Here is the first in a series of in-depth videos looking at the Korg MS-20 Mini, by synth guru Marc Doty.
In the first episode, Doty introduces the MS-20 Mini.
The Korg Mini MS-20 is a new analog mini-synth designed to faithfully recreate the circuitry and sound of the original synth classic.
The synth’s structure features two VCO’s, 2 VCA’s, 2 VCF’s, 2 envelope generators and an LFO. Patching is done with scaled-down 1/8″ cables. And circuitry has been added for MIDI support – so you play it with the mini-keyboard, play it with a full size keyboard or sequence it with other analog gear.
Doty notes, “All non-drum sounds in the theme were created by the MS-20 Mini.”
via AutomaticGainsay
I may be in the minority about this, and I certainly respectful of anyone whom is fond of retro gear and equipment. Personally I love the old Studer reel to reel recorders, not because I think they are superior to anything offered today, rather there is a certain sonic quality about them that is musical.
Yet this debate about analogue vs digital is actually juvenile. Funny how electronic music in general is supposed to be about the future and yet so many blast the idea of digital synths and laud the prowess of old analogue synths. I agree that most digital synths are not great, yet I think that same metric can be applied to many analogue synthesizers as well.
Not to mention the inherent limitations that analogue synths present. Personally I believe that analogue emulation and convolution is the future. It is all about the complexity of the algorithm and the quality as well.
Much of this love affair is nostalgia. Not science. I just hope all of this regress, retread and retro does not stunt the natural evolution and progress of synthesizer technology. Hopefully we can have a healthy debate and not just some anger laden clever expletive hidden rewording posts.
nice try, Roland…
Marco, that is a lazy and frankly stupid attempt. To me Roland is not even worthy of discussion as I do not think they have made anything worthy of purchase since the JD8080. And even that is tenuous at best.
Actuslly I think the analogue vs digital dialogue is more complex than simple nostalgia.
For me everything is about the user interface. I need the right options at my finger tips, I need it to be intuitive, I need my choices to not be overwhelming.
The advantage analog had over digital for me, was that the entire interface was purpose built, whereas a digital synth was often locked behind a monitor with only the mouse or keyboard to access it.
This is less of an issue with more and more USB interfaces being built. However, generally those interfaces are still more generic than the custom built interface for the analog machine. Why does this bug me? Because I don’t want to have to try to remember how to use something, label it, file manage, or even turn on the pc to find the application. There is a great deal of work in setting up sound libraries plugins codecs vests etc getting them all to work together, and for me, while I am technically proficient, I am not willing. I simply want to play.
This is also part of why I don’t want an overwhelming list of choices. If I want a thin high sound, I turn on my Casio, if I want bass I turn on my moog or korg. If I want distortion I get my guitar.
Everyone has their own preferences with these issues.
Also I’d like to add that those who vote analogue do NOT mean ANYthing analogue. You don’t hear people laud the Korg Poly61. Because it has sucky buttons which hide away the functionality. While its sister the Korg Polysix only had a single oscillator and many fewer tricks, it’s knobbed interface was extremely accessible, AND it sounded great.
There’s tonnes of gear you’ll never hear an analogue buff mention, and yes I chose an fm synth as example… I am aware…
I have to respectfully disagree with you Marc, and I was not inferring that VST plugins or plugs in general are a substitute for tactile controls. Yet I think from Access to Nord, from Elektron to DS, they are viable options that for exceed the mere limitations of an MS-20 which I would never purchase regardless of the price. I would take a Virus B even over any analogue offering today. Tactility is key and certainly the pages and pages of submenus is cumbersome and troubling, yet that is a function of poor design.
Yet this nostalgic resurgence of these synths is not progress. It simply is not and shame the makers especially the big players such as Roland and yes Korg for not recognising what musicians truly desire and need.
The analog renaissance is more than just nostalgia – technology has advanced to the point that companies can now make real analog synths, give them hands-on interfaces, and make them affordable. These new analogs are popular not just for nostalgia but because they’re the best synths that a lot of people can buy.
The challenge for digital synth makers is to give their keyboards focus, personality and a hands-on interface. Most companies are making digital keyboards that do everything, which means you can’t have a knob for everything, which makes most of these synths a bitch to use.
I’ll be interested in seeing how the King Korg does. It looks like Korg has given it both a powerful synth engine and a straightforward interface.
I don’t agree with you; i think that digital and analog are complementary, not substitutes. They naturally coexit, because, at the state of art, they are different in sounding and functions. That’s why a lot of artists still use nowdays analog gear; it’s not nostalgia, it’s about sound and approach. This explain this reflux on analog gear; in ’90/’00 the synth producers try to replace analog with digital, but they failed, there still was a high demand on analog gear because a lot of pepole needed analog and they used vintage gear instead new digital for some aspects of their productions. That’s why moog (and the other analog producers) still exist today…
Yeah totally agree. I love using 8 bit crushed digital synths with moog bass. Sound rad together. And hybrid digital/analog synths are fun. Like the Hackmeopen Rockit synth or some of the mutable instruments stuff. That stuff is unique sounding, digital and analog based, knob laden, customizable, affordable, easily integrated into live and studio set ups. Etc etc future.
It’s all about performance, what ever works the best for you. It just happen that presets and endless possibilities of digital world doesn’t turn me on. Sonically I don’t have anything against digital domain.
For me creation of the music is statement of the moment and it doesn’t have to sound same every time.
Thanks
GAH! What a tease… I’ve been waiting for these videos for weeks!
Admin: Comment deleted. Please keep comments on topic and constructive.
Oops. Can do, will do, should’ve done.
Thanks for reminder.
Sorry Marc! (I also did say that the CS-50 ones were great)
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Marc, your analog reviews are superb, Nick at Sonic State, love your reviews but give the analog stuff to this guy.
Attention to detail is fantastic.
Nick at Sonic State, don’t worry some of us still prefer your reviews!
Dear Marc, thank you for all of the great videos and hairstyles. Would you ever consider sporting a mohawk during a synth review? Thanks. – Fan
I preordered mine end January. Still 8 weeks waiting. This vid keeps me dreaming 🙂
The only thing I don’t like is that MIDI only works with notes. No MIDI CC, RPN/NRPN or SysEx for controlling parameters 🙁 BUT the original doesn’t have MIDI at all 🙂
I like the sound and improvements of my iMS20 and it costs much less if you buy a used iPad 1 or 2. There is also the GEForce Minimonsta and Korg Legacy Collection for Mac which I can use with my Ultranova via Automap. So I don´t see why I should buy that thing.
For ($or€) 600,- you can buy an iPad 4 with camera connection cable and a Korg Microkey25.
Now you have an iMini (Arturia) or Virsyn or Synrizer(JP8000+) or Animoog or Magellan or Cassini or WaveGenerator or etc. I know what to buy.
MS20 Mini = No patch memory. No DAW integration. No polyphony. No effects. No subosc. No use.
Even the King Korg is much more useful than this barebone excuse for a synth.
But Marc Dotys enthusiasm is really impressive. He must have had very good time with his Mini.
So buying this thing is more about emotion than reason.
Admin: Personal attack deleted. Please keep your comments on topic and constructive.
The iPad suits your needs and it is an inexpensive way of having lots of choice. But I am in the very fortunate position of owning a large collection of vintage analogue synths, plus all the vintage plug ins, plus all the popular iPad synths and I can tell you the iMS20 on the iPad to my ears is a pale shadow of the real thing. One or two of the computer based soft synths, mainly The Odditty, are amazing. That particular soft synth is the most realistic recreation i’ve heard. But almost all the others can sound fake unless you are very carful and know how to ‘dial out’ the software/digital elements of the sound.
I think ‘not’ buying this synth is also about emotion. Its about the emotion of believing you are being taken advantage of, and that you know better than all the other idiots, when in fact you are being offered a beautiful musical experience at a great price. Its up to you to embrace it.
I know know the Beatles were the greatest pop band of all time, but back then I hadn’t heard heard enough music and wasn’t open minded enough to appreciate other sounds.
Synthopia deleted so much of my post it no longer made sense, so here it is again without the offending words….
That is just lack of experience on your part. Its not your fault, you obviously dont have any analogue synths to enjoy and therefore you cant see the benefit or compare the difference. Or you dont appreciate the sound of analogue, which is also fine, each to their own. But you are assuming your iMS20 sounds like a real MS20, but with more features. It doesnt. It sounds like an approximation, its about 85% of a real MS20, but its still quite digital. If you know how analogue sounds, you can get some very realistic analogue sounds from the Legacy collection, but if you dont you will be finding lots of sounds that are basically digital synth sounds. If that pleases your ears, then you are doing the right thing.
But to call it an excuse for a synth is inacurate. Its like when I was a teenager into Depeche Mode and I used to say the Beatles were rubbish. You may also be young, and therefore you never had analogue synths around you. If this is true then you don’t know the beautiful experience they offer.
The iPad suits your needs and it is an inexpensive way of having lots of choice. But I am in the very fortunate position of owning a large collection of vintage analogue synths, plus all the vintage plug ins, plus all the popular iPad synths and I can tell you the iMS20 on the iPad to my ears is a pale shadow of the real thing. One or two of the computer based soft synths, mainly The Odditty, are amazing. That particular soft synth is the most realistic recreation i’ve heard. But almost all the others can sound fake unless you are very carful and know how to ‘dial out’ the software/digital elements of the sound.
I think ‘not’ buying this synth is also about emotion. Its about the emotion of believing you are being taken advantage of, and that you know better than all the other idiots, when in fact you are being offered a beautiful musical experience at a great price. Its up to you to embrace it.
I know know the Beatles were the greatest pop band of all time, but back then I hadn’t heard heard enough music and wasn’t open minded enough to appreciate other sounds.
The Digital vs. Analog was a debate that was quite relevant… a very long time ago. These days it is kept alive by people who seek status or righteous indignation.
Why do I favor analog synthesizers (I say synthesizers because apart from synthesizers, I have a great deal of digital equipment)? Because I use them like a musical instrument, not a production tool. I play my synthesizers in realtime, and I seek realtime control as I do so. Synthesis is a process wherein you imagine and create the sound you envision using specific tools. I want immediacy and realtime control over those tools, and I don’t want the interface to interfere with my creativity. For me, knob-per-function analog synths allow me to do those things in a fashion that is effectve, as well as inspiring.
There is also the element of tone quality. I personally, wholly within my own tastes, like the variability and tone of analog synthesizers. I grew up in a time when synthesizers sounded like musical instruments which could generate timbres those instruments couldn’t. As I got older, the functionality and power of synthesizers increased dramatically, but the beautiful rich acoustic-like tone of them did not. The only nostalgia I employ is for a time when synthesizers had tone as well as functionality.
Lastly, I am really excited by aesthetic. I enjoy the visual and aural aesthetic of vintage synthesizers.
The only thing an analog synthesizer is better at than a digital synthesizer is the ability to make analog sounds. And for some people like me, that’s enough.
As for patch storage: If you have enough experience and knowledge, you really don’t need patch storage. If you focus on a specific analog instrument, work with it, come to understand it, and find it expressive… you naturally learn what setting in each function makes what noise in regard to the sound as a whole. It’s a fact of life… any great synthesist will say the same thing. Patch storage is convenient for performance, but not necessary. I perform live with a Minimoog AND an ARP 2600. Is patching as immediate as a preset? No way… but because you’re a musician and you believe in what you’re doing, you work harder and find solutions.
Keep in mind that in today’s synthesizer community, MOST synthesizer players use synthesizers as production tools and NOT performance instruments. But you must also realize that if you’re going to crave vintage and analog, you might have to increase your skill set… and what could possibly be wrong with that? No DAW integration? Record in realtime. Synthesizers don’t need to be quantized. No MIDI? Play with your hands. No automated function change? Use CV. Learn how analog synthesis WORKS! I promise you’ll be glad you did.