Microkorg Overview

You have to admit that not very many technological gadgets, leave alone a keyboard, can stay relevant for over a decade. Majority of the newly made instruments usually become obsolete after just a few years, but this is not the case when it comes to Microkorg. This instrument was introduced in 2002, and it has managed to remain among the best-selling synthesizers since then which goes a long way towards showing you just how unique it is. Over 15 years in the market now and new instruments are still having a hard time matching up with this device. So, is it that the industry isn’t growing or is Microkorg too brilliant? A detailed look at its features should help us answer these questions and determine whether in this day and age we can still rely on it for our music production.

Microkorg is a 37 key synthesizer. It is a digital instrument in that while analog synths direct signals (waveforms) via circuitry which is then filtered and changed into different frequencies and sounds, digital synthesizers such as Microkorg replicate the whole process to produce the desired outcome. This makes Microkorg an easy and somewhat intelligent instrument, but there have always been concerns that digital synths lack authenticity when compared to analog ones. This is merely because they copy the sounds instead of making them. This argument is, to some extent, true but not in all cases. Some digital synths are carefully made to be so effective such that it’s impossible to differentiate their sounds from ones produced by digital synths. Is Microkorg one of them? Well, Microkorg does produce some incredible sounds, but it doesn’t seem to be classic enough when compared to some of the latest digital synths.

Microkorg First Impressions

If you are easily scared or intimidated by many instructions or manuals, then your first glance at this instrument will leave you confused and overwhelmed. Microkorg has writings all over the place, but they will not be as confusing as they seem when you finally get used to it.

Other than the dozens of instructions another eye-catching thing is its styling and color. The Microkorg’s designing will give you a throwback feeling of the mid ’80. The synth has a remarkable resemblance to the classic DW8000 and Poly 800 instruments. The control knobs are also very identical to the ones in the Minimoog and the only difference as far as we could see the position maker.

At the back of the synthesizer is several connectivity ports. There is a 3.5mm headphone output, two audio input sets, MIDI connectors (In, Through and out), a pair of 3.5mm right/left line outputs, connector to the power source, and a power switch. You will also notice that there aren’t any sockets for footswitches or pedals!

Features

Microkorg incorporates 37 velocity sensitive keys which unfortunately lack the after-touch sensitivity. It also has some mini keys for various controlling purposes. This raises several problems. The lack of aftertouch sensitivity will be very annoying to any experienced producer or musician out there. This is because composing dramatic sounds and other effects using these keys will be quite difficult or impossible. The only people who might find it comfortable is learners, but given the complexity of the manuals and notes you can’t help but think that it isn’t made for beginners. To some extent, therefore, you can’t understand who the target market of the device is.

Programs

The synth has 128 program memories. This gives you quite a good number of programs to work with, and you can also decide to overwrite all of them with your creations. There is a useful preset option that will restore all the programs if you happen to mess them up while trying out your creativity. All the programs are divided into two sides with eight banks containing eight programs. You can navigate and select any of the sides using a dedicated button. The eight banks can be accessed through the large knob that can also choose any of the programs, and these are marked as Electro, Hip-Hop, Trance, and Vintage. I found this naming strange because when you overwrite one of the programs it’ll still be named Electro or Trance etc. even when you’ve composed something different. Numbering the programs would perhaps, have made more sense.

You can access programs in the current bank/side using the eight buttons numbered below. These buttons can also be used with the shit key to access the available housekeeping functions. Most of the buttons in the Microkorg panel are illuminated making it easier to use the device in darkness.

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8-Band Vocoder

The synth is equipped with an 8-band vocoder that’s programmed with various advanced features. Capturing and freezing formants of your voice are easy with this vocoder. You will also be able to play the voices throughout the keyboard and even change the format of the voice to sound female, male, child, or you could make it sound whack. There are four filter modes, three delay effects (L/R, Cross, stereo), two bands of EQ and three different modulations (phaser, ensemble, flanger/chorus ) all of which are intended to make synthesizing a fun event.

The unit comes with a microphone that you may find flimsy, but it gets the job done nonetheless. This microphone plugs into the audio one slot at the rear end. There is another dynamic standard jack socket where you can connect your other line sources with a nice touch of the line/mic selector switch. Line-level signals, meanwhile, can only be used through the audio two slots. A control knob named “volume can trim both of the audio inputs”.  One drawback with these inputs is that it’s quite easy to overload them. Using a compressor could solve the problem, but even this may prove to be impossible when you are using the provided mic.

Effects

The synthesizer has two types of effects; delay and modulation. The delay effect has three flavors; cross delay (the feedback get interchanged between right and left), stereo delay and the Right/Left delay also known as stereo ping-pong.

Modulation effects, on the other hand, are categorized into ensemble effects, flanger/chorus and my favorite one phaser. These effects feel and look simple, but their quality is top notch. There is an additional two band equalizer that utilizes the frequency band to increase the effectiveness of the EQ.

An Arpeggiator is also included, and it offers several types of the arpeggio, i.e., up, up/down, down and other random settings. There is a trigger option which helps you to integrate staccato chords to go with the arpeggiator’s tempo. You can control the gate time, swing, range and the note resolution of the arpeggiator. After all the keys are released, you can also decide to latch the arpeggio. This is a useful option which would have been even more convenient if it was available through a dedicated button in the front panel.

Editing of the arpeggio is made extra easy by the program number buttons which light up representing the various steps in the arpeggio pattern. You can modify the rhythmic pattern of your arpeggio by turning those steps on and off using the lit buttons. You should have fun with this feature.

Microkorg Specs

• 37 keys
• Four voice polyphony
• 128 programs
• Six types of Arpeggiators
• Multitimbral synthesizer
• Two oscillators
• Assignable filter controls
• Multi-mode filter
• Two audio inputs
• Modulation, delay, and 2-band equalizer effects
• In, out and through MIDI options
• Powered by battery or DC
• Dimensions: 20.63” by 9.02” by 2.8.’
• Weight: 4.85lbs
• Condenser microphone

Conclusion

The Microkorg synth engine is incredible for a machine that premiered over 15 years ago. The biggest problem, however, is its interface. Interacting with a majority of the offered features through this interface will be frustrating. The mini keyboard, for instance, has MIDI inputs that are supposed to help you connect it to a big keyboard but then you can’t rackmount it! The hands-on filters and powerful vocoder would have been a great feature for DJs, but the used synthesis features would probably be a put off to them. In summary, Microkorg offers several great things but there are just as many problems to worry about and a majority of these are due to the used box. Lots of people will hence easily end up underutilizing the gadget not because they don’t have the necessary skills but due to the awkward designing of the user interface. In the end, therefore, you’ll feel like the compromises needed to enjoy the synth are a bit too much to accept.

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