1982. Hamburg. Steinway&Sons had their own store in the city, selling not only their pianos but all kinds of instruments. And they had a „Synthesizer Studio“ that opened at 14:00. It was like a church. And boy, did I go there to pray. They got a Trident, which I loved, and everything MS by Korg. But also a Jupiter 8, Yamaha CS-70m, Kawai and Teisco stuff. I never forgave my parents for not being rich.
I alas, no longer own any vintage synths and at the time was young and didn't appreciate them. After all, the digital gear I had could produce so many more voices and on multiple channels. I was young and hadn't developed taste.. When I recently began building out a studio, I remember plugging in my first new analogue synth (a behringer model d) and just being blown away at the presence it had... I know the older ones where less corners were cut and the boards weren't so simplified have even more character but as a pleb, I am more than happy there is new analogue gear produced with fairly decent midi support and not requiring constant servicing
Great Vid as always, but I always felt that your ability as a keyboard player and musician is what really sets you apart from other TH-camrs rather than just the gear reviews themselves.
Nah there are plenty of great keyboard players and musicians in the YT (and the ilk) synth/electronic music ecosystem. What makes this channel apecial is he isn't trying to sell us cheap new kit he got for free, but rather, is actually using his mostly-old gear for fun and profit. Unlike 99% of YT gear reviewers and social media "influencers" he does this for the joy and lolz not the money. Because hes making a living doing what he loves not trying to slang us synth carbs.
This instrument along with the Lamda, Delta, and MS series monophonic synths was what I sold new out of the NYC 48th street store I worked at back in the day. Though I was very good at interfacing instruments and programmings sounds, I just wasn’t a good enough player to be hired as a product specialist for Korg which I very much wanted. Only ended up selling one before the Poly6 came along and most sales went that direction. I did end up owning both a Delta and a Lamda for a short time before I sold everything to purchase a Jupiter 6 and a MSQ Midi sequencer.
Trident! Get in! One synth I wish I’d kept! Your demos demonstrate just what a powerhouse these beasts were! I did my one and only album with an M1, mk1 Rhodes 88, ARP Axxe and a mk1 Trident - worked well.
@@kadiummusic When we did the PS-3300, we had the same reaction as Alex... "How would this ever be useful?!?," but we did replicate it exactly. :) And to answer your question, we had full access to the PS-3300 at EMEAPP in Philadelphia.
Yessss! I cut my synthesizer teeth on this instrument back in the mid 80’s! It’s a beastly and heavy board to lug around in the back of a Chevy Chevette…
My dad used to gig with one of these. I would regularly lug a Trident, Rhodes 73 Suitcase and an ARP Axxe. Did my back in once moving the Trident on and off the Rhodes - was on painkillers (and my back) for a week afterwards. But, it was built like an absolute tank!
Korg trident is the most warm sounding synth I have heard. The bass is super deeply. . The Legacy of this synth is the band AiR , they use it frequently in lots of songs. Stardust,
Super snappy oscillator, I have always with a rubber band the joystick tho the left , then tune it Mega fat . Nice electric output s for different things.
Hey Alex, brilliant video. Great to see and hear an old friend after many years. Had a MK1 trident back in the day, created loads of bonkers sounds with it feeding audio from guitars, mics and other synths thru a preamp and isolating transformer into the CV inputs on the Trident. Was a proper wild journey of creative discovery building circuits to convert audio, light, vibration and movement to CV and many home made folded alloy project boxes with circuits in them generating mad waveforms, sweeps etc and finding what wild and wonderful sounds the trident produced when they were fed into the multiple CV inputs. Trident was such fun to experiment with. Loved that chunky ol beast but sadly it was pinched when our house got robbed in the early 90s. Eventually replaced it with an Ensoniq VFX SD, Roland D10 & D50 but never got anything that even came close to the wild creative craziness that the Trident offered in bucket loads.
My first synth when I was 14 in 1981 was a Korg 700S that I bought off a nice old guy on my paper round. Seeing it accompanying the Trident in the intro brought a tear to my eye. Really regret selling it in the late 80’s. Tempted to buy one now even at the astronomical prices today. I remember the Trident in E&MM a magazine at the time (Electronics and Music Maker)
They did some mad monos in the 70s. The 700S is such a quirky chap, especially when that top section is engaged. This one is modded with midi, which is neat.
I love the 700S. Imagine if they made a sequel of it, around the same time as the Trident. With polyphony and probably some odd and wonderful features. Korg were really interesting in that aspect. They tried a lot of things, -and the company survived it. (Even though the experimental time is unfortunately over.)
@@VarionJimmy It's so cool, isn't it? Never had one (as you'd expect, heh), but I love what I've seen/ heard. Those raw, buzzy, warm '70s (well, and early '80s, but ykwim) monosynths, man. Studio Electronics was going to put out a model of Boomstar with a filter based on the 700/s - not sure if they ever did. Unfortunately, I don't think so. Speaking of which, the Boomstars are such awesome modern monos. Never had one of them, either, but I've wanted one since around the time they came out, heh.
I really like the idea of the silence note function. I can imagine my younger self spending hours experimenting with all kinds of patterns in order to get a funky brass stab rhythm going! It's exactly the kind of functional limitation that would have inspired me to get creative!
Well this is easily replicated in software which where the widest range of young people have access to synths, it cant beat the real thing but still pretty dam good.
@@HOLLASOUNDS Of course yes. You're right.... a simple trigger and pulse count function would do the same thing. It's not so much the specific thing that I'm nostalgic for though but rather the feeling of getting a bit of kit with some brand new function that just happens to come with a quirky limitation! That kind of thing invited, no, demanded... creative use back in the day before DAWs when electronic instruments were actually unique objects with character that needed to be explored and discovered. Artificially constraining myself doesn't feel the same as just figuring something out as a matter of necessity. It's a similar thing to when people had to navigate their way around the original TB-303 sequencer. The way it worked and didn't work totally shaped the music they made.
@@GrahamMilkdrop Ofcourse there is nothing like having real hardware but I will say that some software does give that same experimental experience of hardware such as Reason Rack, with is software mostly made to look and function like rack hardware. Plig stuff up in different ways experimenting, like Alex was doing here and see what sound comes out. Alex was using Reason before He got all his gear.
Thank you Alex, you have put an unjustly underrated synth perfectly in the spotlight. As always, expertly explained and ingeniously presented musically. Thank you very much Alex ❤❤❤
I had owned a Trident MK 2 and it is one of these synths I'll miss for the rest of my life. Yet I was doing more soldering than playing and at one point I gave up on it.
My mate and studio partner who has loads of unobtanium had just got a Trident MKII in and an ARP Quadra. We put both through their paces. The Quadra promptly went up for sale.
Alex, this makes me feel warm Beethovenesque joy. Keep pushing ! It's rare in this day and age to access such high-quality, heart-felt content. Respect !!!
Excellent video Alex. I also love those old Korgs. They really don't make them like that anymore. With all sections engaged, I just find it to be overwhelming, in a good way. And that last part of what you did experiments with the rear jacks. Awesome sounds! Like robots talking but way more alive and expressive than you could reasonably expect from a bunch of capacitors and resistors. Lovely, lovely stuff!
Great video and catchy riffs/songs as always, Alex, and thanks for shedding some light on a synth that I didn't really know much about until now. I appreciate how creative Korg was in getting the most out of those synth voices across the three sections, and those sounds you got from the back panel connections were pretty wild!
Yeah, the Omni was built for a purpose and with a market in mind, which it did perfectly, but it was basic. The Trident even outdoes the Quadra I think.
@@AlexBallMusic no sadly I never could afford one at the time and now I have a collection of more modern (and reliable synths). Love your videos though Alex.
As always, a very cool tour through these vintage synths. The row of buttons with LEDs above brings me back to my graduate school days in the late 80s. We had a magnetic resonance machine with exactly those buttons on the console. Cool to see them in other places as well.
The leaking battery issue affects the Trident Mk 1 as well, as it also has a Ni-Cad battery for preset memory. And it *will* leak all over the innards if not replaced. I have a Trident Mk1 that had the battery leak on the voice board. It was mostly fixed when I got the instrument, but there were still missing footages on some voices due to corroded tracks on the PCB.
Is it not placed in a less fatal place? I'll have to double check, but I was told that the Mark I can still obviously have a leak but just nowhere near as bad. Doesn't sound like it after your experience!
That it does - just managed to rescue mine - there used to be a synth tech (next door to Musical Exchanges in Brum for those who remember), who managed to change it for me in the nick of time.
Alex! Loved this one! Great Jams and you made me LOL a few times. Might be my fav of the year! Thanks so much! I owned a Korg Delta that I would put through a Multimoog’s filter and envelopes. We did have one in the 48th store back in the day for quite sometime for the reasons you mentioned but you make it sing! Cheers!
Yo! Ah yes, the Delta. I'm told it's a turkey, but I've never played one. Was it ok, it was it naff? I tried the Lambda and didn't like it, but the Trident is a winner. Just need to try the PS synths now.
@@AlexBallMusic well for me working in a store back in the day, it was disappointing but we sold a lot, live players loved it for some reason lol. I also took home a Lamda and did some recordings with it and the multi Moog. That is what the Delta should have been but Trident came along is way more! A later we had a PS3200 poly synth, and then the Poly6 started coming in. Also owned a miniKorg in the 70’s loved seeing it! I can’t remember how much MS stuff we sold. Also, a lot!
The Trident is featured quite prominently on the KINKS 1983 album: State of Confusion. Especially on: Come Dancing. And on their next album: Word of Mouth(1984) Do it Again, & the Sopranos soundtrack song: Livin' on a Thin Line are also excellent examples of how good this synth is. All these songs are on TH-cam for your reference.🙂
@Robin - Yeah I couldn't believe it when Alex was saying this synth hadn't been very popular among well-known bands, as its sounds seem so familiar to me, reminding me of songs like 'Mr Roboto' by Styx 😀
Oh wow! I have a brief encounter with the Trident back in the 80'S but didn't have the chance to fully experience the synth but your video show how really good it is, thank you for opening my eyes on that beauty.
Outstanding as per usual Mr Ball. I love how it looks as much as it sounds (that awesome Trident logo!) and I fell in love with it back in school when I saw a little black and white picture of one in a book. Then, on a school trip to Cambridge, I ventured into a music shop looking for synth brochures for my growing collection and they had a Trident on display!!! It was a marvel, and I was so glad to see it (and touch it!) for real. No idea how much it was, but I am sure a fraction of what it is worth today. Thanks Alex!
That 'Silence Note' makes completely sense to me. I actually wonder why I haven't seen it on any other organ or performance/arranger keyboards. I could imagine a lot of situations where you play a melody with single notes and then suddenly you harmonise which makes a brass section join in.
I'm glad I bought mine long before this video ; ) I love mine and have just started hooking it up with my modular synth so I appreciate your tips with the cv inputs. I have made some videos myself but only filmed when I played on it. It's a synth that literally comes alive when you play it and use all its sections. Thanks for a nice video. I
Thanks as usual Alex! ♥ I had the chance to try a(n mkI version of the) Trident last year at the French synthfest and it was really cool. Sounds so nice, decent amount of knobs and features. I know an artist like Siriusmo has this synth and uses it on his lovely music. Mention also to your little disco song + final jam which were refreshing and deserve to be released Alex! Never stop please, you're the best presenting all these instruments both historically and with music examples (a synth isn't just a list of features... and you prove it brilliantly all the time playing them).
I first played a Korg Trident when I was 6 years old. Inspired by the sound and the instrument itself, the fascination with music began, and has remained to this day. Thanks for this great and funny video! 👏😃
Thanks you Alex, always liked these but always seemed very mysterious ( in functionality) to me really enjoyed your detailed run though of this fascinating synth, never seen it covered anywhere near as well! Great job on the tunes ....Sounds pretty awesome too doesn’t it !😍
The outro jam was like EBM John Carpenter, so sick. I’m a huge fan of stringers and this one is the best of both worlds (the other world being legit poly synths).
Brilliant! As ever, but possibly more so. Firstly, thankyou for transporting me yet again to my warm fuzzy rose-tinted happy place (early/mid 70s-early 80s). Secondly, and why this particular video leaps out at me, the section on figuring out/creatively exploiting what the designers implemented (the interfacing) was a huge eye (ear??) opener. I’ve never read a review (I’m old enough to remember “Keyfax”…) or seen a demo that illustrates this so effectively. I would have liked a quick blast of the (mythical?) piano presets though 😉 Entertaining, instructive, very funny (for us dorks), and better “new” music than I generally hear in any given day. More power to your elbow sir!❤
Pure nostalgia, listening to those sounds! 🤩 Especially the ones with the Flanger effect, which remind me of some of Gary Numan's stuff 🙂 I almost feel bad for having taken such amazing sounds completely for granted during my teenage years = 80's 😅 Another great video! Love the humour, too 😁👍 Thank you, Alex! 😊
Stunning video and super helpful, thanks for doing it. I had the opportunity to buy one of these or buy a Prophet 10. I went Prophet 10 and am happy I did. That Silence Note trigger select baffles me - I was hoping you could demo it to show how its useful. Also - I maintain that the Yamaha SK-30 is by far a more interesting. Guessing no one will agree with me - but the fact that it has a monosynth engine that you can bring in and out with aftertouch, it has a paraphonic synth section, a 'string section', and an organ section. It's equally beautiful, although no patches (I think the Trident allows you to save patches, but I think you cannot edit patches once they're saved?). The Trident does sound gorgeous, but as a pure synthesizer, I just think I'd get bored of it without having any modulation capacity (no FM, AM, Crossmod, etc). I love that you actually talk about this at around 11:00, hahahaha, I just got there. BUT - the Yamaha SK-30 ALSO has some of these same features too, albeit, I think it's only for the monosynth engine. Admittedly, I really like what you did with those modulations though. That's some great stuff you did towards the end. And to be clear, anything below the SK30 (SK15, SK20) lack the monosynth engine, and anything above (SK50) is too big. You CAN modify the SK30 and I think it allows some more things like what you're doing. Just, if we're talking the device with no rear-jack modulation... I think the SK30 is better. Sigh... I dunno. Maybe I'm just making myself feel better for getting one over the other. I once sat in front of a Trident and it kind of did nothing for me - but again, it's easy to talk oneself out of a synth. I don't think you touch on the topic of presets, but that is, I figure, awkward on this thing. I hope some day you can pick up an SK-30. I just posted a video the other day (Yamaha SK30 soundscape - Dead soul mourning) which shows how that monosynth can really add to a performance. Again, love your videos because they're really in-depth, funny, and interesting. Appreciate your stuff.
Yep, having a bunch of things to chuck into the back really opens it up. I didn't even try different FX on the different sections either. Loads still to play with!
@@AlexBallMusic the Free Radikal here on TH-cam puts a delay or a Mr Hyde Filter on his Sigma constantly and I love throwing a delay on mine… the Analogue Solutions or Dreadbox effects have cv ins and/or outs which would also allow you to tie them in to say a sequence. That lovely sequenced waveform movement could be sequenced with some effects change. Talk about cool…
I have watched your work on & off for several years now, the studio tour caused me to subscribe, I am very glad I did, I particularly enjoyed the dance and the outro which was wicked. Cheers.
Great video as always! I love the synth and string section of my Trident MKII. With two oscillators it’s even more versatile than the Korg Polysix. The SSM filters are candy for my ears. Yes, battery leaking is a serious issue with all Korg analog poly synths.
I first found out about the Korg Trident because of a free VST called Tricent and I fell in love instantly, this is one of my favorite sounding synths ever!
Wow! Never heard of the Trident, but thanks so much for that. Brilliant presentation, and thank goodness you didn't kick a few keys off of this thing just for fun. Save that for the Mark 2, eh!
It sounds so very 1980. It's Buck Rogers. It's mid-season CHiPs, it's Dr David Banner. It's Multi-coloured Swap Swap. It's Take Hart. It's Morph, It's Jim'll.........Okay you get the picture :)
That intro tune was a superb theme song for a show about a group of aquatic teenage adventurers and their magic squid
Presumably these aquatic teenagers hunt underwater with...a trident?
And probably produced by a French animation studio
This is exactly what I was thinking!😂
sigmund the seamonster?
It sounds like the idea is to avoid having the brass while something else is playing..
Its so refreshing to hear someone actually playing their vintage synths instead of letting them gather dust.
Yep, I hope they're still being used after I'm long gone.
@@AlexBallMusic If I owned a CS-80 I think I'd wanna be buried with it, just in case lol
@@TheOriginalCodagonna show up with a shovel sorry my man.
Mum, is that you?
Who assumes that vintage synths are gathering dust? I play mine all the time and assume others do too!
Honestly NOTHING better than getting outta work and having a new Alex Ball video to enjoy on the ride home. Thank you Sir!
Most kind, thank you!
I completely agree!
1982. Hamburg. Steinway&Sons had their own store in the city, selling not only their pianos but all kinds of instruments. And they had a „Synthesizer Studio“ that opened at 14:00. It was like a church. And boy, did I go there to pray. They got a Trident, which I loved, and everything MS by Korg. But also a Jupiter 8, Yamaha CS-70m, Kawai and Teisco stuff. I never forgave my parents for not being rich.
Ah, those where the days. And later on, we all pilgrimaged to Amptown in Wandsbek...
@@everpuremusicTrue. Good times.
I'd sign up to that religion. 😂
oh yeah good ole Stineinway in Colonaden... those where the days...
Wow, I'd totally forgotten about Teisco! 😎
Vintage synths just sound so alive.
Yeah. I would describe as them sounding like they are in the room
I alas, no longer own any vintage synths and at the time was young and didn't appreciate them. After all, the digital gear I had could produce so many more voices and on multiple channels. I was young and hadn't developed taste..
When I recently began building out a studio, I remember plugging in my first new analogue synth (a behringer model d) and just being blown away at the presence it had... I know the older ones where less corners were cut and the boards weren't so simplified have even more character but as a pleb, I am more than happy there is new analogue gear produced with fairly decent midi support and not requiring constant servicing
1:46 I almost cried when that came out of it. 😍
something to do with them being analog therefore having the sounds they produce being much closer to nature
Great Vid as always, but I always felt that your ability as a keyboard player and musician is what really sets you apart from other TH-camrs rather than just the gear reviews themselves.
Thanks very much!
Having seemingly limitless resources to keep acquiring vintage kit also sets him apart
Nah there are plenty of great keyboard players and musicians in the YT (and the ilk) synth/electronic music ecosystem. What makes this channel apecial is he isn't trying to sell us cheap new kit he got for free, but rather, is actually using his mostly-old gear for fun and profit. Unlike 99% of YT gear reviewers and social media "influencers" he does this for the joy and lolz not the money. Because hes making a living doing what he loves not trying to slang us synth carbs.
Definitely. This and a humorous and simply different way of presenting historically important gear and imparting knowledge.
This instrument along with the Lamda, Delta, and MS series monophonic synths was what I sold new out of the NYC 48th street store I worked at back in the day. Though I was very good at interfacing instruments and programmings sounds, I just wasn’t a good enough player to be hired as a product specialist for Korg which I very much wanted. Only ended up selling one before the Poly6 came along and most sales went that direction. I did end up owning both a Delta and a Lamda for a short time before I sold everything to purchase a Jupiter 6 and a MSQ Midi sequencer.
Trident! Get in! One synth I wish I’d kept! Your demos demonstrate just what a powerhouse these beasts were! I did my one and only album with an M1, mk1 Rhodes 88, ARP Axxe and a mk1 Trident - worked well.
That Brass feature is so odd, love it!
Yep! The PS-3100 has an envelope generator for modulation with a 1 - 5 trigger select. Also odd, but more useful for nerds like us.
Agreed, I hope Cherry Audio got hold of one to emulate. Maybe you could reach out to them Alex?
They started with 1, 3, 5, 7, which was too odd, even for them
@@kadiummusic When we did the PS-3300, we had the same reaction as Alex... "How would this ever be useful?!?," but we did replicate it exactly. :) And to answer your question, we had full access to the PS-3300 at EMEAPP in Philadelphia.
Yessss! I cut my synthesizer teeth on this instrument back in the mid 80’s! It’s a beastly and heavy board to lug around in the back of a Chevy Chevette…
Oooph. Yeah, can't imagine dragging one of these around on the road! You must have developed some muscle doing that!
My dad used to gig with one of these. I would regularly lug a Trident, Rhodes 73 Suitcase and an ARP Axxe. Did my back in once moving the Trident on and off the Rhodes - was on painkillers (and my back) for a week afterwards. But, it was built like an absolute tank!
Korg trident is the most warm sounding synth I have heard. The bass is super deeply. . The Legacy of this synth is the band AiR , they use it frequently in lots of songs. Stardust,
Super snappy oscillator, I have always with a rubber band the joystick tho the left , then tune it Mega fat . Nice electric output s for different things.
The best esoteric nerd on the entire Internet ❤️🤟 - You’re cooking with absolute fire in this one!
Not many places offer short trigger discos.
Loved that part 😂
Hey Alex, brilliant video. Great to see and hear an old friend after many years. Had a MK1 trident back in the day, created loads of bonkers sounds with it feeding audio from guitars, mics and other synths thru a preamp and isolating transformer into the CV inputs on the Trident. Was a proper wild journey of creative discovery building circuits to convert audio, light, vibration and movement to CV and many home made folded alloy project boxes with circuits in them generating mad waveforms, sweeps etc and finding what wild and wonderful sounds the trident produced when they were fed into the multiple CV inputs. Trident was such fun to experiment with. Loved that chunky ol beast but sadly it was pinched when our house got robbed in the early 90s. Eventually replaced it with an Ensoniq VFX SD, Roland D10 & D50 but never got anything that even came close to the wild creative craziness that the Trident offered in bucket loads.
Foist! When I saw the thumbnail I was Poseiden myself with excitement!
I'm kraken up! 😁
That's an apollo-ing dad joke.
If at foist you don't succeed, Tri-Trident again..!
@@zmix Take a bow.
I would love to see a reissue of the Trident. Probably at the top of my classic synths wishlist.
Beautiful!!! The Trident is nice too!!!
🫵
“… not that there’s anything wrong with that …” 👀😏👀😏
yooooo can't wait for Exclusively the flanger to end up on Bad Gear
My first synth when I was 14 in 1981 was a Korg 700S that I bought off a nice old guy on my paper round. Seeing it accompanying the Trident in the intro brought a tear to my eye. Really regret selling it in the late 80’s. Tempted to buy one now even at the astronomical prices today. I remember the Trident in E&MM a magazine at the time (Electronics and Music Maker)
You probably know, but Korg also has a modern clone, or reissue (or whatever) of the 700S - it's still pretty damn expensive, though, haha
They did some mad monos in the 70s. The 700S is such a quirky chap, especially when that top section is engaged.
This one is modded with midi, which is neat.
I love the 700S. Imagine if they made a sequel of it, around the same time as the Trident. With polyphony and probably some odd and wonderful features.
Korg were really interesting in that aspect. They tried a lot of things, -and the company survived it. (Even though the experimental time is unfortunately over.)
@@VarionJimmy It's so cool, isn't it? Never had one (as you'd expect, heh), but I love what I've seen/ heard. Those raw, buzzy, warm '70s (well, and early '80s, but ykwim) monosynths, man.
Studio Electronics was going to put out a model of Boomstar with a filter based on the 700/s - not sure if they ever did. Unfortunately, I don't think so. Speaking of which, the Boomstars are such awesome modern monos. Never had one of them, either, but I've wanted one since around the time they came out, heh.
If I'd spent less money on mags like E&MM and H&SR (and car and motorcycle magazines), I might have had more money for music gear! 🙄
I really like the idea of the silence note function. I can imagine my younger self spending hours experimenting with all kinds of patterns in order to get a funky brass stab rhythm going! It's exactly the kind of functional limitation that would have inspired me to get creative!
Well this is easily replicated in software which where the widest range of young people have access to synths, it cant beat the real thing but still pretty dam good.
@@HOLLASOUNDS Of course yes.
You're right.... a simple trigger and pulse count function would do the same thing.
It's not so much the specific thing that I'm nostalgic for though but rather the feeling of getting a bit of kit with some brand new function that just happens to come with a quirky limitation! That kind of thing invited, no, demanded... creative use back in the day before DAWs when electronic instruments were actually unique objects with character that needed to be explored and discovered.
Artificially constraining myself doesn't feel the same as just figuring something out as a matter of necessity.
It's a similar thing to when people had to navigate their way around the original TB-303 sequencer. The way it worked and didn't work totally shaped the music they made.
@@GrahamMilkdrop Ofcourse there is nothing like having real hardware but I will say that some software does give that same experimental experience of hardware such as Reason Rack, with is software mostly made to look and function like rack hardware. Plig stuff up in different ways experimenting, like Alex was doing here and see what sound comes out. Alex was using Reason before He got all his gear.
Thanks! There is a fine free software version available from Full Bucket.
It sounds like it should be played on spaceships.
Also it's cute seeing the SQ1 there, it's like a kid conducting a band of its grandparents
SQ-1 is a nifty thing. Does look amusing up against its oversized relatives though. 😂
Damn, Trident is really magical, one of a kind synthesizer.
I had it only in a brochure when I bought my MS20... I am so happy you gave a chance to us all to listen to it!
I really have become enamoured with Korg, since my 1st experience in the late 70's the MS-10's and 20's , and their renaissance is wonderful
Oh, and of all the synth channels on YT… and there are a lot… yours is my fav!! Thanks for being refreshing, authentic and just frikin neat!
Cheers!
Thank you Alex, you have put an unjustly underrated synth perfectly in the spotlight. As always, expertly explained and ingeniously presented musically. Thank you very much Alex ❤❤❤
I had owned a Trident MK 2 and it is one of these synths I'll miss for the rest of my life. Yet I was doing more soldering than playing and at one point I gave up on it.
The mad scientist section is magnificent. Brilliant experiments. You are an artist.
Cheers!
My mate and studio partner who has loads of unobtanium had just got a Trident MKII in and an ARP Quadra. We put both through their paces. The Quadra promptly went up for sale.
Octave bass and stereo panning heaven on this episode of Mr Balls synth wonders , thank you
Alex, this makes me feel warm Beethovenesque joy. Keep pushing ! It's rare in this day and age to access such high-quality, heart-felt content. Respect !!!
Some lovely sounds from that synth.
Excellent video Alex. I also love those old Korgs. They really don't make them like that anymore. With all sections engaged, I just find it to be overwhelming, in a good way. And that last part of what you did experiments with the rear jacks. Awesome sounds! Like robots talking but way more alive and expressive than you could reasonably expect from a bunch of capacitors and resistors. Lovely, lovely stuff!
Love a good whole tone modulation, almost as much as I love modulation by thirds. Thanks for modulating my day!!
Great video and catchy riffs/songs as always, Alex, and thanks for shedding some light on a synth that I didn't really know much about until now. I appreciate how creative Korg was in getting the most out of those synth voices across the three sections, and those sounds you got from the back panel connections were pretty wild!
I LOVED the Trident when I tried it out years ago. I had an Arp Omni at the time and the Trident felt like a real synthesizer comparitively.
Yeah, the Omni was built for a purpose and with a market in mind, which it did perfectly, but it was basic.
The Trident even outdoes the Quadra I think.
@@AlexBallMusic Hearing it here, these are some of my favorite sounds ever.
You are the best Alex! Always entertaining, always informative! And just seeing your studio makes me salivate. All the best to you sir
Thank you!
Magical sound by sequencing through the three sections! Very very cool 👍
As a teenager (way back) the Trident was on my dream synth list.
Did you ever get one?
@@AlexBallMusic no sadly I never could afford one at the time and now I have a collection of more modern (and reliable synths). Love your videos though Alex.
As always, a very cool tour through these vintage synths. The row of buttons with LEDs above brings me back to my graduate school days in the late 80s. We had a magnetic resonance machine with exactly those buttons on the console. Cool to see them in other places as well.
The Trident was used on Kavinsky's Nightcall for the bass and maybe brass ! Great video by the way like always ;)
I have to admit: when you were dancing, I was thinking "Gads! don't break another synth!"
My days of silly studio dancing are over.
Maybe.
We’re clubbing together to get you a more padded room 😉
The leaking battery issue affects the Trident Mk 1 as well, as it also has a Ni-Cad battery for preset memory. And it *will* leak all over the innards if not replaced.
I have a Trident Mk1 that had the battery leak on the voice board. It was mostly fixed when I got the instrument, but there were still missing footages on some voices due to corroded tracks on the PCB.
Is it not placed in a less fatal place? I'll have to double check, but I was told that the Mark I can still obviously have a leak but just nowhere near as bad.
Doesn't sound like it after your experience!
That it does - just managed to rescue mine - there used to be a synth tech (next door to Musical Exchanges in Brum for those who remember), who managed to change it for me in the nick of time.
Sounds amazing with the CV inputs
Alex! Loved this one! Great Jams and you made me LOL a few times. Might be my fav of the year! Thanks so much! I owned a Korg Delta that I would put through a Multimoog’s filter and envelopes. We did have one in the 48th store back in the day for quite sometime for the reasons you mentioned but you make it sing! Cheers!
Yo! Ah yes, the Delta. I'm told it's a turkey, but I've never played one. Was it ok, it was it naff?
I tried the Lambda and didn't like it, but the Trident is a winner.
Just need to try the PS synths now.
@@AlexBallMusic well for me working in a store back in the day, it was disappointing but we sold a lot, live players loved it for some reason lol. I also took home a Lamda and did some recordings with it and the multi Moog. That is what the Delta should have been but Trident came along is way more! A later we had a PS3200 poly synth, and then the Poly6 started coming in. Also owned a miniKorg in the 70’s loved seeing it! I can’t remember how much MS stuff we sold. Also, a lot!
0:50 That sound at the end is a preset Reason Studios copied about 17 years ago, I remember them using that sound in the Reason 2.0 demo song.
The Trident is featured quite prominently on the KINKS 1983 album: State of Confusion.
Especially on: Come Dancing.
And on their next album: Word of Mouth(1984)
Do it Again, & the Sopranos soundtrack song: Livin' on a Thin Line are also excellent examples of how good this synth is.
All these songs are on TH-cam for your reference.🙂
Thanks, that's ace. I'll check those out.
Brilliant - I didn’t see many bands using these - I think OMD used them on record?
@Robin - Yeah I couldn't believe it when Alex was saying this synth hadn't been very popular among well-known bands, as its sounds seem so familiar to me, reminding me of songs like 'Mr Roboto' by Styx 😀
Oh wow!
I have a brief encounter with the Trident back in the 80'S but didn't have the chance to fully experience the synth but your video show how really good it is, thank you for opening my eyes on that beauty.
Outstanding as per usual Mr Ball. I love how it looks as much as it sounds (that awesome Trident logo!) and I fell in love with it back in school when I saw a little black and white picture of one in a book. Then, on a school trip to Cambridge, I ventured into a music shop looking for synth brochures for my growing collection and they had a Trident on display!!! It was a marvel, and I was so glad to see it (and touch it!) for real. No idea how much it was, but I am sure a fraction of what it is worth today. Thanks Alex!
That 'Silence Note' makes completely sense to me. I actually wonder why I haven't seen it on any other organ or performance/arranger keyboards. I could imagine a lot of situations where you play a melody with single notes and then suddenly you harmonise which makes a brass section join in.
Always hear people bang on about this, good to see a video about it from you.
It's a cracker and a little off the beaten path of Prophets and Jupiters. I thought it was worth a video.
I'm glad I bought mine long before this video ; )
I love mine and have just started hooking it up with my modular synth so I appreciate your tips with the cv inputs.
I have made some videos myself but only filmed when I played on it.
It's a synth that literally comes alive when you play it and use all its sections.
Thanks for a nice video. I
mind blowing as ever
Thanks as usual Alex! ♥ I had the chance to try a(n mkI version of the) Trident last year at the French synthfest and it was really cool. Sounds so nice, decent amount of knobs and features. I know an artist like Siriusmo has this synth and uses it on his lovely music. Mention also to your little disco song + final jam which were refreshing and deserve to be released Alex! Never stop please, you're the best presenting all these instruments both historically and with music examples (a synth isn't just a list of features... and you prove it brilliantly all the time playing them).
Used extensively by the band Imagination, one of the most underated bands ever!!
Sounds amazing, lovely gurgling at the start what a lovely synth,so versatile
The stunning Alex ball playing a cool synthesizer and creating dope tracks as always
Thank you sir.
I first played a Korg Trident when I was 6 years old. Inspired by the sound and the instrument itself, the fascination with music began, and has remained to this day. Thanks for this great and funny video! 👏😃
Excellent! Sounds like it left a lasting impression!
@@AlexBallMusic Absolutely! 😀
That sequencing the 3 synth is superb!
Just downloaded the sample pack. The stereo samples are incredible. I love how the filter and amplitude travel across the stereo field differently.
What a brilliant piece of kit.
I love to see you having fun on the Korg corner! I little korg shelf , who one day will grow to be a full conner to!
Everyone needs a Korger.
Thanks you Alex, always liked these but always seemed very mysterious ( in functionality) to me really enjoyed your detailed run though of this fascinating synth, never seen it covered anywhere near as well! Great job on the tunes ....Sounds pretty awesome too doesn’t it !😍
The outro jam was like EBM John Carpenter, so sick. I’m a huge fan of stringers and this one is the best of both worlds (the other world being legit poly synths).
I have an old barn find. Misses a couple of knobs, looks like MS-20 knobs? The winter project perhaps?
Oh yes, get that fixed up!
It's MS series knobs, yep.
You give me the pleasure of playing around with awesome synths and gear with the benefit that you can do crazy good music with them!
Thank you Jeffrey, most kind!
Man, the "Capriccio in Disco" is sublime!! Actually, all the numbers are delightful.
Brilliant! As ever, but possibly more so.
Firstly, thankyou for transporting me yet again to my warm fuzzy rose-tinted happy place (early/mid 70s-early 80s).
Secondly, and why this particular video leaps out at me, the section on figuring out/creatively exploiting what the designers implemented (the interfacing) was a huge eye (ear??) opener. I’ve never read a review (I’m old enough to remember “Keyfax”…) or seen a demo that illustrates this so effectively. I would have liked a quick blast of the (mythical?) piano presets though 😉
Entertaining, instructive, very funny (for us dorks), and better “new” music than I generally hear in any given day. More power to your elbow sir!❤
Inspiringly informative and mesmerizingly musical demo of a nostalgic memory synth, Alex. You diddit again. Thumbs up. Keep 'em coming!
Cheers!
dream synth
Another superb hommage to a neglected giant! Love it all, but the last jam was extra sweet/great.
Pure nostalgia, listening to those sounds! 🤩 Especially the ones with the Flanger effect, which remind me of some of Gary Numan's stuff 🙂
I almost feel bad for having taken such amazing sounds completely for granted during my teenage years = 80's 😅
Another great video! Love the humour, too
😁👍
Thank you, Alex! 😊
Stunning video and super helpful, thanks for doing it. I had the opportunity to buy one of these or buy a Prophet 10. I went Prophet 10 and am happy I did. That Silence Note trigger select baffles me - I was hoping you could demo it to show how its useful. Also - I maintain that the Yamaha SK-30 is by far a more interesting. Guessing no one will agree with me - but the fact that it has a monosynth engine that you can bring in and out with aftertouch, it has a paraphonic synth section, a 'string section', and an organ section. It's equally beautiful, although no patches (I think the Trident allows you to save patches, but I think you cannot edit patches once they're saved?). The Trident does sound gorgeous, but as a pure synthesizer, I just think I'd get bored of it without having any modulation capacity (no FM, AM, Crossmod, etc). I love that you actually talk about this at around 11:00, hahahaha, I just got there. BUT - the Yamaha SK-30 ALSO has some of these same features too, albeit, I think it's only for the monosynth engine. Admittedly, I really like what you did with those modulations though. That's some great stuff you did towards the end. And to be clear, anything below the SK30 (SK15, SK20) lack the monosynth engine, and anything above (SK50) is too big. You CAN modify the SK30 and I think it allows some more things like what you're doing. Just, if we're talking the device with no rear-jack modulation... I think the SK30 is better. Sigh... I dunno. Maybe I'm just making myself feel better for getting one over the other. I once sat in front of a Trident and it kind of did nothing for me - but again, it's easy to talk oneself out of a synth. I don't think you touch on the topic of presets, but that is, I figure, awkward on this thing.
I hope some day you can pick up an SK-30. I just posted a video the other day (Yamaha SK30 soundscape - Dead soul mourning) which shows how that monosynth can really add to a performance.
Again, love your videos because they're really in-depth, funny, and interesting. Appreciate your stuff.
Very fun vid. Those real panel experiments really exploded what you can do with that thing. Absolutely amazing…
Thanks for showing this synth off.
Yep, having a bunch of things to chuck into the back really opens it up.
I didn't even try different FX on the different sections either. Loads still to play with!
@@AlexBallMusic the Free Radikal here on TH-cam puts a delay or a Mr Hyde Filter on his Sigma constantly and I love throwing a delay on mine… the Analogue Solutions or Dreadbox effects have cv ins and/or outs which would also allow you to tie them in to say a sequence. That lovely sequenced waveform movement could be sequenced with some effects change. Talk about cool…
Hello Alex: This synth is amazing. I completely understand why you are absolutely in love with this old equipment. Have a lovely day.
Yeah, this instrument is a case in point. So alive, so evocative, so...brown.
OH man, I'm so glad you did a video on this. You always do the best job showing off what stuff can do, and this is a dream synth of mine. Happy day!
Cheers! It's been on my list for a long time too, so I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Glad to see no synths were harmed during the making of *this* video 😛
what a great, clean, powerful sound 👍
Indeed!
Really good video. Sounds so good. I can hear Siriusmo one of my fav producers apparently uses a Korg Trident a lot
+1 for the joystick. Love it on the Sigma. Thx Alex!
This is one of my favorite synthesizer!
I have watched your work on & off for several years now, the studio tour caused me to subscribe, I am very glad I did, I particularly enjoyed the dance and the outro which was wicked. Cheers.
Thanks for coming aboard. No shoes on the carpet, but help yourself to snacks.
Good to have you back after that longer break.
Instantly knew where you were going when you mentioned that the MkII had a battery inside it!
Great video as always! I love the synth and string section of my Trident MKII. With two oscillators it’s even more versatile than the Korg Polysix. The SSM filters are candy for my ears. Yes, battery leaking is a serious issue with all Korg analog poly synths.
I first found out about the Korg Trident because of a free VST called Tricent and I fell in love instantly, this is one of my favorite sounding synths ever!
Where can you download Tricent from?
Your videos are always a joy! ♥ Thanks!
Loved that WOW sound, almost had a vocoder sound to it, very cool!
One of my favorite old (huge) synths. Great video, as always :)
2:05 that envelope is fantastic.
Yeah, nice pluck to it when you need.
Real Blakes 7 vibes from that chord at 1:51. The stereo imaging is awesome too :)
Yep, got it rigged up with individual outs at all times. 😀
The fact that this channel only has 150k sups is mind boggling.
Wow! Never heard of the Trident, but thanks so much for that. Brilliant presentation, and thank goodness you didn't kick a few keys off of this thing just for fun. Save that for the Mark 2, eh!
No wild limbs were employed in the vicinity of the Trident.
When you said bowiing, I thought for moment it would sound like a jumbo jet :)
Great job Alex as always! Stunning synth the trident, would love one of these . Better get saving and put the wife up for hire⚡️Great channel man⚡️
Cheers!
Brilliant as usual Alex,definitely need headphones for this one. Thanks for showing this off.
Amazing, Alex. Thank you!!]
Fantastic performance and instrument - sounds awesome!
I worked at Korg at the time this came out. Did voicings on it. There was a MKII with a large heatsink later on. Interesting instrument.
It sounds so very 1980. It's Buck Rogers. It's mid-season CHiPs, it's Dr David Banner. It's Multi-coloured Swap Swap. It's Take Hart. It's Morph, It's Jim'll.........Okay you get the picture :)
Beedee beedee beede ! You are right, Buck !
@@DoctorNemmocome on Twiki , look at Colonel Deering’s Spandex jump suit 😅
You should make a CD based on that song in the first minute, very funky and retrowave. Would love to hear more 😊
Wait, was that a reference to A Room With A View? (10:14)?