In his latest loopop video, host Ziv Eliraz takes an in-depth look at the new KORG miniKORG 700Sm, which is being introduced at the 2025 NAMM Show, being held January 21–25 in Anaheim, California.
The miniKORG 700Sm is essentially an 86% scale version of the 2021 miniKORG 700FS, which was manufactured in limited quantities. Both are updated versions of Korg’s first synth, the miniKORG 700, from 1973, which was designed to sit on top of an organ or other keyboard and expand your palette with synth sounds.
In his video, Eliraz shares an overview of the miniKorg 700Sm, demonstrates its sonic capabilities, and offers his take on its pros and cons:
Topics covered:
0:00 Intro
1:25 vs classics
2:25 vs 700FS
3:10 Overview
5:25 Build
5:45 I/O
7:00 VCO 1
8:10 VCO 2, Effect
10:00 Filters
11:00 Bright (Res)
12:20 Bender (P env)
12:40 VCA env
13:10 Sustain?
14:00 Expand (F env)
14:20 LFO, Vibrato
14:40 Travel vib
14:55 Joystick, AT
15:40 Arp
16:40 Portamento
17:05 Feedback magic
20:20 Pros & cons
22:05 Its sounds
Check out the video and share your thoughts on the miniKORG 700Sm in the comments!
Nice, but $1,300 nice?
for anyone like myself who was around when this first came out… I can only ask, “WHY” revisit this product. It was widely regarded as a toy, at the time, not a serious synthesizer… Moog and Arp were miles ahead then, this seemed like an attempt to catch up with them, but be “user friendly”. Sounded poor, and it looked like a toy. Nothing different now, IMHO
The Odyssey and Minimoog were a lot more expensive at the time. It might have been thought of as a toy by some but were they the proggy noodlers? There were those for whom it was a way to get a synth, used it in a way i find a lot more creative and interesting, who didnt think it was a toy. It was the first synth i played and I still find playable sounds fall out of it. Lego looks like a toy, this looks like a synth for an organ user much like the GX1. I know whose side I am on
it’s pricing like this that makes Behringer vintage business model work. if OEM’s reissued at reasonable prices? well.
Classic weeny “organ topper” synth. My nostalgia doesn’t seem to include monosynths. I drool over polysynths. No velocity & minikeys are a miss if you really expect to solo with it, for my big mitts, anyway. If you’re going to trust the voice, having only 14 patch slots is a nope.
This one needs the softsynth treatment to address its lack of muscle. A real ARP Pro Soloist would be a dubious proposition, but Cherry Audio turned it into a contender.
Hello Musicworld,
Where are the new music-instruments innovations, where are the future of music instruments. In the past I only see clones from old legends, How boring is that?
I’m interested and would like to get one. If you could choose one, would you get the new 700sm or the larger 700fs?
Thank you,
-howie