KING KORG NEO FIRST IMPRESSIONS - a Beginner Friendly Synth & Vocoder… But expensive!
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- Опубликовано: 13 июн 2024
- Today we are checking out the KING KORG NEO. Sponsored by DistroKid. DK is the best way to upload and release your music on Apple Music, Tidal & Spotify. Use my link and get a discount distrokid.com/vip/bobeats
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CONTENT
00:00 What is the NEO in King Korg Neo?
01:55 What is the King Korg NEO? Brief overview
03:30 Sound demo
06:35 Vocoder demo
09:13 Who is the NEO for?
09:53 Making a Patch From Scratch
20:29 A missed opportunity
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In Japan, the price is 110,000 JPY (incl. 10% VAT), which should be equal to around 690 EUR at the current currency rate. So, I'm quite surprised that the price is so high in EU and US...
Omg
@BoBeats you are mistaken on the “bug” you found! I used the original KK for gigging for many years, and one of the many standout features for gigging musicians are 3 different knob modes. Your traditional “jump” and “catch”, or the one yours is likely set to, “ValueScale”. This unique feature makes adjustments when you turn the knob at a scaled rate until it passes the position saved on the preset, at which point the knob works as normal! It gives you instant impact on the sound, without the abrupt change of a jump mode!
Thanks Bo! I miss more videos, nice to see you back more 🤗
Dont forget to check the Solar 42 review I made. It is among my best work
From a programming perspective, this would make a fantastic first synth for someone. The front panel gives you a lot of the immediate features you need to learn and is simple to understand. Unfortunately, the sound means it carries a premium price and will price most beginners out.
I love this device, I'd like one, but I think a lot of people will struggle to justify it. Sad that it didn't sit at the Wavestate price range.
You nailed it.
For what it is it is a real "workhorse" synth, but it nothing I see here sound-wise or feature-wise doesn't feel like it justifies the price. Maybe I'll see some more reviews that impress me more, but I'm somewhat nonplussed by this.
This should definitly be in the same price range as all the other 37 key synths they offer, could flop because it's way over priced
Such a good moment to use their nutube technology, honestly at this point I'm confused why they aren't putting a nutube into all their synths, the nutube pedals are revolutionary. With a nutube in this synth I could see logic in the high price. But now the price is probably only high because of the extra screens. I hope Korg is still open to putting a nutube in a module version.
True. 2013 version with valve has nice sweet spots.
the KingKORG has an amazing engine. Very beautiful and warm, I always thought it was just too darn big. Love this formfactor for it.
I felt the same.
It's look cool, my question is, do you think King Korg neo is better than the minilogue XD?
In some aspects I see it as a possible substitute.
The King Korg was my main live synth for a while and should still be a capable synth. They should have certainly updated the engine a little bit though and I find the price very high. As someone who works in a music instruments retailer, I think on the 700€ range would be its correct price.
Totally. The price is significantly too high. £599 max
I feel like it should be 699usd to 799usd, as it fits with the standard Wavestate, Modwave, and Opsix form factors
@@retromacman620those were overpriced
@@d3tuned378 everything is man. I feel like 599 would be fair across the board
I have my original King Korg with the analog tube for distortion and warm volume.
It would have been great to put a valve like the one on the Volca Nubass, but it didn't occur to them.
Thanks for the video. 👍
I've got a ton of mileage out of the tubes on my ESX-1. Overdrive when used with some subtlety is overlooked by a lot of synth people, imo. And I learned that because of that machine. I have yet to really get that same feel out of digital emulations too. Considering that Korg developed their own "tube on a chip" it seems silly that they aren't using it more on their own synths.
Sounds lovely
Very nice Tron sound with the pad :)
Great Promo for the Solar 42 or every Roland Synth here, Korg never disappoints (in pushing me away from their new synthesizers)
it can be sharp or soft. There is a deep engine for those who put in the time.
This looks rad. Right up my ally.
this just makes me want to find and keep and cherish and original king korg
Yes it's around 500 these days, quite interesting
Hi, the new mpc key 37 is out and here is a thought. When it comes to the key modells there is virtually no beginner tutorials out there and i different groups new users are screaming for information and tutorials. I know you use the akai products ao wouldnt this be a perfect series for you to make tutorials on? I really love your way of teaching us stuff and think this would be great for your followers and all new to the mpc key.
i got more excited about the Yamaha SeqTrack personally will see what else namm brings
I might check out the SeqTrack!
£949 price is a bit steep when you look at competitive synths like the Roland Gaia 2 at £600
That price is nuts, no way on earth
I paid about £700 for the original, sold it last year for about half that. Agreed £949 is nuts, even more so when you consider what else is on the market. I like a lot of Korg synths (own a Prologue/MS-20/Microkorg), but this seems like a Roland move - rehash in a new shiny box.
A Gaia is not so powerfull. People buy a 2200$ solar for bleep bleep😂
After many video's.. the Korg is it worth!
Looks pretty dope for what they been putting out hopefully they’ll make a more competitive prices I noticed all there stuff starts off really high then drops way low I seen some opsix mk2 for 400 yesterday bn
Nice demo! I said on one of Korg's videos, it sounds great! - looks a bit like an Ultranova..? I like the smaller form factor of some Korg synths - like the minilogues..portable!🙂😉
Is there any way to compare it to the original? To me OG King Korg is the best synth money could buy, but it's so hard to find nowadays (even a used one). And i have a hunch that XMT engine in Neo is kinda washed out\limited compared to original (which is understandable coz OG was 2 grands in 2014 which is about 3 in today's money). Thanks, Bo, good job.
To me this feels like an advanced Mininova :P Jokes aside, with all this synth mania around, we sometimes forget that you will see more bands using a microkorg than a matrixbrute or a Hydrasynth because a lot of times simplicity gets things done faster and better..
I have the microKorg vst, which I really like, but it kind of makes me want more of a smaller, keyboard-less, desktop module if it was to be hardware. Something to tag along with my MS-20 mini and Minilogue XD vs being the primary sound.
I have the original KING KORG!!! one of the most lush and rich sounding synths out there!!!!
Not particularly great for complex sound design, but for warm analogue tones, its awesome!!!!!
Hi Bo,
The KingKorg Neo is an almost identical copy of the KingKorg (just compare the Parameters Guides), more expensive with two important "minuses": the overall Tube effect (a rare specificity of the KingKorg which had the advantage to add warmth to the sound) no longer exists in the NEO and of course this very small keyboard.
Is the King Korg Neo midi 2.0 compliant? Is the King Korg Neo able to play back multiple voices? Just like an Access virus can?
People hating on this but it sounds good
latest roland boutiques have multi-timbrality at a fraction of the price and smaller form factor
thanks for the video, as always
That price... They could have at least put in a decent keybed.
Bought a KingKorg for €819 new in the day. So why is this good value at about €200 more?
The concept is great and the KingKorg is a beast (imagine two VA MiniMoogs on one keybed!)
Does Oberheim, 303, MS20, Prophet 5 filters as has a 16 band vocoder (out of the box very Kraftwerk like).
The Nord A1 went up in price (~€1400) so this may sit in a sweetspot but not for me.
The Moog GM would be my consideration or the already mentioned A1.
Roland has a Fantom06 on offer at about €1400!
Don't get me wrong, I like the synth but in terms of price...not so much.
The new one is the exact same €1099 as the 5 octave was at launch.
I recently sold my King Korg, mostly because I bought it for live performances that dried up (thanks covid!), but I always loved how much territory you could cover with it, and how tweakable it was. And… the tube initially seemed gimmicky but sounded awesome in a mix. This looks like a mad max chop shop back alley Frankenstein and not in a good way.
The presets are already great and together with my Jupiter 50 the very best presets I have ever seen on a synth I owned.
Korg's tube stuff seemed like a gimmick to me back when I got the first gen ESX-1, but over the years I've learned to love that crunch, whether fully distorted or just a little bit of subtle smooshing. It is something more synths should do imo, and Korg's tube-on-a-chip tech really makes it more available to everyone.
@@inthefade I never used the tube in KingKorg, yet I do use the digital fx.
Prioritizing oscillator and filter variety is honestly refreshing. Wonder if they would release a desktop model without the keybed. If that dropped the price a bit, I'd definitely have to consider it.
Much better sound demos than Korg's own videos.
You had me until expensive. Was expecting it to fall in minifreak territory
That was my expection too. Unfortunately a bit more expensive. Korg says 999, but I dont know what the street price will be
999$ MSRP usually means like 750-800$ retail in the synth world. Still not ideal but we're at least approaching something more reachable.
Listed currently at 949 GBP (Minifreak 559 GBP for comparison). so my guess 899 US? US prices are generally lower than EU / GB prices. Due to taxes often not been calculated in the price in the US.
Can you answer questions about it:
1. Is it patch compatible with kingkorg via the kingkorg librarian?
2. Are the effects much improved over the original as it had grainy reverb.
3. Have they improved the engine as some sounds had aliasing in original.
4. More a comment , the tube did improve the sound greatly especially for live work .
1. No, its not 100% the same so patches won’t work according to Korg
2. The sound won’t be 100% the same, because its not the exact same components. But I havnt tried the KK so I can’t say if the reverb is better.
3. I did not notice aliasing and I am pretty sensitive to that stuff so could be they actually improved the sound a bit. But thats speculation on my part. To my ear the VA sounds, filter emulations sound very good especially the filters
Between all of Korg's other synths in this form factor I genuinely wonder how this is supposed to stand out at all.
It’s really fun to play and it outspecs the Clavia Nord Lead 4. Give it a try.
I think at msrp 400 Americans it would be a killer synth. It's digital, and we all know how much a rasberry pie costs, ain't nobody fooled anymore. That being said the bass sounds surprisingly good, especially those moogalocious patches, and it has some chunky backside for a digital.
I'm going back into the healing recovery pod from dragon Ball z, wake me up when korg makes a new electribe with song mode, stereo sampling and p-locks.
I wanted a nicer Electribe too. Instead I got a Force. I ended up liking it a lot more than an Electribe.
Synth sounds pretty cool!
Awesome First look! I think everyone is stuck on the price. If you can't afford it, that's too bad. This thing is dope, so many amazing sound possibilities, great for live performances, and it looks way sexier than anything else on the market. The size is great for those of us who travel or don't want huge keys in our setup.
Also, the Vocoder is great!
Korg fan here, I’m currently jamming with my monologue and volcas, but I honestly never liked the form factor of the wave state and others 3 octave keyboards. It makes sense on paper but it’s unplayable with 2 hands in my opinion, and if they are going small they should just go mini keys. Or go with a module or go big and do 49 keys minimum. In my opinion the form factor is a jacked up.
I had an original KingKorg. There was a lot to like about it. It was great live, but less so in the studio. I don't know what it was, but it never recorded very well. Sold it a couple of years ago after purchasing a Nord Lead 2x on ebay and finding that it sounded far superior in most departments.
I really like the form factor of the Neo, but based on my experience with the KingKorg, I'd probably never consider this. I'd be interested to hear what others thought of the original when it came to recording.
Back in the day, I probably should have gotten a used King Korg or a Korg R3 or even a MS2000. They were decent synths with good interfaces. Now though, selling the old engine in a new case, the idea seems good but the price seems out of sync.
I bought the original KingKorg Black for about 660 EUR in 2020. Five octave, without aftertouch as well, but it sounds gorgeous. It has very good moog and prophet 5 filter emulations. And with the modular patching inside, it goes deeper than what you expect at first sight. Hearing you say the Neo is not the best sounding synth, could mean they have tampered with the engine , because the original is just great. And the price tag? It should not be above 600 if it wants to be competitive. This original Kingkorg is a keeper, the Neo might not be.
I think that original's price by today's standarts would be like 3 grands? I don't know the value of the dollar in 2014. But yes, OG King Korg is one of the best synths like ever.
I agree. $1000 is kinda nuts. 🥜
Can you hold the Page + button and turn the encoder to scroll fast through the menu?
Being a KK owner, the synth engine is actually deeper that it initially appears. Once you deep dive, you can do a lot more than you first thought.
Does it have any sound editor software or library?
love the new look and fits nicely with the Modwave, Opsix and Wavestate series. They should give the Minilogue XD the same size. Love the new MicroKorg MK2 . Can't wait for them to release in June this year.
I'd be willing to bet the new microkorg will also release for around 1000usd
I have the feeling that these will be blown out on the korg reverb account in a couple years for 399
I have the black Kingkorg which is great…..however, I agree the price is just ridiculous. I’ve always wanted a smaller version of it and at £500 I would be interested. The fact that they have made no improvements and then trying to sell at that price just continues the feeling that Korg are losing it.
If this had a 4 octave keyboard with aftertouch, separate knobs for amp and filter envelopes, more knobs, buttons for other items, improved effects quality and ability to input/create single or multi samples and use them as oscillators then I would probably pay their asking price. As it is, not a chance of a purchase from me.
I think you have the best demo music for your reviews. When I want to know how good an instrument can sound I make sure I check out your review! Thank you sir 🙏🏿
great clip. How is the build quality overall and of the keybed? thanks.
Keybed is about the same as Wavestate so ’ok’ but nothing special
@@BoBeats thanks. And the device itself, does it feel like a plastic box or is it quite sturdy? The hydrasynth explorer is one hell of a brick, you can drop it from the 3rd floor.
@@bartgr9008 Weight : 3.1Kg /6.83 lb
So it's plastic when compared to the Wavestate which I own and is this
Weight 2.9 kg/6.93 lbs.
^^ Both weights were taken from Korg's webs.
@@BoBeatsthat means it's a bad key bed.
I guess tall dog has another opportunity to make a desktop conversion kit.
Прекрасное дополнение в линейку korg👍👋🎶🎹
Cheaper than a Moog, and way more flexible 😮 There's something to be said for a workflow that's fun, fast, and easy too. I could see people who were saving for a Grandmother going for this instead. (I would lol)
Yeah just bc its analog doesnt mean it works for everyone. Digital isnt as sexy but its practical
@@BoBeats Very true! Digital is closing the gap fast too (if it hasn't already). Proud owner of both 😁
I think not.
Not at that price
Huge fan of the original, been wanting another for awhile. I do think it feels over priced by about 100-200 considering the price of korg synths like the Modwave and Wavestate, and especially with the Roland Gaia 2 being 900... but honestly, 3 screens, nice compact size, I love the sort of distinct voice of the Kingkorg. I'm still really considering this!
I would like to get a KingKorg Neo but they priced it too high. It needs to be around the $599-799 range
I agree
Watching this for 5-10 minutes before looking up the price, I was expecting more like $500-$750. Granted, I’m not familiar with the original KingKorg.
I’ve had the MikroKorg from many years ago, and for the time (I was a beginner), it was tremendous fun and very inspirational for me. I think this is one of those units Korg aimed to make *fun*. And they’re usually good at that.
While I understand this wasn’t a full review, I was a little disappointed you didn’t address the joystick (unless I missed it somehow, forgive me if I did). I definitely would prefer some wheels like the MikroKorg.
All in all, if I had $1000 to spend, this might tempt me for a moment, but I’m sure ultimately I’d invest in something else that’d give me more for the price.
500 is the REAL good value of this toy in cheap plastic, no wheels, bad keybed.. . no one euro more.
Overpriced thing - £999,00, ASM Hydrasynth Explorer - £568,00. The choice is obvious.
Yep, also when has £999 been 'beginner friendly', no beginner is going to be shelling out a grand on a synth.
@@davelordy I agree))
Makes me glad I still have my King Korg. The only bad thing about it is the key bed - the pivot point is too far forward.
I think that for $1,000, no one will need it😁 Microfreak V by Korg!)
WTF does "microfreak v by korg" even mean
Well this is a bit of a surprise.
Yeah, I was kinda surprised too!
Should be perfect for you Bo
The price point, particularly given that the keybed sounds like it's Korg's usual plastic-y, obnoxious one (imho, ymmv, etc.) means I won't give this serious consideration. A desktop version at a significantly lower price would be more inviting for me.
sounds like music from tron very nice
I’m a fan of Roland so buy a few cheaper bits used , but my heart is with Korg. The playability is excellent,,, and maybe that’s why I buy the other name because I’m still working out the mc 101 it’s very difficult, and my volcas and midi Korg mono I had in probably six hours ,, and a Yamaha amp to .. I think their part of Korg… 1000 pound I’d buy a lurcher and cat food
Is this worth double the price of a Hydrasynth Explorer? Korg seem to be overpricing synths lately to me. Yamaha's new sequencer is £349UK. It has a sampler and sequencer.
The Modwave was an ok price for what it did. Korg need to get back to that sort of pricing. No doubt this will come down! The Gaia II was the same. Too much IMO but I guess that had more knobs
I think it's overpriced, yes.
The Hydrasynth is a great tool for making me not GAS about other synths. It makes almost everything else look awkward and overpriced. It has a great engine, interface, key bed, and price point.
@@ToyKeeper absolutely yes. Since I got the desktop version I've rolled with it + an analog poly + modular and that's it
It's not worth double the $ of the Explorer when you consider the PAT keybed too.
I used to own a desktop, sold because I never really enjoyed it, but am now gravitated back to it due to how it can sound now.
Korg really are missing their ballpark now, asking too high very too little imo.
Looks good, sounds great, but that price is a little steep.
Better or same as this in fair prices from other companies.Korg and other major companies add to the price because of their brand name.
Wavestate plastic keybed?
And now the new MicroKorg2 is coming
3 octave VA synth for a grand. Korg are high.
Using tech that was developed a decade ago.
At half the price with an analogue filter & AT, Arturia's Minfreak simply blows away this away.
Do we need another dull as dishwater synth that’s overpriced?
Beginner friendly? Bo, it outspecs the Nord Lead 4. 😆😘
Its very beginner friendly. Its super simple to operate
the arp on the original let you drop out notes making for interesting patterns- mine started drifting in tuning all over never tried repairing as it might have cost the price of the thing new
How did the tuning drift? It's digital
it would be fine for like 5 minutes then go nuts dont know
@@stevenwhite8936 that's frustrating, how odd.
Just had to double check its not the 1st of April.
BoBeats for beginners
Tom is cold. Tom Burrr… 😊
Just another bread & butter VA synth. The USP of the original King Korg was the tube, which they omitted here. Let alone 5 vs. 3 octaves. And where the heck are the wheels? Nah.
Just get a second hand Virus TI 2 for that price and you'll be happier for it.
Are the filters VA?
modeled filters yes.
i like the colour lol
I kind of expected their next rPi synth to be granular, but VA is not really that much of a surprise. The price though is a bit ridiculous compared to what else is out there in 2024.
This isn't an rPi synth; different internals than modwave/wavestate/opsix.
@@danphillips2137 what are the internals? I am actually a bit surprised to hear it is not their rPi platform as that has a LOT of legs left and many things I think they will end up exploring.
@@klstay I work at Korg R&D, creators of the wavestate, modwave, and the platform that they share. I certainly agree that the platform has a lot of legs left! The King Korg Neo is a different instrument, with different internals. I'm not sure yet what's been said publicly, so I'll leave it at that for now.
@@danphillips2137 thanks for the reply! I would love to see Korg release a full size dual engine rPi synth with polyAT that could do layered patches of any two of opsix, wavestate, modwave or double of one of them. I think they will eventually release such a configuration, but only after marketing feels enough has been made on all the intermediate models they will release first...
They make Bad Gear’s job so easy 😂
Chop the keyboard off, Korg - rack mount please.
I’ll pass until it goes on sale. I’ve gotten the short end on to many Korg purchases. Seems like a few months after release Korg products are marked down or part of a discounted package deal.
At 300 to 400 tops, I can understand the reimagining. At $1000 Korg's marketing department needs to lay off the pipe.
It's like synth software nexus 2
At $400 or $500 there would be a great market for this. At $1000... uh, no thanks. Thanks Bo.
Somehow this sound even more cold and digital (in the bad way) than the Hydrasynth, almost rompler-like. I guess for some people that's fine.
sounds like a 90s synth!
if we had synths like this in the 90's music would have sounded quite different
it reminds me of my roland XP-50, the general tone coming from the synth, the filters and how they clip, and a lot of the presets just have that XP50/JV1080 vibe, or maybe a JP8000 vibe with the bandpass filter sound. @@BoBeats
Ah I see the differences, there was a microphone added! For use with the Vocoder noone understand any word, no matter.... And there a just a hand full keys on the keybed. If you dont have a Big flat, this is the right Synthesizer for you. And the last difference is: the price, it cost not 999 but 1199 bucks, and yes😂all the King korg on the used market with 61 keys and no microphone cost only 500 bucks.. 😢😢😢
Korg getting greedy with its prices just lately!
Korg Gaia 2 neo
Dunno...reminds me of the Modal Cobalt sound wise. But the look of the Neo is far superior.
Price in Europe please?
Around 950-1000 euro I believe
Thanks@@BoBeats
Omg. No way. RIP korg @@BoBeats
It's sound is reminiscent of the Poly 6, ostensibly nice, but somehow kind of canned, or 'produced'.
The original one went very wide in its sound spectrum. It does well as a Minimoog, to make ambient Vangelis like soundspaces, I even use its Mellotron sounds. But it can act as a digital DW8000 if you wanted it to.
It feels like they reused the chassis from Wavestate/OPsix and the other one.
They need to stop using those small screens and make something you can actually use/see.
Yepp, same form factor. Screens are readable since it only shows very little info (one line of text).
@@BoBeats yeah on closer inspection, these screens look really userble, my bad.
I don't think price is attractive, how is the keybed?
I prefer knobs over screen space. They put three screens on this.
Seems intuitive.
Keybed is OK. But i think at the price they are asking its just OK.
@@BoBeats probs same keybed as the Wavestate? If so, really light and plastic feel, not the worst, but not far from.
I like it at first sight. But the price is not okey. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😮😮😮😮😊
The Hydrasynth Explorer is half the price. I love korg to death, but this is a miss based on price. It's like a beginers synth at a Pros price.
Nice synth id always like the big brother sound but at the end nothing really new and well the vocoder is not really my thing i wiil buy it but it have to a nice price araound 400 e would be perfect if not i can easely live without it
すばらしい、でも今求められてることはディスクを占領しないこと。左右にコントローラー部を置けばもっとうれるでしょうね。さらにｐｃ内分割が最高でしょう。