Korg

Electronic musical instruments from Korg include a wide range of keyboard instruments and accessories. The Japanese manufacturer is one of the pioneers of the analogue synthesiser era and has been innovating the entire field of electronic keyboard instruments ever since - from small synthesisers to extended workstations for studio and live keyboard players as well as entertainers. Korg analogue synthesizers enjoy cult status today, and Korg knows how to incorporate analogue-era technology into contemporary modern instruments like no other traditional manufacturer.

From the MiniKorg to the most successful mini synth of all time: microKORG

Since 1973, Korg has been producing synthesizers - some of the analogue synthesizers released at that time helped shape the sound of that era, e.g. the devices of the PS-3000 series - true sound monsters that are now considered rarities among vintage synthesizers. It all started very small: With the MiniKorg 700, Korg released its first monophonic synthesiser, which found its use on many synth-pop albums, e.g. those by Human League and by electronic pioneers of the 70s, including Kitaro and Vangelis. Even more fame was earned by the Korg MS-20 - an inexpensive synthesiser with a wide performance spectrum. The synthesiser came out at the end of the 70s and can be heard on countless albums in genres between synth-pop and new wave. The 6-voice analogue synthesizer Korg Polysix and its four-voice counterpart Korg Mono/Poly certainly belong to the most important stations. In the 2000s, Korg brought out the microKORG, an analogue modelling synthesiser that has been a sales success for many years due to its ease of use and low price. Not even the Minimoog was produced for as many years as the microKORG. Analogue synthesizers are nowadays a hallmark of Korg: from the small Korg monotron to the Korg Volca series to the polyphonic Korg Minilogue - all current synthesizers are reminiscent of the 1970s and partly contain analogue circuit elements from the MS-20 era of that time.

Korg MS-20mini and ARP Odyssey

With the new editions of the Korg MS-20 and ARP Odyssey as slightly scaled-down devices with mini keys, Korg has brought two famous synthesizers back into the present, which are rare and expensive on the second-hand market. Despite the reduction of the analogue technology and the keys, it is now possible to recreate the original sound of these analogue synthesizers one-to-one and, on top of that, you get contemporary equipment (MIDI, USB, CV/Gate) included.

From the M1 to the Kronos

In the development of digital synthesizers, Korg set a milestone in the 1980s that continues to this day under the term workstation. The Korg M1 was the first music workstation and revolutionised the field of electronic keyboard instruments. Today, Korg still produces workstations in different price ranges. At the top of the genre is currently the Korg Kronos, which combines the most important synthesiser concepts of the last three decades - sampling, analogue modelling, wave sequencing, FM, physical modelling - with SSD-based streaming technology and the latest DSP technology. Korg workstations are popular with musicians around the world for use live on stage and in the music studio.

Korg: Music instruments for all

Korg builds electronic instruments for every need. DJs like to use spontaneously controllable effects units like the Kaoss Pad and Kaossilator Pro or gadgets like the Korg Monotron Analog Ribbon Synthesizer, which fits in every pocket. When it comes to effects pedals, Korg equips guitarists and bassists with multi-effects from the AX series, and those looking for a complete accompaniment function will find what they are looking for in the Korg Pa4x Pro, which is available as a Musikant Edition with special sounds for the German market.

The History of Korg

The story of Korg begins in 1962: Tsutomu Kato and Tadashi Osanai founded the company Keio Electronic Laboratories in Japan. As an accordion player, Osanai was interested in finding an alternative to the rhythm machines available at the time. The company produced the DA-20 (Disc Rotary Electric Auto Rhythm Machine Donc-a-matic). The devices were successful. In 1967, engineer Fumio Mieda asked Kato to build a keyboard. The collaboration resulted in the first programmable organ and the name KORG from the combination of Kato and organ.