres/tracks.

Speaking of the drum track, the M50 includes over 670 preset groove patterns. Additionally, the dual arpeggiators offer five different preset patterns, as well as an advanced polyphonic mode. For sequencing, the M50 provides 16 MIDI tracks + 1 Master track, and storage for up to 128 different songs.

The main LCD screen on the M50 is a full-sized TouchView screen; it's angled up for easy viewing and controlling. In addition, the top of the keyboard features many, many buttons, sliders and knobs, and a joystick controller for instant access sound editing, and if that doesn't provide you with enough parameter editing options, the included "M50 Editor" software allows for computer access to the M50's sounds -- it also allows the M50 to act a s a hardware plug-in for any DAW (VST, RTAS and AudioUnits formats are supported).

The Korg M50 will be avilable in 88-key (featuring a Weighted Hammer Action 3 (RH3) graded action keyboard) and 61-key (semi-weighted Natural Touch keyboard) versions, with MSRPS of $1,499 and $2,499, respectively.