With the arsenal of modern VST's (Korg VST included) you don't need this one. The original KingKorg was in a literal sense a fancy looking synth with all the basic components of a synthesizer. Any proper VST surpasses it for a fraction of the price.
@@HermesAndroidProject Well I don't know about that mate. This is a Korg anthology of sorts with those DWGS waves and other type of shit they got in there. It's not bad sounding either. Yep something like a VST will give you this for less money but it's not the same thing. Physical instrument vs picture in screen etc. I really like some VSTs but lately I've been appreciating that instrument is an instrument. That said, for the money I would opt for a Korg Prologue 16. You can still find that used for about $1200 or so where I live. But the King Korg is a little deceptive in that I think it offers more than meets the eye. But yeah my main point is that vst to instruments is not a straight apples type comparison.
@@HermesAndroidProject I agree on principle, but for an absolute beginner, that would mean a) having to buy and set up a MIDI controller, and b) not being able to play without the computer, which will take several minutes to boot up.
@@PeranMe Well if you go that route, and that's an answer on both of you, just go for a Roland Gaia-2 or much better an MPC Keys 37, though that instrument has a steep learning curve. I agree on the Prologue but that one is an actual professional instrument. You got the Korg Minilogue XD for that choice. Not sure if that one is still one sale though. The Neo is just garbage, the original KingKorg was already unpopular and putting that in some cheap "mass produced" chassis is not a good move from Korg. It's the same thing with the Wave series, the synths are garbage material wise, I've owned the Wavestate.The VST versions of these however aren't.
Great demo Jack as ever , sadly price is a bit steep , maybe £400 / £500 , as live player , loved the original King Korg , second hand now they can go for as little as £500 , maybe Korg should have made a desktop module instead ? Less knobs but the ones that count , would make great live rig option 😊👍
The worst king korg ever, no distortion tube, no 61 note keyboard, no multi timbrality. Seriously, bad job Korg. Thanks to Jack for the demo, it was great as always and his company is always the best thing about these videos.
It is September 2024 as I comment. I just purchased an ASM Hydrasynth Explorer that was delivered to me in June. It’s the fourth 37-key synthesizer or keyboard I’ve purchased dating back to August 2000. The first three included an ARP Axxe Mark II from circa 1977 (which I no longer own), a microKorg XL and the Korg replica of the ARP Odyssey. If I hadn’t gotten the Hydrasynth and felt like adding another 37-key modeling synth to my arsenal, including another from Korg, I might consider this one. The vocoder on this KingKorg Neo would be a give-and-take against the Hydrasynth’s polyphonic aftertouch. That Carpenters reference is real cute.
The keyboard is handy for live work, when your other keyboard is busy doing other things. I use it for solos, vocoder melodies, and changing arp patterns, while I'm doing bass, pads and drums on my main keyboard.
I'd love to have that as a module. They did that with the opsix/modwave/wavestate with the same form factor..so maybeee..... That's expensive though for what it is!
The price does seem a little high for what it offers, but I expect we'll see the price on the neo drop fairly quickly to levels closer to the modwave and opsix. It is horses for courses though. I have an mpc one and an original king korg - MPC key 37 is a great allrounder and a bit of a bargain at the price imo given what it comes with and the regularity of very cheap deals to add native plugins to it, but the KK is in a different league on the synthesis side imo and its dedicated focussed workflow will suit many people better than scattergun of MPC.
I like it, but like the Modwave and Wavestate2 it's obviously just a VST running on Raspberry Pi. I bought the WaveState2 and Modwave and 12 months later they released them as VSTs which angered me because I would have rathered just buy the VST. I have funny feeling Korg will do the same with this, so Im waiting.
Is it better then a good midi keyboard and a decent laptop and plugins. I can't help but make that comparison with any and all virtual analog synths, how much money in computer gear would it cost me, and in sound comfort and variety would I be better of with a laptop or tablet. Folks always give me a hard time with that question, but that is essentially what you're buying with a VA synth.
It really varies from person to person. I prefer using a PC with a controller, but I'm keen on adding a hardware synth to my setup. The main appeal for me is the dedicated controls which foster experimentation and in-depth learning. These controls then transform the hardware into an instrument that's more intuitive to play than mapping a MIDI controller or using the GUI.
For me, any stand-alone instrument is much better than a Native instrument contoller or Arturia controller, and the software won't impress me much if I have to lug around a PC with the controller to use it. On the other hand, I can take the keyboard to my bedroom or living room and make some sounds for a future song and then compose in Logic or whatever I like as a DAW. I can't help but remember that all digital synthesizers are VA's with physical controller controls as well, so you have a powerful piece of equipment in a very small space, saving time and money, as happens with Hydrasynth or Modal Argon 8/cobalt... Really, for me, there's no comparison, because the software expires, but the instrument doesn't, it will always be that thing you bought from day one.
Modal Cobalt or Argon, ASM Hydrasynth Explorer, Roland Jupiter Xm, Forthcoming MicroKorg 2, Korg ModWave. Iridium Core or Access Virus TI Desktop if you can find a deal, push the budget and have a controller keyboard. TI is out of production, so only available s/h but still a contender. Array of options at different price points. Novation Peak has a digital engine but with an analogue filter. Lots of hands on control and decent sound set. You might have to go s/h to benchmark the Neo price but that is still a great option if it works for the type of music you make
King Korg was a great sound engine in a pretty ugly keyboard with terrible keybed, I'm glad they've bought this out (still think there life in the engine) I guess they're going for beginners market ...but yes for those of us who have synths& dont need silly short keybed 100% hope they bring out a module version!
For what it is. It's £250 over priced. The ASM Hydrasynth explorer is better in every department. They are already being discounted and will drop in price even further because it is not a stand out instrument.
Naaawwww.....$1000 for this?? Buy a Deepmind 12....real analogy 49 keys and lots of presets to start with. Not impressed. I think Korg has subdivided sound once to often between the Wavesstate, Modwave, Opsix and now this for $300 more.
I bought one ($900 open box) in May to replace my 18-year-old Radias, which I think is still Korg's best vocoder option (and I've tried them all). Most of the factory programming is lame and does not do justice to the keyboard. I spent a solid week custom programming it, hated it, and returned it. Fast forward three months and I found another one used for $650 on Reverb. Okay, I'll give it another shot. This time around, I have it MIDI'd to a Kross 2 61 to layer the virtual sounds with my Kross programming and give me the 61 key spread that I missed from the original KingKorg. I still hated the Neo vocoder. It lacked the presence of the Radias. Using the Radias editor, I typed the vocoder parameters from the Radias into the Neo, and I got very close to what I deemed acceptable. I also found that adding Chorus & Mod Delay to a lot of the programs helped them considerably. The included vocoder mic is too short when you place the Neo on the top tier of a keyboard stand. I use a clamp-on boom with a SM58. For a lightweight, travel friendly keyboard rig, I'm using the Kross 2 as my controller, the Neo, and a Windows 11 tablet running Wavestate and Modwave Native. $1000 is too high of a price for the Neo. Wait for a used one. Korg still does not have an editor/librarian for the Neo, and there's no way to back it up or transfer your custom programming to another Neo. By the way, I'm still using the Radias on my main keyboard rig, Kronos 2, Radias, Wavestate & JDXA. Korg needs to do a 20th Anniversary Radias!
So they've already knocked £100 off it on a brand new product. What is the point of the 3 screens, why not just have one decent sized that displays everything. Absolutely terrible design in my opinion
Stupid size, too expensive - what is it with Korg and their king korg products -the last one was a bit of a flop - this is worse - unfortunately) - Korg have been poor with their products over the last 2-3 years (repackaging parts of the Kronos - which was powerful but a bit let down by the user interface - and sequencer - I have one and it is good but not as great as it could have been). The concept of the King Korg is great - the delivery - small - plasticky (flimsy) and overpriced lets it down. They shouldn't have got rid of some excellent product managers - what were they thinking.
