KORG Collection v.5. 🧻🧻🧻💩

Currently updating this page in 2025 as much has changed…

I’ve owned a lot of KORG hardware. A farm of the MS20/50 SQ10 series, a Mono/Poly for a short while, a PolySix on extended loan. More recently the MS2000, the D.I.Y. MS20 kit, a whole bunch of Volcas, minilogues. Now the Korg Collections have tempted me into the virtual realm, where rack rash and dust are but a faint dream.

MS20 I’m unsure whether this sounds exactly like the hardware – not through any fault of the software – but in my use. You tend to use a monophonic synthesiser in a certain way, while the polyphonic software (with effects built in) suggests a different tactic – at very least a massive pile of detuned voices. Knowing the extra ability is there you reach for it, and going back to the mono hardware becomes a compositional choice. It seems different to the Cherry version – but that doesn’t claim to be quite the same thing.

PolySix There’s a particular sound I used in that old Dead Eyes Opened song which was made with the hardware – a very slow attack resonant filter sweep with an unfortunate clunk as the envelope closed. In the recent remakes of that track I’ve made exactly the same sound with this software. Story over, except you get a hell of lot more voices. But here’s the important thing – I can get close to that sound with many other analogue synthesisers. The PolySix was a very simple beast with only 6 oscillators, most noted for a distinctive ensemble effect. There’s nothing here that really demands excellence and you already own many other software instruments that would work just as well.

Mono/Poly I owned this for only a short while because it was a bulky heavy thing and the whole business with the 4 oscillators just didn’t do it for me at a time when I was selling gear to eat. I tried the poly part of it and that was pretty ordinary. The mono part was better but not very versatile. This polyphonic software version lets you go hog wild with the cross modulation, similar to the way you can with an MKS80. Having an MKS80 already I admit I still don’t use this very much in music but I still make horrible noises with it. You would probably know that the multi/poly is an updated version both in soft and hardware.

The wavestation was an impressive beast at the time. Nothing else sounded like that – cold, weird and wonderful. It also was impossible to program so the presets became the main attraction. Of course there’s now the wavestate – much easier to program but still a bit of a head scratcher. Somehow the wavestation sounds are still a bit more more interesting, might be that the music of the era was different? I don’t know – but I keep this installed. One odd thing – this plug in doesn’t have empty slots or any initialisation. But the iPad and Gadget versions have empty slots. Why?

The microKORG is apparently their largest selling synthesiser of all time – a cut down performance version of the MS2000 with less direct controls. This software version provides all the controls, as well as greatly expanded polyphony, presented in a facsimile of the micro. I really liked the sounds of my MS2000 Rack but sold it as the four note limit was annoying. Problem now solved. It’s does make you ask when the software version of the Radias is coming up. Hint to KORG.

The miniKORG 700s is the ye oldest original KORG from 1973. I think it’s bloody stupid the way that kids buy this as hardware for thousands of dollars because it’s ‘authentic’. OK so Warm Leatherette was produced on this thing. You could do that on this software version just as well. Or create something new (spits out a hairball). No great sonic worth.

The Prophecy did a good thing in that it screamed and pissed itself at a time in the 90’s when Mister Easy Listening Roland’s S+S was the norm. It offers up analog sync, ring modulation, cross modulation, variable phase modulation, brass, reed, and plucked string modelling, and noise with comb filtering. At the time that was very KORG, going for something new and exciting and almost getting there. These days it sounds a bit 90s, rough and a lot of the sounds don’t play nice with others.

The M1, Triton, Triton Extreme are compositional samplers that do tubas and flutes. You know the drill. If you had one you’ll be thrilled. The rest of us probably have Kontakt.

ELECTRIBE-R – I was never into this kind of thing, but playing with this I’m kind of impressed how pissed off it sounds, like it really did not want to go to school today. That’s not a review. It will be at some point.

KAOSS PAD – this is now part of every KORG synthesiser. You dial up a sound and then widdle your finger around to do stuff. Now you can widdle the older keyboards as well. I never was a keen widdler but again, will report more in future updates.

Other people’s stuff – the ARP ODYSSEY, ARP, VOX, EP-1 Don’t use, really don’t care.

Sensible review.