Korg Liano in reality is a digital piano and first impressions are good.
Liano is lightweight and features the sound of an Italian concert grand. This can be played using the “premium” 88-note light-touch keyboard, which is designed to suit beginners who do not want a heavy key action.
The emphasis here is definitely on portability and ease of use. Liano weighs just 6.2kg and has a height of 7.3cm. Controls have been kept simple, as well, with the eight sounds being selectable via a labelled dial.
We like the look of this; it should make sound selection quick, and despite the lack of a screen, you will always be able to see which sound you have selected. Reverb and chorus effects are also included.
Despite its low-profile design, Liano still includes a pair of bass reflex speakers. These are positioned on the top panel, so the sound is pumped directly at you. Additionally, there is a headphone port for silent practice sessions.
Korg says that Liano is portable, as it can be powered for up to eight hours using six AA batteries. You can also connect it to your computer via the USB port – useful when you want to use Liano in conjunction with the supplied Skoove piano learning software. In addition, Korg’s Module and Gadget 2 Le apps are included.
Liano ships with an AC adapter (for you when you want to use mains power), a sustain pedal and a sheet music stand, and there is also an optional soft carrying case that can be purchased separately. Liano is definitely competitively priced. You can learn more on the Korg website
Good news – The good news is you can pre-order Black Corporation’s イセーニン (or ISE-NIN) synth, and it should be available in a few weeks time.
Inspired by Roland’s Jupiter-8, we first heard about the ISE-NIN in 2021, and it was scheduled to be released by the end of last year. But, the date was missed due to logistical problems and a delay in part delivery.
The ISE-NIN features eight voices, each of which comprises a fully-analogue voltage-controlled oscillator, analogue low-pass/high-pass filter, a noise generator, two ADSR envelopes and a VCA.
Two different presets can be layered, and each layer can have its own fully assignable velocity and poly-aftertouch controls and global MPE settings.
The ISE-NIN can be controlled via MIDI and can store 10 banks of 128 presets. Additionally, there is micro-tuning and an arpeggiator.
The full desktop version of the ISE-NIN costs $3749; a $1,199 deposit is required to pre-order it, with the balance tobe paid when it is ready to ship, which is expected to be in March. The PCB kit version costs $999 and requires a $299 if you want to pre-order it.
E-Phonic has unleashed Invader 2, an 8-voice, virtual analogue polysynth, which has been designed to be a powerful yet easy-to-use instrument.
The 8-voice virtual analogue looks and sounds the business. The softsynth is a classic analogue emulation with two oscillators and a sub-oscillator feeding into one of two low-pass resonant filters, featuring drive and high-pass functions. Other features include two LFOs, two envelopes, a stereo noise generator, ring modulator, delay, arpeggiator and a 16-step sequencer.
Polyphonic stereo unison with optional low CPU unison emulation mode (up to 48 voices)
2 low pass resonant filter types (clean and raw)
Filter drive or high-pass option
Stereo noise generator
Ring modulation
2 LFOs with delay function
2 Envelopes
Delay effect with normal, ping pong, tape and diffusion delay modes
Arpeggiator / 16 step sequencer
4 x oversampled engine
Medium and high-quality modes
200+ presets
The interface offers knob-per-function so users should find it easy to use with an intuitive and familiar design to vintage synths. If you find yourself a bit stuck then Invader 2 comes with a healthy load of 200+ presets to get you started.
Despite the seemingly easy-to-use nature of the softsynth, the sonic results are rather pleasing. The sound demo above comes directly from Invader 2, with no external effects involved.
The Invader 2 is available now for 64-bit Mac and PC systems in VST3 and AU formats from the E-Phonic website.
The polysynth comes with an introductory offer where you get to pay what you want, just as long as it matches or is above the $5 minimum.
