The Complete Guide To The Korg Opsix FM Synthesizer

The latest video from XNB could not be more perfectly timed, offering a complete guide Korg Opsix FM synthesizer, which Korg USA earlier this week put on sale for the blow-out price of $329 USD, 69% off the original list price.

The video is not intended to be a review, but a complete, in-depth guide to the Korg Opsix.

Here’s what XNB has to say about the video:

“I tried to cover almost everything about the synth on one single video, so i don’t block your learning by releasing part in different days. That’s why is a bit long, but everything was recorded in sections, so you can watch it as a course. You can navigate the timeline or click the chapters to see what you want.

On this one we will go from what is an operator, carrier and modulator to controls the whole synth and getting to know all the modes ( FM, Ring mod, Filter, Filter FM, Waveshaper and Effect).”

Topics covered:

0:00 – Intro
0:40 – Operator
05:05 – OP Mode
07:58 – OP Pitch
20:43 – OP Level/EG
30:27 – Filter
37:56 – Home
42:02 – Voices
49:27 – LFO
01:04:43 – V.Patch
01:14:21 – Algo 32
01:17:29 – FX
01:19:09 – Carriers/Modulator
01:27:16 – FM mode
01:38:55 – MOD Envelopes
01:43:36 – Ring-mod mode
01:54:03 – Filter mode
02:03:01 – Filter FM mode
02:07:46 – WaveFolder mode
02:14:12 – Effect mode
02:20:42 – Shortcuts
02:23:40 – Randomize
02:26:53 – Favorites
02:29:05 – Saving
02:30:55 – Buy me a coffee

Part 2 takes a look at the sequencer, arp and user algorithm features:

0:00 – Intro
0:43 – Arp
06:45 – Notes to steps
18:42 – Live Recording
20:31 – Tempo and Modes
24:36 – Trigger modes
26:04 – Sequencer Note
34:02 – Motion Recorder
42:11 – Sequencer utility
47:55 – Feedback
54:07 – OP Utility
55:57 – User Algorithms
01:04:16 – Conclusion

Check out the Complete Guide to the Korg Opsix FM Synthesizer, and share your thoughts on it in the comments!

14 thoughts on “The Complete Guide To The Korg Opsix FM Synthesizer

  1. Independently of its Opsix focus, I found this to be a pretty good review of how FM synthesis works. Generally, the information presented is applicable to almost all FM synthesizers and especially those that allow for use of other than pure sine waves as carriers and modulators.

    1. Thanks john. I Always try to do my best when recording this guides. People deserve to have something organized and structured like a course to really learn something, is not so easy to learn. Thanks for the comment.

      1. Your guides are uniformly excellent and address a big gap.

        In some ways they are better than a review, because watching them, we can judge for ourselves how well the synth would meet our needs.

        1. Thanks !! Yes, when I started to do this. I thought, what is the point on making yet another review.
          So, I’ve teaching for a lot of years, so I’ve combined synth + course.
          I plan this like I would plan an engineering course. Step by step, progressing on each chapter.
          Thanks for the comment 🙂

  2. Got mine yesterday and I have to say it is a lot of fun sound sculpting with the faders and the 6 knob matrix screen. Heavenly chiming bells forever and the effects are not that bad. Might beat out my ol’ Virus as far as up front leads and bass,lines.

      1. Thanks, Glad to hear that.
        Next week, Wavestate…. that one was really hard to plan, film and edit.
        I was getting an ARP 2600 but the Dealer tried to scam me, so, that didn’t happen.
        We’ll see. Maybe I can get one some other place.

  3. I like the look – it reminds me of an Oberheim Xpander – the font on the front, the knobs, the color of the lights.
    Of course I have no idea how it sounds.

    1. It can sound like anything.. because it has so many different operator modes and waveforms combined with a flexible matrix ..its like a swiss army knife of sound design. Leaning towards nonlinear feedback structures though.. similar to Algorithm from Propellerheads, but slightly more powerful in certain ways.

  4. Its a fine synth and well-presented here. The three instruments in this line don’t get the credit they deserve. The builds may seem a bit iffy, but the power of their respective methods really shows.

    I’m probably not the only one to see the hardware as market explorations for the native software versions. I was scratching my chin over the Wavestate until the plug-in version appeared. Korg will probably sell far more of those than the 3-octave mini-versions. Can you say “added revenue stream?”

  5. I’ve been working my way through this video and I have to say I really appreciate the way he has structured the material. It’s by far the most accessible and effective presentation of any synth this deep I’ve ever seen. So many people dive right into “What is FM?”, “What are these cool modes?” etc with the OpSix, and before long they’re making patches that use every possible feature at once. That is NOT helpful in learning something complex, it’s just showing off. This approach is 1000% more intelligent and useful!

    1. Thanks Jose.

      Yeah, when I wanted to start filming this kind type of videos. Noticed there is a lot of non structured, course like material. Just random parts and maybe complex review like loopop, I love loopop. But he makes complete reviews, that is his thing and he is the best at it.

      Why doing the same ? Planning and structuring material comes very easy to me because I’ve been teaching engineering for quite some time.

      It takes a lot more time, planning, editing and …time again :), but I prefer to do that and have an identity, like the guy who makes deep dive guides or something like that.

      Either way, thanks for the comment. They really matter 🙂

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