KORG minilogue

[Sacred Synthesis]

Very nice.  I do like the XD's digital oscillators.  I'd like to put a couple of module versions together and hear the instrument reach its optimum sound quality.

[LPF83]

Very nice.  I do like the XD's digital oscillators.  I'd like to put a couple of module versions together and hear the instrument reach its optimum sound quality.

Here's a polychain of kbd+module.  To my ears, it sounds a bit messy (with that particular patch).  This is one reason I'm likely reaching for the Prophet-5 over the 10 voice, sometimes less is more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdvTXqed--c

[Sacred Synthesis]

This continues to be and become an interesting instrument, with hints of Dave Smith about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx4KhcSNBew

[LoboLives]

This continues to be and become an interesting instrument, with hints of Dave Smith about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx4KhcSNBew

I wonder if Korg and Sequential would ever do a collaboration.

[Sacred Synthesis]

It's almost unnecessary.  A Prologue with Vector Synthesis has Dave Smith all over it.

I wonder how the Prologues will handle the VS, since they have wheels instead a joystick.  I suppose a well-coordinated simultaneous use of the two wheels could come close.

[LPF83]

It's almost unnecessary.  A Prologue with Vector Synthesis has Dave Smith all over it.

I wonder how the Prologues will handle the VS, since they have wheels instead a joystick.  I suppose a well-coordinated simultaneous use of the two wheels could come close.

Only issue is that then, pitch and mod functions are foregone.  If you notice in the Tim Shoebridge video, he's using the joystick from another keyboard (or a Korg Nanopad) rather than the one on the XD, I assume because the built-in stick cannot be used.

[Sacred Synthesis]

That's true.  But requiring a separate controller such as a joystick seems impractical.  Short of redesigning the left side of the Prologue, it's hard to imagine what Korg will do.  Perhaps it will take more than an update, more like a Prologue II.

[LPF83]

That's true.  But requiring a separate controller such as a joystick seems impractical.  Short of redesigning the left side of the Prologue, it's hard to imagine what Korg will do.  Perhaps it will take more than an update, more like a Prologue II.

It could happen, but I'm not sure I see Korg directly taking the 'logue product line in the direction of vector synthesis, this is something that was cultivate in the hobbyist market.  They already have the Wavestate, which I believe is the official Korg answer to this type of morphing and has a joystick + pitch and mod wheels.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Well, the Prologue is obviously a part of a line of instruments, so Korg has put some real time and resources into the instrument.  It seems to be the result of a number of previous analog trial balloons.  I wouldn't be surprised is there was still more to come of it. 

[LPF83]

Well, the Prologue is obviously a part of a line of instruments, so Korg has put some real time and resources into the instrument.  It seems to be the result of a number of previous analog trial balloons.  I wouldn't be surprised is there was still more to come of it.

Oh I can definitely see them expanding the 'logue line..  in fact it would be completely inconsistent with their lineage to do anything else.  I'm just leaning more toward the ability to do vector synthesis on the 'logues as sort of a niche that's indirectly supported by the SDK more than carving out the feature set for their future analog synths.  They already have a line of "kitchen sink" workstations that evolved over decades from the M1 -- so even if the 'logue team start wanting to create overlap with their other products like the Wavestate, I'd be surprised if the idea would pass muster with the higher ups.

Dave Smith has always said he wants a synth to have a personality and to exist as a concise purpose instrument rather than create workstations that do everything imaginable.  I could be wrong but I feel like the rest of the industry is starting to take notice of Dave's success and follow his lead. 

This sort of "specialty" approach was really what pulled Apple back from the graves - when they brought Steve Jobs back, the first thing he did was identify the product lines that had overlap, or products where the function and purpose was ambiguous, and just started slashing away so he could focus the company on doing a few things very well instead of trying to do everything.

[LPF83]

Another interesting possibility (transform it into a 4 operator FM synth):

https://www.sinevibes.com/korgnode/

[Quatschmacher]

Another interesting possibility (transform it into a 4 operator FM synth):

https://www.sinevibes.com/korgnode/

That’s pretty cool.

[Sacred Synthesis]

In some ways I really do like the Minilogue, but I find its filter to be perhaps the weakest I've ever heard.  I use a lot of envelope controlled filter modulation, especially the type that uses no resonance - brass patches, for example.  In this sort of patch, the Minilogue is remarkably weak.  Sometimes I'm even suspecting that I've turned up the "Filter Cut Off" parameter, rather than the "EG INT" knob.  It's certainly more pronounced the instant you add some resonance, but without it, the sound is terribly lame.

[LPF83]

In some ways I really do like the Minilogue, but I find its filter to be perhaps the weakest I've ever heard.  I use a lot of envelope controlled filter modulation, especially the type that uses no resonance - brass patches, for example.  In this sort of patch, the Minilogue is remarkably weak.  Sometimes I'm even suspecting that I've turned up the "Filter Cut Off" parameter, rather than the "EG INT" knob.  It's certainly more pronounced the instant you add some resonance, but without it, the sound is terribly lame.

I agree, the filter isn't something you can put up against Sequential synths...  I don't use mine in the same manner I do some of my other, more capable gear.  I normally use it for two niche uses:  sequenced arpy (usually short) sounds that play a supporting role... it is fantastic for this because the sequencer functionality is the best of all my gear (short of Cubase on the PC).  The other is to provide backing harmonics for the P12... sometimes I come up with a nice sound on the P12 that just needs a little VCO fullness boost, and the two can sound magical when layered in this way.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Over the last few weeks, I've come to appreciate the Minilogue XD much more.  For the time being, I've been able to compare it to a Korg ARP Odyssey Module, and to my ears the XD stands up just fine.  One problem, though, is that the VCA should have been assigned the AD envelope and the filter the ADSR - the reverse of the Odyssey.  Fortunately, the Prologue has two complete four-stage envelopes.  Aside from that, I find the Korg to be a very enjoyable instrument to program and play.  I'd love to have a pair of modules controlled by a full-sized five-octave keyboard. 

I hope Korg adds another model to the "Logue" line.  It has great potential as a workhorse hybrid favoring the analogue side of things. 

[LPF83]

Over the last few weeks, I've come to appreciate the Minilogue XD much more.  For the time being, I've been able to compare it to a Korg ARP Odyssey Module, and to my ears the XD stands up just fine.  One problem, though, is that the VCA should have been assigned the AD envelope and the filter the ADSR - the reverse of the Odyssey.  Fortunately, the Prologue has two complete four-stage envelopes.  Aside from that, I find the Korg to be a very enjoyable instrument to program and play.  I'd love to have a pair of modules controlled by a full-sized five-octave keyboard. 

I hope Korg adds another model to the "Logue" line.  It has great potential as a workhorse hybrid favoring the analogue side of things.

I would have liked a four stage filter envelope too, but for what I use the synth for, it's not a problem.  What I do wish Korg could have done is make it a class compliant USB device.  I'm not sure if it's an issue for Mac users, but on Windows the Korg driver has this issue where the synth must be in the first 10 USB device slots or its effectively not recognized, and while I am fine just using a MIDI cable, the editor/librarian seems to require it.  There are registry hacks to reassign the driver order and what not, but sooner or later if you have enough USB devices connected to the PC, it will eventually lose its mojo and require more messing with the registry.  Why class compliance is difficult for a company the size of Korg I will never understand, but more than likely I will avoid other Korg products until I find they've changed their ways.  I'd like to say I would buy an OpSix module if it emerged, but if it uses the same driver then I'd probably pass.

Aside from the USB thing -- its a spectacular little synth for the money and full of possibilities.  I find its overall tone a bit colder than my Sequential stuff, but I think that's great because it tends to find its own spot in a mix, and differentiates itself nicely from my other synths.  I've also noticed that it does plays well when layered with the Prophet 12, the fact it has far less voices doesn't really matter at all when it's playing a supplementary role in layers -- it might even be a plus.
The overall bang for buck makes it worth keeping even with the USB issue.

[LPF83]

This is an interesting custom oscillator for the Minilogue XD (and Prologue).   

https://tsoniq.com/software/korg/fusion/

This level of exensibility of the 'logue series is the primary reason I've kept my Minilogue XD.  I'm primarily interested in how well the JP8000 oscillator compares to the real thing (I might carve out some time to try this and compare it to my JP8080).  Yes I understand the irony of being interested in making an analog synth sound more virtual analog, but the JP8000/JP8080 has a certain tone that I do enjoy more than other popular virtual analogs, so it might be interesting to see how it compares. 

[Sacred Synthesis]

Notwithstanding the filter issue, if the Minilogue XD had not been a "mini," if it had a full-sized keyboard, I might have made it my official mono synth.  With the keyboard-module pairing option, it would have done a fine job.  I still would like to hear the pair in stereo - parallel, rather than polychained.

[LPF83]

Notwithstanding the filter issue, if the Minilogue XD had not been a "mini," if it had a full-sized keyboard, I might have made it my official mono synth.  With the keyboard-module pairing option, it would have done a fine job.  I still would like to hear the pair in stereo - parallel, rather than polychained.

I still have my module, although I haven't used it in a while.  The main reason has to do with the fact it's not class compliant, and Korg drivers have this weird problem on Windows where, if you have many MIDI drivers installed, Korg insists on finding it's device in the first 10.... and from a strictly musical standpoint I got kind of fed up with even having to worry about whether a Windows patch had re-ordered my MIDI drivers that I sort of shevled it for the last couple of years.  Well that and the Wndows limitation of only giving me a certain number of ADAT inputs.
I couldn't quite bring myself to sell it, because it does some things well and the custom oscillator thing is compelling.  I should probably hook it up to my MPC (using the MIDI ports) and make a decision based on that.  I think its a great synth for the money, although now it's competing with the JU-06a with only 4 voice polyphony, which is a little bit small and fiddly but from an economical standpoint maybe wins for certain types of sounds.  But then there is the extensibility of the Minilogue.  Hmm..  decisions.  They've gone up in price since I bought mine, so it makes it that much harder to just put it up for sale.