Very Nice video, TF - I was part of the original voicing team behind the Korg O1W series (I made/edited all of the drum samples, made all the drum patches and tons of Patches and Combinations) It was one of our favorite synths to voice (this synth was developed before the internet really blew up so we did multiple trips to Japan to meet in little rooms in Tokyo to vote and or at times fight between the 8 of us to get our patches in the machine - now there are no flights and it's all spreadsheet based voting which is not the same.) The Waveshaper as you show does cool things to synth sounds but it also does MAGICAL things to acoustic instrument samples. If you look at all the factory patches, we used waveshaping to add missing harmonics in the samples based on how hard you hit the keys - this is something samples alone can't generate and made acoustic instruments have added life in the O1W. It's surprising future synths/samplers have not incorporated these abilities in today's instruments. Anyway, keep making cool videos like this.
Always said one of the things these boxes and what came before them i.e. M1 which make them the classics they are is the voicing, even though it's old this thing is still making relevant music today and is so flexible by not being over processed or having too much of a baked in sound. Out of interest how were the samples created and edited? Did you use something like Jupiter Systems Infinity (Later Antares) for looping the waveforms or something similar?
A friend of mine bought the Korg 01/W when it came out. We both had an Amiga and liked Vangelis and Jarre. That one patch Vangelis used still comes to mind. We visited several Jarre concerts as well. Unfortunately my friend died of cancer early June 2018, just short of turning 50 years old. He still had his 01/W but it was lost when his family cleaned up his house and belongings. At that time in 2018 I started buying synthesizers as well and have been enjoying the hobby since. My synthesizers are technically superior, but I still remember my friend often when playing and I remember his Korg 01/W with fondness. Cheers
Im sorry to here you lost your friend which mirrors my own experience. I lost my best friend a week before my 50th and several months before he would have celebrated his.
I've been begging them in email requests to add this/N1 and the Trinity/TR-Rack to their VST lineup. Those are my favorite synths and Korg won't have their legacy lineup complete without them. I REALLY hope it happens soon!
When Collection 5 announced the other day I was so hoping that this and Trinity would be included, but nope. Oh well, at least it has a Continental organ and an ARP 2600.
C22 FreeFlight - I remember that sound like it was yesterday. Listened to it while I played the Korg in the store back then. That exact sound made me fall in love with synths. That's the one! Still catches my attention, 30 years or so later.
A lot of pads and atmospheric voices used in 90's jungle, it's incredible to see the synths it comes from. I've always wondered where they got them sounds from. Some are layered with fx. But I was intrigued to know where they came from and if they were original presets. Amazing time's it takes me back! 🫡
It's also crazy that it's 32 kHz, but sounds so crisp full warm and fat. And many of its patches like FreshAir, DynoPiano, Ampheralds, are still irreplaceable
Many synths of that era were like that. For example, many Ensoniq synths, except ASR10, MR, ZR, Fizmo and ASR-X (EPS16+ had switchable sample rate up to ~70KHz, but with very low polyphony), Roland JV line is another example.
@@aaronhendrickson2793 That is true, but this is digital sampling - in PCM you need at least twice of max frequency you want to be able to reproduce (Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem). So at 32KHz max frequency that is 16KHz. And usually untrained people loss 1KHz at the top every 10 years of life. So for average 40 years person 16KHz would be good enough 🙂. But there are so many variables (anti-aliasing used etc.)…
I love when you go into the technical implementation details like here with unusual waveshaper. Or just like in the video showcasing the effect of random resonant filter on the Korg's ambient pad patches.
I purchased my 01W/FD back in 1992. Years later, as I was young and with no money, I sold it to buy some new gear. One of my biggest regrets. Just recently I purchased a 01W/R in top conditions (it’s basically new) for a very low price. Just replaced the internal battery and sent it to my trusted technician for replacing the original screen with a backlit one. Can’t wait to start working with it! ❤️
We've all been there! Rad to hear you got one again, and in mint condition at that. With the new battery, screen, and once over from the technician that thing is ready for many more years of sound creation. Enjoy!
Excellent video, and thank you for giving the 01R/W and 01/W series the love it deserves, i got mine in February, looking in absolute mint condition, a newly placed classic color LCD screen and 2 card sets for a real bargain price. I only had to drive back and forth to the north of the Netherlands and back to the south, but it was worth the trip! Thanks again!
I've an interesting little story, though I've no proof. In the 90's I phoned a Cheshire UK music shop (pre internet) called Aaron sound after spotting a music mag ad for a Korg 01rw. The guy on the end of the phone said the last person who owned it was none other than Gary Barlow of Take That!
I also have the Wavestation A/D. My fav synth, I bought the original new way back when. Not sure how the 01/W compares - unlike M1, no VST, though some of these sounds are familiar. Makes sense, they came out in the same year.
I love my 01/w, I have two; an 01/wFD that I got "just to own it" and an 01R/W which helped me integrate it into my rack easier, both have gotten me that fantastic iconic 90s cheesy KORG sound, although I think it's a different kind of cheesy KORG sound compared to something like the M1, or WAVESTATION. Still, great synth, and great display of patches and combis here!
it's an awesome synth, such a great and diverse sound set and excellent sounding effects. i'm working on an editor for it right now, it should work with the rack version too.
I had an 01/W at that time. It was deeply nostalgic to listen to the old patches and combis in your video. Some of those are purely magical. Now I want to locate a good VST of this classic synth!
One of my biggest regrets was selling my 01/Wfd. That thing was awesome, but I got the "grass is greener" mentality after a few years and thought it was outdated. What an idiot I was! Very good demo of some of the best sounds on the unit!
My first synth purchase was a Korg 05RW. It represented a great value to me for songwriting since it was 8 voice multi-timbral. With my MC-500 MkII sequencer I was able to write songs with it.
Funnily enough I always associate that sound with not a jungle dnb tune but , Krayzie Bones - Thug Mentality on the intro. The sound has that M1 Lore/ Universe status. I'm sure it's everrrrywhere.
Very glad I picked up mine for a reasonable price. Pads aside, we need another vid showing off the EXCELLENT rave stab/ punchy fx sounds you can get out of these things.
dan silk in the comments has some videos showing off those jungle techno stabs! the waveshaper really helps you get some bite on the attack. cheers mate!
I bought an NX5R back in the day, I was really wanting to by this. The NX5R can do some of this but it is buried so far that it took me a decade to finally find it. Nice rack by the way.
01/W is cool, I have one! Well... Korg's definitely had a "JD-990" counterpart and it's called Wavestation A/D :) and that thing is DEEP! And let's throw Yamaha TG-77 in and we have the holy trinity (JD990, A/D, TG77). Another Korg gems: X5DR and N1-R. I bought most of them back in the mid 00's when they would set you back maybe a little more than the shipping itself, most expensive was 990 with Vintage card, 300 notes. Not that I don't like plugins, but these ROM-plers sounded spectacular per invested $$$, so I bought them all. Hey, I am a simple man.
Hey Don - thanks for the comment! Wavestation A/D is something else indeed....part of me regrets selling mine. That would be a solid trinity of synths to do some damage with. You got in a great time on that lot. X5DR is a beast in that little half rack. Out of all of those, I think the N1R gets talked about the least. I don't think many people know it event exists LOL. Almost a "best of AI2" box. Thanks again for the comment - hope to see some more JD-990 sound sets from you
Have to agree with you . I just need to add a wavestation to my arsenal. I love blending individual notes from these romplers to make a new unique pad,/sound , may be laborious but very worth it.
Nice demo and explanation of the 01/W T-F. I used to have the M1R and M3 and had/have the Wavestation keyboard and now just own the module. I never realized how good this sounded until seeing your video. FYI, if you look at Urs' Zerbralette and Zebra VSTs, he implemented something like this with more modulation abilities. Each osciillator can have up to two things termed Osc FX from a selection of 26, including using the same one twice, in series which can be modulated by any modulator the synths have.
Great to look back on, i always wanted one of these back in the day but was way out of my price ranges. Love that free flight preset, heard it so many times on tracks, absolutely love it :-)
I got a 61-key version (FD) about 5 years ago, I totally love some sounds it creates, including the first sound in this video, before the "sound demos" start ("C22 FreeFlight").
Love your videos, man. Hope to see in depth Ex5 FSDp engine overview. It was one of my fav synth experiences ive had , many hours lost in the depths of it.
I love that the Korg 01/W was, like you said, an M1 on steroids, but that waveshaping basically makes it a Wavestation and M1 all in one which is spectacular. Korg has soft synths of the Wavestation and M1 yet nothing for the 01/W which is seriously a crime. Korg, PLEASE make this into a VST!
The wavetables don't exist in any other Korg synth but the O1W. The Wavesequencing of the Wavestation is altogether different (it's a sequence list of waveforms you can set up that cycles from one to the next while waveshaping is a form of distortion). I'd love to see Korg release a software version of the O1W but I'm not sure they can - the wavetables in the O1W were created in a special way that I don't think is transferable to software outside of the special hardware they used to do the wavetables. I really hope I'm wrong and that it does appear someday.
Tried Jupiter-80, FA-06, JD-Xi, or JD-XA? They have a waveshaper thing going on like modern Korg workstations do not (ignoring Electribe2) when you set an oscillator in any patch to "Sample" instead of one of the VA waveforms. It helps extend the sonic palette of each of these instruments.
@@PlugInGuruVideo "the wavetables in the O1W were created in a special way that I don't think is transferable to software outside of the special hardware they used to do the wavetables" I wouldn't believe that in the slightest. Korg can release a great-sounding emulation of 01/W whenever they feel like it, they just don't think it is worth doing right now or they would have done it. What they wouldn't try emulating is the DAC and output stage of the original hardware to get that last 0.5% of the sound "right".
I had an O1/Wfd when it first came out. Just looked up the price and converted it to new money. I'm wondering how the heck I afforded it!! Amazing thing. It was my master keyboard for more than 15 years. Lovely to see it getting revisited. What they did with the waveshaping was brilliant. So lush and iconic.
The VST version of the M1 is solid. Same with all their other recreations. Heard Karma will likely never happen (it's technically the Triton engine but with all that "karma" stuff) due to licensing. 01/W seems very possible - fingers crossed.
7:56 Thanks for the wonderful demo! I like mid 80s to early 90s digital synths! I have questions. 1. I wonder which you and others like better, Korg M1 or O1/W. Strictly sound-wise. Of course I understand it's subjective and it is not a which is better question. 2. Does the latter have those important patches that made M1 so successful? 3. Do these Korg workstations lack a 'pattern' based sequencer? If that's the case, does one have to record each 'whole' track in one go? 4. How do you guys feel about the lack of resonant filters? Do M1/O1W offer alternatives? 5. JD-990's sonic power is well known. What are the things O1W can do but JD cannot, vice versa? 6. O1W vs. TRINITY or Later Triton? Thanks in advance!
Thank you! 1- 01/W is my preference because it has waveshaping + a much better and bigger UI. Programming sounds on it is easier. It sounds very similar to the M1 which is a plus, so you get the M1 essence, and the expansion card "Best of M&T" adds M1 waveforms to the 01W 2- Pretty much all new patches in the 01/W (There may be a few overlaps, but not certain.) There is a PCM/Performance data expansion card for the 01/W called "Best of M&T" that adds 36 M1 waveforms to the 01/w 3- I've never used the sequencer on the 01R/w to be honest, but my understanding is that it can record midi patterns on a track by track basis. Can real-time record or step record 4- I dont mind the lack of resonance filters on the 01w. You can use waveshaping to simulate a similar sound, or just process the sound with a 3rd party filter. But if I'm going for heavy resonant sounds I typically use the Korg Trinity / Triton anyways LOL 5- I have a JD-990 but havent dove super deep into it. One big difference im aware of is JD-990s equivalent of a Korg program can layer up to 4 sounds, where as the 01w is just 2 sounds in a PROGRAM. Waveshaping in the 01w is another big difference. Not too sure what else 6- Trinity. It's a great mix between early Korg sound (M1/01W) and later Korg sound (Triton,Z1) - super crisp & spaced out sound. the filters are incredible
Blast from the past. Cool underrated synth. Kudos for showing Dark City, such a gem of a film. Watch the director's cut if you can, you'll thank me later ;)
I was a Korg user when the M1 came out. Korg UK at the time released a VHS video showcasing the 01/W, I don't think the web was around at the time, after I received the video tape I purchased the 01/W. I wish Korg would bring out a VST version as I'd love to relive my days of the 01/W.
That VHS is on TH-cam! Classic, actually learned a ton from it. A lot of us our holding out for a VST variant of the 01/W....I really do think it's just a matter of time
C22 FreeFlight patch obsesses me since 1492 / 1992 !! I already have a 990 and search for a 01 now. They’re both as good, for different reasons : I think the 990 gives the bottom, « the earth », and the 01W gives the brighteness, « the air » ! I nearly found a 01/Wfd and a rack, but have to choose and hesitate ! Thx for the video
Agree with that statement! Both would sounds great layered up. Always found Roland's to be a bit more subdued / grounded in reality, where the Korg is much more whimsical / airy. Both are fantastic!!
01W as Korgs answer to JD990? Great idea! Owning both, I can underline this impression 100%. Esp since I also got JV2080 and Trinity, which is a similar perfect pair in terms of overall sound and synthesis possibilities. To my ears the Rolands shine on warm pads with heavy use of internal chorus and flanger. The Korgs on more airy stuff, as you perfectly demonstrated here. Make sure to check out the Korg PCM cards for the 01W. As well as some patches out there from 3rd party suppliers. Soundsource Unlimited did some great!
100%! I have a JD-990 above my 01R/W, great sonic pair that covers pretty much everything you could want. 2080/Trinity another outstanding combo. I feel the exact same in terms of sonic characteristics between the two. Korg always shined at airy, motion heavy patches...while the Rolands were much more subdued & grounded in reality. Get a fat analog pad out of the Korg, throw some Korg motion on top and you're in heaven. Actually have the Best of M&T card on the way as we speak! Really want the Synth Design card...I'll have to check out some of those 3rd party patch cards too. Cheers!
I got an EMU E5000 ultra that has thousands of sound sets samples in it as the previous owner had replaced the drives. It has all the triton and O series sound module samples in it. There are some amazing sounds in the thing along with the other sound sets there’s an amazing resource of about 16GB of samples from Roland, Korg, Oberhiem, Yamaha and so on. Great sounds and tools.
I used to have the 01Wfd back in 93, but back then i was 18 and didnt delve into the synths sound engine, i'd love to get another one, but will have to be the rack version as I don't have any more room in my studio for more key'd synths! So may have to scour the internet for the rack
The rack version is slick! If you're able to find one definitely pick it up. These old AI2 Korgs strike a nice balance between ease of use + some advance capabilities. Not K2000 difficult to program, not JD-990 flexible...easier and just as good sounding. Good to pair up with one of the aforementioned synths
@@Thought-Forms Funnily enough, I had it paired up with a Roland JD800 that same year, worked my ass off to afford both! I had a look online for the rack, damn they're going up in price! I think the word is out lol
I have the 01/w (workstation) fd (floppy disc) love it to this day not enough sound cards came out for it but its really cheap to buy now got mine in late 92 thanks for posting
0:19 that sounds familiar! Altered States sampled that! That's bad ass that it originally came from the Korg 01/w. I've been searching for some of the original sounds from Shadow Man for forever!
I got the 03R/W some time ago (a little while after I started watching this channel). I have yet to fully explore it, but from what I have heard, it's wonderful.
while it doesnt have the waveshaping (and think the ROM is a little smaller), the 03r/w is still a solid 1u for folks who want an 01/w but dont have the space or want to save a little dough
I really wish Korg adds this to their Legacy Collection. I've had a few 01/W in my studio over the years, and it's one synth that I'm often missing when I've sold it.
@@Thought-Forms yes will be searching for the rackmount, although not available on Reverb rn. Might have to settle for a full size. Is there a big difference between the two?
Wavestation A/D with vocoder, rack version is another master ambient synth, going further than M1 influenced 01/W. By the way, Analog Pad patch sounds like pad sound from Kajagoogoo - To Shy.
About that sample frequency of 31.25kHz the ROM at 7:00, wasn't the big thing of the JD-990 the 44.1kHz sample frequency? So could korg warmth really be equal to shiny JD? Or is it the DACS of the JD that was superior on the JD over for example the JVs?
A fantastic synth. The wave shaper really is a hidden gem. I've used my O1/WFD as my main MIDI controller for awhile now. Great feeling key bed with aftertouch. I always prefer 80s / 90s era MIDI keyboards over the new stuff, it's all just so flimsy to play on.
I have a JD990…I think it may be very similar or at least somewhere around the same level judging by the presets and non presets here. It has the same soundshaping capabilities it seems. Probably cant go wrong with either 😅
Good perspective on the 01/W. I skipped out on this synth for some reason. I have experience with the M1, and Trinity but I never got into the 01/W. I liked the Trinity with the Z1 option. You could do 4 voices of physically modeled sounds. The actual Z1 was even better. I don't think there's a synth that sounds anything quite like the Z1 It's funny how a lot of early 90s synth were trying to do this waveshaping thing. It sounds neat. Great comparison to a tube amp. I'd go a little further and say maybe like a convolution reverb in how they can run an amp cab IR, only instead of using room or cab IRs, use whatever wave your snippet of any sound to effect the original sound. I do this a lot with REVerence in Cubase. I might have to explore an 01/w. Funny how upside down it's an M/10
I got to use one when they first came out. I was in awe at how realistic the sounds were, however the lack of a resonant filter was a serious buzz kill. I went with a Kawai K4 instead because i got a very good deal on it, but would have gone with a JV80/ JV1080 tbh had i the extra funds
@@CHARLIEtheCATofficial Great bass line on that song for sure! I'm certain you've seen it but if not, watch and listen to Mohini Dey on bass in the Tiny Desk Concert video of Willow's Symptom Of Life. That for me is the tip of the bass iceberg of new songs :)
Been watching a few of your vids and am pleasantly surprised. Rather than another youtuber focusing on the same old roland analog stuff you're really spreading the 90s waveshaping digital gospel. Thank you! Question, I want to add some ambient waveshaping goodness to my mix and while I would like to get pick up the cult stuff, I will likely be grabbing a newer korg like the wavestate or the modwave. Do you think the modwave is a good move?
Thanks! A lot of the analog stuff is very "samey" to me, while all these digital synths tended to bring new ideas & sounds to the table. Really think there is much more to be explored in a lot of these old boxes. Sure! I tried the modwave/wavestate (VST version) and wasn't a huge fan. That said, I do think they're good and capable synths that are a bit different from much of the modern stuff out there. If you want a modern Korg soft synth those are the ones to do
I need to find a place on the internet where someone has samples of the patches on these 90s rompler/digital synths.. anyone know where i might find such a thing?
It sounds better than the new harsh Rapsberry Pi junk Korg pumps out nowadays...(ModWave, WaveState) I have the Radias and that's amazing. Will look closer to this synth, if it pops up... :-)
My first keyboard synth was a 01/WFD. Sold it to get something new I guess, I regretted selling it shortly thereafter, I have since passively had my eye searching for the rack version...
Very Nice video, TF - I was part of the original voicing team behind the Korg O1W series (I made/edited all of the drum samples, made all the drum patches and tons of Patches and Combinations) It was one of our favorite synths to voice (this synth was developed before the internet really blew up so we did multiple trips to Japan to meet in little rooms in Tokyo to vote and or at times fight between the 8 of us to get our patches in the machine - now there are no flights and it's all spreadsheet based voting which is not the same.) The Waveshaper as you show does cool things to synth sounds but it also does MAGICAL things to acoustic instrument samples. If you look at all the factory patches, we used waveshaping to add missing harmonics in the samples based on how hard you hit the keys - this is something samples alone can't generate and made acoustic instruments have added life in the O1W. It's surprising future synths/samplers have not incorporated these abilities in today's instruments. Anyway, keep making cool videos like this.
Wow!!
Always said one of the things these boxes and what came before them i.e. M1 which make them the classics they are is the voicing, even though it's old this thing is still making relevant music today and is so flexible by not being over processed or having too much of a baked in sound. Out of interest how were the samples created and edited? Did you use something like Jupiter Systems Infinity (Later Antares) for looping the waveforms or something similar?
That's awesome!
Thank you for this! The Waveshaping feature is for me what makes this Synth shine! ❤
DO YOU THINK KORG WILL EVER MAKE A SOFTWARE EMULATION OF THIS SYNTH ?
A friend of mine bought the Korg 01/W when it came out. We both had an Amiga and liked Vangelis and Jarre. That one patch Vangelis used still comes to mind. We visited several Jarre concerts as well. Unfortunately my friend died of cancer early June 2018, just short of turning 50 years old. He still had his 01/W but it was lost when his family cleaned up his house and belongings. At that time in 2018 I started buying synthesizers as well and have been enjoying the hobby since. My synthesizers are technically superior, but I still remember my friend often when playing and I remember his Korg 01/W with fondness. Cheers
Im sorry to here you lost your friend which mirrors my own experience. I lost my best friend a week before my 50th and several months before he would have celebrated his.
Thank you for sharing about the good memories with you and your friend, sounds like some great times. Very sorry to hear about your loss
wow soo many classic pads i hear in DnB/Jungle came from this unit!
Exactly. Instant DnB, add water and break beat to taste.
yea! Artemis used these old Korg boxes a ton, can hear it all over his songs (likely an X3, but could have been one of the other incarnations)
First 3 samples I immediately said that was the sound of Good Looking records!
Yep. I'm just journeying home from picking one up ❤❤❤.
i'm hoping Korg add this to the collection as a VST some day.
I've been begging them in email requests to add this/N1 and the Trinity/TR-Rack to their VST lineup. Those are my favorite synths and Korg won't have their legacy lineup complete without them. I REALLY hope it happens soon!
When Collection 5 announced the other day I was so hoping that this and Trinity would be included, but nope.
Oh well, at least it has a Continental organ and an ARP 2600.
@@subwaygaragemusic I think the O1/W or perhaps the post-triton M3, is all I'd upgrade for.
My first 'professional' synthesizer/workstation in 1991. 4 years ago i found one at a flea market for 50 euros. Instant buy.
Wow 50 Euros? That's awesome!!
50 euros!!!!! insane
C22 FreeFlight - I remember that sound like it was yesterday. Listened to it while I played the Korg in the store back then. That exact sound made me fall in love with synths. That's the one! Still catches my attention, 30 years or so later.
Vangelis - Conquest of Paradise, probably last track from soundtrack :-)
@@Martin_Demsky My thoughts exactly!
I still have my 01/W. Bought it brand new in 92 and it has never left my studio...and it never will.
A lot of pads and atmospheric voices used in 90's jungle, it's incredible to see the synths it comes from. I've always wondered where they got them sounds from. Some are layered with fx. But I was intrigued to know where they came from and if they were original presets. Amazing time's it takes me back! 🫡
It's also crazy that it's 32 kHz, but sounds so crisp full warm and fat.
And many of its patches like FreshAir, DynoPiano, Ampheralds, are still irreplaceable
Maybe exactly because of that...
Many synths of that era were like that. For example, many Ensoniq synths, except ASR10, MR, ZR, Fizmo and ASR-X (EPS16+ had switchable sample rate up to ~70KHz, but with very low polyphony), Roland JV line is another example.
Human hearing maxes at at 20khz
@@aaronhendrickson2793 That is true, but this is digital sampling - in PCM you need at least twice of max frequency you want to be able to reproduce (Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem). So at 32KHz max frequency that is 16KHz. And usually untrained people loss 1KHz at the top every 10 years of life. So for average 40 years person 16KHz would be good enough 🙂. But there are so many variables (anti-aliasing used etc.)…
the 32 makes the drums sound beautiful
I’ve heard this in a lot of video games.
Interesting piece of kit
It’s so nice to see Dr. Yoshimura’s vision kept alive 👍
I recently bought an 01 R/W ... and I deeply love ist.
solid move getting one into your arsenal. enjoy it!
@@Thought-Forms
Hell ... YEAH! 😃👍
@Wulframe
I am, I am! 🙂
I love the 01W! It's a great sounding unit. I swear there are some Goldie sounds in the last minute of the video...
I've always wondered if Goldie tracks were alot of Kurzweil .....?, maybe I'm wrong here.
you can hear the 2:34 sound at the start of Pinta, Nina, Santa Maria by Vangelis in the 1992 Conquest of Paradise soundtrack
100%!
1:14 Kajagoogoo Too Shy from 1983!
i believe this patch is also used in "message from nightopia" in nights into dreams
I love when you go into the technical implementation details like here with unusual waveshaper. Or just like in the video showcasing the effect of random resonant filter on the Korg's ambient pad patches.
I purchased my 01W/FD back in 1992. Years later, as I was young and with no money, I sold it to buy some new gear. One of my biggest regrets. Just recently I purchased a 01W/R in top conditions (it’s basically new) for a very low price. Just replaced the internal battery and sent it to my trusted technician for replacing the original screen with a backlit one. Can’t wait to start working with it! ❤️
We've all been there! Rad to hear you got one again, and in mint condition at that. With the new battery, screen, and once over from the technician that thing is ready for many more years of sound creation. Enjoy!
Excellent video, and thank you for giving the 01R/W and 01/W series the love it deserves, i got mine in February, looking in absolute mint condition, a newly placed classic color LCD screen and 2 card sets for a real bargain price. I only had to drive back and forth to the north of the Netherlands and back to the south, but it was worth the trip! Thanks again!
Amazing!! A trip worth it indeed. Which cards did you get with it? Enjoy mate
Some beautiful sounds there!
Really are! Nothing like going through the internal presets for the first time and stumbling across some of those mind blowing pads
For me 01/W is an instant early “Enigma” sound. Those pads are so great!..
100%! D-70 and an 01/W....you're in full Engima territory
I've an interesting little story, though I've no proof. In the 90's I phoned a Cheshire UK music shop (pre internet) called Aaron sound after spotting a music mag ad for a Korg 01rw. The guy on the end of the phone said the last person who owned it was none other than Gary Barlow of Take That!
I have a 990 and a Wavestation A/D. This honestly looks pretty cool! I dig the different textures you were showing off :D
thanks tokyo! the 990 and wavestation is a killer combo. starting miss the a/d more and more....
@@Thought-Forms The aftermarket card for the wavestation that lets you load your own samples is a game changer for it honestly.
Top it off with a tg77 🔥👌🏾
I also have the Wavestation A/D. My fav synth, I bought the original new way back when. Not sure how the 01/W compares - unlike M1, no VST, though some of these sounds are familiar. Makes sense, they came out in the same year.
I love my 01/w, I have two; an 01/wFD that I got "just to own it" and an 01R/W which helped me integrate it into my rack easier, both have gotten me that fantastic iconic 90s cheesy KORG sound, although I think it's a different kind of cheesy KORG sound compared to something like the M1, or WAVESTATION. Still, great synth, and great display of patches and combis here!
it's an awesome synth, such a great and diverse sound set and excellent sounding effects. i'm working on an editor for it right now, it should work with the rack version too.
solid mate! would love to learn more about the editor. do you have a website or anything?
I had an 01/W at that time. It was deeply nostalgic to listen to the old patches and combis in your video. Some of those are purely magical. Now I want to locate a good VST of this classic synth!
Cheers mate! Really holding out that Korg will drop this in a Korg Collection update....
Had the 01/W pro with 88 keys. It was our home piano!
One of my biggest regrets was selling my 01/Wfd. That thing was awesome, but I got the "grass is greener" mentality after a few years and thought it was outdated. What an idiot I was! Very good demo of some of the best sounds on the unit!
Thanks! Now I know where one of Vangelis'ambient patches used on 1992 comes from.
I noticed the Vangelis sounds too!
which sound was that?
I still have my original O1/Wfd from 1991…..the second highlight of that year for me (the other was the birth of my daughter) 😊
I recently purchased a JD990 and the Vintage expansion board. Now you got me GASing for the 01/W. :) Thanks for the video!
Congrats on the jd-990 + vintage expansion! Have the JD-990 + 01R/W racked up next to each other. Killer combo that will cover everything
My first synth purchase was a Korg 05RW. It represented a great value to me for songwriting since it was 8 voice multi-timbral. With my MC-500 MkII sequencer I was able to write songs with it.
Have definitely heard that Free Flight patch on some tunes from the 90s.
Funnily enough I always associate that sound with not a jungle dnb tune but , Krayzie Bones - Thug Mentality on the intro. The sound has that M1 Lore/ Universe status. I'm sure it's everrrrywhere.
Very glad I picked up mine for a reasonable price. Pads aside, we need another vid showing off the EXCELLENT rave stab/ punchy fx sounds you can get out of these things.
dan silk in the comments has some videos showing off those jungle techno stabs! the waveshaper really helps you get some bite on the attack. cheers mate!
Wow, you're not kidding, this is a fantastic sounding synth! It's like every Ambient CD released in the 90's in a 19" long rack-mounted box.
The Opsix has a 01/W operators that can waveshape using 60 tables from the 01/W. I have no idea how to use this but your great sounds may motivate me!
will it take patches ?
@@__1t__1__r3 wouldn't make sense if it could
I bought an NX5R back in the day, I was really wanting to by this. The NX5R can do some of this but it is buried so far that it took me a decade to finally find it. Nice rack by the way.
The NX5R is a dope little half rack - kind of like a "best of AI2" synth (along with the N1R) sans waveshaping. Cheers mate
01/W is cool, I have one! Well... Korg's definitely had a "JD-990" counterpart and it's called Wavestation A/D :) and that thing is DEEP! And let's throw Yamaha TG-77 in and we have the holy trinity (JD990, A/D, TG77). Another Korg gems: X5DR and N1-R. I bought most of them back in the mid 00's when they would set you back maybe a little more than the shipping itself, most expensive was 990 with Vintage card, 300 notes. Not that I don't like plugins, but these ROM-plers sounded spectacular per invested $$$, so I bought them all. Hey, I am a simple man.
Hey Don - thanks for the comment! Wavestation A/D is something else indeed....part of me regrets selling mine. That would be a solid trinity of synths to do some damage with. You got in a great time on that lot. X5DR is a beast in that little half rack. Out of all of those, I think the N1R gets talked about the least. I don't think many people know it event exists LOL. Almost a "best of AI2" box. Thanks again for the comment - hope to see some more JD-990 sound sets from you
Have to agree with you . I just need to add a wavestation to my arsenal. I love blending individual notes from these romplers to make a new unique pad,/sound , may be laborious but very worth it.
That first patch heard in the video is in the chorus of Britney Spears - I'm a Slave 4 U (produced by The Neptunes)
Let's GO. What ever happened to Britney Spears
its an amazing synthesizer
💪
Nice demo and explanation of the 01/W T-F. I used to have the M1R and M3 and had/have the Wavestation keyboard and now just own the module. I never realized how good this sounded until seeing your video. FYI, if you look at Urs' Zerbralette and Zebra VSTs, he implemented something like this with more modulation abilities. Each osciillator can have up to two things termed Osc FX from a selection of 26, including using the same one twice, in series which can be modulated by any modulator the synths have.
Great to look back on, i always wanted one of these back in the day but was way out of my price ranges. Love that free flight preset, heard it so many times on tracks, absolutely love it :-)
This thing is actually amazing. I love it!
I love those late 80s Korg pads .... I’ve got the korg vsts and they sound sick
🔥🔥🔥🔥
VSTs dominate. Makes me wonder why I spend so much on hardware.
I got a 61-key version (FD) about 5 years ago, I totally love some sounds it creates, including the first sound in this video, before the "sound demos" start ("C22 FreeFlight").
Love your videos, man. Hope to see in depth Ex5 FSDp engine overview. It was one of my fav synth experiences ive had , many hours lost in the depths of it.
Thanks dude! The EX5 is on my wishlist...hoping to snag one and dive deep into it. Seems like an underrated beast
I have an 01/RW in my rack. It's one of my favorite synths.
I love that the Korg 01/W was, like you said, an M1 on steroids, but that waveshaping basically makes it a Wavestation and M1 all in one which is spectacular. Korg has soft synths of the Wavestation and M1 yet nothing for the 01/W which is seriously a crime.
Korg, PLEASE make this into a VST!
The wavetables don't exist in any other Korg synth but the O1W. The Wavesequencing of the Wavestation is altogether different (it's a sequence list of waveforms you can set up that cycles from one to the next while waveshaping is a form of distortion). I'd love to see Korg release a software version of the O1W but I'm not sure they can - the wavetables in the O1W were created in a special way that I don't think is transferable to software outside of the special hardware they used to do the wavetables. I really hope I'm wrong and that it does appear someday.
Tried Jupiter-80, FA-06, JD-Xi, or JD-XA? They have a waveshaper thing going on like modern Korg workstations do not (ignoring Electribe2) when you set an oscillator in any patch to "Sample" instead of one of the VA waveforms. It helps extend the sonic palette of each of these instruments.
@@PlugInGuruVideo "the wavetables in the O1W were created in a special way that I don't think is transferable to software outside of the special hardware they used to do the wavetables"
I wouldn't believe that in the slightest. Korg can release a great-sounding emulation of 01/W whenever they feel like it, they just don't think it is worth doing right now or they would have done it. What they wouldn't try emulating is the DAC and output stage of the original hardware to get that last 0.5% of the sound "right".
@@Jason75913 Unfortunately, none of these have VST versions. They are all exclusively hardware. :/
@@FoxerTails but aren't we talking about hardware?
I had an O1/Wfd when it first came out. Just looked up the price and converted it to new money. I'm wondering how the heck I afforded it!! Amazing thing. It was my master keyboard for more than 15 years. Lovely to see it getting revisited. What they did with the waveshaping was brilliant. So lush and iconic.
Korg pads=love!
The best there are from factory for sure. I love my korg workstations
I bought an 05/RW back in 93 and still use it today.
the 05/rw is a beast!
I got an M1 when it first came out in the 80's.. I still rock it in VST form now.. Really hope Korg adds the O1/W, Trident & Karma to their VST's
The VST version of the M1 is solid. Same with all their other recreations. Heard Karma will likely never happen (it's technically the Triton engine but with all that "karma" stuff) due to licensing. 01/W seems very possible - fingers crossed.
7:56 Thanks for the wonderful demo! I like mid 80s to early 90s digital synths!
I have questions.
1. I wonder which you and others like better, Korg M1 or O1/W. Strictly sound-wise. Of course I understand it's subjective and it is not a which is better question.
2. Does the latter have those important patches that made M1 so successful?
3. Do these Korg workstations lack a 'pattern' based sequencer? If that's the case, does one have to record each 'whole' track in one go?
4. How do you guys feel about the lack of resonant filters? Do M1/O1W offer alternatives?
5. JD-990's sonic power is well known. What are the things O1W can do but JD cannot, vice versa?
6. O1W vs. TRINITY or Later Triton?
Thanks in advance!
Thank you!
1- 01/W is my preference because it has waveshaping + a much better and bigger UI. Programming sounds on it is easier. It sounds very similar to the M1 which is a plus, so you get the M1 essence, and the expansion card "Best of M&T" adds M1 waveforms to the 01W
2- Pretty much all new patches in the 01/W (There may be a few overlaps, but not certain.) There is a PCM/Performance data expansion card for the 01/W called "Best of M&T" that adds 36 M1 waveforms to the 01/w
3- I've never used the sequencer on the 01R/w to be honest, but my understanding is that it can record midi patterns on a track by track basis. Can real-time record or step record
4- I dont mind the lack of resonance filters on the 01w. You can use waveshaping to simulate a similar sound, or just process the sound with a 3rd party filter. But if I'm going for heavy resonant sounds I typically use the Korg Trinity / Triton anyways LOL
5- I have a JD-990 but havent dove super deep into it. One big difference im aware of is JD-990s equivalent of a Korg program can layer up to 4 sounds, where as the 01w is just 2 sounds in a PROGRAM. Waveshaping in the 01w is another big difference. Not too sure what else
6- Trinity. It's a great mix between early Korg sound (M1/01W) and later Korg sound (Triton,Z1) - super crisp & spaced out sound. the filters are incredible
Sounds so lovely..
Blast from the past. Cool underrated synth. Kudos for showing Dark City, such a gem of a film. Watch the director's cut if you can, you'll thank me later ;)
Great movie and some outstanding sample material to find in ;) - will check out the directors cut, thanks mate!
@@Thought-Forms More than welcome. Besides, there's Jennifer Connely... 'nuff said ;) Cheers!
I was a Korg user when the M1 came out. Korg UK at the time released a VHS video showcasing the 01/W, I don't think the web was around at the time, after I received the video tape I purchased the 01/W. I wish Korg would bring out a VST version as I'd love to relive my days of the 01/W.
That VHS is on TH-cam! Classic, actually learned a ton from it. A lot of us our holding out for a VST variant of the 01/W....I really do think it's just a matter of time
C22 FreeFlight patch obsesses me since 1492 / 1992 !!
I already have a 990 and search for a 01 now.
They’re both as good, for different reasons : I think the 990 gives the bottom, « the earth », and the 01W gives the brighteness, « the air » !
I nearly found a 01/Wfd and a rack, but have to choose and hesitate !
Thx for the video
Agree with that statement! Both would sounds great layered up. Always found Roland's to be a bit more subdued / grounded in reality, where the Korg is much more whimsical / airy. Both are fantastic!!
1:46 Hey, I've heard this patch before! It's used in the Anachronox Sender Station Theme.
01W as Korgs answer to JD990? Great idea! Owning both, I can underline this impression 100%. Esp since I also got JV2080 and Trinity, which is a similar perfect pair in terms of overall sound and synthesis possibilities. To my ears the Rolands shine on warm pads with heavy use of internal chorus and flanger. The Korgs on more airy stuff, as you perfectly demonstrated here. Make sure to check out the Korg PCM cards for the 01W. As well as some patches out there from 3rd party suppliers. Soundsource Unlimited did some great!
100%! I have a JD-990 above my 01R/W, great sonic pair that covers pretty much everything you could want. 2080/Trinity another outstanding combo. I feel the exact same in terms of sonic characteristics between the two. Korg always shined at airy, motion heavy patches...while the Rolands were much more subdued & grounded in reality. Get a fat analog pad out of the Korg, throw some Korg motion on top and you're in heaven. Actually have the Best of M&T card on the way as we speak! Really want the Synth Design card...I'll have to check out some of those 3rd party patch cards too. Cheers!
1:07 I literally thought you were gonna bust into ‘Too Shy’ by Kajagoogoo for a moment there 😭😂
Came here to write this
oh man...thats crazy LOL
I got an EMU E5000 ultra that has thousands of sound sets samples in it as the previous owner had replaced the drives.
It has all the triton and O series sound module samples in it.
There are some amazing sounds in the thing along with the other sound sets there’s an amazing resource of about 16GB of samples from Roland, Korg, Oberhiem, Yamaha and so on.
Great sounds and tools.
That sounds like heaven. Great sounds, and a great engine like EOS...endless possibility
Depeche Mode used lots of sounds from the 01/W on their live tours 👀
Still got mine. From new in 1994. I’ll never part with it. Renovated it recently, new buttons and cleaned and regreased the dx7 key bed.
Love it Peter! True dedication to the 01W. Such a good feeling to fix an old synth up and know it has much more life in it. Enjoy
I used to have the 01Wfd back in 93, but back then i was 18 and didnt delve into the synths sound engine, i'd love to get another one, but will have to be the rack version as I don't have any more room in my studio for more key'd synths! So may have to scour the internet for the rack
The rack version is slick! If you're able to find one definitely pick it up. These old AI2 Korgs strike a nice balance between ease of use + some advance capabilities. Not K2000 difficult to program, not JD-990 flexible...easier and just as good sounding. Good to pair up with one of the aforementioned synths
@@Thought-Forms Funnily enough, I had it paired up with a Roland JD800 that same year, worked my ass off to afford both! I had a look online for the rack, damn they're going up in price! I think the word is out lol
I have the 01/w (workstation) fd (floppy disc) love it to this day not enough sound cards came out for it but its really cheap to buy now got mine in late 92 thanks for posting
0:19 that sounds familiar! Altered States sampled that! That's bad ass that it originally came from the Korg 01/w. I've been searching for some of the original sounds from Shadow Man for forever!
1:14 listen to the song Kajagoogoo Too Shy from 1983!
C22 FreeFlight, that was used by LTJ Bukem. I can't remember the track right now but I will edit this post when I remember.
yea i feel like i've heard it on one of his tracks before. my guess would be it showed up on a few sample cd's from back in the day as well
Waiting for that super nova II history. Barely any info on it, but user presets and demos on TH-cam.
Still wrapping my head around that beast. Such a capable & great sounding synth. Would love to get a vid out on it for sure!
I got the 03R/W some time ago (a little while after I started watching this channel). I have yet to fully explore it, but from what I have heard, it's wonderful.
while it doesnt have the waveshaping (and think the ROM is a little smaller), the 03r/w is still a solid 1u for folks who want an 01/w but dont have the space or want to save a little dough
I really wish Korg adds this to their Legacy Collection. I've had a few 01/W in my studio over the years, and it's one synth that I'm often missing when I've sold it.
Really hoping they add it as well. Great piece of kit!
Wow this synth is great, ima buy one in a few months💚💚💚
If you have the chance I highly recommend it, especially the rack mount version!
@@Thought-Forms yes will be searching for the rackmount, although not available on Reverb rn. Might have to settle for a full size. Is there a big difference between the two?
Wavestation A/D with vocoder, rack version is another master ambient synth, going further than M1 influenced 01/W.
By the way, Analog Pad patch sounds like pad sound from Kajagoogoo - To Shy.
Yes! I miss my A/D so much....really shouldn't have gotten rid of it. and it totally does LOL
Awesome video BRO ☺♥♥♪
thank you friend!
If lm not mistaken here C22 FreeFlight was used on Bork’s Debut album on the last track just going off memory here.
Come on Korg make it as a VST!
I wanted to comment on that first C00 patch, but I was too shy shy.
00 - 59 is 60 waveshapes, not 59. The number 0 might be underrated, but it still counts in the sequence of numbers. :)
Reminds me of my Wavestation
A/D..
✌️
Makes sense! Has some ROM content from the Wavestation, and I believe the FX engine is nearly identical. Love that A/D, great unit!
About that sample frequency of 31.25kHz the ROM at 7:00, wasn't the big thing of the JD-990 the 44.1kHz sample frequency? So could korg warmth really be equal to shiny JD? Or is it the DACS of the JD that was superior on the JD over for example the JVs?
A fantastic synth. The wave shaper really is a hidden gem. I've used my O1/WFD as my main MIDI controller for awhile now. Great feeling key bed with aftertouch. I always prefer 80s / 90s era MIDI keyboards over the new stuff, it's all just so flimsy to play on.
I have a JD-800 and I can't help but wonder if the 01/W actually sounds better 🤯
I have a JD990…I think it may be very similar or at least somewhere around the same level judging by the presets and non presets here. It has the same soundshaping capabilities it seems. Probably cant go wrong with either 😅
Man it's hard...both are insanely good sounding
Good perspective on the 01/W. I skipped out on this synth for some reason. I have experience with the M1, and Trinity but I never got into the 01/W.
I liked the Trinity with the Z1 option. You could do 4 voices of physically modeled sounds. The actual Z1 was even better. I don't think there's a synth that sounds anything quite like the Z1
It's funny how a lot of early 90s synth were trying to do this waveshaping thing. It sounds neat. Great comparison to a tube amp. I'd go a little further and say maybe like a convolution reverb in how they can run an amp cab IR, only instead of using room or cab IRs, use whatever wave your snippet of any sound to effect the original sound. I do this a lot with REVerence in Cubase.
I might have to explore an 01/w. Funny how upside down it's an M/10
I'd love to see an in depth Novation Supernova rundown!😊
Been having some intermittent issues with it - hoping I don't have to send it off to the UK For repairs, but if not - you know I will!
I got to use one when they first came out.
I was in awe at how realistic the sounds were, however the lack of a resonant filter was a serious buzz kill. I went with a Kawai K4 instead because i got a very good deal on it, but would have gone with a JV80/ JV1080 tbh had i the extra funds
1:09 - Kajagoogoo
Too Shy!
@@624radicalham Yes!! :) I want to try to play this song. Especially the bass, also the synths
@@CHARLIEtheCATofficial Great bass line on that song for sure! I'm certain you've seen it but if not, watch and listen to Mohini Dey on bass in the Tiny Desk Concert video of Willow's Symptom Of Life. That for me is the tip of the bass iceberg of new songs :)
@@624radicalham Nice one!!!
Hard to judge here via iphone and YT quality but from the sounds generated here, it seems to sound every bit as good as my jd990!
The story I heard is this was supposed to be called the M10 but somebody put the logo upside down.
Got the keyboard version, it's heavy to move around!
its a hefty beast indeed!
inspiring synth
Beautiful
1:07 That synth is Too Shy!
hush hush!
I thought the same thing!😂
1:14 HOLY CRAP that's almost Kajagoogoo "Too Shy" from 1983!
That’s what I thought too, it sounds exactly the same
Been watching a few of your vids and am pleasantly surprised. Rather than another youtuber focusing on the same old roland analog stuff you're really spreading the 90s waveshaping digital gospel. Thank you! Question, I want to add some ambient waveshaping goodness to my mix and while I would like to get pick up the cult stuff, I will likely be grabbing a newer korg like the wavestate or the modwave. Do you think the modwave is a good move?
Thanks! A lot of the analog stuff is very "samey" to me, while all these digital synths tended to bring new ideas & sounds to the table. Really think there is much more to be explored in a lot of these old boxes. Sure! I tried the modwave/wavestate (VST version) and wasn't a huge fan. That said, I do think they're good and capable synths that are a bit different from much of the modern stuff out there. If you want a modern Korg soft synth those are the ones to do
Analog pad is Kajagoogoo too shy
Then the bass...
The digital piano sounds really nice.
I need to find a place on the internet where someone has samples of the patches on these 90s rompler/digital synths.. anyone know where i might find such a thing?
The Internet Archive is a great source of old media.
I want one …NOW
What is the pad sound at 6:21 called?
It sounds better than the new harsh Rapsberry Pi junk Korg pumps out nowadays...(ModWave, WaveState) I have the Radias and that's amazing. Will look closer to this synth, if it pops up... :-)
Sadly this is very true :( will never get rid of all my classic korg synths...one a kind. Hope you're able to find an 01/W!
My first keyboard synth was a 01/WFD. Sold it to get something new I guess, I regretted selling it shortly thereafter, I have since passively had my eye searching for the rack version...
They pop up every now & then...definitely not as plentiful as a 1080 or the likes
@@Thought-Forms rarely. Once a Sheffield flood...
Dead Can Dance used it a lot
Saw them twice met them once. Great times.
We 👏🏽 need 👏🏽 multisamples 👏🏽 of 👏🏽 this 👏🏽 beauty!
Working on something 👊 (fist bump, I'm not punching you in the face)
@@Thought-Forms- I would be very careful releasing a sample library because all of the samples are copy written.
@@Thought-Forms were are these patches from are they the classic factory presets bank or are these all your own custom sounds?