It’s a great synth. We used two (as Bent) back in the day when performing live as they are very flexible, so they recreated our analog stuff well on stage. Royksopp used them live as well at that time. The vocoder is very flexible, but I do find it a bit plastic-sounding sometimes. That being said this video has made me want to switch mine on again! I actually like the voice limitation, as the notes cutting off is a sound I like.. vintage! Great video
Right. Prophecy, Z1 and then MS2000. I used to have a MS2000r. It was nice but got rid of it shortly after I got a JP-8000. I traded it for a Novation Nova. I think MS2000 sounds hard and cold. The Z1 is a very much forgotten synth and so much more thanjust a VA synth. I got one some yeras ago. I don´t use it very much but I do like it. You never hear much about it. I´m not sure Korg sold that many of them and you can still get them qute cheap today. As new it was quite expensive. Talking about VA`s... I would also love an episode witn Nord Lead 3 - a very different Nord Lead.
Nice to see some MS2000 content! I also own both the MS2000(R) and the JP8000. I like the sound engine and filters better on the JP8000 but the MS2000 is so much more fun and creative for programming. The mod sequencer, patch bay and dwgs waveforms really can deliver crazy futuristic stuff. Wish the JP8000 had something like that. Def waiting for the comparison vid!
I get massive, gargantuan bass sounds from this synth, that’s it’s specialty imo. It has a punk rock aesthetic to it which is another reason I like it.
Korg did a great job with this one. I've had mine for over 20 years. It sounds and looks the business. IMHO it really shines when you steer clear of the distortion, and avoid heavy filter resonance (a little is OK). Both of those bring a brittle, cardboardy sound quality. The mod sequencer is extremely cool. Very immediate. You can use it like three 16-step envelopes, or combine it with the arpeggiator and create crazy grooves.
Thank you for showing me another synth I had no idea existed, this channel is awesome and under rated the only thing is missing is your interaction in the comments
I almost can´t believe how good all those snths sound in your videos even through RU-vid. To my taste you could even play some more - it´s really soothing 👌
I bought mine in 2000 and still use it to record with. I always find something new when I turn this baby on, and it does “weird” very well. A steal at $400 or less!
Sounds better than Microkorg. I can't hear that much aliasing, it's both crisp and warm. It's not even static and DCO-ish in character. Filters are 0 calories, though.
It's more flexible in programming depth and sounds 'older'/vintage=y more than the JP-8000 but they are very different synths, no reason not to use both
"I haven't spent a ton of time with it ..." Yes, and it shows, with all the vague claims and hesitations. Maybe might do that? Before making a video about something? :) That said: wonderful demonstrations here, nicely done! thanks very much for uploading them.
That must be right. I have an Yahama Mo type and with a sampler like a roland using the looper effect the sound is very close to this synth already. Great thing is also layering sounds on left and right stereo for 'the crystal effect' with a mixer. Great tip and I like Roland also for me it is the plug in and make the sound bigger. And the Yahama app on IOS is actually very strong for free to use making older kind of sounds..
The Korg MicroKorg uses the exact same synth engine, and has the exact same patch presets. I owned a MS2000R but sadly sold it a few years back, wish I hadn't! So I got a MicroKorg to have those sounds back. Drwaback with the MicroKorg is its not as easy to or hands on to change the sounds!
Sounds nice, but I prefer the JP8000. Though the guy I bought it from also had an MS2000 and kept it! I look forward to your comparison of the two. I also suggest you check out an AN1x at some point.
Just nabbed one for $300 off of Greedverb. Nice for spacey robot techno sounds and other dance music. Grab one while they are cheap. These reviews are making the prices go up.
As someone who started making electronic music in 2001 I wanted one of each MS and JP. Only hardware synths from back the 90s/00s I have left are Prophecy and micrKorg. The MS was surpassed/updated by the Korg Radias which can load MS patches iirc. The continuing aftermarket low prices and lack of interest in the MS, I think, was that the microKorg is an MS for far less (when it came out) and that the updated Radias does anything the MS does and better. Buying an MS2000 is more likely from nostalgia as there isn't any 'that sound' associated with it like you get with say the Prophecy (The Prodigy), Alpha Juno (Hoover), JP8000 (Supersaw), Moog (filters), etc etc.
You're talking about 2 of my favorites, the MS2000 and JP8000. I nearly bought a JP8000 in the '90s and nearly bought a MS2000 in early 2000's. Because I'm primarily a piano and Hammond B3 player I didn't buy either one, always saving my cash for the next digital piano or Hammond clone. Now that I'm in a position to purchase one these two are becoming hard to find in the US.
worth it !! its not about patches..its about shaping new sounds !! and also....the keyboard it self is rock solid instead of those cheap plastic controllers !!
I’ve had the MS2000r since 2000. I’m really tired of the patches. It’s much more fun to start with the INIT patch and make your own sounds. It also can be a groove box for analog sounding beats.
I saw this in a rack of some keyboard player on youtube and didn't recognize it so I looked it up here. Thanks for this overview. But wow, only 4 voices??? i would never have bought this. Even Roland synths in the 80s did at least 6 voices.
I got one of these shortly after they came out and loved it for it's real-time control and great spacey/ambient sounds. Ended up with the Black version as well (the only difference between the two being the color and an XLR mic jack for the vocoder). Ended up eventually selling them both back around 2015, but then recently came across a good deal on one in excellent condition, and have been getting way into the modwave sequencing (which I didn't really get into initially). This synth is great for evolving type sounds, is relatively easy to program with lots of flexibility, and I have never had any repair type issues with any of the units I have owned. Highly recommended!
Second that, I have owned the MS2000BR since 2005 and somehow it managed to stick around with me to this day, and I still discover new sounds (sometimes the most subtle parameter changes get you into a totally different direction and you start to explore even more). I recently sampled some of sounds in Ableton and used them on a drum machine... Also, I find the UI to be pretty timeless, the immediacy is great for learning to understand subtractive synthesis. I believe the sound engine is the same as the MicroKorg's.
We’d love to see a VA contest. The first virus vs those two and the Nord one. Right? I think there will be a clear winner.. but idk. What you think guys?
I'd wind up voting for the Novation Supernova instead of any of the ones you've just described. Also, don't forget the AN1x / AN200 / PLG150AN from Yamaha (same analog modeling engine), the Waldorf Q, and the Alesis Ion (later the Micron / AKAI MiniAK). All analog modelers released in the same general span of years. Of course later you had the Radias and KingKorg, the V-Synth and SH32, the Novas and ? Stations, the Blofeld, and many more recently. Analog modeling is fascinating because it's still done so many different ways (though all involve DSP - which is why you see it everywhere in vsti synths as well) and can vary greatly in how closely it emulates true analog sound. In my opinion, sounding analog is great and all, but it's the stuff that springs from analog architecture but would be impossible with true analog synths that really can make analog modeling shine (the unison "super-x" waveforms, morphing oscillators, oddball filter and effects models, absurd oscillator and modulation counts and such). Now, if only Access Music would release a Virus for the 2020s (Access COVID, maybe? No? Too soon? Ok. You're right.), we might see another renaissance of the digital synth yet again.
Well for me is the virus absolute NOT the winner . Still own a Virus Kb and he is sitting in a skb case not used . The An1x and the Jp8000 are more my taste . The virus is lifeless cold sounding .
@@mc2engineeringprof I've been a big fan of the digital subtractive synths (also referred to as virtual analog) since their inception. I have the Korg MS2000R, Novation Nova, Alesis Ion, Korg Z1 (which also has physical modeling), and the Nord Lead 3. Each has their own flavor and I love them all. I even plan on getting a Virus in the near future. I agree that the Z1 is worth its own episode. I don't know if I'd put it in a VA Shoot Out. Its physical modeling capabilities put it in another class. I loved how the Novation Nova and SuperNova offered multi-timbral instruments for which each channel had its own multi-effect unit. For example, in the case of my Nova, I can have 7 effects on each of the six channels. Each reverb for each of those six patches can be different on each channel. At that time, that was pretty impressive. And the Ion/Micron/Miniak had those wonderful modeled filters emulating Roland, Moog, Arp, and Oberheim. But my favorite may be the Nord Lead 3. If for no other reason, it has 26 encoders each with 15 LEDs to indicate their settings/positions. Dialing up any patch on the NL3 allows you to immediately see the envelopes, the filter settings and the oscillator choices. You know what it's going to sound like before playing it. That provides a great way to learn how others have programmed the instrument and what you can do to tweak those patches. It also has 4 ways to morph the sound including using the Mod Wheel. This is one of the most intuitive and powerful ways to create modulation routes for a patch. And it's a delight to see the light show as all the parameters change and the LEDs move as you push the Mod Wheel!
@@mc2engineeringprof for you maybe . Access is nothing for me its a cold static sounding computer . I can't find the soul in it and have the same feeling with the Waldorf Xt and Blofeld . Ensoniq SQ80 is way more my taste if we talk about wavetable or crosswave . Serious i don't like Access Viruses from A until Ti .
I don't understand why this sounds so much different from a microKorg.. they're supposed to use the exact same sound engines, have the same amount of polyphony, same clock rates, dsps, and codecs afact
The more I learn about the MS2000, the more it looks like an early version of the Korg Radias. The Radias is 24 voices 4 parts multi timbral, but the architecture of the VA engine is strikingly similar with both note and modulation sequencers, the virtual patch bay, vocoder etc. Even the controls layout is really similar. This makes me wonder why the Radias seems to be a little less expensive than the MS2000 on the used market.
@@hurricane6014 It really depends on where you are because in Canada, I regularly see MS2000 between $600-$700 CAD and right now I’m seeing a nice Radias on Facebook marketplace at $540 CAD with the 61 key keyboard in the Ottawa region. When I look on Reverb, I always see the Radias between $1000-$1200 USD.
Korg should make an MS2000-NC1 (Next century) with extended patching options and huge polyphony. Five Octaves, velocity and after touch. More virtual oscillators and bigger, widespread knobs and chunky buttons. It could go NC2 (maybe in software updates) etc etc. A bit like Roland with the X synths
I *almost* had one of these ... ordered one from Guitar Center, went to pick it up, but they said that it was a defective unit anyways ... ending up canceling out. I wouldn't mind trying one out one of these days.
The forerunner. I love that it birthed the rad rad Radias ias ias! It sounds cool, but the Radias is very next level and much more than a synth made for Trance. You should check it out.
I would have bought an MS2000 in the day if Korg wasn't so skimpy with the measly 4 notes of polyphony. At should have had at least double that amount. I had a Z1EX which was a fabulous synth that I picked up for a great price new as they weren't selling too well due to their expensive price that had to be dropped. I got it at half price. The sound was awesome but its processor was very sluggish, particularly with changing sounds. It's effects implementation was also weak. I sold it in 2007 because it was being underutilised in my studio.
I have had the MS2000 for a few years and never regretted selling it. It probably would have stayed with me if it had 8 voices or more. If I ever buy again a knobby Korg with only 4 voices, it probably will be a minilogue xd.
they can sound a little thin dont expect massive moog bass but what you get is per knob function and lots of interesting sweet spots run these through guitar pedals and nice preamps and you get a beast. great live synth for performance and jamming.
This is definitely not a warm/analog-sounding synth at its core, but this lack of "character" can be an advantage with today's possibilities of thickening the sound with DAW plugins or some hardware effects. You can control how thick or thin you want the sound to be depending on the mix.
I have a friend that's a synth player and has been in a few local SA bands. Would one of these make a good gift for her birthday? Or would it just be one of those instruments that land a permanent shelf in the closet?
Also, not to jump in again, but the Radias/R3 is like the MS2000 on crack. On your non dgws, there’s waveform modulation, xmodulation, unison (like supersaw, on all the waveforms, kind of lol) and variable phase modulation, which kinda gives it like a DX7 feel. As far as other specs go I don’t really know about the Radias, but the R3 is kind of the stripped down version, which I know very well. There’s eight voice polyphony, wave shaping, three envelope generators, and six virtual patch bays, with more patches that you can patch into lol. And effects for days. The R3 has a 1track Mod Sequence, and the Radias has something even wilder. Im pretty sure they share the exact same digital architecture as the Korg MS2000, just expanded upon. I have the MS200, and I still love it for its simplicity, and the mod sequencer def gives it justice. I have the R3 and love it for its weirdness. It has everything and more you would want in a synthesizer, but no one talks about it. Everyone says that the filter is junk but once you start messing with the filter envelope generator, come to find out, it’s really not junk at all. I would also love to learn the architecture behind it. I have a strange feeling that it has more in common with some other famous virtual analog synthesizers than we actually know.
Bought one in Y2K, still in my rack, still gets used all the time. My two main criticisms: 1) the presets are AWFUL and don't even begin to show what the synth can do; 2) no MIDI control of the mod sequencer (at least not without some serious NRPN voodoo).
I want to know if the adapter of Korg MS 2000 is 9v, but how much amps should it be? Because I bought the second hand MS 2000 needed it, and it was not included in this equipment. I want to know Amps
All MS 2000 are 4 voice/4 note polyphony….its the same as the microkorg, plus sequencer. I think there may be a difference with the vocoders but I don’t use them so I don’t really know.
the newer versions didn't add any polyphony. korg seems to be trapped in 4 voice polyphony in theyr budget synths. same for the minilogue e and minilogue xd.
I saw a good deal for one of these with the original box and manual but I own a King Korg already.. I feel like it already has most these sounds its a great VA synth I think its very under rated theres not much KK content. hint hint* :)
A virtual analog synth with just 4 voices? That kinda struck me. Shouldnt a digital synth, even if it models an analogue sound, be able to do more than 4 voices? Oh well. I do like the sound of the MS2K so whatever. I'm just happy that this thing actually has a proper UI compared to the Microkorg, a synth that sounds great but has a notoriously awfull UI.
