WTF?

In this KorgTV exclusive, Dr. Funk rocks the Korg Kaossilator, while Go Go Girl kisses the camera and plays air guitar.

The festivities are only marred by Inset Man’s unfortunate placement of the closeup camera shots.

via KORGTVGERMANY

Sunday Synth Jam: Skoulaman created this live Berlin School/space music/ambient synthesizer jam.

Details via skoulaman:

Sequenced with an arpeggiator loop from the Kurzweil Midiboard connected with the Kawai k1r and the Waldorf micro Q. The solo vibe sounds are from a Yamaha CX5M computer and the Korg Lamda in combination with a Moogerfooger. Accords played om the Juno 106 and on the Korg Lamda.

This is a demo of the Korg Minipops 20 S, the stereo Minipops, a rhythm box/drum machine from about 1970.

The Minipops was probably most famously used by Jean Michel Jarre.

via AnalogAudio1:

Jamming around with the Korg / Keio Minipops 20s.The Korg Minipops 20s is an early rhythmbox from Korg. It’s the only one Mini Pops model which has stereo outputs. Different sounds come from the two outputs – that’s great!

I used them like single outputs with different effects in the video. I used a Yamaha ProR3 reverb and a delay from Roland DEP-5.

On the second half of the video I sent one of the outputs through an old ELECTRO HARMONIX HOT TUBES.

I love the Minipops boxes – I recently bought the 20S. Now I have them all

Sunday Synth Jam: The Korg Electribe ER-1 is a nice, cheap, easy to use virtual analog + sample playback drum machine.

This minimal dubstep drum machine jam gives the ER-1 a workout.

via mymy83:

korg er-1. minimal drums , bass.with a bit of DUBSTEP flavor.

This is a demo video for the modern mini-synth classic, the Korg microKorg synthesizer.

Description:

State-of-the-art analog modeling and multi-band vocoding are available in a compact, portable instrument. With 37 keys and 128 user-rewritable programs, the microKORG Synthesizer/Vocoder is designed for the performer, producer, computer musician or beginner looking for an affordable synthesizer.

Korg microKORG Synthesizer/Vocoder Features:

• 128 user-rewritable programs
• 37-key mini keyboard
• Powerful synthesis
• Classic vocoding
• A full range of effects
• Great sounds and expression
• Flexible arpeggiator (6 types)
• Clear control and classic looks
• Can serve as a compact MIDI controller

EM’s David Battino had this to say about the Korg microKorg:

It’s easy to slip into critic mode and forget that making music is supposed to be fun. The MicroKorg is frustrating if you expect to play and program it like a full-size keyboard synthesizer, but as a portable, creative gadget, it stands alone. If you can justify spending $500 on a terrific-sounding musical toy (and I use that word in a very positive sense), you won’t go wrong with the MicroKorg.

The Korg microKorg retails for $399.

If you’ve used the Korg microKorg – leave a comment with your thoughts!

Specifications:

Sound Generation Method:
Analog Modeling Synthesis System

Synthesizer Program:
Multi Timbral:
2 (max, Normal/Dual Mode)

Voices:
4 voices

Sound Source:
2 Oscillator + Noise Generator
Multi Mode Filter (-24dB/oct LPF, -12dB/oct LPF/BPF/HPF)
EG x2, LFO x2, Virtual Patch x4

Vocoder Program:
Voices:
4 voices

Sound Source:
1 Oscillator + Noise Generator
EG x1
LFO x2
8 Channels vocoder
Level and pan of each channel can be edited
Formant Shift function

General Specifications:
Programs:
128 programs

Effects:
Modulation effects (3 types)
Delay (3 types)
Equalizer

Arpeggiator:
6 types

Keyboard:
37 Keys (mini-keyboard, velocity sensitive)

Inputs:
AUDIO IN 1, and 2

Level switch:
LINE/MIC
[AUDIO IN 1, 2 (LINE)]
[AUDIO IN 2 (MIC)]

Outputs:
L/MONO, R and Headphones

MIDI:
IN, OUT and THRU

Display:
3 characters x1 line with 8 segment LED

Power Supply:
DC 9 V (AC adapter), or six AA alkaline batteries (sold separately)

Power Consumption:
6.4 Watt maximum

Dimensions:
20.63″(W) x 9.13″(D) x 2.76″(H) 524mm(W) x 232mm(D) x 70mm(H)

Weight:
4.85 lbs. 2.2 kg

Accessories:
AC adapter (DC 9 V, 600 mA)
Condenser Microphone

Korg microKorg Resources:

• Official info page
• EM review

This video, via synthjunk, is a celebration of all that is good – with an emphasis on the pure analog electronica power, using classic synths, sequencers and drum machines.

via synthjunk:

Influenced by electronic music of the 70’s 80’s & 90’s.

Recorded using Ableton live with minimal overdubbing.

Robot featured is home made.

This video captures a session with the Korg Electribe EMX.

via StudioF:

Just a session with the Korg EMX what a wonderful little machine.

Sunday Synth Jam: this video captures a “midnight ambient performance”, featuring the sounds of the JX-305, two 03R/W, Prophecy and a Casio VZ-1.

via L00m33r

Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess offers his take on the Korg OASYS.

via Unholybarrelmaker:

The Oasys is probably the pinnacle of synthesizer technology. Basically take all the features from every Korg and Roland workstation and combine them into one sexy keyboard, and there’s the Oasys.

Cuckoo demo’s the new Plogue Chipsounds.

via cuckoomusic:

I bought this new plug-in called Plogue Chipsounds and took it for a spin. I must say it sounds fantastic. I’m going through a couple of the chips, perform and loop live to see how it all sounds.Best regardsCUCKOOMore on Cuckoo:http://www.cuckoo.noMore on Plogue Chipsounds:http://www.plogue.com

Holistic Additives – Modular synth + Monopoly + Volta

I’m not sure about Dr Vague’s math – but I’m pretty sure it adds up to a computer-controlled modular synth jam.

via doctorvague:

Volta, 4 trigger streams to a switcher to a Moon Modular trigger sequencer and on out to a Monopoly arpeggiator etc.

It’s as fun as it looks. I jammed to a different loop than you’re hearing

Akai Professional is now shipping its nanoKontrol-killer LPD8 laptop pad controller and LPK25 laptop performance keyboard controller.

The LPD8 and LPK25 are USB-MIDI controllers for musicians, producers, DJs and other music creators. Each model is less than 13 inches across and weighs less than a pound to easily fit into a laptop case, backpack or messenger bag for extreme portability.

The LPD8 is based on Akai Professional’s MPC line of music product stations. The LPD8 has eight blue light-up pads that are velocity sensitive for programming rhythmic or melodic parts. The pads can also send program-change information to software. The LPD8 also has eight assignable Q-Link knobs to which users can assign virtually any parameters in their software for hands-on control.

The LPK25 is a scaled-down relative to the MPK series of keyboard performance controllers. The diminutive keyboard is made up of 25 miniature, velocity-sensitive keyboard keys with synth action. The LPK25 contains an arpeggiator, which steps through chords automatically, assisting musicians with creating quick melodic ideas. Sustain, octave up and down and tap tempo controls round out the LPK25’s easy-to-learn layout. Each controller works plug and play with Mac and PC and requires no software driver installation or wall power for operation.

Both the LPD8 and LPK25 have four memory banks for programming and recalling settings appropriate to different software programs they use.

The LPD8 and LPK25 are each available from musical instrument and professional audio retailers for a U.S. Retail Price of $129 USD and an estimated street price of $69 USD each.

Failed Muso has an interesting story about how sounds get sampled and shared, starting with a famous Korg M1 patch:

Remember that classic piano sound from 90’s house records? The ubiquitous Korg M1 Piano patch was the 90’s equivalent of the DX7’s EP patch or the Fairlight’s Orch5 stab.

A long time ago, a cohort on the KvR forum, a guy from Norwich by the name of Kriminal, sampled his M1 keyboard and made the piano patch available as a soundfont, I believe.

Being an avid Akai user, I asked him if I could convert to the Akai S5/6000 and Z Series formats, to which he agreed.

He goes on to explain how the samples ended up in EXS24 format, via Nick at SonicState.

Who knows where else the samples have landed…….

Download links at the Failed Muso site.

Image:The_WB

Korg M3 Classic Beatboxes is a new sample library from Kid Nepro.

The new sample kit contains sounds from the TR808, TR909, CR78, Linn Drum and Simmons Drum Kit.

via KidNepro:

A demo from our M3 Hit Factory sound collection featuring our “Classic Beatbox” Drum Kit.

Beats from the combi titled “Retro Beatboxes”. No multi tracking. Everything was played live into my DAW.

Interesting Note: I filmed everything with my right hand while playing the pads, switches and sliders with my left. Now try that sometime!

Music & Video – Steve Proto ©1984-2009 – Kid Nepro Productions

More info on all our M3 sounds at: www.kidnepro.com

Korg has announced “stunning new colour options” for the Korg M50, microKORG XL and padKONTROL.

Now – I love me some Korg gear, especially anything with the word Electribe on it – but there have been a boatload of interesting electronic music gear announcements in the last six months – and Korg is giving us pretty colors for their gear?

Has marketing replaced innovation?

Note to Korg: There are two colors for electronic music gear: black & matte black.

Think I’m being too harsh on Korg? Let me know what you think in the comments!

via MacbethSynthesizers

This video captures A J McCluskey playing around with one of the last M5Ns that went to that famous French guy!

Recorded neat into a Nikon D90 cam using a 50mm F1.4 lens and a 18~105mm VR Nikkor lens. Some of the vid is shaky. Basic editing on Windows Movie maker…

Sunday Synth Jam: This synth jam comes courtesy of Ken MacBeth – the designer behind the MacBeth Studio Systems line of analog synth gear.

via macbethsynthesizers:

Ken MacBeth plays two X-Series Dual Oscillator modules with two of the ‘Backend’ Filter combo module prototypes. Used here are a Korg Prophecy being utilsed as a controller keyboard with a Kenton Pro4- this is doing the octaving arpeggio. The main lead stuff is being played via the first X-Series Keyboard 1 prototype- this is a totally analogue keyboard assembly! Recorded on a Fostex FD-8, ART LTX processor and filmed on a Nikon D90 camera using a Nikkor 18~150 VR lens on manual…enjoy!

Image: Stefan Beckhusen

Stefan Beckhusen has something new on his arm:

“New part of my arm made by Richard, on the road here in Germany.
6 h non-stop, more perfection isn’t possible. Especially note the Korg Radias keyboard ”

Badass. Got a synth tattoo that can beat it? Leave a link in the comments!

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

Making KORG DS-10 sing a Daft Punk song

via Denkitribe:

You can make any analog modeling synthesizer sing with pseudo formant synthesis. Funny singing? I think it’s like a speech synthesizer in 70’s.Thanks goes to Yonao for suggesting this idea.

This demo showcases the new Korg SV-1 Stage Vintage Piano, which offers 36 vintage analog- and digital-style sounds.

The Korg SV-1 is designed for gigging musicians and is offered in 73-key and 88-key versions.