The Synth Thread...

[Shadoweclipse13]

Yes. Mine looks a bit different, though:



I love it. It is very versatile, the matrix is okay to work with (once you got used to it) and it sounds very nice, indeed. I'm a bit emotionally biased since it was my first synth, though.


Cons are only four voice polyphony, the horrible keybed and not enough knobs to spontanously tweak your sound.

I replaced my microKorg eventually with a Novation K-Station in my live setup because I really wanted more hands on control (gimme more knobs!) and full size keys. The Novation is also very nice by the way, but I sold it to buy a Moog Sub37 which is now my live synth. The Korg gets still a lot of use in production work, though. It's just a great little synth. I actually know quite a few people who eventually got really fancy synths but still use their old microKorg on a regular basis for certain things.

Late reply! Sorry!

Good to know about the keybed. I've heard that they're pretty reasonable to work with, so I'm almost tempted to do like you did, and make it a desktop synth, and just get an Arturia Keystep Pro, or something like that, for it. I'd probably play with it for a while before doing anything like that.

They're fine. Considering what they cost, I think they sound great. I upgraded to a Minilogue for two reasons: if you're a little more ambitious and want to change presets, you're going to have to do a lot of menu-diving with the Microkorg. It's not much fun. The software is really bad. I actually couldn't get it to work. So being new to synths, I ended up not really understanding what I was doing half the time. On the Minilogue, everything's right there in front of you, so it's much easier to get a grasp of the basics of synthesizers. That and OG Microkorgs have seriously terrible preset selector buttons, which aren't much of an issue for home use, but in live situations can be very annoying.

My girlfriend just bought a Microkorg XL. It has a different engine, but sounds great too and it has a more intuitive lay-out, better buttons and 8-voice polyphony. Well worth it in my opinion, especially considering you can find them for the same or just a little more money than the OG used.

Btw, you can find excellent presets for these here.

Interesting. Have you messed with your girlfriend's Microkorg XL much yet? I'm wondering if it's got the same sounds, or is it a totally new thing entirely? I know they've got 1 or 2 other synths in the Microkorg line...

I've got one, it's a blast. Honestly, I like it better than the OP-1. And if it's good enough for LCD Soundsystem, it's good enough for me.

Awesome! My big thing is to have access to all those cool sounds. I'm not a pro player, and won't be doing gigs, so any shortcomings would only potentially frustrate me in my own time at home.

Yeah, dude. They're the greatest digital synth of all time.

Not because they're the best, but because they're dirt cheap and can cover pretty much any sound. Cheap keys, no knob per function, and only 4 voices of polyphony, but the Korg 2000(?) is its big brother that has none of those shortcomings. And they're certainly the best selling synth of all time. If the keys break, you can chop it down and make a desktop unit of it and it looks right. The perfect sidepiece synth for a guitarist or bass player. They're absolutely the coolest thing going, and have been in production for 20 years!

It's cool to see others agreeing with me on this. It's a synth with its share of detractors, but... what can't it do?

They're easy to find used for cheap, sound amazing, are easy to learn, and just get the job done. There's never been any more accessible hardware synth. It's the people's synthesizer. At some point korg will stop making them, and about 10 years after that, they'll become more popular than ever, with all the fanfare, but probably without the price going up much.

Awesome! Thanks for the replies guys! I will say though, if they're that easy to mod and work on, and after 20 years of producing them, I'm a bit surprised that Korg doesn't make a desktop-only version...

As well-liked as they seem to be, does anyone think that it would be pointless for me to get one, due to overlap of sounds with my Moog Matriarch and UDO Super 6?

[Maggieo]

I've got a Moog Grandmother, and it's one thing and the Korg is totally another. Both are a blast.

[mackerelmint]

As well-liked as they seem to be, does anyone think that it would be pointless for me to get one, due to overlap of sounds with my Moog Matriarch and UDO Super 6?

Absolutely not.

[redchapterjubilee]

Everyone should have a Microkorg or Alesis micron at one point or another. Long on great tones, short on cost, tedious to program, lots available because they sold hundreds of thousands of them. The microkorg looks cooler and has some instantly recognizable patches, but I found it harder to program and I felt like I heard its voice everywhere 20 years ago. The micron looks like a pack of chewing gum but has real size keys and with the screen is easier to program.

The volcas and the microfreak are this decade’s contemporaries. Or the tiny Roland’s. But 2000’s virtual analogs didn’t have to compete with cheap analog like the 2020’s digital synths do. In 2002 you had MFB and Dave Smith on the affordable end. A used microkorg was much cheaper than a used Evolver.

[Shadoweclipse13]

I've got a Moog Grandmother, and it's one thing and the Korg is totally another. Both are a blast.

Absolutely not.

Awesome!! After I watched the Korg retrospective video that Zork posted (and the Roland retrospective too!), I really want something with the Korg sound. I didn't realize how unique and industrial(?) the Korg sound is and I really like it.

Everyone should have a Microkorg or Alesis micron at one point or another. Long on great tones, short on cost, tedious to program, lots available because they sold hundreds of thousands of them. The microkorg looks cooler and has some instantly recognizable patches, but I found it harder to program and I felt like I heard its voice everywhere 20 years ago. The micron looks like a pack of chewing gum but has real size keys and with the screen is easier to program.

The volcas and the microfreak are this decade’s contemporaries. Or the tiny Roland’s. But 2000’s virtual analogs didn’t have to compete with cheap analog like the 2020’s digital synths do. In 2002 you had MFB and Dave Smith on the affordable end. A used microkorg was much cheaper than a used Evolver.

Never heard of the Micron! I'll have to check it out. Used only, or do they still make them?

[redchapterjubilee]

Alesis made the micron. 8 voice, 3 oscillators per voice. The synth engine sounded really really good for a budget virtual analog. Alesis used the same code in the knobbier Ion. Kinda like how the MS2000 was the knobbier and more featured sibling to the microkorg. I believe like the microkorg the micron was $400 new 20 years ago.

Korg = 4 voices, 2 oscillators per voice, arpeggiator, vocoder, mini keys, hard to program, looks cool
Micron = 8 voices, 3 oscillators per voice, sequencer/arpeggiator, full size keys, slightly less hard to program, doesn’t look as cool

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j& ... YKQG7MaRNp

VSE was the first online forum I participated in. There were miles of posts contrasting the comparable virtues and shortcomings of both synths.

[Maggieo]

I had a Micron, and FWIW, I didn't care for it much. IMO, the MicroKORG is more fun and more useful.

Bob sure liked it, though.


Bob, Moog Little Phatty and Alesis Micron by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr


Bob and Alesis Micron by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr

[Zork]

There's also the Akai Miniak which has the same engine as Alesis Micron and Ion but has an improved build quality and is slightly easier to program than the Micron. I had a Miniak on loan from my brother for some time. It's a cool synth with cool features but caused a strong option paralysis for me and is lacking a special character imo.

[Sauerkraut]

I had a Micron, and FWIW, I didn't care for it much. IMO, the MicroKORG is more fun and more useful.

Same. On paper, it should be the better synth of those two, but it really is not. I just don't like how it sounds, and the way functions are assigned to knobs is way less intuitive and useful than on the Microkorg. I also don't like the physical aspects of it: it's too heavy for what it is, and the buttons are prone to breaking. Buttons on the Microkorg are loud and half the time they don't respond, but I can't imagine them ever breaking. When that selector on the right side of a Micron breaks (it did w a friend), finding a replacement is a real quest and Alesis can't or won't help you.

[redchapterjubilee]

I found them both too frustrating to keep for long. But I did like the Micron engine enough to have an Ion. 90% of it was up top with only a little bit (like global functions) under the menu. Someone stole it after a show 15 years ago and I never replaced it.

The Access and Nord virtuals were amazing but on a different price level than the novation/korg/roland/alesis/yamaha scale. The Yamaha reface CS is what I want out of a cheap VA. Completely knobby and sounds really good (has the AN1X software in it). I’m patiently awaiting the shipment of my Minifreak, hoping it scratches a lot of that itch. I’m kind of surprised with so much movement back towards hardware that arturia got to the software plus analog filters before the big Japanese manufacturers.

[Maggieo]

Scooter liked the Micron.


Scooter and Synthesizer, November 2007 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr

[Shadoweclipse13]

Good to know! I did know that the Micron was Alesis, I just worded my reply badly From listening to more demos since then, I'm definitely leaning more towards the Microkorg. Plus, the fact that Korg still makes them is a big plus in my eyes.

Maggie, I love to see all your cats with the synths! All beautiful, but I always forget how majestic Bob was

[redchapterjubilee]

My Minifreak arrived Sunday but I was unable to sit down with it until last night. First impression is that it’s pretty heavy. Metal case instead of plastic. Very solidly made. I did a little preset scrolling but mainly spent time on one of the init presets and just started turning stuff. Very quickly I was programming evolving, moody pads (which was what I was wanting it for). I only messed with the virtual analog engine. There’s no manual with it so I’ll need to download it. There’s so much going on that I need to spend a lot of time with it to get the most out of it.

‘Twas a double NSD though. I took on another MFB Synth II at a too good to pass up price. I had one a dozen or so years ago right after my beloved Moog Source broke. It’s not Moog robust but it makes some very cool sounds, I like the form factor of it, and it’s definitely going to fit the purpose I want it for. Now I’ve got to move along the behringer ms-1 whose place the MFB just took.

[marqueemoon]

Considering picking up a new midi controller to replace my ancient Oxygen 8.

Anyone have thoughts on the Arturia Keystep?

I’d like to find something compact with full sized din midi connections, and it checks both of those boxes.

[mackerelmint]

Considering picking up a new midi controller to replace my ancient Oxygen 8.

Anyone have thoughts on the Arturia Keystep?

I’d like to find something compact with full sized din midi connections, and it checks both of those boxes.

I've got the keystep pro. It's really, really good. If you're looking for cheap and good without all the extra sequencing, then the regular keystep will certainly fill the bill. They're really solidly built, unlike the small MIDI controllers of the mid aughts.