The History of the miniKORG 

I hope that this was kinda announcement for upcoming Korg documentary.

Out of the three main synth companies, Korg is the one that has stayed the most pure. Yamaha and Roland are great, but I personally feel like they never did appreciate their customers and fans as much as Korg does.

Will the BBC pick you up already?! I can't get enough of your videos, and I feel like they deserve to be shown to a wider audience!

Awwwww. I love Kitaro's Silk Roads. My Mom had a tape of it and I remember nearly wearing it out on my little tape player as a little kid. Still remember how magical the textures sounded to me :)

Your composition with Korg 700FS sounds amazing!!!

Thank you for bringing us these fascinating, historical insights. Wonderful stuff for all synth-heads.

Love that this guy as an interest in other synth manufacturers as well as Roland. I get bored of hearing endless Roland stuff all the time. Great video Alex.

It absolutely blows my mind that they were able to build this thing I the early 60s. It sounds absolutely incredible 🤯

I had to come back to tell you this... Last week I was at the Norwich UEA, at a Heaven 17 gig. Afterwards, when the roadie was unplugging, I asked if i could take a closer pic of Martyn Ware's original 700, that he used on being boiled. He takes it to every gig. The roadie actually lifted it down so I could get a better pic. I was then politely ushered from within the barrier by security😂 Totally made my night.

I do love an Alex Ball synth lesson! Same as many others here, I'd love a full length Korg documentary.

700 was my first synth in '75 or so, loved that thing. Then couldn't make rent, always wondered where it ended up all these decades on.

Man, that Outro song is one of the most beautiful things I've heard in a while. Thanks for making these!

A few years ago I was given a miniKORG 700s, a Hammond tonewheel organ, and a solid state Leslie speaker from a friend who had given up live music. None of them worked any more, and I didn't have space for any of them, so I donated them to a friend who recycles and repairs everything and is also a musician. The Leslie wasn't worth keeping, but he fixed and kept the Korg and Hammond. I had no idea until now how important that model is.

Many old synths sound haunted to me, like they hold their own energy from the past that plugz and new synths do not posses. ⭕️ Another awesome and informative video bro.👌🏼

Bought a 700FS. Neat, weird little synth. Shockingly strong and brash sounding when it wants to be. Definitely has a "take it or leave it" attitude. It either does something or not. The ring mod is stupendously awesome.

That outro jam is special...

I'm your fan. I respect you. Thank you for the wonderful video today.

I love my 700, and I’m a criminal for not using it on more recordings. That “traveler” filter is the best.

The controls for the Mini Korg are so beautiful. I wish those coloured switches and knobs would appear on other, new and affordable synths.

Maximum respect for anything composed in 5/4. There's so many more melodic possibilities with it, and you found a very nice one. Looking forward to your next album release😉

Best Korg ad ive seen.

Love the miniKorg with its melancholic Synth Sounds, reminds me on Yellow Magic Orchestra...even I don´T know if they ever used one.....but the Design of the Re-Issue looks like my Hohner Bonanza Organ from 1978....Great mini Documentary of a miniSynthesizer 👍

I loved the lead in the first jam that Mr. Ball did. It felt kind of unique to me, though I am sure that it is possible to replicate in other synths...

I love KORG. My very first synth was a KORG Poly 800 II. I got battery powerd dMIDI sequencer and mad w wn IN + OUT MiDI cables. But could only play one patch (sound) at a time. I figured out how to play Axel F, Jump (Van Halen), Dreams (Van Halen),

A little late on this video, loved the closing track, Alex. Beautiful!

Love these documentaries! Fingers crossed that you'll create a full Korg documentary like the one you made for Roland

These documentaries are top notch. So much history, and amazing machines I'd never seen before. Great job again!

I like how esoteric the design is. I feel like modern synth makers have something to learn form this. Maybe an instrument tactile fun, and a joy to figure out how to use. This really brings across a special character.

KORG 700S is a treasure of Japan. Thank you for the loving video!! I was lucky enough to get the 700FS. I will continue to play carefully.

Nice to see Rose Morris on that old Korg advert around 5:35. They were the importers in the early 90s when I got my first Korg.

Love these historical stories of synths, with custom songs made on them. It's a great combo.

I will watch your new video after work... always cool to see a new one. Your channel is the best on RU-vid!

My favorite sounding synth!

As usual a great short documentary on a wonderful old relic. The MiniKorg was the first synth I ever played (with) back in 1980. My room-mate, at our student house in Bath, turned up with one. I thought it was amazing but then when you are a 19 year old student most things that are noisy are amazing. My room-mate was really into music and neglected his Electronic Engineering course. But he made the right choice! His name was Rob Fisher and he went on to eventual chart success as Clime-Fisher and was a great force behind the scenes in British pop before his untimely death in 1999. It took until I retired for me to return to playing (with) synthesizers. I still remember the sound of Whitewing in the Sports Pavilion at Bath Uni.....

that re-issue sounds so good!

The original 700 (or Univox MiniKORG as it was known in the US) was my very first synth back in the early 90s. I used it a lot despite my total ignorance of synthesis and sound design at the time. It eventually died and like a fool I got rid of it. This month I finally got my hands on another one, making this video quite timely. Even with a single oscillator it's overflowing with character. It's good to see it getting some love here, thanks for another entertaining and informative video!

Maybe a Micro Korg documentary. Thanks for your pretty well done videos. Grüße aus Düsseldorf.

Love your history focused videos! Fantastic!

Great mini documentary Alex and sounding beautiful as ever. Such a sweet sounding synth, love those compositions, that last one especially.

I traded two Speak-n-Spells and a Casio SK-1 for a Univox MiniKorg a few years back. The guy was really into circuit bending I guess. Thanks Alex for another nice nice documentary and interesting piece of synth history.

Today I give thanks for this channel

Alex, you are not only an amazing musician but also an excellent historian of technology. It's kinda shocking to me you can do both so well. Most musicians I know are really bad with words.

That outro song though.... Love all of those tones!

This was a lovely mini doc on the minikorg. It was very pleasant to watch and the closing song was a great tribute. I would love to hear more on korg’s history.

Love your videos. Thanks man!

Awesome video! Thank you!

Great video as always, thank you!

Well done, Alex! I learned a lot, and I LOVE the soundtrack :) What a sweet run that board had! Congrats getting your hands on one.

Quality content, thanks for sharing.

Great video. thanks!

Perfect video to watch while I'm having breakfast. Well done! Nice change of sweaters during the last music segment. ;-)

Great research, presentation and playing! I'm impressed.

Thank you for this Alex. Love these excursions into synth history.

Beautiful - thanks Alex!

This video made me seriously want the miniKORG 700FS. It is really more effective than the Korg's offcial promotional video. The only thing perhaps missing in the video are bald robots in the background.

Great stuff. It’s fascinating to here about the early days of Korg. Thanks for taking the time and your excellent presentation. I also love your videos because each one proves that you can make a great track with minimal equipment. It’s all about having the skills to make the best of what you have.

Awesome video, thanks Mr. Ball!!

Cheers Alex, tremendous mini-doc, tremulous sounds. Can only like once etc.

Thanks for all you do Alex! I immensely appreciate your historical insights and presentation on these mini documentaries.

You never fail to impress, inform and entertain me. Great stuff!

Great docu!

Another great history and design lesson with custom composed soundtrack. Thank you Mr. Ball.

Very enjoyable video, both for the history content as well as the beautiful music. Thanks for sharing, Alex!

So dope, and that music at the end was beautiful!

Super well done, comme d’habitude! Love the early story and that first Traveller on the organ! Excellent end track, I especially appreciated the ring mod lead. 👌🏻

Excellent. I love your mini documentaries.

Nicely told. I love the serendipity that started it all.

Thanks so much for this video. I've always been fascinated by this synth ever since I saw a picture of it some 10 years ago. This thing sounds INCREDIBLE

That was simply a beautiful video on every front, thanks Alex

thank you for doing all of this.

Another excellent doc Alex! Thanks for taking the time do these and do them proper. 🙏🙌

2 bars in, I pegged the C700 sound to my Silk Road LP. Unmistable signature.

Fab vid Alex, keep them coming mate.

miss my Univox mini korg! the thing sounded so awesome!

OMG that bass coming off the mini korg reissue in your track is utterly sublime!

That last tune man. Great.

I wish all my history lessons were like this back in high school.... Such an amazing story.

The tune at the end is such a killer. Awesome sounds in 5/4. Fantastic!

Now I'm just staring at my 700 that has been neglected for some time. It's just such a lovely sounding instrument that also has a surprisingly great user interface (for right handed people).

I just love the look of new faders and knobs.

You are a fantastic narrator Alex. Your documentaries are real gems

Yet another great instrument that I sold years ago.

Top quality content top quality talent with these great musical creations of yours.

Another fantastic and really interesting video, what a great little synth! Super music too!

I really hope we get a Korg history documentary

Wow I must have read your mind!!! So stoked for this!

Great video, this channel is one of the best on RU-vid

Alex, you’re one of my favourite artists on YT. You know your history, your gear, and you deliver well made videos with a generous helping of wit and humour. Most of all, I know whenever I click on one of your videos that the music is going to be GREAT. Top notch work once again, Sir!

Alex, I am thankful for many things today. Your channel is one of them. Cheers, My Friend. 😎

One of my favorite sounding synths ever. Nothing sounds like it. Looking forward to the full Korg history video!

Great documentary your skill with presenting is truly a gift, thank you for sharing your knowledge I am always learning more with each presentation you create.

Lovely work, as ever. I found one of these in a second hand shop in the '90s and found it so utterly inscrutable that I gave it a pass. Perhaps if I'd spent more than 10 minutes with it, I could have figured it out and left with a bargain.

Well, Professor Ball, I'm again blown away for that demo tune at the end is so well suited to the instrument you presented before. Thank you for the joyful moment.

Fantastic work as usual. Echoing others in here, I would love full length Alex Ball doco on Korg. T'would be awesome.

Alex I've not even started watching this but here's my thoughts. I cannot wait to see this! The land of the rising sound video you did is the best documentary I've seen related to anything synth. Keep up the good work. Fingers crossed the BBC are watching and give you the money to do a full history on the synthesizer, covering all the bands that ever influenced the sounds created.

Another great video Alex I really enjoy your work. Your video on how play funk synth bass inspired me to buy a Moog Grandmother and start getting keyboard lessons again after 30 years(!).

Awwwwwwwwwssome!! I love this synth. It oozes with character. I marvel at the kinds of sounds Greg Hawkes of 'The Cars' gets out of his - I think his multi-instrumentalist sensibilities guided him a bit there. Naff synth-pop noises to some pretty lush stringy sounds (through some signal processors, it sounded pretty good in the mix) Thanks for giving us a little taste of this legend, Alex!! Appreciated as always!

Anyone else hit the like button before the video starts, because you know it's going to be good? Well it's always good, let's face it, so might as well get it out of the way.

Another great & informative video. I agree with others on here that you should get a tv show or something because out of all the synth channels I watch you are simply the best. I'd love a "Jam along with Alex" video so we can see how you put your tracks together and see if us mere mortals can keep up :-D

Awesome