Haha. Man, was my first synth as well. I never would have imagined I’d want another MicroKorg, but this thing looks like serious fun. I’m really looking forward to seeing the full video on this. Korg appears to have knocked it out of the park, although a sequencer would have been nice.
The achievement system and all the visual feedback you can get with the various display modes made me think that it would have been cool if Korg had included onscreen chord/note name info like you get in a DAW. That would actually make it into a really cool educational synth, as it already looks like an amazing synth to learn synthesis on. Basically the opposite of the original MK in terms of ease of programming and understanding what you are doing.
I wonder if they’ll award themselves an achievement for ‘no firmware updates for six months’ … actually shipping something that isn’t broken would be a unique achievement.
I’d probably need an award for ‘not putting it back in the box after a few weeks’ … not sure I’ve achieved that with new gear for many years.
I don’t know. It’s silly, but it might encourage someone new to synths to try to learn the deeper functionality of the synth or at least draw attention to certain functions existing that noobs may not know about “try modulating x with y”, etc. When I got my first synth (the original MK), I didn’t know anything and struggled.
I agree, a sequencer would have been great. Not sure why Korg is so against popping them onto a lot of their synths. Another cool thing, since they have a loop recorder, would be a 4 track looper, so you could build up parts and keep them separate. Having the notes and chord names on the screen like you mentioned would be great too. I think visually, it looks pretty sharp, but I would have preferred some retro styling like the original, instead of this futuristic thing going on.
There are some cool updates though. The interface looks easier, the graphics look cool, the extra voices are key, and the morphing filter looks like a great addition. Some real quality of life improvements over the original. I may give it a go at some point, but we might have another 20 years with this model, so what’s the rush?
Haha. Very true. I agree that I would much prefer the retro styling. A four track looper would be awesome as well. Some room for feature updates maybe.
Seems like all the Japanese manufacturers are starting to pick up on the stylistic things that TE has introduced. Those graphics look very inspired by OP-1 to me.
I also won’t be buying right away, but will keep an eye on it. They released a few different versions of the MicroKorg. Maybe they will do a retro looking limited edition of the new one at some point. (This one doesn’t look bad to me though)
i do understand where you’re coming from, and i hate to be that guy but is it really that hard to read the manual? not just to understand better the things you’re familiar with but to learn stuff you weren’t expecting? information tech has come so far since the release of the first version MK, there’s youtube tutorials for just about anything you can imagine/haven’t thought of that’s synth related.
it’s not the end of the world of course, i think the MK is a boon to everyone. something about the videogame-ification about it just rubs me the wrong way, though i think that’s a deeper cut running through society/culture.
I hope it’s not like Korg’s other manuals, where it’s all on a single sheet of paper in five languages.
I’ve lived in Japan for more than half my life and I can definitely say manuals are not Japan’s strong point. Haha.
It’s true that it’s easier now to learn stuff than when I started out though, and smartphone app culture is destroying a lot of things (half-baked releases with expectations for constant updates, that may or may not come, etc), so I don’t necessarily disagree with you. I just didn’t find that feature a show-stopper as there’s a lot of other stuff that looks great. Nice screen, graphics, oscilloscope. Looks promising to me anyway.
My guess is that it’s just an attempt of (probably older Japanese) product designers trying to connect with young users. I would point out that young people in Japan often come across to me as less jaded than Westerners. I can maybe see some young people here digging that style of learning. There is also a lot less YouTube content in Japanese and many people here don’t speak English. The algorithm also tends to serve up content in your own language.
Don’t worry, next year’s NAMM will feature synths with built-in AI assistants, a la Clippy: Hi! It sounds like you’re trying to make a vaporwave pad - let me help you with that!
Cross mod / FM only from the 3rd osc seems a bit odd, hopefully that doesn’t mean the mod matrix can’t handle audio rate signals. I feel like there are some 20 year old flagship VAs that still sound as good or better and are more feature rich but well they still all cost more than this so I guess maybe that point doesn’t matter… just feels odd to see old Nord, Virus and Q still outclassing new VAs.
Still this will probably be a huge success… looks fun, minus the gamification.
A funny aside about manuals that’s sort of relevant to the conversation. When I worked for a Japanese manufacturer a long time ago, our US customer was asking how the leak detection equipment (that used helium) on our production line actually worked. I went and spoke to the Japanese engineer in charge of the process and he told me he could show me the manual. I was expecting this really complicated tome with loads of complicated math, but instead what he broke out was a manga with a little guy catching helium ions with a net. I about died laughing.
Basically, even in complicated technical settings Japanese people often rely on visual media (manga, etc). It’s not surprising to me that they would embrace video games for learning. In fact, the music program through Yamaha that I’m studying at told me that they would be introducing some new app-based learning materials in the spring. My guess is that there will be some game element to learning. Not sure how I feel about it, but it’s not surprising.
that’s an interesting point, i didn’t know of this lack of reliance on manuals youre describing. i don’t even read the manuals for things until i hit a wall i can’t think my way out of.
i want to imagine a future where people are invested in what theyre doing and willing to put the work in. the trophies just stink of some dopamine reward system shit on the level of getting likes on a social media post to keep you hooked and “buying” more. i wonder if they’ll release microkorg mk2 “season’s pass” updates hahaha.
Yeah, not really a lack of relying on manuals. My point was that teaching or information sharing is often done through visual media (manga, etc) and now it looks like there is a big move in Japan to use video game or app features for education. I just saw that feature as in line with that.
I’m fine if the feature is just meant to try to make learning fun and more accessible, particularly if I’m not the intended audience for that feature. I’m with you though that I really hate in-app purchases and all of that. So would not be cool with that. I’m also off of most social media these days and hate the “like” culture you describe. If it’s some share this on social media scheme, I would definitely be 100% against that.
Anyway, I think we have beat this horse dead enough at this point. Lol.
uhh I thought of it as an uglier microkorg but these sounds are extremely convincing. The interface seems very well thought out too. Shouldn’t have seen this video…
Yeah, I really, really don’t need another synth, but it looks like so much fun and sounds so good. Pretty pricey here in Japan though it looks like, so not impulse buy level.
