Sonic Lab: Korg Minilogue XD Review 

There are some really nice phasers in there to get nice EP sounds

Don't you mean hold down the shift button while turning the depth up to get more mod?

@@zaffrolumpkins no no, hold shift and push effect select

Oh cool. I'll try that out. Maybe the shift and depth only controls dry wet for the reverb and delay

@@zaffrolumpkins Correct, shift + depth is dry/wet mix for REV and DEL, it is missing on MOD. The selection of SUB FX for MOD as described above will give you a diverse and rich set of each and ever MOD FX.

Indeed. I have been a keyboardist for 50 years, this is the best time ever for choices in synths.

It's a synth utopia. :-)

Since you have so much experience. Any recommendations or favorite modern synths?@@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene

@@foxglove9 My favorite synth that I own is the Roland SH-01 Gaia for complex sound design in poly. For mono or poly this Korg XD seems to be a winner, but I don't own one or ever played one, makes a difference if you own a synth for a few years and really dive deep into it. If money is no object the MoogOne poly is also a great choice. When choosing a synth it depends on you, is it a studio synth or a performing synth, does the synth have to do it all on stage or just a small part of a studio full of synths. IF you are looking for your first synth this Korg Minilogue XD is the perfect first synth because it is a poly, which means you can play triad chords and a lead on the same instrument. The sound design of the XD is straight forward subtractive synthesis but can go much deeper with modulation routing and motion control. You could easily spend years exploring the sound capabilities of this XD synth all with most of the control in front of you. A synth that looks complicated with the control surface full of knobs and sliders is actually a very easy synth to use compared to those menu synths with a display. And one more very important feature on the XD is the excellent effects, you will find when recording a synth that the synth is only half the sound, the effects and processing is what makes that synth sound come alive and really shine. So this little synth has everything but a keyboard, I would want to play the XD from an external keyboard at least 61 full sized keys. So adding a keyboard would cost another $200 and would be a single cable MIDI connection to the XD Just a little answer to your question, could write a book on them.

Thanks for the quick reply and info! @@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene

So was your body.

Volcas are trash. KingKorg was their best product in a while. Prolouge isn't anywhere as good as my old V-Synth and had a terrible pitch bug for a year.

@@pcuimac prologue was a bit of a disappointment to be honest but volcas are hardly thrash. They're limited sure but they're also all around the 150 quid mark new, sub 100 used (can get a lot of portable synth for very little money). And they're fun as hell.

@@pcuimac the bug varied in different models how bad it was. In mine it was hardly apparent. I still haven't done the update as it was minimal in mine. The multi engine means that programmers can create so many new oscillator types and effects plus it has the 2 VCO's so tbh it kicks the V-Synth into touch and so does the XD. Aside from the sequencer practically everything the XD can do the Prologue can do and with more voices and a fuller sound on the 16 voice version with the compressor. For those who try them superficially they won't experience how good the Prologue or the XD really are. For those who dig a little bit deeper will find both to be amazing instruments.

@Aaron Foltz No. The get around is you would have to create a similar digital waveform using the kit to create user oscillators for Prologue and XD. That may be a good one to do. It's not my field though

thank you for the apology

A very good looking MS2000BR is heading my way. Cannot wait to play it.

will have to try this with my peak, cheers

Put out some cash. Don't worry, people always congratulate you on your BRAVE purchases. ;)

He's talking about the original Minilogue, you know, not this one.

@@MarctheDarc Yes, this one is the original + extra stuff.

They should have upgraded the original with the extra stuff. But now they want you to buy a whole new synth.

@@nectariosm It's actually a considerable ways from the original. The chassis-design and 2 analogue oscillators are roughly the same, but the rest is more or less lifted from Mono- and Prologue. Changes include different filter, different LFO and envelope configurations and routings, new effects, digital oscillator, sequencer from Monologue, changed/removed voice-modes. This is least related to the original Minilogue of all the previous 'logues. More things have changed than stayed the same. And it's not all upgrades! Both duophonic mode with unison-detune, and monophonic mode with sub-oscillators, are gone. LFO can no longer be modulated by the envelope, and the mod-envelope is now AD, down from ADSR, and has less destinations, both to choose from and simultaneously. And while I think most people consider the filter an upgrade, it is "only" 12dB vs. 24/12dB, thus not necessarily as flexible. Don't get me wrong, there's some serious upgrades as well, but it's far from the original Minilogue! Far enough that it should be considered its own distinct synth. And the fact that he bought an original, cannot be used to make any point regarding this completely different synth.

Yep, I love Nick, and he's a super player/teacher. But...HE'S KILLING me. He has sucked the life out of my retirement account!

@@reXdownhamOG 😆😆 the hardware lust never ends !

...acquisition of the XD, you mean. Yeah, I held out on that one, but this, and now a module version...

OG’s are gonna be going for cheap on the used market. Get the XD module. That’s what I’m eyeing!

I bought a Minilogue as my first synth awhile ago and now I'm regretting it. That was a pretty big deal for me, easily the most expensive thing I've bought in a single purchase.

It still has a multimode filter with full ASDR, and an audio input!

@@ModularLanding thanks for pointing out there's a module version! That's exactly what I need. Love this synth but I'm running out of space and more keyboards are the last thing I need

Audio rates would be 20Hz to 20 thousand Hz. Normal LFO rates would be under 20Hz. Hz = cycles per second. Audio rates would be rates that can be herd as a note, as opposed to sounding like individual beats.

I've had my eye on the MicroFreak as well. I haven't even tapped into the potential of my Minilogue haha

Its absolutely brilliant, I can't stop playing it. Fun and instant, but almost endless tweakability at the same time. Korg knocked it out of the park. Highly recommend it!

Andy Channelle are they in the prologue as well?

@@Hirsbrochannel Looks like it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qEz5gzb2RKw.html

It's brilliant to be able to add it to the Polysix, Mono/Poly, MS-20 and Odyssey too. Maybe Korg will get round to adding them to the standard apps.

You can do that on the Monologue with it's key trig/hold button. It is indeed a great feature. Not sure why they left it out on the Minilogues... perhaps things would get out of whack transposing a polyphonic sequence?

@@gnarlysoundscapes7210 shouldn't be an issue when you can do it on any number of hardware sequencers in real time. It's possible that with the arpeggiator switched on as well as the sequencer, it could throw something out of the loop , but even then, surely they can add it as a mode via a two button combination or similar so that when you transpose in real time, you can't overdub any motion control at the same time. In other words, it's a 'play only' function. This is assuming that the processor array is being taxed out to the max already in order to deliver smooth functionality on the unit. I'd need one in front of me , and then record all manner of things via midi cc and so on, to see/ hear the changes. I've yet (pardon the pun) to hear of any korg instruments sputtering during playback , in terms of changes other than midi note, so I'm assuming it's doable quite simply.

How you liking the Pearl White version? Thinking of getting one myself.

@@gordonbennett7931 I just bought one and I love the look. Stands apart from the usual black. I looked at getting a Rev2 but don't have the budget.

Rich at Large I sold my 16 voice Rev 2 and kept this. I prefer it. Really.

My god as soon as I heard that chorus... Wow. Just wow. What a fantastic synth.