K160

Back in 1990, this Italian gem from Ketron Labs snuck eight genuine CEM3389 analog filters into a budget digital preset synth, blending crisp digital oscillators with warm analog tone in a way few others dared at the time.

It's an 8-voice polyphonic machine with a 61-key velocity-sensitive keyboard, pitch bend and mod wheels up top, plus dedicated volume sliders for main and MIDI control. Digital oscillators draw from 128 ROM presets across four banks—pianos, strings, brasses, organs, and more—using clever 2-operator FM synthesis that evolves over time for expressive play, even layering two voices for 4-op depth. Programs let you stack or split up to eight presets, tweaking volume, portamento, note shift, cutoff, resonance, and velocity response per layer. MIDI In/Out/Thru, stereo outs, and a quirky envelope follower "vocoder" round it out in a lightweight plastic chassis that's simple to tote.

Rare finds like this draw collectors for its hybrid charm and Italo-disco vibe—demos reveal fat, playable strings and leads that punch above its cheap build, though edits are limited and the tiny LCD feels dated today.