At Superbooth 2024, being held May 16-18 in Berlin, Korg Berlin is showcasing their latest prototype of the Acoustic Synthesis_phase8.
The Korg Acoustic Synthesis_phase8 is an electronically controlled acoustic instrument, that is part melodic synthesizer, part drum machine.
What makes it acoustic? You and the environment interact physically with the instrument. You can even mute, pluck or interfere with the resonators to sculpt the sound.
Here’s how it works:
- Acoustic Synthesis unites the sonic richness of real physically vibrating bodies with electronic control.
- The vibrating bodies in this prototype are a set of metallic resonators. Their geometries have been tuned so they vibrate at specific frequencies.
- Like in a piano, the resonator is hit it with a hammer, except Korg’s hammer is electromagnetic. This provides very precise control over when and how the resonators are struck.
Here’s an unofficial audio demo, via Bonedo Synthesizers:
Features:
- 8 independent electromechanical voices
- Sequencer with polyrhythmic shifting
- Waveshaping, Tremolo and EG control
- Replaceable and tunable resonators
- Mechanical sound shaping possibilities
Pricing and Availability:
Korg Berlin introduced the phase8’s predecessor, the Acoustic Synthesis_phase5, at Superbooth 2023. The phase5 was positioned as a demonstration of Acoustic Synthesis as a technology.
The Acoustic Synthesis_phase8 is being positioned as a product prototype. Korg notes, “We expect many similarities between this and the eventual product release. While there are details to be ironed out, as we adapt the design for mass-production, expect something along this trajectory.
They plan to debut the production version at Superbooth 2025.
Second year we’ve seen this prototype. Moving slow! It’s cool, but what’s taking so long?
show us your accomplishment from the last year
Here is mine
https://tinyurl.com/ImpressiveSound
Ooh, you little bugger!
It’s 14 years ago and you clearly lipsing.
The guy that dances in the background has some nice moves.
I’m amused by this and I can easily see how good it will be for several styles, mainly avant-stuff, but also soundtracks or Gabriel-scented rock.
OTOH, I could create that pattern with a mic’d kalimba, a looper and an Eventide box. I want to hear more people try it out. It seems so specialized, its half-novelty at the moment. I’m down with tunable resonators, but I need to hear the sequencer wide open.
Experimental musicians and composers have been designing their own instruments, or hyper-instruments, for decades now; finding different ways to make acoustic materials resonate and sustain. It’s great that there has been a swell of larger manufacturers bringing these ideas to a wider audience.
God tier shit. The idea of being able to replace the resonators or go at them with a Dremel is very exciting. The only thing I don’t see is individual outputs/CV trigger inputs for feedback shenanigans. I agree with Dave that this is still a tease for now, but Korg have delivered so many times over the last decade that I’m willing to Just Believe.
I’m getting slightly worried that the sound won’t be worked on sufficiently. It does sound the same as last year and to get range into this baby it needs SOMA level harsh effects, raunchy distortions and punchy delays with feedback that shakes your atoms. Nice reverbs Korg’s ‘logue and NTS range already has. I would’ve wished the introduction of more synthetic synthesis components fed into it, noise and even cross modulation with a wide ranged (digital?) oscillator. Sure, all this sort of stuff can still be implemented, but there’s still no trace of them thus far and OH I WORRY.
it’s a sequenceable kalimba. i’m not mad at it, might even pick one up depending on the price when completed. Tats is a legend though.
I think, for me, it’s how clever the sequencer on this is going to be it’s what will determine if I’m interested in it or not.
If it’s only 16 steps, for example, can you have the resonance play out for a step? By that I mean you may want to “hold” a note over a few bars and let the resonance of that note play out. If the sequencer resets every 16 steps then that’s not possible.
I’m interested to see how this develops.