As a huge Korg fan I got to put together an Ensemble piece using 1978 era Korg Synths. The hero is the mighty PS3200 polyphonic synth playing homage to its big brother (and, as of 2024, soon to be re-released by Korg, the PS3300) by using the direct out of the 3200 into a MAM RS3 Resonator which recreates the famous PS3300 & 3100 modulated resonator circuit. The 3200 plays pads, base and noises.
Lead lines and extra pads via an MS20 into a VC10 Vocoder combo give a haunting breathy sound.
The SQ10 Sequencer drives the MS50 and MS20 synths for a rhythmic sequence and the MS10 with its famous pulse width modulation provides additional baselines.
Effects include the SE500 Tape Echo and the more modern Kaos Pad Mini.
All recorded on a Zoom R24 recorder.
Percussion utilises some sounds sampled from the various Korg Synths and is added in Ableton Live.
Recorded in April 2024, Wollongong courtesy of Jondent, with some additional sounds from my own original MS20 in Sydney.
The Video is mixed together bits of footage from the session but missed most of the playing and modulation action - but still it’s always nice to see some vintage Korg gear in action!
Additional notes: Some subtle detuning of the PS3200 individual notes was made possible via the Temperament Adjust mini pots. The PS3010 keyboard also provides for some interesting modulation effects via the joystick and the unique note triggering control. A Korg 3100 in the same studio verified the RS3 Resonator accuracy and the RS3 unit also is CV controllable like on the 3300. By using it with the PS3200 (which has 2 oscillators per note) it gets close to the functionality of a PS3300 but of course misses the fact that the 3300 has 3 Oscillators and 3 resonators etc. I look forward to the new PS3300FS announced by Korg at NAMM 2024.
