When Korg released the MS-20 in 1978, they were competing in what many consider the golden age of analog synthesis, but instead of chasing polyphony like their rivals, they doubled down on a single voice packed with character. The result became one of the most sought-after monophonic synthesizers ever made, and nearly five decades later, people still crave that thick, robust sound.
The MS-20 is built around two voltage-controlled oscillators with ring modulation, paired with two self-oscillating filters—a high-pass and low-pass running in series—that deliver the instrument's signature distortion and resonance. You get two envelope generators with hold and delay functions, a single LFO, and a noise source, all routed through an extremely flexible patch panel that lets you rewire the signal flow however you want. The keyboard spans 37 keys across three octaves, and there's an external signal processor that lets you feed in a guitar, voice, or any other audio source to modulate the synth's parameters, turning it into a guitar synthesizer or vocal processor if you're feeling experimental.
The original MS-20 earned its reputation for those powerful, characterful filters that could self-oscillate like an extra oscillator when you pushed the resonance, creating dramatic tonal shifts that became iconic in electronic music. The mini version released in 2013 faithfully recreates the 1978 circuitry down to the internal power specifications, though with an improved VCA for cleaner signal-to-noise performance. It's 86 percent of the original's size, includes MIDI IN and USB connectivity for modern workflow integration, and weighs just 6.3 kilograms, making it genuinely portable without sacrificing the analog grit that made the original legendary.
