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

 

Apparently, Korg appears to be blowing out its remaining stock of the Opsix Altered FM Synthesizer, with Reverb.com, American Musical Supply and other retailers now listing it for $329 , 69% off the original list price and less than half the previous retail price.

 

The Korg Opsix was introduced less than 2 years ago, after being previewed earlier in 2020 at NAMM in more of a flagship keyboard design:

 

Korg Opsix has been well-reviewed since its introduction. Reviewers have critiqued the Opsix’s build quality, which has a lighter and more plastic build than recent Korg keyboards like the Minilogue and Prologue, but have praised the Opsix’s sound engine, which sounds great and makes FM synthesis easy to use.

 

The Korg Opsix is described as an “altered” six-operator FM synthesizer, because the keyboard’s sound engine goes far beyond traditional FM synth capabilities. While it has a six-operator FM sound structure, like classic FM synthesizers, the Opsix goes further, featuring new operator modes, 11 filter options, 30 effects, a polyphonic step sequencer and more.

 

Korg updated the Opsix to version 2 earlier last year, adding a feast of new capabilities, including an Effect Operator, which enables you feed that oscillator signal and input signal into one of 10 different effects: Peaking EQ, Shelving EQ, Phaser, Short Delay, Comb Filter, Distortion, Drive, Decimator, Waveshaper & Punch.

 

Additionally, the update added Noise Pink and Noise Blue as oscillator waveforms, and added support for aftertouch as a control source for LFOs, EGs, and the Virtual Patch.

 

Earlier this year, Korg introduced wavestate native and opsix native, fully-compatible software versions of their wavestate and opsix hardware synthesizers. At the time, Korg said that the soft synths give you the best of both worlds, by having software and hardware versions that are fully compatible. But the availability of the soft synths may have also impacted their hardware sales.

 

The loopop review for the Korg Opsix:

 

And Nick Batt’s Sonic State review for the Opsix:

 

Korg Opsix Audio Demos:

 

At the new price, the Korg Opsix may be purchase by many. There’s no shipping available beyond US borders – but if you do take advantage of it, you will be grabbing yourself a proper bargain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sound designer Jexus shared this demo of the Korg Prologue synthesizer.

 

The no talking video demos a collection 200 custom patches by Jexus for the Korg Prologue, and it is also a good showcase of the synth’s sound design possibilities.

 

What Jexus say about the demo:

 

“I did not use any external FX in the demo; all the delays, phasers, noises and other effects are part of the Prologue engine & my intentional patch design. I did not use the onboard LF Comp but I used some slight EQing on some patches. I recorded my demo straight through an audio card.

 

This is a standard factory Prologue unit – you don’t need any custom oscillators, FX or other addons (just the factory “Waves” oscillator).”

 

 

Sounds featured:

 

0:00 097 | elpiano / organ

0:10 049 | acid / growl

0:27 065 | acoustic / harmonica

0:46 128 | bass / woody

1:06 191 | metallic / bell

1:21 073 | acoustic / flute

1:38 072 | acoustic / woodwind

1:52 048 | bass / gritty

2:09 143 | elpiano / keys

2:29 178 | pad / mellow

2:43 021 | guitar / distorted

2:57 150 | pad / ambience

3:29 099 | keys / fragile

3:56 069 | lead / juicy

4:10 122 | bass / lead

4:30 120 | pad / bass / keys

4:50 123 | string / delicate

5:11 052 | pad / gritty

5:29 166 | bass / warm

5:43 057 | bass / aggressive

5:59 016 | lead / ensemble

6:15 089 | dirty / texture

6:36 109 | bass / noise drums

7:01 005 | lead / flute

7:14 121 | digital bass / synth

7:41 001 | pad / warm

7:59 145 | string / phased

8:26 190 | texture / pad

8:44 119 | pad / chord

9:00 179 | epic / pad

9:42 062 | delicate / keys

10:08 009 | metallic / bells

10:27 019 | pad / texture

10:48 004 | bass / digital

11:05 142 | experimental / reverb

11:31 162 | texture / pad

11:48 176 | corroded / rusty

 

200 Custom Patches for the Korg Prologue are available now for $26/€25.00 / £23.00

 

 

 

 

Korg’s new Pa5X arranger keyboard looks too good for hobbyists. A high-quality sound engine, sampling and a tiltable touchscreen display give it a professional sheen.

 

Korg’s new Pa5X is a new flagship in the company’s professional arranger lineup. This a high-quality sound engine, a colour-coded interface and a slick workflow that is designed for both the studio and the stage.

 

Korg Pa5X most eye-catching feature is its eight-inch tiltable display, which serves as the main control panel. The colours used are matched to those in the LED-programmable buttons, aiding navigation.

 

Additionally, you can use the screen to show lyrics, chords or a score, while a built-in HDMI port enables you to hook up an external display.

 

Sound-wise, Pa5X includes the EDS-XP (Enhanced Definition Synthesis – Expanded) engine. This offers 24 oscillators and 160 notes of polyphony, along with round-robin drum and percussion performance and smooth transitions between sounds.

 

The presets run the gamut from acoustic and electric pianos to synths and a new drawbar organ. There is also a built-in sampler.

 

Beyond the touchscreen, realtime control is taken care of by nine buttons and nine sliders, all of which are assignable. The many other faders, switches, joystick and ribbon controller can also be configured to your liking, ensuring that you can add precise expression control as you play.

 

As an arranger keyboard, you get numerous chord recognition and playback options, which can be tweaked according to your skill level. There is also automatic harmonisation and a chord sequencer.

 

 

As mentioned earlier the smooth sound switching, but you can also move seamlessly between different styles and songs, ensuring an uninterrupted performance. Dual crossfading players make it easy to mix between styles, MIDI files or MP3s.

 

Additionally, Styles can be edited, and there is a MIDI sequencer for song recording. Songs and styles can be saved in a SongBook, and these can be sequenced into set lists.

 

Korg Pa5X other features include “professional quality” effects (ten insert FX, three master FX and a finalizer for each of the two players) and the guitar and mic inputs also have their own dedicated effect processors. The vocal effects come courtesy of Shift Audio – you can use them to create instant four-part harmonies or dial in automatic pitching.

 

Further connectivity options include MIDI, USB, minijack in and balanced outs. There are three pedal inputs, as well.

The Pa5X will be available in 61-, 76- and 88-note configurations priced at $4,700/$3,700, $4,900/£3,999 and $5,300/£4,299 respectively.

 

Find out more on the Korg website.