The Korg Poly-800 is an 8-voice analog synthesizer released by Korg in 1983. Its initial list price of $795 made it the first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer that sold for less than $1,000. It was designed for portability, featuring battery power and a lightweight design that allowed the user to play with it strapped around their neck. It utilized digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs), and was a paraphonic synth with a single filter shared between its eight voices.
The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in early 1981.
The microKORG is a MIDI-capable digital synthesizer/vocoder from Korg featuring DSP-based analog modelling. The synthesizer is built in such a way that it is essentially a Korg MS-2000 with a programmable step arpeggiator, a less advanced vocoder, lack of motion sequencing, lack of an XLR microphone input, and in a smaller case with fewer real-time control knobs.
The Korg DW-8000 is a polyphonic hybrid digital-analog synthesizer released in 1985. It blends digital waveforms with an analog filter and amplifier, followed by a digital delay for adding echo effects. It boasts eight-note polyphony and its keyboard is equipped with velocity sensitivity and aftertouch.
The Korg Prophecy is a monophonic synthesizer released by Korg in 1995. one of the earliest commercial DSP physical/acoustic and analog "virtual" modeling sound synthesizers and Korg's first monophonic synthesizer since the Mono/Poly. The Prophecy employs Korg's Multi Oscillator Synthesis System (MOSS), which features digital oscillators capable of emulating synthesis techniques such as analog synthesis, FM and physical modelling. Emphasized for its portability, expressiveness, and engaging playability, a distinctive feature of the Prophecy is its multifunctional Wheel 3, nicknamed the 'log'.
The Polymoog is a hybrid polyphonic analog synthesizer that was manufactured by Moog Music from 1975 to 1980. The Polymoog was based on divide-down oscillator technology similar to electronic organs and string synthesizers of the time.
The Korg Polysix(PS-6) is a six-voice polyphonic analog synthesizer released by Korg in 1981. It was one of the first affordable polyphonic synthesizers on the market, and was released as a cheaper alternative to the Sequential Prophet-5 and Oberheim OB-X, priced at approximately a third of the cost of its contemporaries in the polysynth market. It includes one VCO per voice, enhanced by a chorus/ensemble effect for added richness. It also comes equipped with 32 program memories and an integrated arpeggiator.
The Korg Wavestation is a vector synthesis synthesizer first produced in the early 1990s and later re-released as a software synthesizer in 2004. Its primary innovation was Wave Sequencing, a method of multi-timbral sound generation in which different PCM waveform data are played successively, resulting in continuously evolving sounds. The Wavestation's "Advanced Vector Synthesis" sound architecture resembled early vector synths such as the Sequential Circuits Prophet VS.
The ARP Omni was a polyphonic analog synthesizer manufactured by ARP Instruments, Inc.
The Korg Mono/Poly (MP-4) is a paraphonic analog synthesizer released by Korg in 1981, bridging the gap between monophonic and polyphonic synthesis. Released in the same year as the Korg Polysix, as a complementary synth, The Mono/Poly is equipped with four VCOs and can operate as a four-voice paraphonic synth with limited capabilities, or as a monophonic synth using all four oscillators. Upon its release, it was the only monophonic synthesizer with an integrated quad-VCO design available on the market.
The Korg PS-3300 is a polyphonic analog synthesizer released by Korg in 1977. It was released alongside the PS-3100, a more compact variant featuring a complete synthesizer voice board for each of its 48 keyboard notes. The PS-3300 essentially combines three PS-3100 units, triggering all voices simultaneously with each key press and mirroring the PS-3100's overall design, featuring a total of 144 synth voices. The PS-3300 uses the PS-3010, a detachable keyboard equipped with an assignable joystick called the X-Y Manipulator.
The Korg DW-6000 is a six-voice polyphonic hybrid digital-analog synthesizer released in 1985. It blends digital waveforms with analog filters and amplifiers, and has a chorus effect to create a richer sound. The DW-6000 was quickly succeeded by the DW-8000.
Paraphony is a term which has three distinct meanings in the field of music.
The Korg Z1 is a digital synthesizer released by Korg in 1997. The Z1 built upon the foundation set by the monophonic Prophecy released two years prior by offering 12-note polyphony and featuring expanded oscillator options, a polyphonic arpeggiator and an XY touchpad for enhanced performance interaction. It was the world's first multitimbral physical modelling synthesizer.
The Korg Minilogue is a polyphonic analog synthesizer released in 2016 by Korg. It offers users four-voice polyphony with two analog VCOs per-voice and was designed to be affordable. It was designed by Korg engineer and synthesizer designer Tatsuya Takahashi, who said "the concept of the Minilogue was to build an analog synthesizer that doesn't rely on the fame and success of an old synth".
The history of keyboard instruments lies in mechanical musical instrument keyboards, electrified keyboards and 1960s and 1970s synthesizer technologies.
The miniKORG 700 is a monophonic analog synthesizer released by Korg in 1973, marking their entry into mass-produced synthesizers and their first monophonic synthesizer. It was initially designed to be placed on top of an organ, so its controls are located below the keyboard facing towards the performer. An updated model, the miniKORG 700S, was launched in 1974, introducing a second oscillator that could be detuned, along with additional sustain and vibrato controls.
The Korg Trident is a polyphonic multi-section synthesizer released by Korg in 1980, combining three distinct synthesizers within a single instrument: a polyphonic section with two VCOs, alongside dedicated String and Brass sections. The polyphonic synthesizer section allows for eight-note polyphony with dual oscillators. The String section offers an ensemble effect and simple attack/release envelope controls, whereas the Brass section features an independent filter and a dedicated ADSR envelope. These sections can be assigned to two different regions of the keyboard independently, and the Trident also offers a flanger effect along with a joystick for pitch bending and modulation.
The Korg Sigma KP-30 is a monophonic analog synthesizer released by Korg in 1979. The Sigma was designed for organ players and live performance, featuring a user-friendly layout for quick sound selection and editing as well as two modulation joysticks and an aftertouch-sensitive keyboard. It features two separate synthesizer engines called Synthe and Instrument which can be mixed and layered together.
