Korg

INS & OUTS Headphone, left (mono)
and right line outputs on offer, with
Audio In 1&2 able to take external
waveforms to be processed internally.
ARPEGGIATOR A feature-packed arp
with six modes, six resolution types,
swing function and step editing, with
varying end points.
KEYBED Mini keys aren’t great
generally and the action here is as
spongy as you’d expect. One saving
grace is they are velocity-sensitive.
PORTABILITY A 2.1 speaker system
is deployed within the microKorg and
six AA batteries will have you up and
mobile in no time.
the speakers aren’t just tacked on for
the hell of it, but a well thought-out
solution (see 2+1 Speaker System
below). Their hidden nature does
mean that some of the higher
frequencies are attenuated and the
sound lacks any real clarity.
It is worth noting that some of
the more bombastic sounds struggle
when being pumped out of the
speakers and you will fi nd yourself
tweaking the volume quite often.
That said, the speakers do perform
admirably well even at high volumes
for most of the sounds available and
they are quite loud indeed, although
you won’t be ditching the P.A
anytime soon. Note that when
running on battery power the volume
is reduced, which is presumably to
save on power.
there’s anything wrong with analogue
modelling per se; it’s just that, with
the likes of Roland’s JD-Xi featuring
an analogue voice as part of its
hybrid architecture, you are missing
out on some of that analogue warmth
and meat. There isn’t enough here to
entice owners of the original to
upgrade, unless you really must have
battery-powered portability and
onboard speakers. And it’s perhaps
the speakers that let this fun little
unit down a tad. There’s no doubt
they are well engineered, but when
comparing them to the headphone
and line outputs, they do lack clarity
in the upper frequencies and there’s
usually some adjustment required to
get the best out of them.
Despite this, for new users or
budding producers, there are plenty
of presets to keep your interest
piqued and with the 64 empty user
slots, you can get stuck into some of
your own sound design. Except that
it’s not the nicest editing workfl ow
we’ve come across.
FM VERDICT
7.9
All the fun and charm of
the original is retained with
more updated presets a
plus, but you may fi nd that
you will want more.
To buy or not to buy?
The original microKorg was released
back in 2002 and proved rather
popular, so it’s no wonder Korg
wanted to tap back into that market.
However, that was 14 years ago and
a lot has changed since then.
Musicians’ and producers’ standards
have been raised by the onslaught of
iOS music making and all that can
be achieved there, not to mention
the rise of cheaper analogue
componentry, something that Korg
themselves have had a hand in.
So does the microKorg S have
what it takes to make it relevant to
today’s user? Well sort of, yes…. The
newly added presets feel in line with
current trends but, considering this
is an all-digital machine, it’s easy to
feel a little cheated. That’s not to say
2+1 Speaker System
The big change to the new S version is the addition of a
three-speaker system. Much like your average 2.1
system, the microKorg S features a stereo pair of
3.5cm drivers kicking out 0.5 Watts each and a 4cm
subwoofer with 3 Watts of power. Quite cleverly, the
stereo pair are located underneath the keybed and the
subwoofer is mounted within a box. The driver is roughly
located underneath the two centre edit dials. The
subwoofer and its enclosure are designed to add tactile
feedback associated with the feel when playing
acoustic instruments.
THE ALTERNATIVES
Roland JD-Xi
£409
Vocoder, minikeys…
it’s all there with the
addition of an
analogue voice
alongside Roland’s
SuperNatural engine.
It’s not as nice
looking as the
microKorg though.
www.roland.com
Novation
MiniNova £279
The MiniNova is the
cheapest option by
far in the vocoder/
synth stakes and
even comes as a
Giorgio Moroder-fi ed
special edition
too, which is still
cheaper than the
Korg at £320,
despite the limited
numbers made.
global.
novationmusic.com
Korg Minilogue
£499
Okay, so there’s no
vocoder here, but
we’re in analogue
territory and for just
under £90 extra, it
will prove more
versatile in the
long run.
www.korg.com
INS & OUTS
Headphone, left (mono)
ARPEGGIATOR
A feature-packed arp
KEYBED
Mini keys aren’t great
PORTABILITY
A 2.1 speaker system
Reviews | Korg microKorg S
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FMU312.rev_korg_micro.indd 98 02/11/2016 18:32