All user reviews for the Korg microKORG

I would have liked to see more oscillators available,but for the price paid it seems to fit for everything you recieve.I also would have liked to see bigger keys.

Price paid

$400 USD

UTILIZATION

This synth was fairly easy to use.This was a bit of an upgrade to me as I was coming up from a Korg EA-1,so learning how to get around on the matrix of the microKorg took a few minutes.

SOUNDS

The sound quality is pretty solid.Hook this little synth up to a big system and hear it roar.

OVERALL OPINION

I have had this synth for about 3 years now and have never had to get it repaired.The body of the synth is fairly durable.

Although the Alesis micron is out now and heavily competes and in some cases people would say blows this little synth away.I still remember that this was out 3 years ago and is still perfect for me today with my budget.

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: TheOracle ( 6-, 2005)

Needs an extra oscillator, but probably be improvised by using the timbres. Other than that, it's fine.

Price paid

£244 (€350)

UTILIZATION

A bit tedious to edit at times, but the time taken up is worth it. Within an hour I had some pretty rich phat sounds going. Loads of people complain about it's mini-keys, but for me they actually suit me since i've got tiny hands (it's true) Because of tis I can play twice as fast as my MIDI keyboard with full-sized keys.

SOUNDS

Real phat sounds from this little guy. Well it is basically using the same sound engine as the mighty MS2000...

OVERALL OPINION

Looks pretty solid and even though most of it is made of plastic, it actually quite fooled me for it to be made of metal.

I love this little beast, so much that I canceled my order for my MS2000B before I got this.

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: Future_Ninja ( 7-, 2005)

This unit is jam packed with features (concidering the size) theres all teh effects you would need, great filters and loads of good presets to get stuck into. The keys are a nightmare but plugging an external midi keyboard into it does the trick!

Price paid

£235.99

UTILIZATION

The editability is a little frustrating at times as the main editing controls are split up over two control nobs and the editing list is hard to read in a dark studio. Though it is a small unit so something has to give!!!!

I've had this unit for 7 months and i take it out of the studio some times and it seems fine, dont fancy dropping it though!

SOUNDS

The bass sounds are amoung the fattest around (dont think to much of the preset ones though) and as for the lead!! well for a bit of tech house its amazing!!!!

OVERALL OPINION

All in all its a great machine, I love the vocoder. It would be a full 10 if it had a little more ease. Good though.

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: FlyMuzic (January 0-, 2005)

Great vocoder with the formant hold feature. Polyphony is lacking with only 4 and 2 if you use 4 oscillators (2 timbres). The keyboard is small bue it think it has a nice playing to it feel with nice pitch and mod wheels. I dont like the fact that we have to erase presets to save our own but the software editor sorted that out. But overall, for what must be the cheapest new synth available, it's a super bargain.

Price paid: 350 euros

UTILIZATION

I think it's the low point of this machine. With 2 wheels to choose the parametrs, 5 to change them and only a 3 digit screen you have to spend a lot of time with the manual to really get the best out of it cause it can be confusing at first. After that rough start i think you can pretty much "surf" trough your creations.

SOUNDS

Really great sounds. You can really get major (and i mean MAJOR) stuff from this thing.

OVERALL OPINION

Have it for a year and a half. Always moving it, already used it with batteries and it still works like the first day. Great

Great little machine. Even if i won't use it more in the future because of other buys i won't sell it because i will always have a memory of it as my first little synth :D Actually i still use it as a midi keyboard cause i like it's small size and portability.

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: DaNexTgEn ( 4-, 2006)

- What type of keyboard (synth, piano...)? How many octaves?
It's a small keyboard, narrow keys, short, with just 3 octaves. It's got dynamic touch but no aftertouch and doesn't feel that great.

- What controlers (pitch, modulation, sustain...)?
I think you can add a pedal to this but not sure cos i lent it to a friend and he's had it for ages so i just can't remember or even check. The bastard won't give it back!

- What connection types are there (Audio, MIDI, pedals...)?
You have 2 big jacks for audio in and the same for out, a minijack for mic in, midi in & out & maybe a thru but i doubt it, and i think there is a pedal jack.

- How many sounds, effects? What styles? Can they be edited?
Quite a variety of sounds, and they can be metamorphosed with just a knob so you can obtain loooaaads of different sounds with this thing, it really is amazing. You'll have a hard time getting anything that sounds real out of it, such as piano or guitar, but i'm not sure that's the point anyway.
You have 5 real time knobs but this does not cover all the edition parameters...you have to fiddle with other settings too if you want to explore the whole depth of the machine. I haven't tried that yet, but maybe i should.
They should have had 10 knobs and made everything directly accessible. Also a proper LCD screen would be good.

- through a Mac/PC utility program?
Nah, don't think so.

- What's the polyphony?...
Ooh, not much: 4 i think. 8 or 16 would have been nice.

UTILIZATION

- Is the general configuration/setup simple?
Switch it on, press a bank button and you're already having fun. This machine sounds great.

- Is the sound or effects editing easy?
Never tried proper editing, only know fiddling, and that's dead easy of course...

- Is the manual clear and sufficient?...
Not sure i have one.

SOUNDS

- Do the sounds suit your style of music?
Most people complain that the sounds on this apply to too few styles. Well, the machine was surely aimed at a certain market. But you can use it on pop and i'm sure you could use it on loads of stuff with a little imagination and maybe an external effects rack.

- Are they realistic?
No.

- What do you think about the effects?
The beast sounds great to me.

- Is the expressiveness acceptable? (touch sensitivity, aftertouch)?
No aftertouch on this as far as i know. Keyboard works but a nicer touch and bigger keys would have been nice. It's ok for silly little riffs, though. And i guess if you have an M-Audio Axiom then you could use that to control the Korg...

- What sounds do you like or hate?
Those you don't like you can fiddle with or ignore so...

OVERALL OPINION

- For how long have you been using it?
Had it a few months, but my mate has had it longer than i have now...he can't seem to live without it.

- What thing do you like most/least about it?
The sound is unique, MUCH better than plug-ins...and no latency.
Haven't tried the audio in jacks yet but using this to filter other sources does sound very appealing.
It's small and easily carriable.
But the keyboard is a bit small and the polyphony is a little short too.

- Did you try many other models before getting this one?
Nope. I got it at a bargain price, used: went for it.

- What is your opinion about the value for the price?
The new price on this hasn't budged for ages, proving that demand is still high. I think the price should be lower by now, but the used price is a real bargain.

- Knowing what you know now, would you make the same choice?...
Yes, definitely.
But also check out the other mini / micro keyboards, some of them sound amazing too.