As we found when comparing an original Prophet-5 to a recent reissue unit, the addition of some very low-level distortion (in that case from a Neve 542 Tape Emulator) can often be enough to provide the last piece of ‘authentic vintage magic’ to the puzzle.Ī synth that can rustle up conventional analogue tones but also provide the flexibility for further exploration Other than these points, it was surprising how close one could get the various comparison synths to respond on simple patches. This may simply be related to the VCO duty-cycle calibration. One oddity was the Korg’s VCO-1 square wave, which was noticeably purer-sounding than both the Antonus, an Arturia software emulation or even the synth’s own VCO-2 output, which all have some even harmonics added to the odd-only mixture of a truer square wave. Next to the Antonus it sounded a little more refined, but this seemed to largely be down to the latter’s ability to drive its amp and mixer stages into distortion more easily (which also altered the way the envelopes responded in some situations). We compared the Korg ARP 2600 M to a range of hardware and software equivalents. Perhaps the built-in loudspeakers could have been removed to make room for some of these? The relatively ardent line on authenticity might also have been broken by providing one or two dedicated LFOs (rather than having to rope in one of the oscillators for the task) – and maybe some additional multiples and VCA stages would have been nice. However, if you are willing to forgo the authentic decor then more colourful replacement fader caps might be in order. It also has to be said that the black-on-dark-grey colour scheme makes finding their current position tricky unless they’re well lit – some 2600 clones (like the Antonus and Behringer) employ illuminated sliders. Although its shrunken status does make it easier to place in the studio, and also for smaller patch cables, this does mean that the shorter sliders make fine adjustment harder. Of more noticeable effect is the unit’s size. Two filter versions are included here, though the difference between them is subtle. Even without this connected the overall background noise was more noticeable than on the Antonus 2600 clone. Of more concern was the raised noise floor and noticeable digital mush heard when the microKEY was plugged in. This sat neatly in front of the 2600 M, but sadly lacks the arpeggiation, sequencing and LFO capabilities of the FS version’s 3620 keyboard. The review unit – being one of the first 1,000 made – came with a KORG microKEY2-37 keyboard (stored in the impressive custom silver wheelie case with orange trim). However, for those used to easily switchable oscillator wave-shapes, exact tuning increments and patch memories, some disappointment awaits.Ĭompared to the original ARP 2600, the new Korg version sports USB sockets for connecting both a computer and a MIDI controller (though the MIDI spec is very basic). So while it will allow you to create great basses, leads and percussion sounds, it is also an experimenter’s synth, where chance slider movements or random patching can deliver interesting results. In other words, it can do conventional, but also weird, nasty, complex and a whole host of other adjectives often more associated with modular synthesis. Where the 2600 really comes into its own is in the sheer range of its pre-configured or switchable modulation and control routings, all married to a host of patchpoints for overriding or adding to them. However, if all you want is a playable pre-configured synth then the ARP Odyssey could well be a better fit, and a very fine one at that – after all, they do share a number of the same sonic building-blocks. The Moog Matriarch expands its smaller semi-modular Mother synth with more oscillators, filter, envelopes and connectivity.īased on the TTSH DIY version of the 2600, this hand-built synth claims to be the next best thing to an original ’70s grey-face.Īrturia eschews patch cables for a visual modulation matrix and full patch recall – though you’ll still find plenty of sockets on its rear.ĭespite some of the hard-wired modulation options, one could argue that this is in some ways little more than a standard Minimoog-style monosynth, and also one that is somewhat deficient when it comes to the number of envelopes, LFO sources and filter shapes.
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