small detail: its up to 80 voice polyphony (i think I say 60 in the vid as this was the number I was told and I cant press more than 59 keys at once to test 😂)
@@glennmckenzie1096 Sadly YES! I could not believe it! But the original and second release Yamaha DX7 keyboards were at least bitimbral. The Korg Volca FM is mono timbral as well as the Yamaha DX200. I am baffled as to why cause with even the VolcaFM and FM2 you have at least 3 to 6 note poly respectively and Korg could have made the synths multitimbral with voice allocation like on Yamaha's FB01,YS200,etc. in order to allow at least one monophonic voice per midi channel. I know Roland does it as well as Kawai if I am not mistaken. Casio CZ line of synths did that too! It boggles me mind! 😛
I'm sorry but 2400bucks ?? How does making the same exact synth just bigger with a better keybed and some additional voices warrant a 2000dollars increase in price ? This is mental.
I can see your logic but it's not exactly the same. It has a faster processor, much higher polyphony, much better keybed, much nicer and more professional body, is Made in Japan (and that really is worth something) and it will sell in smaller numbers Than the original opsix which means the per unit cost has to be higher. I can buy a $500 Strat or a $5000 Strat, are they the exact same guitars? I have six strings, frets, single coil pickups etc so why is the price so much higher? Because the overall quality is so much better. In other words this is more than just accountancy and component costs.
absolutely, look at the body, all the faders exactly the same as on original and fits right in the middle, all the other space is unusable... so yes it it just a bigger box and different keybed
The danger of watching a BoBeats video is that sometimes money is transferred from my bank account to random music stores after watching. I have no explanation why this happens, though. ;-) As always, a fantastic and entertaining video which brushes all the important features at a brisk pace without feeling rushed. Thanks!
If you're looking for something to perform live with, it's really reasonably priced for the build quality and by far the best FM option available. Most similar quality synths cost more and don't come with a case, sadly.
@nebula393 It's hard to put a value on a case but the Korg one looks just as good as the gator case to me 🤷 My 61 key synths are over 2k so this seems like a great deal to me.
@@funkingitup1805 That depends on you! Some of my friends love their hydra and I wound up selling mine. It’s certainly powerful enough to be anyone’s main synth for sure
I have a MODX 8. The screen is at least 3x the size of the op, there are 8 operators, the history of Yamaha Fm synthesis - they do it well - plus sample playback, virtual analog, 128 note polyphony, sequencer…and a similar used price. I can’t see why I would swap, aftertouch?
One thing is really a shame (at least in my opinion) : korg made it 80 voices and more keys... But it's still mono - timbral 😔. A layer / split option is missing here, especially for the price.
I'm pretty sure there's a split option, as there's one on the opsix, it's just kinda hidden in the menu diving lol evenso, this thing is ridiculously overpriced for what you get imo
@@brandonharkins6900 If I remember correctly you can have a work around for the split points in programming the key follow of the carrier operators to your liking. But that's within one sound patch (as you use 3 operators for the left half and the other 3 operators for the right half of the keyboard). So for example you can't choose the piano patch for the left and the string patch on the right half : you will have to program that with the 6 operators of one sound Patch. I hope I remember it correctly, but I am quite sure 😊
Why does an also processor-based Modal Argon or Cobalt 8x with a 61-key Fatar keyboard and aftertouch cost less than $1K, and a Hydrasynth Deluxe with 73 keys and poly aftertouch cost $1,799, but this is going to be...what...$2,400 (if I'm converting to dollars correctly)? OpSix dynamics definitely deserved a better keyboard and this is a really nice synth, but damn, Korg. It's a Pi in a box. Someone tell me I'm wrong about the price, please.
Just looking at the picture and: - tiny 90s display ✅ - small and few knobs and sliders ✅ - drawings and lots of empty space where there should have been more knobs and sliders ✅
awesome synth and the quality of the build looks great, but please Korg, release a module for people like me with limited space who already own a premium midi keyboard.
@@Jason75913 I'm not surprised that they weren't selling enough, to be fair though, the build quality on the standard opsix/modwave/wavestate is pretty average IMO, I owned two of them for a short time and sent them back because the keybeds felt terrible and uninspiring. I personally prefer using my Novation SL MKIII mapped with the VST's now, so a module would've been nice for the pre-mapped control and basic integration, even with the only "ok" feeling knobs and sliders on those units.
At £2000+ in the UK, this (like the Wavestate SE) is for premium gear junkies only. I can't help thinking that Korg have approached this range of synths kinda back to front. To me it would have made more sense to release the full sized versions first, create a buzz and FOMO in the rest of us that can't afford them and then hit us with the smaller, much more affordable versions (and/or desktops). People would be "wow I'm getting an Opsix (premium, modern DX7 synth) for such a reasonable price!!" Instead many of us are thinking "Yeah that's nice, but an extra £1500 for a synth that's already become a meme for how cheap it became, just in a different shell, keyboard and hardcase half of us will never use?.. maybe not" Prediction: either a massive price drop within the first year of release (maybe once a Modwave SE has also been released and has been out a little while) Or they reconfigure the 'budget entry point' to offer desktop versions. Also as an aside it's worth considering (for instance) that ASM can offer the HydraSynth (some might say, a much more versatile, quality digital synth) much cheaper. Even the HydraSynth Deluxe version is £500 less than this currently. Personally I'm going to stick with the 'toy' version of Opsix for now.
I think this is an amazing synth but when the other version was sold discounted for around 350-400 USD and the updates are minor other than form factor, i think the price is very unreasonable. I expect them to also be heavily discounted down to 1199 or 1299 USD which is actually where they should be priced. Great review and a great synth, but I think the number guys at Korg are not understanding the current market and value. This version and a module version should have been released first with no 37 key version.
The chassis is much heavier with all the metal and quality keybed with aftertouch, increased polyphony, with a hard case included, and made in Japan instead of China. Yeah, the price makes sense to me. I dislike it, too. If they make a lighter, Chinese made version without the hard case, then it would be $1200-$1500 or something. I'd go for that.
For that kinda money I would expect a better sequencer than just 16 steps. Hopefully korg find a way to implement envelope rate scaling, add more fx and modulation options.
Sorry. Korg. No module version. And quite frankly it's missed opportunity with no poly aftertouch and frankly a keyboard where one could plug in or already have the other instruments from this line would save space and would justify the considerable cost
If only it was fully DX7 patch compatible. I bought a DX7 IID instead. The operator faders would have been nice to have but primarily I needed full compatibility.
Always wonderful to hear alternatives to subtractive synthesis. Nice review with the sound design possibilities included. I missed the Op6 it went out of production, so nice to see it again...but...in the meantime I purchased a Kurzweil V.A.S.T. architecture synth with FM. Been working with FM for 5 years now with a RefaceDX, and now with Kurtzweil I have more than what Korg Op6SE is offering. Been hearing about Kurzweil's VAST synthesis for almost 3 decades, never knew what it was, now I know, and now it includes FM too. The VAST synthesis is like modular where I can rig up to 32 modules of subtractive and/or FM in series or parallel and build my own synthesizer architecture. Besides samples and FM, also included is an anti-aliased, high quality VA waves for subtractive conventional waves.
Odd, I went the opposite direction LOL. UI when it comes to synths is absolutely everything, and while I had a K2661 for over two decades, what prompted me to sell it was the Digitone and the Opsix. In fact I often tell people that the opsix is what the kurzweil could have been. It doesn't invite sound design in the same way as does the opsix, and that's an important thing to consider. You *will* write songs faster with Digitone/Opsix, hands down. MUCH less menu diving. What do I miss: Arbitrary LFO shapes based on using FUN. And Kurzweil has better envelopes. Live routing into KDFX and VAST is also unique and has never been repeated. (Access Virus does it a little but it's not the same...) And I REALLY miss applying FM to samples.
Opsix is still one of my favorite synths. It's the one I feel no one has really gone deep with, in 20 years people will still be making new crazy sounds. I still dream of a Mashup of all 3 in the series though, FM your wavetables with Vector modulation.... Could you imagine?
The original (despite the cheap feel) is hands down my favorite synth ever 2nd only to the Access Virus. I *do* wish they implemented the Yamaha OG envelopes but I'm not crying about it.
Thought “this looks great”, then I looked up the price… Nah, not worth it work the OG opsix goes for less than £400.. And you could literally buy an old yamaha FM rack unit, a nice MIDI controller, and a bunch of cool Behringer clone synths for £1800-£1900.
"If you have the original Opsix and are happy with it I see no reason to upgrade" very fair & honest comment Bo... I'm torn over getting the Wavestate SE version? I love the Wavestate but maybe I could just use a midi controller that has aftertouch and upgrade the patches to those with that parameter?
great Synth, but why does Korg not use the left or right side, to built in a bigger Display? The left side looks, you can build in a 10 Zoll Display, Roland and Co make the same mistakes since Years, its 2023, and not 1993!
Wish the layout wasn’t stuck the same space as the original and it was more spread out. Korg always giving the ppl 80% of what they want. awesome they made it full size though finally
The money will get you a MODX+ with both FM-X and AWM2 sound engines. No aftertouch but the 61 key version is a large discount over this. I would do that before buying the Korg.
I'm not gonna lie, I wish they emproved the workflow with more buttons or knobs and a bigger screen. Polyphonic aftertouch would also have been great. Instead they've opted(pun intended) to just re-use the regular Opsix interface. Feels like wasted potential on both SE versions.
It's priced out of mass popular sales. This synth again will only programmed via a pc. Hence Arturia have the best FM synth at a fraction of the price of this. Korg are running out of ideas.
😂 1300.00 more, for a keyboard in a metal case. Such a lazy release for opsix and wavestate. Not a bigger screen or extra anything really. Double voices in this case is more significant than wavestate though. But.. i agree if you need to gig with it then this is the way to go. But this is an opsix dropped into a case, no different other than voices
Why is it so dang huge? Yes, I know it's a bigger keyboard but when it comes to the noise parts it's really not that much different than the original. I would have been happier if they'd have made a smaller desktop module - especially with a heavy metal case - and hooked it up to my (already large) keyboard controller. No room on my desk for this monster. Sounds nice tho.
Wow, its very 80s minimalist looking, with hints of Korg's own DSS-1, Yammy DX7, Korg M1 and late 80s Kawai K5 synth. Not sure if I could ever justify owning such a large and expensive synth though!
I'm really happy they did this. I bought the original one right before they blew them out (like a month) and it's a fantastic synth. Not sure if it fits in the budget for a while - I'm also not a great keyboardist - and I wish they added something else on top to justify the price premium ... but the opsix sound engine is great.
In the end it is the same machine wrapped in a bigger box with a better keyboard... which means you already have it, no need to get "G.A.S" over this one... most people tend to have a master keyboard laying around they can use anyhow... for somebody who just wants one synth in his setup this might really be an option and to be fair this should have been an option right from the start along with a desktop module. But I guess they should have made a really nice universal desktop module for all of those including wave and mod as midi controllers for those VSTs and maybe swappable HDs to change the functionality in standalone to whatever you wish to use at the time ( wave, mod, opsix, and future models.)
@@philxdev yeah exactly, this is on par with astronomically comical prices you'd get with Teenage Engineering.... 2000 for a bigger case and a better keybed has to be an april fool's joke.
@@jimmypierson1980 A joke or the ongoing market research genius of Korg? Before any of this RPi platform ever greenlit for development years ago the whole thing had to meet certain business requirements. The synths had to be at least somewhat unique, but with a clearly established desired voice architecture. They had to initially sell at a low price while keeping at least 4X 1st gen margin. They must have a LONG and WIDE incremental upgrade path. Out of the park grand slam on all 3 for Wavestate - 2nd tier bleachers for Opsix - at least a double w/RBI for Modwave. Guaranteed the roadmap of incremental new features (minor every 6-12 months and major/hardware every 12-24 months) has been in place for a while. Bi-timbrality for this, dedicated outs/layer, routable FX/layer, Poly AT, engine (Modwave, Wavestate, Opsix) choice/patch with physical interface mashup of all 3 to be followed a year or two later with bi-timbrality capability for that. I also expect a granular synth with as much in common as possible for the physical interface maybe by holidays, but probably spring. Korg RARELY builds anything unless they KNOW it will sell. Clearly not to you (or me), but they are going to sell a LOT of these...
@@philxdev I know, I just really love the opsix and they discontinued it w/the blowout, I'm just really happy they aren't completely abandoning the product line.
@@rainbow_mess well i can only imagine that the current "production run" is discontinued. this won´t be the last we will see of some fm based thing like the opsix from korg and given they probably release this SE version which still has all the internals of the "regular" opsix... it is in the end just a case and a cheap keyboard away from being re-released... and who knows an MK2 might be on the horizon anyhow... still no need for fomo^^ there are plenty to go around and to be honest many more things in the synth sector to be released as it seems to have gotten some traction in the consumer world for quite some time.
Nice review Bo! Opsix is a fantastic synth I don't know what Korg is asking for in terms of price But the 329$ blow out made this an instant buy and I recommend this today to anyone who loves FM. This New generation FM synth for sure.
I was also fortunate to get the 329 deal. I will not be buying the 61 key overpriced board. I am seriously considering the module upgrade or even creating my own chassis. Putting all 3 synths in one box would have been incredible. Making it tri-timbral would have been even cooler. I own the modwave as well. I was hesitant about the wavestate but just got a chance to play it and am considering it once the prices drop on the 1.0 version. I do have a Wavestation EX which is why I did not pull the trigger on all 3.
I’m still on the fence about Korg. They have all this extra real estate but use the same tiny LCD? Huge miss. I’m still angry about my Wavestate display going bad in 11 months. Since I bought it from Japan, I have to ship it back there for repair.
Having used both I can see why either is a good choice: Opsix se is a synth first and foremost Modx is a more of a workstation. Its fm is powerful but way less immediate to work with. Thats where opsix shines But modx is way more versatile so i think my friend Armen for example might be better of with it
Literally looks like and sounds like a modern day DX7, I should of bought the DX100 the mini DX7 when it come up for sale in a used goods store near Me, but I decided not to.
They coulda put more knobs on that case. That's the part that gets me about the price of these SE synths... at least for the Wavestate, the more knobs, the merrier. I'm sure there are plenty more opsix parameters, too, for which that would make sense. It's good that they seem to have improved the encoders, at least.
I just pre ordered the elz1 play from Sonicware. I hope it’s okay to post that here I know it’s not what the video’s about but I don’t have any friends who are into synths to get excited about it. 😀
Great review, I really liked this format. Teaching the basics to someone else (in person, not just to the camera) is a great way to see how it works. I've had the Opsix for quite a while but it was helpful to see it from this perspective. The included hard case definitely hints that KORG wants this to be a stage synth. I hope the keyboard has poly AT and not just channel AT!
The AT is channel AT as per ALL Panasonic keybeds used by: Technics, Korg, Kawai, and older odd brands like Hammond Suzuki, Lync, and so on. Poly AT seems to be limited to keybeds made in Italy and now China.. with the exception of ROLAND which used the D50 and HP3000 keybeds in their A50(76 key)and A80(88 key) Midi master mother keyboard controllers of 1989. And in even rarer occasions, WOOD keyed keybeds as in the Kurzweil Midiboard, and 250 Sampler and Yamaha DX1 76 note flagship DX synth as well as the Arp/Rhodes? T8 and Yamaha GS1, CS80.. Sadly, NONE of the Panasonic keybeds have the tech for the poly AT feature. I suspect that Korg will have a new unique keybed design if they do implement the Poly AT tech in the future on any of their yet to be released keyboards.
@@pianokeyjoe Now I'm curious. Do you mean that the Roland D-50 keybed supports Poly AT? The same keybed is used in many Roland synths, like JX-8P, Juno-106, AJ2 etc.
@@patsonmusic Sadly NO. I referred to the KEY type of the A50 as D50 style keybed with poly AT. Roland only ever made 2 keyboards with Poly AT keybeds and those are the A50(76 not D50 style keys but with a poly AT sensor board underneath the keys), and the A80(88 fully weighted HP3000 digital piano style keys but with Poly AT sensor board underneath those keys). The poly AT sensors in the Roland A50/80 was a rigid graphite board like the main note contact board but instead of rubber dome switches, the AT board that was more towards the front of the black keys and the front of the white keys(2 boards yes), had little black chip under each key called a HALL EFFECT Switch. It was triggered by the Steel/Lead weight under the keys and would act as a variable transistor or something like that. The Ensoniq SQ80 uses a inductor coil on the contact board itself and a stainless metal strip under each key would trigger the inductive coil pattern on the board. On the Kurzweil Poly AT MIDIBOARD the wood keys had a conductive rubber bumper at the end of each key attatched to a ground wire and would strike and touch a copper pad mounted to an aluminum chassis and that varied the capacitance of each key depending on how hard you pressed each key and how fast you struck the key(Poly AT and Velocity). The processor boards for all these classic 80s Poly AT keyboards were massive! And every one of these keyboard always had some kind of failure or stability issue too. So until I can buy and explore the tech used for Poly AT in the HydraSynth line or the more expensive Arturia Iridium? I will not be able to say what is going on there yet.Doubt that Korg or any of the major brands will EVER employ Poly AT.. sucks but I think it is true.
Great review and fantastic synth. I remember one very good comment about Opsix FM sonic power. It simply can give deep bass and very high frequences on same time what is not possible or difficult to get on rest of subtractive synths.
Loved the video and the S O U N D S! I have the OG Opsix and love it to death, and I was kinda hoping they would go the other way: Opsix and Wavestate modules.
looks nice, sounds nice. love that it comes with a hard case. don't like the wall wart power supply or the ridiculously small display. it's not available in "the states" but on Thomann, it's $1999, which will be around $2500 in the USA. for a glorified DX7, that's not a "no," that's a "HELL NO!"
This is a DX7 on steroids, and then more steroids and with a hard case included. Increased polyphony versus the original Opsix and not made in China. That said, I would be more willing to buy an Opsix SE without a hard case and a discount.
Funny enough, the OG opsix was "Bad Gear" a few days ago, and the conclusion was "we need an opsix SE". Me, I hope this means more updates etc. for all formats.
Enlarging the synth was however an opportunity to add knobs, sliders and other direct controls .... and also to enlarge the screen. I always find Korg ito be out in left field ....
The fact that the interface is not expanded still makes it hard to pick which one to get......hopefully this coming out will lower the prices of the small one on the used market. (not like I even have money to buy a Volca right now...... xD.....but someday....just got in a car accident today so now I have even less money, lol
On MK1 6 encoder knobs A-F feels really cheap. Is this same issue for SE? I mean they are too smooth I never seen knobs like this nor on Drumlogue nor Modwave. Opsix surprised me this way. I know those synths are lightweigtht but knob feeling on Opsix made me sad.
Actually there is a really good true to the original VST available from Korg to the original OPSIX - for as you can imagine a fraction of the cost. As far as the closest you could get in the market - I would like to put this up against a Yamaha MODX+ or Montage... I am basicing the build quality on your description so - I guess we are probably talking more like a Montage build less like a MODX+ (which is the plasticy cousin on the Montage - but still sounds really good). Just a thought
Hello friend, I am writing to you from Chile, when I update my opsix to 2.0.1 I stop having a connection with the sound library, I tried changing USB between NCM and RNDIS but there is no communication between the PC with WIN and the Korg. I'm thinking it would be nice to go back to 2.0 but how do you do that safely? Thank you so much
.............some could argue that, a good akai midi 61 keys fully assignable through quick controls and a Rob Papen Blue II software synth could do the same job at a third of the price. But when considering an 'out of the box go ahead' and easy chassis real time tweak capabilities then, it makes sense. About the price though, I would argue around the 1200 to 1400 uk price point rather than 1800 approx. It is a very worthy synth without a doubt and the first for some time I actually find myself drooling at. Price too high though IMO. But all in all a great effort. Nice one.
With aftertouch you mentioned that "the more you press it, the more modulation you apply". But in my experience with aftertouch on instruments, it seems to me like it's a binary thing? As in, you just have to get past a pressure threshold and it's either fully engaged or not engaged? Am I wrong, or is the aftertouch on the SE different?
Finally! But TBH design is flawed, many empty spaces. It seems like Korg made use some unused bodies and keybeds from different models that doesn't even fit the design... not even with color. Look, even faders and all exactly the same without slight changes...Original opsix was stylish green machine, this one looks like my dad made it. WHY Korg...
This is a nice synth, and the ES gives more voices (80), but ... WTF Korg!!!! For a bigger keyboard, a more sturdy enclosure and more voices you pay ... 20K (swedish kr) more?????!!!! 20K!!!! This is insane, noone should buy the ES and instead get a opsix desktop mod to get rid of the crappy keyboard. Having more knobs, bigger screen etc utilizing the new format would make sense, but this is just a bigger keyboard and some metal, basically otherwise just the same as the original version so totally unmotivating the price!!! How can possibly cost 20K more???
Anyone who at least likes if not loves the opsix OG should meanwhile own a decent MIDI controller capable of (channel of not per-key) aftertouch. So the SE's upgraded keybed isn't a selling point IMHO. If you are new to this machine, get yourself a used opsix OG from an "upgrader" along with any used or even new MODAL 8x model and you're still below or around the 1k limit ... and have a so-to-speak complimentary free synth along with a decent Fatar 61-key aftertouch-enabled semi-weighted keybed. What do you think? A modern wavetable or VA synth to complement your new more-than-just-FM miracle? And let me add one of the long-term community cravings to the list of missed opportunities: KORG should have listened carefully and given us the highly requested module/desktop version of the opsix. In an all-metal casing with the additional voices of polyphony. That would have made me consider upgrading my OG by actually downsizing and controlling it from my Hydrasynth Explorer with no space wasted for the plasticky 37-key keybed that lacks aftertouch entirely. Last but not least: Nice show, folks 👍
Doesn't move me at all. I have the original OPSIX, which I quite like, and will be converting to a desktop module via the Tall Dog kit. Even considering the original OPSIX price, you add an Argon8X or Cobalt8X - with those buttery Fatar keybeds - and the Tall Dog kit, and you STILL come out cheaper than this monstrosity's MSRP, with exponentially more synthesis options!! For something that offers effectively no internal improvements to the original, this is Korg laughing all the way to the bank.
It sounds great but so does original Opsix & Opsix Native. I wonder why Korg decided to release Wavestate SE and Wavestate MKII but only Opsix SE and no smaller Opsix MKII. They have the Wavestate MKII priced great but both Wavestate & Opsix SE are over priced. Odd choices. I own original Wavestate and would've jumped on Opsix MKII if it was released at the same price as Wavestate MKII. I have no interest in the over priced SE versions. I might just buy Opsix Native for $99. 😅
