Korg Berlin presents a prototype of an “acoustic synthesizer”

The concept of ​​a synthesizer may appear to be an oxymoron, but it surely’s precisely the sort of surprising idea that makes individuals snort Korg Berlin Created to proceed. This unbiased, R&D-focused division was based in 2020 by Maximilian Relaxation and Tatsuya Takahashi, the person behind Volcas, Minilogue, and numerous different fashionable classics. But it surely has remained pretty quiet since its inception. That modified this week at Superbooth, the place the staff confirmed off their first prototype, the Acoustic Synthesis_phase5.

In contrast to conventional synths that use oscillators, Section 5 makes use of steel tuning forks. These forks are particularly designed to provide particular base notes and tones. Because the main sound era right here is an acoustic resonator, it has sure qualities that the conventional mixture doesn’t have. For instance, it can bounce like a guitar when held close to an amp and a loop when hit on the facet. Takahashi informed Fess Grandiose of Reverb, “We’re sort of making an attempt to seize that rawness of the devices, whereas on the similar time, it’s manageable like a synthesizer.”

That is the “sound” half: metallic thorns that resonate and reverberate and decay, nearly like a Fender Rhodes. The synthesizer half comes from the magnets contained in the section 5 that enable it to maintain solely the fundamental overtones, overtones and overtones, or overtones solely. Tones will also be modulated with the LFO leading to a sound that may solely be described as a sea illness bell.

General, the sound it generates within the brief demo video above is kind of distinctive. It has a imprecise Rhodes-like ringing high quality. But it surely additionally sounds sort of like what you may count on from a pot-singing-on-synth sampler-based vamp from the ’90s. It’s a contact from one other world.

For now, Section 5 is only a prototype and can probably keep that means. For now, Korg Berlin is just gauging curiosity in know-how. And if there seems to be a marketplace for this type of unique hybrid acoustic synthesis, he’ll discover methods to develop it additional right into a closing product.