Reviewing a Vintage Mostly Destroyed Korg Triton Pro X 

How one can trash such a legendary instrument is beyond me!

The sounds aren't very realistic, but the Triton is the last workstation where sounds were larger than life. It's nicer than being realistic.

Awww.... just looking at the state of this beast is highly upsetting. Poor Triton. Someone needs to make this right again.😢😢😢🙏🏾

I have the 76 key version that I bought in 2001 and used in my band for the next 10 years. I put it on top of my Hammond B-3 and I used it to play hundreds of gigs from the California State Fair to the Annual California Military Ball. We even opened for Chicago once when they came to California. My Korg allowed my band to perform a lot of songs with brass as well as strings and a plethora of other instruments. The "Funky Brass" patch was one of my favorites. I only used about 20 patches to play most of the songs on our set lists. In the day, the Korg Triton was the best instrument for serious performance and studio musicians. My main love is the Hammond B-3, so my focus in my band was the Hammond; however, I received a lot of pressure from the other band mates to produce lots of other sounds with the Korg which I did. I still have mine and it is still in excellent condition. It sounded sounded great then and it still sounds great now. The state of modern synthesizers it pretty poor, so in my opinion, the Korg Triton is still FIRST CLASS.

You hear the Sound always on the left ear because the socket of the line output connects to the tip of the plug which is the left channel the headphone jack. Some Digital Pianos like my P 125 also have a line output socket with an additional connector inside of one Line output socket to be able to support stereo plugs. So left channel on the tip, right channel on the first ring and ground on the shaft.

0:32 thanks for buying and testing the new Kawai ES520. Also for buying the new Roland FP-30X. This will help a lot of undecided people.

I enjoyed this probably as much as any of your videos, it looked like you were having so much fun! The case of the mysterious vintage pro synth, lol!

O boy, what did they do to this instrument. Years back, I got old. I played one. Pfff you can change so much on that keyboard. It’s amazing. But anyway I hope someone is taking this poor thing and repair it. That floppy disk is rather simple. It’s almost the standard old computer one. Easy to repair. For the rest? Don’t know. Hope so. I hope also that you can do a full review. It’s really a amazing keyboard. Trust me. Thank you for sharing and playing.

Great review, one of the best you have done and you look more relaxed in that hoody!

The triton is a workstation class keyboard that was top of the pack when it released, circa 1999. It has RAM based sampling onboard. The expansion slots are for DIMM modules (RAM memory) to let the keyboard hold more samples. You should epoxy that broken corner on the board, or take this to a repair place and let them do it. It's worth fixing up and selling this on reverb, if Sweetwater did not in fact ship this to you in error. The rear panel outputs are meant to be unbalanced mono Tip Sleeve 1/4" or balanced mono TRS Tip Ring Sleeve 1/4". They are meant to be plugged into your mixer via 1/4" guitar/instrument cord, or direct to powered studio monitors. The headphone jack repair should be trivially easy for anyone who can solder and use a screwdriver. There's an active community of Triton users out on the internet. I own a Korg TR which is like this keyboard's baby brother, so I know a lot about the menu system on the Triton. This is a hugely powerful and deep instrument and the menus are insanely deep and complicated. Preset surfing on this is really fun, I think. Try out aftertouch based effects. (Press harder on the key after the note has reached the sustain portion of the envelope.). The broken notes may require just soldering a few wires to fix, or may need parts, or a whole new keybed, or new keybed parts.

LCD contrast control is a need, because the contrast depends quite a lot on view angle, so it needs adjustment to suit your viewing position

This instrument is simply legendary, way ahead of it's time! So sad to see it in such terrible condition

This sounds amazing.

13:42 That has to be how the group Europe did the song "the final countdown"

The screen contrast setting has been great for the Yamaha M08 I’ve used for marching band so the screen is still readable in both direct sunlight and a dark room

I JUST sold mine on Reverb and now you're making me regret it! haha. Bizarre that this just landed on your doorstep. Thanks for the fun review.

Fyi your copyright still says 2020 😉

Maybe someone will send you an old New England Digital Synclavier orchestral synthesizer, the ultimate workstation of the 1990s. They cost so much that only major production houses could afford them, but when I heard one demonstrated at the factory in Hartford, VT I could hear why. Amazing. It was hard to tell that you weren't listening to a recording of an actual orchestra. The one I heard was in final testing prior to shipping, and one of their talented engineers who was also a musician was playing it. I suspect it would keep you busy for months discovering its capabilities.

Unbelievable! That instrument is a war hog. Definitely built to last, I will have no problem investing my money into an instrument built this well. Thank you for reviewing this and actually posting this video. it is very interesting how it came to your door.

Thanks for the review. Classic workstation with sounds that are STILL relevant if a musician knows what they are doing and knows how to use it. Suggestion: unless someone claims it (as you mentioned earlier in the video), keep it and really dig into the capabilities. You have gold in your hands there. Also (especially what I would personally do) DON’T use the “physical” keyboard. Use your favorite keyboard (your Kawai, I assume) as the midi controller and just use the Triton for the audio. Just plug a midi cable running midi “out” of the Kawai midi “in” and you are good to go. That way, you are using the keyboard you are used to feeling and navigating with and reaping the benefits of the Triton’s brain. Yeah, you may miss a few navigational features. However, you can always “Midi Map” many of your essential functions later with your existing gear. Hit me up (or any keyboard guru) online and we would be more than willing to walk you through those simple steps. These workstations, even the older ones, have so many capabilities that are under the hood if you take the time to dig in. Again, you have gold right there that would only enhance your current amazing musicianship. Keep bringing the content! We are better because of your musical contributions!!

I still have and play the keyboard that came out before this model, the Korg Trinity. Has lots of amazing sounds, but suffers from sparse polyphony, only 32. Piano sounds so so. Strings great, along with acoustic guitar, organ and electric rock guitar is stunning. Keys are velocity and pressure sensitive, so can add to expression. Also has above average orchestra sounds.

This was pretty interesting. I always wanted to hear all the sounds the older Tritons have. 1999 doesnt sound old to me in terms of such. Thats like RIGHT when hobbyist musicians started investing in DAWs like Fruity Loops & Pro Tools...right when we started to learn the difference between the more dynamic unpleasing thin digital sound samples on our computers vs the warmer more analog rich saturated sounding sounds on these keyboards. Like vintage compressors are still used in state of the art studios, these keyboards have NEVER went out of style for most producers.

Hey James, great demo of the Triton dude! I started my musical journey with a Yamaha PSR-630 and it too recorded to Floppy Disk but had an awful sequencer. It would be great to see you review modern workstations such as the Roland Fantom, Yamaha Montage and Kurzweil's new powerhouse, but they would be costly to buy to review. Anyhoo, the Korg Triton is a purpose built performance stage keyboard/studio workhorse and it's counterparts are made for the complete orchestra/band in one place, every generation sounds epic all the time. Once again, great video. Keep it up :)

That's so insane that you were randomly able to get such an amazing(ly beaten up and old) instrument. On a side note, do you plan on doing a review of the Korg Grandstage? I know you briefly covered it at namm but I'm just wondering if you're ever going to do a deeper dive into it

man, I need a "Studio compound" lol! Nice one, James! I kinda miss the leather jacket, though! 🐰❤️🎸🎶🤝✌️

I'VE HAD THE TRITON,TRITON LE, TRITON STUDIO AND NOW THE OASYS ALL 88 KORG HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE #1 KEYS ON THE PLANET

I'd love it if you obtain a Yamaha Montage 8. The keys on the 88 key model are not like an acoustic keyboard like so many stage piano's you've reviewed. However Better than the Montage 6 or 7. I got mine hmmm 2 days ago and the things I 've been able to get it to do which is not a lot not even being a piano player at all and just started 18 months ago. Why I started watching you. I've not scratched the surface. It's way over my paygrade. It would be a great addition to your studio which is why I got it. And piano is the last instrument I'm adding adding at 62 to what I can or have played. Why I am still watching you. Oh your fun and honest. Completely honest. And I love to learn to go through the paces with you on this. It's a lot of fun and unbelievable accurate playing brace winds strings etc..

Egads, that thing couldn't sound any more 1990's! (and I should know . . . I was there . . .) Loved that hard big bass sound on your first note.

it sounds amazing, i like the idea of do-it-all synths rather than doing it all through a DAW on a PC / Mac

You attracted something very strange! If you maybe go meet or invite someone like 8-Bit Key or Keen On Keys, that would make an interesting collab on this poor beast.

would you review the korg b2? i've been considering to buy one as it seem p. good, but would like to hear your opinion on it

90's technology is really weird. It's like it's caught between two eras, abandoning the old analogue for the "modern" digital but being very janky and awkard about the transition.

Hello James. I think you could/should do some Workstations [Korg, Kurzweil, Roland, Yamaha, etc]. Some are great and you get to learn a bunch of stuff.

Where's the leather jacket man?! Always great HONEST reviews. Please can you review the KORG D1.

He’s not in a black leather jacket?!?!?!!??!?!?!?!? Also I’m a second semester piano student at the University of Florida! It’s so exciting to see people at a similar place in life as me yet also doing so much different Lol you can wear whatever, I just don’t think I’ve ever seen you do a video without it 😂

I predict your going to play Clair De Lune... no? I did like the sounds from that keyboard and you played it nicely! It's interesting to see a review of such an instrument. Thanks 😊

All the sounds from the 1980s revealed at once I am freaking out

Your life is so funny. Congrats on Dean's list. Only happened to me once, so it's a pretty big deal when it happens.

Hey, if I remember correctly you just randomly got not 1 but 1 and a half keyboards! There was an expansion card called exb-moss which consisted basically of a 6 (instead of 12) voice Korg z1, and if I'm not wrong the triton x series came with it already installed. The card is still researched today because capable of still interesting sounds, it had some physical modeling and synth models which were kinda nuts for 1999!

I always thought these Tritons were built like tanks. It must’ve taken a lot of abuse or something big to make it in this out of condition. I love Korg workstations. At least for me, both as mainly a piano player for church, but also someone that likes to work in production and stuff sometimes, the 88 note workstation is honestly the best choice for me in my opinion. And really, once you figure out the touchscreens, a lot of them from at least the triton to my M 50 have a similar sort of interface. You also have such a wide array of sounds. And if you go to something a little newer like for example an M3 or an M 50, a lot of the piano sounds and what not are a little more realistic than on a Trinity or triton for example.

I had a trinity pro x look similar to the triton, mine was in the 800 serial number, pretty cool synth, also back then korg used yamaha keybeds

OMG I was thinking it has to have fallen off the back of a truck !

This is so cool.

Does anyone consider the yamaha dgx 60 to be great for beginners even in 2021?

That place on Vanstory in Greensboro is a Guitar Center. I've been there a few times. It's not a very large Guitar Center

Kitty cats and stray dogs show up on my doorstep. Never a keyboard though

Very good pad in all korg pro

I like the older Keyboards better than the new ones.

Wow. That's pretty cool. It's not very common that you get something dropped in your lap like that. Too bad for the condition of the unit, though.

Most music from 99 to early 2000s was produced using mainly the sounds from the triton

Very beautiful 😍😍😍

James, I have the manual for the Triton on PDF if you would like it. I have the Software version of the Triton. It has all the patches you demoed in the "COMBI" mode.

James, Someone is asking 2700 for one of those on e bay.....!!!!!!! Sounds like something from the old Dr. Who series from England.. look out here comes a Dalek! Eliminate....!!!! In good condition I can see many uses for it since it has stuff not readily avaiable today. Cheers, Rik Spector

Serial number on mine is 777. How lucky is that!

@syntaur on youtube is specialized in these kinds of synth repairs

This seems like a collaboration opportunity with a synth/electronics youtuber who could maybe fix it. :)

Fascinating... too bad it's so broken. 🤠👍🏼

do you know if it's that easy to open the 76 key triton? - i landed one at one hell of a deal, the only problem is that the start/stop button to the sequencer is missing - i found the part (easily) on-line and it was really cheap. it does have another problem which im not too worried about (the headphone jack is "jacked" and i have to wiggle it to get it right). the reason im not worried about it is because im obviously running it to a mixer and the headphone jack has zero problems there...anyways, i saw how easily you opened that 8 key model and im hoping it's just as easy on the 76 key model, i think i already know the answer, i would appreciate if you can confirm that i DO have to take it apart screw by screw. thank you for your time.

That sounds pretty epic! Like and comment people!

There are also other legentary synths which are worth making a review such as yamaha dx7,korg m1, roland d50, kurzweil k2000 and others....give it a try

8-bit keys (the 8-bit guy) might be able to help, but he usually covers 80's keyboards.

Review roland rd 1000 and kurzweil k250 next

Korg D1 begging for a review...

dang its only from 1999 stop making everyone feel old lol

It's not broken, it's relic'd.

What has happened to your black leather jacket!. Just kiding 👍🏻

How does an instrument even end up like this? Sheesh!

It is unfortunate to see such an iconic instrument in such a sad state. It is not a person or an animal but nevertheless an instrument like this should have some value to someone. The Korg Karma was ultimately a better instrument but as a legacy instrument like a Juno , Dx7 it can provide sounds and workflows difficult to reproduce.

Is there any chance you could get your hands on and review this apparent premimum german midi keyboard, the lachnit flk ? www.flkeys.at/KlaviaturEng.html, it's apparently A world class midi keyboard and would much love to hear what you have to say about its' action. If not, no matter, keep up the interesting reviews.

Triton is now considered vintage. My God, I feel so old =(

If you really tried, you could probably rig up a MIDI controller to 'fully' play that one even as it is.

This is Jamie Jamz wanting to be in the next video does she

Looks like it has been used like a guitar after a heavy metal concert: smashed to the floor of the stage... 0_0

If you ever want to get rid of it, I'll pay shipping costs. 🤓

can i look closer pleasee...

LOL Perhaps God thought you were the better home for it but this is the kind of crazy thing that could only happen to YOU, hahahahahaaaaaa!!!!!

He looks like Beethoven when he was young.

Such a shame this isn't in perfect working condition! Damn this has a lot of diversity and quality in it. I'd love if you could get your hands on a Hihner Pianet from the 60s or 70s, ever since I heard Egg's Enneagram, I really wanted to hear how it normally sounds, and your commentary on it :D

Blasphemy to destroy such a gorgeous instrument. Whoever did it should be hanged.