Restored a Trident mkII this past month. Almost all the capacitors (over 200) had legs turning green and starting to corrode, some quite badly. A few of the cap leg vias (maybe 8 or so) were eaten through and required repair with CircuitMedic grommets. If you have a Trident that has not been properly restored I would make it a priority. It was a very successful rework, but the synth was getting ready to eat itself.
Nice video .. great old synth . I choose the MK1 over a MK2 also. Try and pick up an MS-04 pedal for it ..I use one with mine and also send the Korg KR55 into brass in the rear. Appreciate the time and effort gone into making this. Great Job !
MK2 is definitely my favourite. I have both them and no synth in the market could replace the Tridents. Combine all sections together and let see if other synth can beat it. Great demo thanks.
@@jumpingman8160 The SK30 is a great synthesizer, I had one and regrettably sold it. I made a demo video 5 years ago. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-F9tH21L9tX8.html
@@nadersharif 😭😭😭 I feel your pain. Awesome video. I've been pestering Behringer to release an improved version of the SK30 for some time now. I've been getting support from the comunity and Behringer seems interested. So, who knows? Maybe we'll get to own a newer rendition of it.
I recently sold a MKII. I was able to compare it with an MKI right before I did so, the MKI sounded a bit more cozy and warm to my ears. But yes, bit more possibilities + better interface on the MKII.
It's not the greatest polysynth ever made but man is it my favorite. One of those synths that's almost impossible to get a bad sound out of. Definitely in my dream set-up
It's funny, Just because a synth is from the 70's, Doesn't mean you have to play the 70's... I run mine through an Alesis Quadraverb, and man, People should be using old synths in modern music more.... I tried the Korg Trident Vst, and it's close, but there's a fullness that the real deal has i noticed. And I'm not just saying that to be "cool" and because I have one it's better.. It just really has something... And there's some Pad time sounds I created on it that you'd be like "what? from that?".. I went through a hard time during covid lockdowns but i could bring myself to sell it.. I made it through but it's in storage, Can't wait to get 'er up and running at my new place.. In short, I think it's underrated actually... I havn't used a lot of synths throughout my life, basically flstudio's sytrus and FLEX with a midi keyboard, but There's a lot that can be done with this thing. Even things like Dub Step Bass Drops... There really are some gems to be found.. Cheers From Regina Canada! :)
I run it with the joystick with an elastic to the left and with the drehmeters in tone. 1 octave lower. When you have the chance. You would never play without. Amazing. Darkest synth ever made.
I may not use this one a lot, but I've had one for quite a few years. Absolutely beautiful sound. I jam on it a lot different than any other synth I own - I spend a lot of time on it and do lots of slow dark stuff. It's a shame that it is as expensive as it is because more people should have access to this wonderful thing. I did do a Switched On Wagner album with it too, haha.
Well, Sailbot, if you ever want to let it go to a poor disabled musician who has been seeking this sound his whole life, so he can make a recording before he passes away, at a slightly below market but reasonable price. LET ME KNOW! HAHA!
Thanks for the in-depth review. Really like this format and its thoroughness! To me personally it is worth it. I have the opportunity to use an MK1 in the studio alongside a few other heavy weights and I must say that there is nothing that can replace this synth in its entirety. The genre of the „Multikeyboard“ might not have been around for long, but the Trident is a great execution of that idea. First of all, the individual sections sound *really* good, 1980 8-voice flagship synth good, secondly the complex interplay between them leads to an approach and to results that you simply cannot get out of other instruments. The reasons being, a), that „normal“ polys just don’t work like that, they do not have the possibility to tap into such a vast, orchestral, almost immersive sonic output. And b) you are playing the Trident differently, simply because there is so much at your disposal - keep in mind that in „split mode“ this is even a 16-voice poly, which is pretty unreal. Also, it has a main output plus 3 outputs for the individual sections, so you can distribute its voices which is pretty „3D. If you play the Trident and then move to another poly, you sometimes wonder „where is it all gone?!“ It actually makes you a better player, you have to think ahead and in more individual streams - it is almost more about „arranging“ than playing and it gives you the vibe of sitting behind a mixing desk rather than a synth. Quite an experience. It brings a lot to the table. A very generous instrument.
It just screams 1980. I'd love to have one but who would ever want to work on it to keep it running? Full Bucket has a free VST for this that is a lot of fun to play with.
I would want to work on it! Repairing/restoring these amazing old machines is actually fun [for me :)]. Although, I'd still agree with you as I am likely in a small minority.
It's just insane to think people are willing to pay the same for a Roland Juno 60... Much better synth the Korg Trident, and really unique with the layering it allows!
@@nilsvanderplancken In terms of price, unfortunately they seem to be pretty similar nowadays... About what it can do, you can't because the Korg Trident is just so much better! :) I had both, and didn't feel the Korg Trident had any real weakness compared to the Roland Juno 60 (maybe not having a Chorus, but you can add one externally anyway...). Couldn't think of selling the Korg Trident, while about the Roland Juno 60, despite it was a nice synth with a great sound, my real regret about selling it is that I could have gotten much more if I sold it now! :P It's a very basic synth, without any of the amazing layering capabilities the Korg Trident offers! The synth layer might not be that complex either, but together with the others you can create really interesting complex sounds that the Roland Juno 60 will never get close to! It's just a shame they made the Brass section paraphonic... :(
@@synth-ing4986 I had a Trident MKII, still have the Juno. The Trident has a way bigger sound. But the Juno is super usable and has a far more advanced synth section. Having owned 100 synths or so, The Juno-60 is still amongst my favorites. The only stringer I preferred over the Trident is the one I still have: Roland RS-505.
@@nilsvanderplancken The Roland Juno 60 definitely has some advantages over the Korg Trident’s synth section, but the opposite is true as well! Despite being very simple, the Korg Trident is still a 2 VCO polysynth and has 2 LFOs available! They have a different set of features, but both are quite basic, easy to get bored with them unless you add some effects! :P What I feel really brings the Korg Trident to a whole new level is the possibility to use the layers, which can lead to really complex sounds you just can’t get on the Roland Juno 60… You can use the synth for a percussive attack and use the string for the sustained part of the sound, which sounds fantastic! I'd say both sound very good, but don’t think the Roland Juno 60 has a real edge over the Korg Trident when it comes to the sound, but maybe the MkII is not as good (I have a MkI)… But for a similar price, I think it’s a no brainer to go for a Korg Trident over a Roland Juno 60, unless you must really have that sound…
@@synth-ing4986 The Korg has a big sound, but it's in fact also 3 instruments in one. When using the Juno combined with for example a prophet and the RS-505 you also get a wall of sound. But yes 3 in 1 is cool, it's more rare than the Juno, it should definitely be worth more in my opinion, I fully agree. It has amazing SSM filters, and if I'm not mistaken the string part is true polyphonic with AR envelopes (8 voice). Most stringers are paraphonic. VCO2 and LFO2 are however very limited on the Trident. Should rarity be the same for both instruments I'd still take the Juno, to me it has so many perfect sounds, mostly as an arpeggiated bass synth, I get more uses out of it within my setup. As a solo instrument, the Trident wins hands down.
@@asoundlab it was top of their range , only something like their ps3300 and 3200 we're more expensive but werent available anymore then , JP 8 was 4900, oberheim obxa 5000, ob8 3995, ppg wave 7000, waveterm 10000, i have most of the original pricelists
@@asoundlab I don't really think it's in the same league. The Quadra at least was quite for use bei pros like Tony Banks, the trident too (Wakeman). The SK-Series not so much. Maybe it's due to the Design and the fact they were often used by people we call Alleinunterhalter (Solo Entertainer making horrible folk music)
@@torbenanschau6641 I literally just let out an audible laugh when I read that. It is a good deal less cool sounding. Ich hab auch ein neues Wort heute gelernt :) vielen dank :
@@torbenanschau6641 didn't keith emerson endorse the trident along with the ps3200? , i think zawinul from weather report had one too for a short while
these are $3500 or whatever nowadays or more. For almost the same sound but a little more thin and without the screaming filter...kawai sx-210 and sx-240 I would pose as much more affordable alternatives to this thing with maybe a wider range of sounds.
You have to think korg at the time pitted it against a jp8 , i had the trident mk1 , its more of a korg delta with an added oscillator than a synth , needless to say it was a failure , i payed 350 euro for it at the time and it wasn't worth much more , sold again quickly afterwards
It had a sound you quickly tire of , swimmy without good low end , notice how you always switched on the chorus/flanger to get to sound decent , ? well each to it's own taste
@@asoundlab defenitely NO , Zack , i even preferred my polysix over it , to me it sounded like a cheaper italian marriage of a string ensemble and an oscillator , it LOOKED nice though :)
I haven't played it, but I absolutely love the sound of it, and the limitations, love those. I'll takes heaps of limitations so long as I have sound. Like a crazy lady that you love. If you have the love, the crazy is just a bonus. If not, it's the beginning of a restraining order. Though I agree, I LOVE the polysix. Adore it. Don't have one. But, damn, all of these Korgs have this thing I like, from Mono/Poly through the Volca Bass, lol, they're all kind of shaggy, unkempt... in the best way. They just have access to the strings of my heart, and they bow them so effectively. Listening to a HydraSynth, which as a former sound designer has so many awesome hands on modulation programing capabilities, it is a wonder, but that basic core sound is just NOT THERE. I'm running out of time in life, I've stopped accepting limitations in sound, and started accepting limitations in quantity and interface. If the sound doesn't move me, why even use it? I can get a virtual donkey for 15 cents, free on Tuesdays, but why?
@@cnfuzz If you hated it so much why you even bothering to watch a Trident video ? Sounds wonderful to me. String's are defo 'Cosmic' sounding compared to an Italian stringer. In fact I find them very refreshing after Crumar Performer or RS-505 for instance.
It really does. It melts my heart. I have some tools that I like, bought my first Moog, a simple cheap one, and I love the sound, LOVE it. But I don't, despite my best desperate efforts, have a poly that just tickles my fancy. I've got an AX-60 that I really like for a lot of reasons, talk about an out of control malcontent, that synth can do things wrong, which is almost always right, right? But it and an Alpha Juno just cannot give me that tingling thing. This Trident, boom, there it is. Instantly. I really don't care about its paraphonic limitations, etc., I love its limitations, and the sound is just stacks of down pillows to fall back into, plush, gentle, warm, so warm! LOVE IT!!
@@cnfuzz Quadra's build quality is very poor, the membrane buttons prone to failure, sticky out keys like on the Odyssey Mark III, paint job that deteriorated due to not being mixed properly, should I go on?
@@cnfuzz Prophet Rev 1-2 terrible design . How many are sat broken. I know of several. Rev 3 onward better.. The Trident was a lot cheaper than the Prophet. I have zero issues with a thick ply base ..I don't hear it ! Those SSM filter's though ..Oooo Why waste your time slagging an instrument off. Nobody cares fella.
@@Bigsbeee never had problems with prophets except one filterchip swap, it's oberheim which were notorious for having problems certainly in live situations , i seem to have one of the few obx 's (sem not obxa) that held fine, memorymoog were a probably king of breakdowns, of course arp membranes but i have a couple of pro600 where these still work fine
@@Bigsbeee true nobody ought to care, opinions are like assholes , everyones got one .. analogue talk is babble anyway since they just have the function of that glossy coffee table book , don't hear them actually being used outside RU-vid or niche music , it's all autotune and vst ,lol
The Minilogue XD is not going to sound like a Trident. I've had them both. Nothing does analog string machines very well. I also got a Waldorf Streichfet which is only supposed to emulate stringers and it's still way off.
Feature wise yes it is weakest. Those who decide to get Trident MK1 knows exactly where it is weakest and where it is strong and they have all the weak spots covered already by something else. So it is just for that rich discrete oscillator sound and SSM filter what they are looking for and it couldn't be more far away form weak.
@@lownrgy It's nothing more, than 2 string-synths and virtually a slimmed-down Polysix with much less character and power. (Even if the Polysix itself isn't the best of it all). The stongest point here is the excellend flanger.
