FINALLY trying MicroKORG 2 // Did Korg just make the PERFECT beginner friendly synthesizer?!

preview_player
Показать описание

Check MicroKORG 2 in stores here

A good alternative! Arturia Minifreak

Another good alternative: HydraSynth Explorer

Affiliate links support the channel regardless of what you buy and at no cost to you!

CONTENT:
00:00 Who is this synth for?
02:18 What is the MicroKORG2?
12:40 Making a sound from scratch
27:45 Pros & Cons
28:47 Final thoughts

SYNTH MERCH

PRESETS & SAMPLES

SOCIAL MEDIA

COMMUNITY

GEAR I USE (affiliate)

BUSINESS INQUIRY

#MicroKorg2 #synthesizer #bobeats
Рекомендации по теме
Комментарии
Автор

"Why only 8 voices?" This is the answer to a question I got frequently on this video. If you look at similar synths they also have few voices. Minifreak has 6, HydraSynth Explorer has 8, Cobalt8 has... you guessed it: 8 voices. Now you might rightly ask: How come a synth like the Wavestate have 128 voices? Or if we compare grooveboxes why does Novation Circuit Tracks have 12 note polyphony when Yamaha Seqtrak has 128?

(Keep in mind i'm not a programmer, but I have discussed this with friends who are)

The answer is that not all voices are created equal. While the Seqtrak CPU is likely more powerful than Circuit Tracks it is not THAT much more powerful. So how come it has 128 voices vs only 12 for the on-board synths? The reason is that the sounds on Seqtrak as well as Wavestate are at the core sample based. If you compare the sound shaping parameters available on Seqtraks synth tracks VS the Circuit sound editor you will be amazed at the difference. On the Circuit Tracks you can program sounds on a very deep level, whereas Seqtrak only allows for surface level tweaks to its sounds. But the Seqtrak also sports a non sample based FM synth and it only has 8 note polyphony! This synth offers much more in terms of deep sound design.

Synths that generate the sound in a very detailed way from 1's and 0's are going to require more CPU then synths using some sort of multi-sampling technology. And thats just the raw oscillators. Then we have wave shaping, cross modulation, filter modeling, VCA's... and even FX! Not all FX sounds equally good. The Seqtrak for example has pretty good FX and also a decent sounding master compressor. That will also eat away that that processing power.

But does the approach to sound generation affect sound? YES! Absolutely. Take the Seqtrak, load a bass synth sound and start tweaking the filter. The more you push the sound the more you will notice a difference VS a VA synth like Minifreak or MK2. The Seqtraks filters won't sound as good! But if you compare its piano sound to that of the AstroLab they are actually pretty comparable. Because both are essentially decent multi-sampled pianos. And there's not much processing magic going on. But compare AstroLabs bass synths versus the Seqtraks and it is a massive difference once you start pushing the sound using filters with high resonance or distortion. Because most of AstroLabs bass sounds are not sample based.

I hope this is helpful to someone. Maybe its worth making a video on the subject. Interview someone really knowledgeable about it perhaps? This is just my basic understanding of it all and there is a ton of nuance to this topic. And nothing I wrote is an argument in favor of buying any particular piece of gear. I think its just good to make sure we are comparing apples to apples here. If VA synths didn't require more processing power we would see huge poly counts on them as well!

BoBeats
Автор

I think that screen display looks excellent for someone new to synthesisers and will really help them to understand what's going on inside.

LezMarwick
Автор

The sound design is actually really quite impressive. I can certainly see how this could fit into a space constrained studio. As usual, this is a great video 👍🏻

DavidDeLuge
Автор

15:05 “That gives a subtle pitch shift… not like that!!” 😂 my favourite moment right here and thank you for keeping that in the edit!! 🙌

jong
Автор

My very first synth of my own was the original microkorg because it was the best I could afford as a kid in high school with a part time job. The vocoder alone kept it part of my production setup for a good decade and a half before I sold it as part of a great hardware purge for the sake of space. I miss the thing but I don't miss its limitations enough to buy the old one again so this new model is perfect for me to get back into hard synths with an old familiar friend with some new bells and whistles. The screen upgrade is a pretty huge bell and whistle! And I can't wait to play with the new harmonizer mode on the vocoder!

BeyondTyrants
Автор

I quite liked the old Microkorg. I never owned one, but I always ended up playing on it in the music shop. This new one seems even more attractive.

hakonsoreide
Автор

Great review. I like what Korg have done with the user interface, it appears to be very learner-friendly. I already have a Korg Minilogue XD module, so I don't feel that the MicroKorg 2 offers me anything, but I hope it helps many people to start their journey into electronic music hardware.

wiseoldfool
Автор

I had a microfreak but hated the cold digital sound. This sounds much nicer.

Deeheeheee
Автор

I love the inclusion of the waveform! I like it! As a beginner, this may turn out to be my forth!

HappyQuailsLC
Автор

Oooh the MK2! Such a staple in synth history. The MicroKorg was my first synth, and think for sure the scope is a great add for new sound design explorers :)

MonotrailTechTalk
Автор

It's.a nice looking synth. It will be interesting to see how it does. The screen is the thing you most notice. Nice big values. The simplicity of the synth might win people over.
One thing I like about e.g. The Microbrute is the record notes function. You just hit record and it records in a sequence of notes. It's very handy. Maybe this would be a useful little thing to add sometime and the loop export. Those purple and green buttons are very tasteful. Well done to that synth designer!

axs
Автор

Screen looks nice. The original MicroKorg was my first synth so I was always pretty fond of it. I didn't really feel like creating patches from scratch and experimenting with it was that difficult or awkward. It took me a little while to understand how to do that, but I also had no frame of reference from other synths.

EricAndre
Автор

I see a lot of complainers in the comments, i think it sounds great and the screen looks awesome, i think people are now thinking i need everything and the kitchen sink for $400. If the Hydrasynth is better, just buy that. Korg is a Korg and a fantastic product for what it is.

rgeraldcs
Автор

$500 in China. Not a bad price for something that seems quite versatile. As you've said, Bo, it's a good synth for beginners.

CaidicusProductions
Автор

The only problem is the price. You can get more for less. You can get a hydrasynth explorer brand new for the same price. Then there is the Novation Mininova. This should be $350-$400 max.

maxpowers
Автор

This is embarrassing. While watching this I looked over at my microkorg, the first synth I bought, and for the first time actually understood how I am supposed to program it. I have, like you said, only really played with the presets and tweaking them. Now after 15 years I can actually make my first real patch. Thank you! I haven't thought about the micrkorg in many years, he has just been there running basic arps for over a decade. 🤦‍♂❤

banter
Автор

In my opinion the main reason for Korg to sell the 2. version is - to impress the next generation of musicians. The mk1 versions are outdated without the little monitor and more to buy in a second hand area... Ok, the practical side-effect is very nice but to be honest - the monitor will cost around 15$ with touch controll... without 10$...
I wil buy it in a few weeks or get it as a gift on christmas from my wife. It's so cute... 😇

noAlias
Автор

I did love the old one and not having anything right now it'll be a welcome addition to anyone in need of something with a entire catalogue of sound for not much money.
I personally think it's much better than the original so personally think they did very well!!!
The Vocoder has been massively upgraded... harmonies function is a great add for background vocal effects

TigroGumi
Автор

In 2002 I was working the Cleveland Ohio Guitar Center, the OG MicroKorg came out, and I think I sold about 120 inthe 1st month. Personally, I never cared for it, I hate the mini keys, and I had a MS2000, so it would have been redundant, however, the OG MK did get a LOT of folks into synths, and making electronic based music, and that's a good thing!

Автор

I do have a question which is not mentioned in any video about microkorg 2.
Is there’s an option to separate actual vocal from vocoder output signal (but still hear them both in the same time ) as my choice depending on this particular feature and, if it’s impossible to do so there’s no sense buying microkorg….
for sure I can tell there is a function like that in behringer vocoder vc340 . Please help me

sofiateslenko