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Friday, September 2, 2016

Korg has a not-very-good idea

My favorite synth is my original version Microkorg. One of my least favorite synths was the poorly-named "Microkorg XL." I think the XL stood for eXtra Lite, both for its weight and its wimpy sonic capabilities. Korg tried to boost sales of the XL by creating a "new" version with a few more things on it, the XL+. Yawn.

Korg has now tried that weary sales tactic with the original Microkorg by adding the Microkorg S to the lineup. This time the yawn factor is provided by a bit more patch storage and a batch of new presets. Add to this the "WTF" factor of invisible built-in speakers.

"The MK doesn't need speakers and the speakers will cause problems." - prophecy by AEJOTZ

After awhile, the MK S is going to rattle and buzz like a bumblesnake. Every part that isn't solidly cemented in place will vibrate to its resonant frequencies. Even worse, these vibrations will stress solder points and the internal integrity of components.

I has spoken.