KingKorg opinions?

[Tugdual]

As I'm considering a possible upgrade of the REV2 to 16 voices I just bumped into the KingKorg which I had never heard of before. It is cheaper (second hand though) than a REV2 upgrade and seems to offer a pretty amazing spectrum of sounds and effects. I did a quick search on this forum and found that many people found the KK mundane but I found its sound interesting.

Having read documentation I found:
+KK: huge polyphony, effects, and a variety of sound generators and filters. I also find the panel simple and easy.
+REV2: true analog, one LFO per voice (which BTW is not always desirable), gated sequencer, 2 more LFOs and 1 more ADSR

I never played with a KK so I basically don't really know more than what's on youtube.
Hence my question is: is that a ridiculous comparison or the KK is a true underdog?

[Shaw]

As I'm considering a possible upgrade of the REV2 to 16 voices I just bumped into the KingKorg which I had never heard of before. It is cheaper (second hand though) than a REV2 upgrade and seems to offer a pretty amazing spectrum of sounds and effects. I did a quick search on this forum and found that many people found the KK mundane but I found its sound interesting.

Having read documentation I found:
+KK: huge polyphony, effects, and a variety of sound generators and filters. I also find the panel simple and easy.
+REV2: true analog, one LFO per voice (which BTW is not always desirable), gated sequencer, 2 more LFOs and 1 more ADSR

I never played with a KK so I basically don't really know more than what's on youtube.
Hence my question is: is that a ridiculous comparison or the KK is a true underdog?

I'll start at the end -- I wouldn't call any comparison ridiculous.  You're trying to determine where to spend your money.  Nothing ridiculous about that.


I will say however that you have chosen 2 synths that are quite different....

• The KK is Virtual Analog, the Rev2 is Analog
• The KK has modeled Korg filters, the Rev2 has real Curtis filters
• The KK has PCM waves, the Rev2 has more traditional synth waveforms
• The KK (I believe) is mono-timbral, the Rev2 is bi-timbral
• The Rev2 has 4 LFOs per voice (you stated above that it has just one)
• The KK appears to have a bit of menu diving, the Rev2 is very immediate -- even for routing modulations.

I'm sure there are other differences, but depending on what other synths you have or what your needs are, you may in fact justify the KingKORG over the Rev2 upgrade.  At the end of the day, my advise is generally to decide on what it is you want or need from a synth, then trust your ears to make the decision.

[Tugdual]

As I'm considering a possible upgrade of the REV2 to 16 voices I just bumped into the KingKorg which I had never heard of before. It is cheaper (second hand though) than a REV2 upgrade and seems to offer a pretty amazing spectrum of sounds and effects. I did a quick search on this forum and found that many people found the KK mundane but I found its sound interesting.

Having read documentation I found:
+KK: huge polyphony, effects, and a variety of sound generators and filters. I also find the panel simple and easy.
+REV2: true analog, one LFO per voice (which BTW is not always desirable), gated sequencer, 2 more LFOs and 1 more ADSR

I never played with a KK so I basically don't really know more than what's on youtube.
Hence my question is: is that a ridiculous comparison or the KK is a true underdog?

I'll start at the end -- I wouldn't call any comparison ridiculous.  You're trying to determine where to spend your money.  Nothing ridiculous about that.


I will say however that you have chosen 2 synths that are quite different....

• The KK is Virtual Analog, the Rev2 is Analog
• The KK has modeled Korg filters, the Rev2 has real Curtis filters
• The KK has PCM waves, the Rev2 has more traditional synth waveforms
• The KK (I believe) is mono-timbral, the Rev2 is bi-timbral
• The Rev2 has 4 LFOs per voice (you stated above that it has just one)
• The KK appears to have a bit of menu diving, the Rev2 is very immediate -- even for routing modulations.

I'm sure there are other differences, but depending on what other synths you have or what your needs are, you may in fact justify the KingKORG over the Rev2 upgrade.  At the end of the day, my advise is generally to decide on what it is you want or need from a synth, then trust your ears to make the decision.

Thanks finally I decided to go for another territory. Instead of having another analog like synth that might not compare well with a true analog I went for the brand new wavestate. It has exciting sounds, and also drums which I lack (and I’m reluctant about paying for a drum machine, it is too much money for 8 sounds...). I would think that this machine is as capable as the kingkorg with which it shares number of effects and adds a lot of sequencing and polyrhythmic capabilities. Looking forward to have hands on it...