So I get a zZounds newsletter and in it I see the Korg X5D listed. Scratching my head, I'm thinking, "how old is this friggin synth?" I head over to Sonic State and I find the X5D review page. According to Sonic State, it's been around since 1996. 10 Years! That's crazy! I'm thinking maybe they just have a bunch of old stock to get rid of and I head over to Korg. Sure enough it's listed as a current product. Think of how many synths the X5D has outlived. Bizarre. So... My question to you is, are there any longer running synths out there aside from the Minimoog? Is the X5D actually set to beat the Minimoog's record of 12 years? It's bizarre that out of all synths in the last decade, it's the Korg X5D still out there. I wonder how many were produced.
Update: Make sure to check out the comments for more, but so far we have:
GRONDO 2001: "Yamaha is still making its VL70m- which I think is even older!" Looks like it matches it - also released in 1996 according to Sonic State.
Anonymous: "Alesis is still making the SR-16 drum machine and that is like 15 years!" According to wikipedia (sorry reed : ) ) it was released in 1991.
cornutt: "If memory serves, the EML 101 had a production run of about 12 years. I'll check that tonight."
the world of next tuesday: "I'm surprised no one says EMS VCS-3. Though apparently there were a few years when the company might have been out of business and the waiting time to get one has been several years for years, nothing touches it within a decade or 2 (1969 - beat that Korg!) with the runner up being the EMS Synthi A."
This is a sad commentary about how the hardware synthesis industry has stagnated. The X5D just happens to offer respectable sample-based synthesis at an ok price point. There's no point in replacing it, because it serves the needs of weekend warriors and church bands just fine.
ReplyDeleteNow if only Korg would hurry up and release an affordable version of the OASYS.
I seem to remember Korg still had the MS20 and brethren in its catalogue in '84 or '85, so it must have had a pretty good production run.
ReplyDeleteTrip. I didn't realize the MS20 was still produced then. According to wikipedia, the MS20 started in 1978, so it would be short of 10 years.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't trust Wikipedia if my life depended on it.
ReplyDeleteYamaha is still making its VL70m- which I think is even older!
ReplyDeleteAlesis is still making the SR-16 drum machine and that is like 15 years!
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves, the EML 101 had a production run of about 12 years. I'll check that tonight.
ReplyDeleteThat's really wild, considering the fact that Korg seem to no longer be supporting some recently released instruments like The Triton Extreme or the Electribes.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who wishes to refute my claim should please explain to me why there is no new O/S for the buggy Triton Extreme(clicks in sounds, frequent crashes while saving to CF cards, etc.)
Or that a defective Electribe SX I never even got to use once and sent back to the authorized service center was returned as "unrepairable" and "non-replaceable" due to being discontinued in North-America.
I'm surprised no one says EMS VCS-3. Though apparently there were a few years when the company might have been out of business and the waiting time to get one has been several years for years, nothing touches it within a decade or 2 (1969 - beat that Korg!) with the runner up being the EMS Synthi A.
ReplyDeleteGood point about the VCS-3, although it's not clear to me that they are in production today even though EMS is still in business. Last I heard, none had actually been delivered since the mid-'90s. I also seem to recall something about the Synthi-A having finally gone out of production because of some essential component (the case?) no longer being available, but I don't recall the details.
ReplyDeleteas far as continuously produced, the Serge Modular beats them all. Over 30 years. Fun.
ReplyDeleteas far as continuously produced, the Serge Modular beats them all. Over 30 years. Fun.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the same thing about the X-50. BTW, I played with one at the local GC. I really, really liked the physical design of it. I wanted to buy it just because of that. Small, thin, light and very sharp. There's just something about thin synths that I like. But... of course the sound is standard rompler, so...
ReplyDeleteThis is going to sound crazy but I want a cheap synth with built in speakers so I can play it with my daughter. If the X-50 had that, I'd buy it in a heart beat. I was considering a second hand Roland EG-101, but they don't seem to come up often, and I don't think it's a fully programable synth.
Can't go past a Roland HS-60, the 'poor man's Juno' ;)
ReplyDelete