The filter on this might be my favourite ever. It has such a beautiful, "woody" tone to it. The MS-20 has some similar character to it, but the 700 is more well behaved and smoother sounding. Mylarmelodies talks a bit about it on his demo of the VSL VCF-74 module that's a clone of it. The guy who reverse engineered it (and had worked a bunch on restoring old korgs) had said it was one of the "fastest" filters ever, that the CV response was super fast, that is, so it responds really well to audio rate modulation. Mr. Mylar makes some pretty sick demonstration sounds of this characteristic in his video.
It's beautiful... was one of the first synths I ever got to play around with in the late 70s, back when they cost a fortune (but thankfully a local college had a very progressive teacher in the music department and he'd bought a bevy of now famous synths, including this one)! And you're spot on, the nostalgia is strong with this one... and I'd consider buying one just for that... .
I think it’s a good option for people who were looking for a vintage one or people who are nostalgic of the 70s and are after this particular sound but this is more expensive than a Sequential PRO 3 that is far more versatile. It’s not for everyone but at least Korg decided to add a proper midi implementation with midi CC and patch storage which makes it more usable in a modern setup.
Sounds wonderful... a lot of Japanese jazz funk records around 74-76 used this synth... that on top of a Rhodes and a Solina string synth is about as good as it gets...
Great demo and review! Thanks. I remember my older brother renting one of these from the local music store around 1977 and playing around with it. It was great design then and I'm glad they brought it back.
What a very well put together and nicely edited demonstration this is. You have thoughtfully and clearly shown the capabilities of this instrument. Thank you Jamie!
Hey, It’s been a while, I’m the handpan guy. Thank you for the great demo! Even though I got mine when it was initially released and have used for quite some time, I learned a lot from your performance. Much respect! It’s limited compared to modern synthesizers in some ways, I love its sound.
Thanks, well it's the sound that matters end of the day and while newer Synths have lots of LFO's and Envelopes, if the core sound isn't there, then... Thanks for watching
There's something about the combination of sound, quirky factors and simplicity that I really like. Also, for my tight studio space, front controls are very welcome. Got to say, that was a really great review, thanks.
Ooofff..1700 quid.. My word! And to think I bought a 700s for 10 quid at a thrift store that had no idea what to do with it, somewhere in the mid- or end 90's.. "instant Kitaro-machine' I found out. AND it had this brutal, beautiful ring modulator. Yet.. I had no real use for it. No midi? meh.. and I gave it away to a pal....Ohh.. the stupidity of youth.. 🤣 By the by, the odd way the sustain became decay was what gave Kitaro's 700s flute in f.i. Silk Road, its lovely, smooth and softly fading character. Bit of a shame that GEO mainly shows off these harsher sounds. It can be wonderfully smooth and lyrical. My then girlfriend was completely taken aback. "It really, actually sings!!!" was her baffled reaction.
Jamie I don't know if you tried patching the headphone out into the audio input and adjusting the distortion with the headphone volume pot, but you should. The high pass filter should work especially well to get some awesome screaming leads when using it this way. I do the same on my Korg Odyssey and the high pass filter is crucial to getting it right. Please post a patch video and try this if you feel like it.
Yeah, you can plus all the controllers send/receive MIDI, including the switches...You can really mess the sound up using external controllers. I just didn't have the time to explore that.
Pretty late to the game but does it do FAT, JUICY, Bass? Also, for those of you who own this, what keyboard stands are you using? Asking because of the the front layout of the switches and how this might fit (or not) on the 2nd tier of the keyboard stands. Thank you for the demo!
Love the sound of this thing would love that sound.... Way way too much money I know it's built like a tank and good quality but I would rather have plasticky cheap version just for those lovely sounds... Not keen on the original design although I get it... There you go behringer little square plastic box with all those knobs on 200 quid
I don't think it's overpriced, it's expensive of course, as it was produced for a small niche market. I would like to have it though. As I'm getting old I'm becoming more of a lover of simple things. I don't feel any attraction towards workstations, digital synths, and such. Hate menu diving and love analogue sound. If I had the money I would buy one in a heartbeat, it's going to be difficult to find one second hand let alone new in the future.
what is the resolution of the midi cc controls? if you record a performance in a sequencer, will it play back exactly as you performed it, or will the filter and pitch movements step because of midi resolution? thanks for the review.
Not sure off the top of my head what they are, but what is unique is that all of the controls, including the switches send/receive MIDI, quite often the switches don't. I did a complete Track with it and did some changes over time to the Filter, Spring Reverb and didn't notice stepping.
Hi Jamie, nice vid. I have to say the positioning of the buttons on the top left look like an ill thought out location to me. If those buttons were say on the front face of the left hand control section (front edge just under the joystick) it would allow you to stack a second keyboard on top and right uptown the start of the keybed. If you did that here you would cover those buttons, small detail but still.....
Well, compared to what Behringer have come out with then yes, but then again, all the Switches, Sliders and Knobs send MIDI, it has Memories, Aftertouch, solid build, comes with a heavy case and is limited edition...It's a quality instrument, not mass produced. That said, yeah, it is a Premium price for sure.
