Bad Gear - Microkorg - A Hipster Synth???
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ค. 2024
- In this episode of Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools, we are going to order a short, full-fat synth with vocoder drizzle - the Korg Microkorg. Is it for Hipsters only?
The Microkorg is a true original 21st century synth classic. Where does all the hate come from?
Inception style noises by audionautix.com - เพลง
I never thought vsauce would discuss synthesizers... But I am happy he came around
I've heard worse comparisons;)
@@AudioPilz Like Moby?
@@b_markovic haha boom roasted
How can you get vsauce mixed up with Babish?
@@pwabd2784 stop with the ignorance, this is clearly Simon Whistler
If any synth could be categorized as for hipsters, I would think the OP-1 would be the clear winner. But it’s a cool little synth with a ton of quirks.
Is the OP-1 Bad Gear?;)
@@AudioPilz Let's appreciate the choice of drinks, it's not gone unnoticed :)
Any over priced synth in my opinion
@@maxmeier532 Which he drank out of a jar.
@@treetopjones737 i think you mispelled jar, it should be jarre
Calling something "hipster trash" is just how hipsters in denial attempt to rid themselves of their title.
Got me!
@@AudioPilz tbh I only know this because I'm an ultra hipster in denial
fritz cola, club mate, a green smoothie.....
If someone calls me a hipster, I just thank them
The lil MicroKorg actually sounds pretty good! Korg did not bother adding lots of knobs and sliders, as they knew people (sorry, hipsters) would never use anything but the built in sounds!
People that say "it's not a real synth" probably never read the manual and tweaked this little powerhouse.
The manual actually helps
I painted over the parameters because I used it so much I have it like muscle memory tweaking the settings lol
essentially a ms2000 in a crappy shell,i decided on getting a alesis micron in pursuit of a different sound ,everyone was using the microkorg at that time
yeaaaaaa..no. I tried it. It's menudiving makes sculpting sounds on the DX7 feel like im controlling it with my mind. (And the DX7 menu is a synonym for 'don't ever'.) So I guess the next thing your gonna say to me is. ACthchually the Yamaha DX7 (1983) has a very good Manual as well.
Thanks bro
What is a manual?
Microkorg is a legend. There is no other synth that survived so long from a Market point of view and also it is still widely used by so many artists. It’s the synth of millennials generation.
True that! The Alesis SR-16 is in production since 1990 but that's a real dinosaur
@@AudioPilz yeah! True!! Thank you very much for your show. It is truly amazingly what are you delivering; it is evident the incredible amount of effort you put in producing these videos. They have such a high quality form entertaining and informative point of view! Thank you!
@@AudioPilz Trog play 80s rock! TROG LIKE DINOSAUR! :D
But I hate it!!! 🙈
@@AudioPilz Bad Gear story: I got an SR-16 around 1991 along with a tascam cassette 4-track. Both were stolen a few years later.
Fast forward to 2022, I work in Downtown LA, and pre-pandemic I would walk from the office to this used electronics store lookng for gear once in a while. I hadn't been there in maybe 2 years, but since we are coming back to the office I stopped in again. The guy totally remembered me and said "I bet you want this..." Which is weird because I never said anything about drum machines, and I'm surprised he even remembered me, but now I'm the proud re-owner of a perfectly good SR-16 for 50 bucks out the door.
Will I ever actually use it? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It still sounds great! And if you like menu-diving you can layer drums and make some unique sounds with it.
One of the best synths ever. Not because it’s technically “the best”, but for the sake of being able to have a decent, versatile vintage sounding synth at a decent price. This is why this thing has been in production for 20 years. The haters are just bitter because they blew all their money on modular and still can’t make a record to save their lives.
Shots fired;)
Have you heatd the intro? Worst intro ever
Have you heatd the intro? Worst intro ever
The MicroKorg cuts through a mix incredibly well, yet it rarely sounds harsh. It's bold and smooth at the same time - a rare combination. And the lowpass filter, my god, I love how it sounds. I could turn on the arpeggiator and tempo-synced delay and spend hours slowly sweeping the cutoff and resonance. Seriously. I love mine and will never part with it!
It's a keeper
Dude this synth is going down in history as a classic. Theres so many iconic sounds that were made with this thing.
I totally agree!
The killers first album :)
A lot of bands didn’t know how to program it though and used the presets lol
Sleepy Party Peoples biggest hit has a literal preset running through the entire song and it’s so noticeable it’s annoying
Sold my microkorg cuz it was a really stupid design just to make a patch
I’d rather have way less menu diving and why is Korg still making this synth and selling for $400 new?
@@cablevamp3163 dx7 had the same story, and from what I understand a huge percentage of people who buy synths only use presets anyway.
@@MBEG89 DX7 was a very advanced synth designed in a wrong time - when all synth designers thought for some reason that synths don't need knobs or sliders. I have K3 which is from the same epoch. K3 is a simple synth, but to design monstrous DX7 such way was basically a suicide.
The fact that the microkorg can also be used for guitar processing is always overlooked. You can even use a guitar to modulate the vocoder sort of like a talk box.
You're right. There is so much about this synth that I forgot to cover. Perhaps in another episode
I think using synths for guitar processing is overlooked in general. I've only ever heard Joy Division do it.
@@Juuhazan_ nine inch nails ;)
@@Juuhazan_ Thousands of bands use synths for guitar processing though. And a lot of guitar multi-FX pedals or floor boards have 'synth' modelling. Something especially popular about a decade ago, and a bit less so now. But just about every 90s era pop song ever has synthesized guitars. Even some of the solos aren't even 'real guitar sounds', but actually just played on a synth.
"Have I become a hipster myself?"
You have thick rimmed glasses and are drinking what looks like pond water out of those mugs with a jar lid.
A genuine possibility is all I'm saying.
I raise my glass of overcaffeinated green alien goo to this
If it’s kombucha you’ve for sure become a hipster.
@@djbowlz2128 considering kombucha's been made for over 2000 years, I'm not sure that's the best judge of a hipster lol
Spencer Hyam don’t you know? Hipsters just take old things and pretend like they’re the first to do it.
No no you have it all wrong. Hipsters have always done these things since even before they became hip.
Whoever thinks this synth is overrated or “hipster” should watch Dorian Concept absolutely set the thing on fire
A fellow Austrian;)
Exactly what about Dorian Concept lol!!!
@@AudioPilz I read that as "Australian" and I was really confused
The MicroKorg was instrumental at bringing synths to the mainstream after the 90’s synthapocalypse. I remember going to Guitar Center in the early/mid 2000’s and they would stack MicroKorgs near the front registers because they were so popular and affordable.
True that!
PERFECT synth to learn on
Then you spend crazy money on other synths
That's when you dust it off & realize you never actually had to buy the other stuff
It's a truly versatile synth
I’d have to disagree
The layout is what made me sell it cuz I couldn’t figure out synthesis on this thing from how it’s laid out
Bought a Microbrute and learned basic synthesis that way and years later bought a Microfreak which costs way less than a micokorg and does 150% more than a microkorg and you don’t even need a manual to figure it out!
The microkorg is just bad, plain bad
Cable Vamp is the Microfreak that good? I’ve been looking at to buy my first synth and I’ve considered both the Mikrofreak, minbrite and Microkorg. Would be interested to hear your opinion?
@@Bobo-lz3hf today you can get way more for the price. it was a good buy in the 2000s. now it's no longer worth 350€ imho
i mean: add some 70€ and you get a roland jdxi with 3 synth voices, drums, 4 sequencers and a bunch of internal effects.
This is the sole synth Crystal Castles uses btw.
Good to know
Wut
@@Phoenix_2A thats fuckin hilarious btw, didnt go unnoticed bud
Your videos are so incredibly well edited, with so much love for detail and humour. Sooo much work went into a few minutes of video. Brilliant!
Thank you so much!!!
"Sturdy enough to use for self defence in a heated band rehearsal argument" HAHAHAHA I almost shat myself laughing :)
We all know that situation;)
Damn, I love this channel. I hope you do this bad gear stuff, forever. This guy was born to be on TH-cam!
Thank you so much!
This is easily one of the most entertaining synth videos I have watched in years. Fantastic!
Thanks!
Been waiting for this one. I feel like I sorta missed the Microkorg wave because I was already using Reason at that point. Back in college around 2004 a dude was really excited to show me the Microkorg he just got, and I was feigning excitement knowing that I could already do all that and more on my laptop - and with a better interface!
Yeah, I was all in the box back then too
Absolutely hooked on this channel. It just keeps improving in quality too. Well done sir.
Thanks!
Microkorg is actually a beast! I’ve had one for like 12 years!! It’s a great first synth, and it’s a great synth to just pick up and mess with. The dsp is killer for the time/price and the aliasing is actually useable when you exploit the oscillators. I hadn’t actually seen any hipsters in my region with the microkorg. We used it in the hardcore and death meta scene out in Northern California. I wouldn’t say hipster synth, not shitty enough or bespoke enough 😎 I love microkorg - people can complain all they want
I like it, too...
MicroKorg was my first synth and is probably still my workhorse synth despite my collection having grown quite a bit since then. Such a little powerhouse, so versatile.
True that!
I was sure this was a major channel I’d just never heard of, as the production value was good and the vibe felt very polished. Surprised to see that’s not the case! Keep making content dude, I enjoyed the video.
Thanks! Happy to hear that
Just watched the Bad News episode. As someone who enjoyed listening to hipster music before it was cool, I can't wait to get the Microkorg Bad Gear song on vinyl.
Thanks! Working on it!
So silly, everyone loves this synth... It's basically a ms2000 in a tiny bod.
The hate surprised me as well...
Yeah I definitely feel like anyone calling it a hipster synth is doing some massive projecting. Like if anything it's the exact opposite, it's all over the place and over used, hipsters are supposed to hate that sorta thing lol simultaneously hipsters really like dumping on popular stuff for the sheer sake of it and that's usually pretty obvious, this synth being a perfect example imo.
Long story short my gawd do some people suck lol
Had a roomate who bought one. They also bought a zune, and a pair of those toeshoes. Nice music on this one btw!
Thank you so much!
What’s wrong with toe shoes fam?
Don't you hate on the Zune!!! Far more flexible than the iPod was. As a FOH guy, I LOVED my Zune and sold my 30GB iPod the moment I got it.
The talking about hipsters and the beverage choices, including some good ol Club Mate, which no people outside of Germany will probably get, is absolute gold
Thank you!!! Cheers!!!
OMG I can't believe this was just 6 minutes! What a journey, love your style man!
Thanks! Glad to hear that!
This was my first synth back in 2008 and I think it’s the best per $ value I’ve spent on gear. Basically an MS2000 for $300
True that, a real workhorse
As a Microkorg lover myself, I continue to come back to this episode every now and again. I think you inspired me to do an entire techno album with it as my only synth if I ever make techno again. But with the clubs closed and no ability to tour, I am not at all inspired to make club music these days. However if and when I am, I will use my midi controller to really maximize and showcase the amazing sound and versatility of this little beast.
Great channel by the way.
Sincerely,
Amir Alexander
Thank you so much!
@@AudioPilz Thank you as well Brother.
I've spent the last two full days trying to set up a midi handshake between my MK and my Roland A-500 Pro midi controller with no luck. I am so inspired by what you shown can be done with a controller.
You literally brought me out of retirement.
I logged on to look at your other Microkorg video to see exactly which controller you use to see if I can find one secondhand for sale. Because my current one apparently sucks for actual hardware and is only good using a DAW and the USB connection.
I just noticed the kombucha and mason jar drinks. This is definitely one of my fav eps!
I think this is your best work , it’s fun and super interesting
Thank you!!!
What!?!?! Dude this is a great synth. Sure it might lack some analog warmth of a moog but its incredibly versatile and accessible for the price. I'm very confident that those that knock this synth havent bothered reading the manual and sticked to the presets. The presets are much to be desired. And I agree that the controls could he a bit more friendlier for newcomers. It looks crowded and intimidating but nonetheless a great little synth for the price. Add some pedals to that shit and boom. It's way more awesome.
The hate really surprised me, too...
Micro-Korg: The Synth I like to play in the music store, but never was able to convince my self to spend $400 on... Sad. IMHO
Took me 16 years to get one. It's never too late ;)
Exactly
took me 6 years to get mine lol
Love your sense of humor and musical taste man!!!!
Thanks!
I bought mine at a Portman's Music a few years ago. The franchise owner placed that music store right next to the local pub. Freaking genius.
After celebrating with old friends and having a few, I strolled into the shop and curiously checked out the presets... A44 (dnb/breaks) was the patch that got me. Very Armand Van Helden era Speed Garage and Nu School Breaks, and filled with sounds that stuck out in that era. The 2 audio ins have a bit of gain control, the unit itself can be used to process other ins which is nice if you're just starting to collect gear. Anyway, I totally dig it, great video again, thanks brother!
Thanks! Great business model ;)
I've gone on to Nord and analog gear, but the MK always has a place in my heart. It can do so much stuff and as a piece of studio gear that's just sync'd over MIDI it would be awesome and the not so great keys would be completely overlooked
OG MK is a legend!
Hot take: with this title you should've reviewed TE OP-1. Truly bad hipster synth.
It has that reputation, true. But it's REALLY expensive. I will need some more subs for that ;)
It definitely fits the aesthetics of a hipster synth but it actually seems like a great piece of gear.
Jean michelle jarre used one and liked it. It’s expensive and limited, but definitely not a bad synth.
i own one, a bunch of stuff is broken on it because i bought it used. can confirm that it's a bad hipster synth
Own an OP-1 and while it definitely cannot compete with a dedicated analog synth soundwise... I don‘t think it‘s meant to? The OP-1 has so many features, it‘s closer to a DAW than a simple synth imo. Besides the synth engines, you can sample, have a four track recorder with limited slicing capabilites, sequencers, drum machines, effects, a mixer etc. If you think of it as the most compact DAW ever built, I think it‘s not better than others... it‘s just simply the only one on the market.
OMG, how did I missed this! Masterpiece. Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Just discovered your channel .. video editing, info and demo songs on par. You have some serious talent
Thanks!
I have an MS2000 (same sound engine, but far more controls) and there is something about the (not aggressive) Oscillators and filter that fit in most mixes surprisingly well; I like that Legowelt described the sound as being like "...thin pancakes with powdered sugar". It's a great synth for ambient music.
I agree
I had one for over ten years. It never let me down. Made several albums with it and played plenty of shows with it too. Finally forced myself to sell it just so I would have to discover some new avenues of sound production but yeah, kind of hard to hate something like this. It's cheap and it does its job. TBH, I think it's just kind of "cool" to hate this synth.
Just a great workhorse
@@AudioPilz yeah it doesn't owe me anything more.
Is that like a triple bluff?
You smashed on this one. I love the new format. Five star video.
Thank you!!!
That was an excellent episode, thanks!
Thanks!
I've been marathoning these videos for the past few days and absolutely love your style! The quick editing and style of humor is amazing, haha.
You should do one of these on the Roland D-110 and the Roland SC-55, I've heard a lot of negativity about those two but I think they still have a lot of potential for music - I did a whole big review on the SC-55 myself and loved it for sounding vintage and old. The JX-305 and CS1x as well get their fair share of hate but I think they can do a lot :p
Thanks! The D110 is on top of my list
I kinda like the sc55, and the 88.
The little keys are the only thing I'm not wild about but it's still a nice synth.
And yeah people disregard or ignore the power of midi constantly.
Nice video as always ✌
Thank you!
The little keys are both good and bad. The bad is obvious. The good is that you are *not* getting a playable instrument that small without using them. It wouldn't be "micro" without those keys.
Okay, you got me to hit subscribe when the 00s tune kicked in. People complaining about 'hipsters' online any time after 2013 is a pretty sure sign they're roughly 50 years old and can count the number of post-90s musical references they possess on one hand. Source: every synth forum, where hipster and metrosexual are dirty words but for some reason Duran Duran & Yazoo doing the exact same thing are musical geniuses.
True, but in the (analog) pop cultural backwaters I live in the hipster is still going strong ;)
I love the drinking mug in the hipsters segment. Very hip.
Some alien green swamp water on that!!!
You're just going through a list of every single piece of equipment that i love and hold dear. AM I BAD???
No, you're most probably not bad;)
It's a great synt. I used it 24/7
Great backbone of a setup
Ha, some of the most entertaining synth content I've seen! Subbed ✌
Thanks!
These videos are awesome keep it up!
Thanks!
I love the MicroKorg. As a Bass player, sometimes I like to mess around with a synth, mostly for noise making. I have always found them pretty straight forward and affordable.
True that!
I play bass too, how do you run guitars through something like this?
This synth is too mainstream and commonly used to be hipster.
Oh, wait...
Damn, I need a matcha latte now...
Unless you're being ironic about the mainstream
@@furthermoore1863 its pretty mainstream. I bought one at 13 years old (over 10 years ago) before I knew shit about electronic music and I still knew what it was.
I have one since 2005 and it works wonderful. Good work flow and I am very excited, impressed and satisfied.
Bought mine only two years ago. It's my go to synth
No idea why it took me so long to find your channel-Instant subscribe.
Thanks! Pleasure to have you around!
honestly sounds super nice, ms2000 engine is one of the best in the VA world imo
Yeah, great engine
One of my favorite synths of all time. Yes, a little bit limited...a little bit cheesy with the genre knobs. One of my favorite synths of all time.
Same here
oddly enough after watching these I now happily own a microkorg and the sr16, and love them dearly, so thanks!
Always a pleasure! Nice combination
Love your content, brother.
Thanks!
Please stop coming to my home in the night, taking my gear and doing incredible videos with it. Please. Seriously, I own like half the gear on these on videos and honestly it always makes me appreciate them more.
I take this as a compliment. Always a pleasure ;)
I know how you feel... however the gear on here that he’s featured that I owned was long since gone and now I want it all back... 😳😂
My first real synth, perfect to learn how to program patches, worth every single cent, one of the finest instruments I ever experienced in over 22 years of making music
One of my favs too!
It could do with handling more than 4 keys at the same time and a usb port would be handy
VST version available now, thanks KORG.
Yeah, I really need to try this
I loaded Korg MS2000 patches into the MicroKORG vst, very accurate to the original, went straight for the Metroid Prime sounds. I had some issues with 1 or 2 patches (more or less, maybe an import/export mistake), for the rest, it's the same.
I've had this synth collecting dust in favour of playing on my minilogue instead, but tonight I'll give it another chance! Loved the video!
Thanks!
In the early 2000s , what mini synth were you SUPPOSED to hold up?
We all can’t be q tip and carry around our MPC 2000.
Of course, some cheap notebook with pirated softsynths and a Midiman 49 keyboard
I just got a micro korg for 40 bucks like 2 weeks ago and I'm pretty pumped on it hahaha!
Supernice price tag!
This is one of the ones I keep in my arsenal. Fun and simple, didn't know about the possible midi controller options!
Midi controllers really open it up
I have about 35 synthesizers, big and small. The Microkorg S is my all time favourite. Never thought it would be, the first time I tried it out in the shop. Until I bought one and tried out the sounds. Love it!
Total MK fan here
I've never owned a classic Microkorg, but I have an XL and an R3, and have used my friends MS2000R. I have to say, the entire family is pretty dope. They are fun to play, and to my ears, they "just sounds good," though I will admit that some of the presets are a bit played out. Say what you will about them, but they definitely are not "thin" sounding as some have suggested. They are capable of creating some pretty serious bass.
👍
although when i saw you with a microphone to your mouth dressed as a hipster my first reaction was "oh god", i couldn't help but unironicly vibe to the tune you made
Thank you, happy to hear that!
lol. yes, I am a rock musician ( vs electronic) who seeked out a Micro Korg. I honestly don't know why because it was only after I got it, did I notice its ubiquitousness in the hipster-indie world. i must have sub consciously remembered seeing it on a yeah yeah yeahs video . Mine eventually got stolen , I miss it so much. I now use Garageband which should be seen as way worse than the Mikrokorg because not only do hipsters use it , every tone deaf non musician in the world does.
There would be too much points to explain myself, but I want to say that YOU'RE A GENIUS !
I'm not but thanks;)
its not that the Microkorg is good or bad where the Microkorg excels it is is value this tiny 300 bucks toy has features and sound quality of some 2000 bucks synth :o you can't beat that with a stick the proof is in the pudding it is an iconic synth now and it is still made AMAZING, that in the professional synth market it is unheard of, it has small toys keys and a not so easy user interface but for 300 bucks damn!I HAVE ONE AND I LOVE IT :)
I like it a lot, too. The hate really surprised me
It's a super affordable, good sounding synth!
It most definitely is
OMG, that MIDI controller at 3:22....It was not long ago at all that I had this exact model apart to fix some cracked solder joints and ropey encoders for a good friend of mine. The internal design is really really simple. In case anyone else uses this particular model: the encoders are NOT screwed to the case. So if you throw this thing in your bag and pile stuff on top of it, you are putting pressure directly on the PCB. That is a good way to rip off or crack solder joints sooner or later. (although I was astonished that it was still more or less good, given this particular unit that I worked on has had a pretty rough life on the road...so props to whoever made it). Also, that little black foam stripe thingy on the edge of the display is kind of important. The display will not work without it.
UC-33 is super tight!
Die liebe zum Detail bei der Auswahl deiner Hipstergetränke ist großartig 😄
Danke!!!
Maybe,... but every synth is a hipster synth 🤣
I dare to object. The M-Audio Venom is a more proletarian alternative th-cam.com/video/GG3nSFv2kwY/w-d-xo.html
I bought one when I was young. I saved up. I was basically a janitor. After I bought it, a pick-up truck with four guys in the bed circled around me twice while I was holding it at the bus stop. I'd die before I let them take it. I took it home and messed with it for hours. The third day it died and smoke started coming out.
They were truck boys. You had no chance.
GenericName86 Trust NO ONE in a truck. Trust me.
Sounds like the perfect story for a Cohen Brothers movie
Love the MicroKorg! I've got 3 of them. My go-to bass synth for live and recording (when I'm not using my Precision Bass, of course). As limited as it may be, I learned so much about modular synthesis by going beyond the presets and diving deeper into the MicroKorg's interface. I do have a few analog synths now, but I'm still coming back to the Korg for so much.
The routing matrix is great but not exactly intuitive
@@AudioPilz agreed, it definitely suffers from the same problems of menu diving that comes with most digitally controlled synths. And I've become a pretty good menu diver anyway, but nothing beats the tactility of analog.
Haha! Thanks for the midi control idea- don’t know why I never thought of it. I kind of enjoy doing things the hard way though. I love my microkorg, and it took me about the same amount of time to get one!
Midi controllers are so cool!
What kind of midi controller was that? Do you have any videos about them?
You'll never believe that at one point I only wanted to buy a microkorg because all nu metal bands (deftones) seemed to be displaying it on their music videos
I know exactly what kind of band you mean;)
Last time i was this early youtube still had 30 second unskippable ads
That one never gets old
Bravo. Lold at the end. Subscribed 👌🏽
Thanks! Stick around!
i already had a nice collection of vintage synths by the time a microkorg wound up at my house. and i love it. i mean, when you let it be itself instead of trying to make it be a vintage synth it shines.
Nice!!!
@@AudioPilz it really does sound nice .
"the keys feel like butt" has to be my favorite comment ever.
It was a entire "Microkorg-sounds-like-butt" thread ;)
I don't know about "Hate" but this synth definitely isn't being treated seriously. It's like people get a decent cheap synth and expect it to be a big eurorack modular setup with weighted key keyboard attached.
Yeah it has a certain "toyish" appearance (grouping presets by genre just screams "CASIO" to me), and the keyboard is total junk (I'm smashing the keyboard on my one as hard as I can when I'm playing, hoping it will break soon so I have a good reason to saw it off and make my micro into a sound module). But this synth is still a pretty good deal when it comes to the sounds it can make vs how much you're paying for it. I think people who complain about microkorg's sound just didn't spend any time patching sounds, just played some presets and decided it's crap.
I don't know about the interface. Yeah it's difficult to change things on the fly, but then the thing is just tiny compared to some other synths, and it still gives you full access to the synth engine. It doesn't hide any functions in the software (like Novation Circuit for instance, another common beginner synth, and a really cool synthesizer but pretty much unusable without it's computer software). Also it literally has an instruction manual for the interface printed on the top of it so stop complaining about "unintuitive interface" xd.
Yeah, it has some faults but for the price I'm not complaining, and I think I wont sell mine any time soon.
Never saw it that way but you're right, the manual is printed on the surface
@@AudioPilz Yeah. I usually like to complain about interfaces and I don't think microkorg's is as bad as some people make it seem like. Like you've shown in the video - it's bad for adjusting a lot of parameters on the fly. But just for patching around making sounds I think it's ok.
Arranging everything in a matrix is pretty clear, especially with the "manual" on the top, and gives you full access to everything with just 5 knobs, 2 switches and a couple of buttons.
People talk about "one knob per function" interfaces, I call this one "two moves per function" interface because that's how you access everything. Want to tune second oscillator in semitones? Set the top switch to "OSC 2" and use knob 3. Need to change midi channel? Set the bottom switch do "MIDI" and use knob 1. Everything is 1 - 2 - done, after you get used to it you barely have to look at the matrix.
It's not perfect, but I would rather have this, than a couple of parameters on the top and having to menu dive for the others, or be forced to use some software to edit them.
@Zubshniff, I agree with most of what you have said, but... Just because all the controls are printed on the interface does make it intuitive. My current experience with this is programming my Akai MPK Mini MKII and LPD8 to control the front panel of the Korg ARP Odyssei app. I also programmed the MPK Mini MKII to control the NTS-1. The Odyssei was a pain to program using the iPad touchscreen and was much more satisfactory to use with that. Even though this was an improvement, it took a long time to get used to changing the presets on the MPK Mini MKII and the LPD8 to edit the sounds. Compare that to something like the Roland SH-01A where most of the controls are right there, the SH-01A wins hands down in sound design because most of the controls are immediately accessible and you get to hear the changes to the sound and do not have to access a menu which interrupts the process. It comes down to more controls being available makes for easier and more intuitive sound design. Between the LPD8 and the MPK Mini MKII, it took 7 presets between the two controllers to account for the first panel on the Odyssei, which is nearly identical to the ARP Odyssey.
I have also programmed my MPK Mini MKII to control my Korg NTS-1. Again, it is a lot more fun to have more controls accessible at one time, but still, even more controls would make the process more enjoyable and more intuitive.
I also bought a Microkorg XL awhile back. I am going to enjoy using this synth more once I build a MIDI controller with lots of knobs. Great sounds, imo, but very poor interface. It has less knobs than the Microkorg.
While not intuitive, a lot of practice makes the process easier and I can see how the labelled controls would make it better to use. The Micrkorg XL only has the editing matrix labelled and there are so many more settings that can be accessed by hardware or software.
My first synth when I was broke in 2005. Because of this, I actually had to learn how to program it. Sure the presets suck, but that’s why 95% of mine are replaced with my own sounds. The modulation possibilities on this thing are awesome. Has cool digital waveforms and sits great in a mix. It’s a classic.
I agree, total classic
This was one of my favorites, and would own one again.
It should be in every household ;)
Mark Mothersbaugh uses one for Devo live tours. I'll trust his opinion as, unless you are one of about three people in the world, he has more synthesizers than you do.
Maybe he just wants to be nice to his roadies
Rule of Thumb: If you are offended by being called a hipster, you are a fair percentage of one.
Some organic green goo on that!
excellent! especially like your drinks!
Thanks, Deno!
So funny. Revisiting this great episode!
❤️❤️❤️
Check out the other Korg-related videos
th-cam.com/video/Wq38D0JoNHg/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/aiisa8flZ2s/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/aV5idTIZz0o/w-d-xo.html
Image being a dude who created a sarcastic blog about a vintage synthesizer, and yet accuses other people of being hipsters.
Totally far-fetched, methinks!
Microkorg is not a vintage synth by any means. While I'd argue some of the VAs like K2xxx, Nord Lead, Supernova, Virus and JP8000 could be considered such, and to some extent even some of the S+S crazies like CS-1, M1, D50 or Proteus 2500, the Microcorg and even MS2000 were just such fucking playing-it-safe, "let's rob the dumb kids" kind of a thing. The VAs by that time were already past the top of their game, releasing an engine that is less capable than a free or $29 VST, and in the case of Microkorg, in a shitty case with shittiest Keyboard since the toy Casio Portatones from the 80s, is such a fucking insult to the customer I can't believe you people need to justify that sunk cost so hard. The true groundbreaking synth that Korg did in the post 80s era was Z1. Everything else they did after early 90s was either meh, or an all-rounder ROMpler workstation for preset jockeys like Trxxxxx machines.
@@b_markovic I just used 'vintage' to mean 'old' but I guess they're still making them actually, so I'll concede the point ;)
Great video! Also funny! I have a microKorg from 2002 and still find places to use it in my music, even among my fancier synths. And let's remember that the microKorg is the largest selling synth of all-time and still in production 18 years on. It helped spark a revival in hardware synths at a time when DAW plug-in's were on the rise and expensive workstation sales started fading out.
Thanks!
this man is really making it his job to make a video about every synth i own
Yeah, there seems to be some Bad Gear matrix that connects people around the world ;)
As my Nan always said, if the world gives you potatoes then get mashed.
Wise words
Why he has a different drink every time it cuts back to him? Lol.
Vitamines & Caffeine ;)
Upvote for the meta Club Mate joke :)
„Or have I become a hipster myself?“
Thanks, now I really want a Club Mate
My two cents and god I’m getting old moment: I got this in 04 at 16 with money from working, as someone who loved many classic synth tones growing up on all kinds of music this thing was a gateway into the mysterious and expensive world of synths. Mind you for many our age (seems you were in Uni so within 5 years of me age wise) we were the guinea pigs of the true internet age. High speed internet was still a novel thing when this was released so information on all the options as well as access to classifieds and specialized forums was likely out of reach for all but the biggest nerds. And that’s why this synth has endured all these years. We came to it and moved into bigger things if it jived with us. This video was my first experience of hearing this synth called a hipster synth and it’s funny because to me it’s kinda the antithesis of that. An introductory minded design that has some deep customization for advanced users, and it came along before the resurgence of vintage and analog gear hit so it found a nice little spot in the market. Hell At the time I initially bought this thing my dream synth was a realistic MG-1 and still is because I always spend my money right before one pops up. And I’m sure some nerd out there will judge that choice of analog for one reason or another. Anyway tldr without ranting in and out of all corners of the conversation, this Thing was novel in many ways and it has remained prolific as a not too intimidating intro to how a synth works, so yeah maybe that explains the hipster idea. But even then that’s not really a hip thing at all now is it
It surprised me, as well... BTW, I'm still a bit older than you, young man😅😉
The first time I ever spent more than a hundred dollars on an instrument that wasn't percussion was on the micro Korg and the Korg sampler. I loved both of them a lot. I hooked both of them up to a lot of various extensions, pedals, mixers, etc... I love them.
I'd love to see a new version of the Microsampler!!!