MATRIXSYNTH

Korg Phase8 Review: What happens when Physical Resonators meet Synthesis?

video upload by

"Explore Phase8 at home with my multisamples on Patreon: ► / loopop"

TIMELINE: 0:00 Intro 1:45 Overview 3:15 Vel & env 3:55 Buttons 5:30 Air fader 6:00 Shift 6:20 Pluck 6:50 Drones 7:20 Drone jam 7:50 Build & IO 8:15 In the box 8:35 Mod left 8:55 Mod right 10:25 Mod center 10:50 Settings 11:25 Center #2 11:45 Step seq 12:35 Live seq 13:55 Automation 15:25 MIDI 15:45 Pros & cons 19:00 Three jams

The Phase8 has finally made it to market. Check with dealers on the right for availability.

Press release follows:

KORG Introduces phase8, an Eight-Voice Acoustic Synthesizer

MELVILLE, NY - KORG announces the phase8, an eight-voice acoustic synthesizer designed for musicians and creators who want sound that feels alive, immediate, and deeply responsive. Using Acoustic Synthesis technology developed at KORG, phase8 merges physically vibrating steel resonators with precise electronic control to deliver an instrument that behaves like an acoustic object while offering the creative flexibility of a synthesizer. It answers the need for a new kind of expressive electronic instrument by generating sound in the physical world, responding to touch and interaction, and integrating seamlessly into today’s creative setups through MIDI, USB-MIDI, Sync, and CV connectivity.

At the heart of phase8 are eight independent electromechanical voices driving steel resonators to produce genuinely acoustic vibration. KORG supplies 13 chromatically tuned resonators with the instrument, eight of which can be installed at a time, allowing players to customize the tuning, scale, and character of their setup. Through envelope control, these resonators can move from short, percussive hits to long, sustained tones, encouraging hands-on exploration and performance. The resonators are easily swappable and tunable, making the instrument adaptable to individual playing approaches and musical environments.

phase8 has been designed not only to sound organic, but to feel interactive in use. Players are invited to shape sound directly, touching, plucking, strumming, or tapping the resonators, or even experimenting with found objects to introduce new textures. An AIR slider lets users boost or quiet the acoustic response of what they bring into contact with the instrument, enhancing its tactile, haptic character and underscoring its role as a physical instrument as much as an electronic device.

For structured creativity, phase8 features an intuitive sequencer that supports both step programming and unquantized live recording, with step skip available per voice to enable complex polymetric rhythms. Sequences can be stored and recalled across eight memory slots, while all front-panel parameters can be automated using the record function, allowing evolving passages and detailed motion to be captured directly into performance. Three modulation modes are available, including tremolo and two pitch-dependent audio-rate modulation types, with the final mode offering optional harmonic quantization. A trigger delay, controllable via the instrument’s shift knob, allows delayed resonator triggers relative to the selected or synchronized tempo, further expanding rhythmic expression. phase8 is designed to integrate effortlessly into modern creative workflows. External MIDI devices can trigger the Acoustic Synth, while the phase8 sequencer can, in turn, trigger external MIDI instruments over MIDI or USB-MIDI. Tempo synchronization is available over MIDI, USB-MIDI, and Sync, and CV input (±5V) allows parameter control from compatible analogue hardware. The instrument provides MIDI TRS-A In/Out, USB-C for USB-MIDI and firmware, Sync In/Out, a ¼-inch line audio output, and a 3.5mm headphone output.

Practical considerations match the innovation inside. phase8 runs on a 12V AC adaptor and consumes 4.8W of power. It measures 231 x 236.5 x 46 mm, weighs 1.71 kg, and ships with an AC adaptor, hex key, Quick Start Guide, Precautions Sheet, and five more resonators alongside the included chromatically tuned set. phase8 is a new chapter in expressive instrument design, bringing together acoustic behavior, electronic precision, real-time interaction, and deep sequencing control in a compact, performance-ready form. For more information, please visit NAMM Booth #6802 or online at www.korg.com.

Street Price: $1149.99 USD

Cellular Automata prototype is alive - Low-Gain Electronics / Nonlinear Circuits | 4U Serge Modular

video upload by LowgainElectronics

"A super quick demo showing the latest revision of the Cellular Automata prototype up and running. CV is just feeding an FM input of a sine wave oscillator to show the modulation. One more board revision and it’s ready for public consumption.

Gate outputs (not used in this video) will be buffered and designed to be stack in OR logic configuration. Which makes for quick gate patterns to be made."

Today Marks the 10th Anniversary of the Sequential Oberheim OB-6

Andrew McGowan, pictured here with Tom Oberheim, wrote in to let us know today is the 10th Anniversary of the Sequential OB-6. Andrew was a product designer at DSI/Sequential and worked with Tom Oberheim on the OB-6.

You can find a write-up on some the development of the OB-6 as well as the Prophet-6 on his website, https://www.smartbombdesign.com.

A couple of excerpts:

"I was sitting in my office at Seer Systems one day in 1997 or thereabouts when the phone on my desk rang. It was Dave Smith calling from his home. 'I’ve been talking to Tom Oberheim. He’s between jobs and wants to learn about software synths, so I asked him if he wanted to write the Reality operation manual. Can you get him set up and manage that?' I knew who Tom was, of course, but I had never met him, and now Dave was asking me to be his manager. I had no reason to believe that Tom was anything other than the warm, bright, and kind person that I now know he is, but the idea that I would be managing him made me deeply uncomfortable.

Seer Systems was in the process of developing Reality, which is generally considered to be the first 'professional' software synthesizer, though I’m not certain what makes one synthesizer professional and another not."

[Side note: Propellerheads Rebirth was also released in 1997, however the demo version was released in October 1996. A bit like The Damned vs. Sex Pistols for those in the know!]

And [thought this was funny]:

"Those Fucking Lines

Tom and I had talked about synths over the years and, on several occasions, he remarked how often people asked him to remake the OB-X, perhaps because not many were made. Or maybe Rush/Tom Sawyer? I don’t know. What little I did know about the OB-X was that it had a (low-pass only) SEM filter, and we had already made a synth with an SEM filter in it. And our hardware engineer Tony Karavidas had worked at Oberheim and owned multiple Oberheim synths. I also felt very strongly that if we were going to make two poly synths that were essentially the same except for the filter, the 2-pole, SEM state-variable filter would be complementary to the Prophet-6’s 4-pole, OTA low-pass filter.

Tom’s wish list was short. He didn’t want the Prophet-6’s analog distortion. And he wanted the OB-Xa’s blue lines."

Read the rest here

[P.S. I still own an OB-6 desktop and it's one of my most cherished synths. There is something organic about it. The demos I've heard of Sequential's new FOURM have that about them. I have enough synths as it is but the FOURM is very, very tempting for this particular reason.]

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Mother Lode synth meetup #3 Pics

A few pics from the latest Mother Lode Synth Meetup sent my way via Brian Comnes.

You can find the full set here.

That's Brian Comnes with the Buchla Music Easel.

Below is Mark Vail, author of Vintage Synthesizers and The Synthesizer with the Beetlecrab Tempura.

Small group shot further below. Be sure to see the full set for more.

P.S. Brian also had an iPad with the following to say: "Had fun showing Textquencer app , it converts text to midi notes, quite the sequencer, the letter A is the root note. I used our mailing list as the source text 😁. It’s also good with foreign languages with a lot of vowels like Hawaiian or Native American sources.

I also think Igor Vasiliev’s GLITCHSCAPER app for percussion is great, certainly not an 808/909 cliche"

Also: "in that picture I did an a/b comparison between the $5k Easel and the $200 KORG [Volca] modular with midi hack, and IMHO the KORG did pretty good😛"

See the Mother Lode label for additional posts.

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The Stylosette Keys by Dubreq

video upload by Musical Miscellany & More

"Dubreq released the Stylosette last year but I'm just now getting around to buying one. I'm not sure why it took me so long but here's a quick overview of the Sytlosette Keys and what it can do.

Intro - 0:00
Unboxing & Overview - 0:50
Basic Functions - 2:31
Delay Circuit - 4:21
Patch Points - 5:24
Final Thoughts - 9:10"

The Stylosette is the latest addition to our Pocket-sized Analog synthesizer range. It’s a monophonic mini analog synth that looks like a cassette and comes in a cool retro cassette storage case for batteries, clips, a screwdriver and cables, which are all included. It also has a built-in speaker, aux out, and an expansion port.

Use the crocodile clips provided to trigger sounds using conductive objects such as fruits, vegetables, or spoons! The Stylosette has a 13-key touch-sensitive keyboard and is played by sliding your finger along the touch-sensitive metal surface, so no need for a Stylus.

Each segment on the synthesizer keyboard plays a different note, so you can create rich, dynamic music with delay effects, vibrato, and a three-octave range.

Change the speed, depth, and delay with the screwdriver accessory to customize your sound. Even connect to another Stylosette. Buzz, twist, and warp every note in the palm of your hand – anywhere.

It’s an excellent gift for both musicians and beginners alike. All you need to do is insert batteries, turn it on, touch the keypad, and make some noise!

Check with dealers on the right for availability.

Stylophonic Fun

GreyScale-DeadZone #greyscale #deadzone #duos #cs10

video upload by

"This work uses a runaway noise generator from Hikari Instruments / Duos as the main source. This extreme signal was passed through the external input of the legendary 1970s Yamaha CS-10, and then thoroughly deconstructed and reconstructed using filter modulation.

The unpredictable chaos of the Duos and the sharp yet sticky analog filter of the CS-10 resonate with each other, creating a dry, tense acoustic space reminiscent of the 'Dead Zone' suggested by the title.
The critical point of electricity. Listen to the texture."

Jamuary 21st 2026 - Wobbly Cops ft. Gunerius

video upload by Captain Credible

"Good cop / bad cop try their hardest to apprehend the baddies. But god damn it they are loose cannons! Teetering on the brink, about to burst with justice. #CasioSK-1 #polyendTracker #rolandS1 #rolandP6 #EventideH90"