Yeah it is cool still , I made from wobble bass sounds to ambient pads with it the plastic sound thing made me somehow go deeper on the synthesis side but Im still sometimes think that if I get the moss board installed on it can make a change in the sountaste even tho I haven't tried it yet...
Yeah definitely the plugin version would be awesome maybe someday they decide to going for it..

 

I could be wrong, as i don't know much about the Triton, but isn't it fully digital / PCM? Since Korg made the VST as well, im assuming they just ported everything over, and would thus sound near identical, with the only difference being converter coloration, but even that would be minimal.

Sometimes what makes an old piece of gear magical is the things like poor quality converters etc.

 

they aren't completely overlapping either. The Moss expansion gives you basically a "lite" Z1, but with a lot of advantages at the same time.
They could make 2 full separate plugins which would be different enough from one another, something like the Triton and the Triton Extreme.
They would have to replicate the xy pad morphing of the Z1 if they tried to jam them both together. They could call it the Morphodite.

The Z1 physical modeling is great as long as you aren't trying to actually program realistic sounds from scratch. That Moss expansion gives you one Z1 bank, where the original is more of them to screw with. Other than those SWAM instruments, Logic's Sculpture synth is the only decent PM game in town. You can make some wild stuff with it, but most people never learn how to use it. Those SWAM devs have to be some brilliant programmers.

 

The definite advantage in slapping a MOSS board into a Triton - compared to a Z1 - is the large touch screen (provided it still works, after all these years, lol).

Regarding the Triton itself - I have a Triton Studio with the MOSS board, and man it still sounds good! And it's so easy to program. It's definitely something else beyond a boring Neptunes/Timbaland preset machine. And remember, you can combine PCM and MOSS tones in a Combi.

The low end on the hardware Tritons were very ballsy, the plugin is definitely lacking in that department. And also, the Studio had patches that are not in the Triton plugin, because it was based on the basic model. They might be in the Extreme, not sure.

 

Not much interested in Triton, but may I ask, what if you manage in some way to download somewhere sysex original packages?
I restored the original sound banks of Emu Vintage Keys and Ultraproteus through MIDI Sysex, it worked flawlessly.

 

While Triton is PCM based, I assume that Korg didn't spend enough time to emulate the sounds/algorithms of these hardware components.

 

https://www.korg.com/us/support/download/product/1/220/
Have you ever tried TRITON-Rack/Factory Preload Data1.02016.01.01 / EXE : 1.7MB ?

btw, why didn't you get Korg M3 instead?
M3 has an official software editor, apart from editing patches, it is also convenient for recalling different projects.

 

Expansions are great, but if you were starting basically from shopping around to purchase either synth there are many more advantages to buying the Triton than just a larger screen! Main one is you can easily find one for about half the price.

advantages: Triton is a full workstation with sequencer, effects, Combi layering, sampling, and KARMA. KARMA motion control can manipulate MOSS parameters dynamically — something the Z1 couldn’t do. Shared FX and routing, meaning your MOSS sounds can be drenched in the same lush Triton/KARMA processors.MIDI + Sequencer automation within the same system — no external routing needed.

He probably can't use system exclusive via MIDI cables to fix his problem. The factory restore process always involves a .PCG file from a disk, ZIP, or card — not a SysEx dump. He'd need a SysEx file containing the original factory data, which Korg never officially released in SysEx format . only in .PCG. If he could find an existing sysex file, or had already made one himself, then he could.

That is a decent amount of work trying to find one if he didn't already make one. We're talking about driving to any local store and getting a box of blank floppies for like 5 bucks. If he already has a Gotek or other floppy emulator in it, or an external scsi2sd he could just an SD card to payload the files onto. So at least it is ten minutes ordering blanks on Amazon and not eBay trying to find original disks for something noone ever uploaded anywhere or to only sites that are now dead. This is like posting about needing to take your dog for a walk.

 

Isn’t Karma just a separate triton with that additional feature but given a new model name? I don’t think the original “Triton” series had karma yet, so unless it’s possible to use triton expansion boards with Karma there’s not really a way to motion sequence moss parameters

 

You are right. The Karma Moss expansion was an optional upgrade that was not included with the original Triton boards. Karma drew on the Z1 Moss synthesis for some of its capabilities, then when it was released as a Triton expansion it added more capability. The physical modeling added to Triton via Karma expansion was less capable as a PM synth, but with some additional bells and whistles. It's basically a cut down Z1, but again has a bunch of other capabilities.

my theory is the z1 did not sell that great. it was expensive and physical modeling was difficult for many people to understand, never mind program. So they spent all the money on R and D for the Z1, and then decided to repackage it into an expansion for people who wanted more out of a synth made for more everyday users like the Trinity and Triton were.

This is why I said the Karma (red hardware synth) and the Z1 could be completely different plugins and people wouldn't complain all that much about the overlaps with the existing Triton, etc plugins. There are more than enough differences.

 

I think you're a bit confused here. There is no such thing as a "KARMA expansion". There is a MOSS expansion (board), which is what you can install for both the Tritons and the Korg KARMA (the red synth from 2001).

Korg KARMA had the guts of a Triton, with the KARMA technology. KARMA itself was a fancy arpeggiator on steroids basically, but it was pioneered in the Korg KARMA, not the Tritons. I believe it still exists in the Kronos keyboards today.

 

I'm not confused at all. I should have typed "karma technology/ algorithmic phrasing functions, blah blah, added by the Moss expansion" so it would not be confusing for you or other reader. Personally, I prefer the Z1 still; but I'd still pick up an expanded Triton if it was half the price. There was also the OASYS around the same time, 2005 right? 2nd Gen Karma tech. This guy has 2 of them for sale on eBay 88key, updated to SSD, $3500 each.

 

Last edited: Oct 13, 2025 at 8:00 AM

In the old days I would do sys-ex dumps of all data on synths/racks as a backup....just like hard drives nowadays

 

Really?
EXB-MOSS was release in 1999, and KARMA keyboard was released in 2001,
I assume that KARMA technology didn't exist in 1999,
and I don't see anything about KARMA in EXB-MOSS manual.
https://www.korg.com/us/support/download/manual/1/214/1594/

 

Yup. The Z1 is the origin of MOSS. EXB-MOSS is a bridge to bring Z1’s synthesis into more mainstream keyboards. KARMA adds a new algorithmic layer, but relies on engines like MOSS for its sounds if installed.

I did not get my Z1 until 1999. maybe 2000 even. When did you get yours?

 

No - you’re still off. MOSS did not include any KARMA functionalities or ”algoritmic layers”. Only the different modeled ”engines”.

Like I said, you could install a MOSS exp board into a Korg KARMA (or any Triton) and then use its KARMA functions with those MOSS sounds, but KARMA isn’t on that expansion board at all.

And yes, MOSS tech was pioneered in the Z1 but KARMA was pioneered and first launched in the red Korg KARMA keyboard.

 

I was trying to say that Triton doesn't have KARMA technology even with EXB-MOSS installed,
EXB-MOSS is a 6-voice DSP board, I don't think it has anything to do with KARMA,
AFAIK, you need the following software if you want to have KARMA on Triton,
https://www.karma-lab.com/kt/karma-triton.html

 

That software appears needed, correct; but it runs on your computer right? It's basically continuous controller data. The key difference then is if the software will do the same performance functions with just the software or if you even need the Moss board for the software to work. What I am reading says you do not. Hey look, algorithmic phrasing....

The only expansion available for the Z1 was just a polyphony extender. An expanded Z1 was able to do 18 voices, stock was 12. The EXB-Moss added 6 to the boards that could have it installed.

 

Last edited: Oct 13, 2025 at 9:32 AM

No, you don't need EXB-MOSS for karma-triton software,
EXB-MOSS isn't a KARMA expansion board at all,
that's why liquidlove said you're confused.

Where did you get the idea that EXB-MOSS can enable KARMA on Triton?

SOS reviewed Z1 in 1997
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/korg-z1

SOS reviewed Triton and EXB-MOSS in 1999
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/korg-triton?page=2

SOS reviewed KARMA in 2001
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/korg-karma

Korg would have to rebuild Triton's OS to support KARMA natively.

 

if one was to actually read the posts before diving into the little specific aspects of it, after saying the only reason to get a Triton over a Z1 was the screen size; you would see that I do not own a Triton and haven't mentioned ever having one. Nor is it the only reason to buy one. They are worth half the price of the Z1 which I have owned going on about 25 years now. If you have interest in much more mainstream sounds, get a Triton. The expansion lets the Triton do physical modeling sounds, as such I said it is basically a z1 "lite" in that regard. You can't do all that much with 6 keys of polyphony.

If someone wants a Triton, or a Karma even cheaper; you can find them used all day long for about $500. They were probably shipping them by the truckload to Atlanta so any keyboard player who ever heard an Usher record ran out to buy one. When it comes to oddball synths, the Z1 is an inexpensive holy grail to some because of some of the kind of groundbreaking electronic music records that were made using it.

Maybe some day everyone can pedantically manual dive the Z1 when there is a plugin made of it. Or maybe Korg will make a virtual expansion board to go stick in your plugin versions.

 

Last edited: Oct 13, 2025 at 10:01 PM