The ARP Odyssey has been one of the most influential synthesizers ever made, and Korg's 2015 remake captures that legacy while bringing it into the modern era with thoughtful updates that respect the original's character.
This is a compact, fully analog duophonic synthesizer built around two voltage-controlled oscillators that can produce sawtooth, square, and pulse waveforms with dynamic pulse width modulation. The filter section is particularly special—you can switch between three different low-pass filter types that recreate the sonic character of different original ARP Odyssey production runs, from the punchy 12dB/octave Type I to the thick, resonant 24dB/octave designs. Two envelope generators (ADSR and AR) handle both amplitude and modulation duties, while a single LFO and sample-and-hold circuit round out the modulation toolkit. The front panel features smooth slider controls, a 37-key mini keyboard with transpose function that effectively covers seven octaves, and the iconic proportional pitch control pad for expressive bends and vibrato.
Connectivity is where Korg modernized things without losing the analog soul. You get balanced XLR outputs alongside the original-style 1/4-inch jacks, a headphone output with volume control, MIDI In via both 5-pin DIN and USB, and full CV/Gate/Trigger I/O for patching with modular gear. The instrument weighs just five kilograms and measures roughly 50 centimeters wide, making it genuinely portable while maintaining an operating feel that's smooth and immediate. A new DRIVE switch adds aggressive tonal possibilities beyond what the original offered.
Players consistently praise the Odyssey for its playability and distinctive character—that sharp, penetrating sound is still there, but the filter options and envelope controls give you surprising depth for sound design. It's become a go-to choice for people who want authentic analog synthesis without the maintenance headaches or astronomical prices of vintage units.
