Back in 2003, this rackmount gem arrived as an evolution of Korg's MS series, blending the raw edge of vintage monosynths with a built-in vocoder that punches way above its 4-voice polyphony—perfect for those moments when you need vocal formant weirdness without extra gear.
At its core, it's a virtual analog/subtractive engine with two digital oscillators per voice offering eight waveforms like saw, PWM, cross modulation, noise, and DWGS bells from Korg's classic DW-8000. Filters deliver self-oscillating lowpass at 12 or 24dB/oct, plus highpass and bandpass at 12dB/oct, shaped by dual envelopes and LFOs with sample-and-hold. Hands-on editing comes via 16 tactile knobs for real-time tweaks or motion recording into the 16-step mod sequence, alongside a 6-pattern arpeggiator, dual/split modes, virtual patch matrix, and effects like chorus/flange/phaser, delay, distortion, and EQ. Rack-sized at about 73x37x15cm and 7.1kg with a sleek black metallic finish, it packs stereo outs, dual mic/line ins for vocoding, headphone jack, MIDI I/O/Thru, and a pedal input—those 16 front buttons even double as a mini keyboard for quick demos.
Over the years, players have praised its warm basses, sweeping leads, and stellar vocoder that rivals dedicated units, calling out the fixed timing from earlier models and fresh factory patches as highlights, though some note the limited voices keep it best for leads and textures rather than huge chords.
