| X3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Manufacturer | Korg |
| Dates | 1993 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | 32 |
| Timbrality | 16 |
| Synthesis type | Digital Sample-based Subtractive |
| Effects | 2 |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | 61-key Velocity Sensitive, Aftertouch |
| Left-hand control | Pitch + Modulation |
The Korg X3 is a music workstation produced by Korg in 1993.
The Korg X3 was introduced as a successor to the popular Korg M1 and 01/W models, utilizing an enhanced version of the AI2 synthesis engine from the 01/W. Unlike its predecessors, the X3 featured a General MIDI soundset but omitted the 01/W's waveshaping feature, replacing it with a parameter called 'colour', which functioned as an enhancer designed to simulate filter resonance. Additionally, the X3 substituted the Yamaha-built keyboards of the M and 01 series with a lighter-action keyboard manufactured by Fatar. The X3 also increased the number of multisamples available from 255 to 340. [1] [2]
The Korg X3 is a PCM sample-based synthesizer equipped with 6Mb of waveform memory. Its sound programs are organized into banks A, B, and a General MIDI (GM) bank, with banks A and B each containing 100 programs and the GM bank comprising 136 programs. Additionally, the X3 features two combination banks (A and B) that allow up to eight programs to be layered and assigned to specific keyboard zones. The instrument also includes 164 drum sounds distributed across eight ROM kits and four user-configurable kits. [2]
The X3's 16-track sequencer can handle up to 32,000 notes and supports storage of ten songs and 100 patterns simultaneously. Its effects section includes two independent processors capable of generating 47 different effects; the first 37 are individual effects, effects 38 and 39 are configured in series, and the last eight are parallel effects. [2]
The Korg X3R, released as the rack-mounted counterpart to the X3 synthesizer, houses all the same features within a 19-inch rack format. [3] [4] The 05R/W was a more compact module that retained the X3's core features while omitting the sequencer and reducing the number of patches. It also featured a direct serial connection for compatibility with Mac or PC. [1] In 1994, Korg launched the X2, a 76-note keyboard variant of the X3. [5] Additionally, the X5 was developed using the X3's synthesis engine but lacked the floppy drive and sequencer of its predecessor. [1]
MIDI is a technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and related audio devices for playing, editing, and recording music.
Digital music technology encompasses digital instruments, computers, electronic effects units, software, or digital audio equipment by a performer, composer, sound engineer, DJ, or record producer to produce, perform or record music. The term refers to electronic devices, instruments, computer hardware, and software used in performance, playback, recording, composition, mixing, analysis, and editing of music.
A music workstation is an electronic musical instrument providing the facilities of:
The Korg M1 is a synthesizer and music workstation manufactured by Korg from 1988 to 1995. The M1 was advertised as a 'workstation' rather than a synthesizer, integrating composition and performance features into a single device. It features 16-voice polyphony, high-quality digital samples, an integrated 8-track sequencer and digital effects processing. It is one of the bestselling synthesizers in history, selling an estimated 250,000 units.
The Korg Triton is a music workstation synthesizer, featuring digital sampling and sequencing, released in 1999. It uses Korg's "HI Synthesis" system and was eventually available in several model variants with numerous upgrade options. The Triton became renowned as a benchmark of keyboard technology, and has been widely featured in music videos and live concerts. At the NAMM Show in 2007, Korg announced the Korg M3 as its successor.
Kurzweil Music Systems is an American company that produces electronic musical instruments. It was founded in 1982 by Stevie Wonder (musician), Ray Kurzweil (innovator) and Bruce Cichowlas.
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 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 MS-20 is a patchable semi-modular monophonic analog synthesizer which Korg released in 1978 and which was in production until 1983. It was part of Korg's MS series of instruments, which also included the single oscillator MS-10, the keyboardless MS-50 module, the SQ-10 sequencer, and the VC-10 Vocoder. Additional devices included the MS-01 Foot Controller, MS-02 Interface, MS-03 Signal Processor, and MS-04 Modulation Pedal.
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 01/W series are workstation synthesizers, the first of which debuted in 1991, and were intended to replace the M1 and T series. The workstation/ROMpler was based on AI², an improved version of the AI Synthesis technology found in the M1. The success of the AI² architecture ensured it was used in the majority of subsequent Korg synths of the 1990s.
The Yamaha Motif is a series of music workstation synthesizers, first released by Yamaha Corporation in August 2001. The Motif replaced the EX series in Yamaha's line-up and was also based on the early Yamaha S series. Other workstations in the same class are the Korg Kronos and the Roland Fantom G. The series' successor is Yamaha Montage, released in 2016, followed up by the Yamaha Montage M in 2023.
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 Korg Trinity is a synthesizer and music workstation released by Korg in 1995. It was Korg's first modern workstation and marked a significant evolution from its predecessors by offering features such as built-in digital audio recording, 32-note polyphony, an extensive internal sound library, assignable effects, and a large touchscreen for advanced control and editing functions, a feature not previously seen on any musical instrument. It also offered modular expansion for not only sounds, but also studio-grade features such as ADAT, various sound engine processors, audio recording capability, and more.
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 Korg DSS-1 is a polyphonic sampling synthesizer released by Korg in 1986. As Korg's initial entry into the sampling market, the DSS-1 combines sampling, additive synthesis, and waveform drawing with an analog signal path. The DSS-1 was released a time when major synthesizer manufacturers like Yamaha and Casio were beginning to explore sampling, an area of sound design dominated by companies like Fairlight, E-mu, and Ensoniq. Korg did not stay long in the sampling arena; the DSS-1 was the company's only sampler until 1998 when Korg introduced sampling options on their Triton and Trinity series of workstations.
The Korg DW-6000 is a polyphonic hybrid digital-analog synthesizer released in 1985. It blends digital waveforms with an analog filter and amplifier, also incorporating a chorus effect to create an enriched analog sound. The DW-6000 features six-note polyphony and was quickly succeeded by the DW-8000, also released in 1985, which introduced a velocity sensitive keyboard with aftertouch, a built-in arpeggiator, increased polyphony and waveforms, and substituted the chorus effect with a digital delay effect.
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.
| Synthesizers |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Workstations | ||
| Drum machines |
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| Samplers | ||
| Vocoder | ||
| Organs | ||
| Soundcards | ||
| Grooveboxes | ||
| MIDI controllers | ||
| Software | ||
| Musical arrangers | ||
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