WORLD OF MUSIC ; PORTABLE KEYBOARD - Latest Portable Music Keyboards, Synthesizers and Music News

We first got word of Korg’s new turntable range a year ago, when the company announced the Handytraxx Play back at NAMM 2024, although it’s been listed as ‘coming soon’ on the company’s site ever since. Now, ahead of NAMM ‘25, the Handytraxx Play has reemerged – and it’s brought a full range of Handytraxx turntables with it.

Inspired by the iconic Vestax Handy Trax, Handytraxx Play is a portable turntable aimed at both DJs and vinyl enthusiasts. The original Handy Trax was released in “the late ’90s” and proved popular in the ‘portablism’ space, filled with people who scratch and DJ using easily transportable gear. Korg’s updated take has been created in collaboration with former Vestax president, Toshihide Nakama, who sadly demised in 2023 before the project could be completed.

The portability factor here lies in the fact that the Play can run either via AC power or AA batteries and features a 2.5w built-in speaker which Korg claims “delivers impressive sound with rich bass and clear playback, whether you’re connected to external speakers or not.”

The Handytraxx Play also comes equipped with some interesting performance tools. There’s a multimode filter with three filter types, plus a delay effect with its own fader for control. There’s also an audio looper onboard for live looping.

The Handytraxx Play features a belt drive motor with digital rotation correction for better stability. The turntable can be customised to use ceramic and MM cartridges, and it’s also possible to replace the crossfader and reorientate the device for left-handed use.

The Play launches alongside three other Handytraxx units – the Handytraxx Tube, Handytraxx Tube J and Handytraxx 1bit.

The Handytraxx Tube is aimed at audiophiles. According to Korg, “each component has been meticulously crafted to prioritise sound quality, including an aluminium die-cast platter for precise and stable rotation, a balanced tone arm featuring an MM cartridge”.

It also adds a Nutube vacuum tube to the design, which Korg claims “not only enriches the audio with warm harmonics, but also adds a lifelike depth and clarity to every record”. It also features adjustable bass and treble controls.

The Tube comes equipped with JICO J44A 7 cartridges. It also features a stereo speaker as well as digital conversion capabilities allowing users to digitise their record collection.

The Handytraxx Tube J, meanwhile, is a special edition variation on the Tube produced in collaboration with Japanese stylus brand JICO. Along with all the features of the Handytraxx Tube, the Tube J also comes equipped with JICO’s top-end Clipper cartridges.

Finally, the Handytraxx 1bit ups the audiophile factor further with 5.6 MHz, 1-bit (DSD) format recording, delivering 5.6 million samples per second for what Korg calls ‘unparalleled sound quality’. According to the press release, “whether you’re digitising a priceless vinyl library or enjoying casual playback, the Handytraxx 1bit is the perfect solution for every vinyl enthusiast.”

Prices start at £359 for the Handytraxx Play, rising to £699 for the Handytraxx Tube. The Handytraxx 1bit is priced at £919. Finally, the limited edition Handytraxx Tube J is £1099. Head to the Korg site for more.

This year’s Buchla & Friends Synth Maker Showcase is scheduled for Jan 25 & 26 in Los Angeles, CA.

The event complements the 2025 NAMM Show, and will feature over 70 boutique synth makers. It’s being held in Silverlake, in East-Central LA.

The hands-on, headphones-only gathering offers a chance to try a wide range of synth gear, ranging from additive to subtractive, analog to digital, keyboards to breath, audio to visual, modular to full-size polyphonic, and Eurorack to Serge to Buchla.

Food will be available from Moby Rick’s fish tacos, along with carbonated beverages from United Wild Brew.

Exhibitors: 1010music • 4ms • After Later Audio • AIAIAI • AJH • ALM Busy Circuits • Animal Factory • Ashton Research • ASM • Bastl Instruments • Bitwig • Black Corporation • Bored Brain • Buchla • Catalyst • Circuit Happy • Crosspatch • Days of Yore • Rain City Modular • Doepfer • Dogbotic Labs • Dreadbox • Drift DJ • Elektron • Endorphines • eowave • Eternal Research • Five12 • Flame • Frap Tools • Future Retro • Genki Instruments • Groove Synthesis • Jomox • LA Synth Club • Mega Modular Corp • Melbourne instruments • MEMS project • Meris • Modbap • Moog Foundation • Mystic Circuits • Netherblade • New Systems Instruments • Noise Engineering • Noisebug • Novation • Null Modular • OXI Instruments • Polyend • Prism Circuits • Roger Linn • Schlappi Engineering • Sleepy Circuits • SoCal Synth Society • SOMA • Soundwork Shop • Studio Electronics • Supercritical • SynthRISE • TipTop • Tobinski • Touellskouarn • U.D.O. • Vermona • Wavea • Waveform Magazine • Wavesequencer • Weston Precision Audio • WMD

Tickets are available now. The event is free to attend.

Ahead of the 2025 NAMM Show, being held January 21–25 in Anaheim, California, Korg has introduced the FISA SUPREMA C ‘synthcordion’, a compact version of their FISA SUPREMA digital accordion. It’s available in two versions, with button- or keyboard-style keys.

The FISA SUPREMA C combines the performance, versatile tones, and immersive sound of the standard SUPREMA model, but with a focus on portability and comfort.

The built-in speakers have been downsized, and the number of physical register switches has been adjusted from 14 to 12, while still maintaining access to all 14 register options. The keyboard has been streamlined from 41 keys to 37 keys, and advanced features such as the master bar and after-touch have been simplified to make the instrument more accessible and user-friendly.

Here’s an intro to their FISA SUPREMA lineup:

The Korg FISA SUPREMA C digital accordion is available to pre-order, with a street price around $700.