Korg 707

Back in 1987, this synth broke new ground as a portable FM powerhouse you could sling around your neck like a guitar, thanks to those built-in strap pegs and optional battery power—perfect for performers on the move.

At its heart, it's an 8-voice polyphonic, 8-part multitimbral digital FM synthesizer with dual oscillators per voice delivering saw and square waveforms, simplified via a hands-on Performance Editor with four sliders for timbre, EG1, EG2, and harmonic content that tweak multiple parameters intuitively without the usual FM math headaches. The 49-key velocity-sensitive keyboard with polyphonic aftertouch spans four octaves, paired with pitch bend and mod/volume wheels right where your left hand lands, plus footswitch inputs for sustain or program changes. Onboard effects like delay, flanger, and chorus add polish, routing to stereo outs, mono mix, or headphones, while 100 RAM patches, 10 combinations, split/layer/multi modes, and RAM card storage (up to 400 patches) make it versatile; full MIDI In/Out/Thru handles SysEx dumps too. Slim at 30" wide, 11.8" deep, and just under 4" tall, it weighs a portable 10.8 lbs.

Players love its lo-fi, plinky FM tones for retro digital vibes—think Juan Atkins—and praise the easy editing that feels like tweaking classic analog oscillators, though some note the thin sound needs layering to fatten up.