RTFM and Some M3 Resources

Being a new M3 user, I've been voraciously consuming information about this incredibly deep instrument from the 'net. Forums, blogs, reviews, etc. And I'm reminded again how monumentally lazy people can be. On the forums I would guess that at least half the questions posed are really basic things covered in the manual. Its amazing to me that somebody who's too lazy to read the manual actually expects other people to take the time and effort to type in the procedure for them. If they're that lazy about it, I'd really hate to hear their music.

Yeah I know, there's well over 1,000 pages of documentation associated with the M3. The volume of it is daunting. But the questions I'm seeing are so basic that its obvious the posters haven't even cracked open the operations guide which is the first and most basic manual. In fact, some of the questions are so elementary that most people could figure it out just by exploring the M3's screens. Jeez, just put forth a modicum of effort and stop expecting people to spoon-feed you everything! Its not like the manuals suck; they're actually pretty well-written and illuminating. You just have to try.

Okay, so this isn't a total rant post with no value, here's a list of the best resources I've found so far.


  • Korg.com's M3 site - Korg has all the latest OS updates, documentation in PDF, additional sound sets (for free!), and tutorial/help information. Very useful site, although not as good as Yamahas!
  • M3 Wiki at Karma Lab - Its not complete, but I love this site because the information is solid and you don't have to wade through the irrelevant stuff that you would on a user forum. Lots of detailed description of procedures and techniques that aren't well-covered in the manuals.
  • Karma Lab M3 Forums - Karma Lab hosts a pretty active set of forums for the M3. The best part of the forums is that Stephen Kay is very active, answering questions and providing expert advice. Highly recommended.
  • Korg Forums - Another forum, this one is independent (despite the name). Also has a bunch of useful information if you browse through the archives.
  • Online M3 Virtual GUI - Notice a trend here? Stephen Kay and Karma Lab have done more to promote and support the M3 than anybody short of Korg (in fact, in some ways they've done much more than Korg). Anyway, the M3 Virtual GUI is a handy little tool that recreates most of the M3 user interface as an interactive Flash application. I find it useful when I'm away from the keyboard but I want to explore the M3, or if I want to see what the display looks like for something I'm reading about in the documentation.

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