KORG MINILOGUE

When it comes to traditional subtractive analog synthesis with modern sophistication, the Korg minilogue analog polyphonic synthesizer delivers. It starts with a pair of highly shapable VCOs, which you can shape with a switchable 2-/4-pole lowpass filter, and there’s plenty of modulation to go around. At the same time, you can store up to 200 settings, and there are 100 killer presets onboard to fuel your creativity. There’s also a built-in tape-style delay effect and an OLED oscilloscope display — something we’ve never seen on a hardware synth. And that’s just the beginning. Between the minilogue’s Voice Modes and the onboard 16-step sequencer, you’ll be amazed by the sounds you can come up with.

It’s tempting to look at a synth like the minilogue and assume that there must be a catch. How could an affordable polyphonic synth like this be truly analog? The answer lies with Korg’s ingenuity. To make the minilogue, they had to completely redesign their analog synthesis technology, building a new platform component by component from the ground up. Ultimately, the minilogue features 2 VCOs, 1 VCF, 2 EGs, 1 VCA, and 1 LFO, all completely in the analog realm. You also get cross modulation, oscillator sync, and killer effects including a ring modulator, delay, and a highpass filter, plus an oscilloscope that lets you visualize the results. It’s a veritable synthesis playground, and you’ll never run out of ways to put it all together.