Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 192 - Korg King KORG NEO Usage Report Part 3

This time's Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal is also a report on the specifications and use of Korg's KingKORG NEO.
This time I will talk about the details of sound creation for KingKORG NEO.

Korg / King KORG NEO Virtual Analog Synthesizer

Korg KingKORG NEO (top photo) and Yamaha YC61 (bottom photo)

■ KingKORG NEO is a synthesizer that has evolved virtual analog technology

KingKORG NEO is a virtual analog synthesizer with a white body, and it has many functions packed into its small body.

Virtual analog synthesizers are a technology that replaces the processes of conventional analog synthesizers with digital signals to produce sound. Digitizing this process has the advantage of reducing costs.
On the other hand, it is impossible to completely simulate analog. By making it more like analog, it is seen as a new category of sound source.
There are also sound sources that sample analog sound sources, but it is difficult to create the touch of analog, and this virtual analog sound source was born.

One well-known example is the Nord Lead Synthesizer from Clavia. The virtual analog sound produced by the red body has been supported by musicians around the world, and many professional musicians use Nord Lead Synthesizers. The light weight and slightly hard analog-like sound may have touched the hearts of musicians.

The Waldorf Blofeld Synthesizer I owned was also a virtual analog sound source. It sounded really good. The keys were made by Fatar and were really comfortable to play.

Waldorf / Blofeld Keyboard White Digital Synthesizer

Roland and Modal have also released virtual analog sound sources in Japan and overseas. Recently, Yamaha's flagship machine, Montage, was also equipped with this virtual analog sound source, and it caused a stir.
And Korg has also released a new virtual analog synthesizer, KingKORG NEO.

■ The first of the major features of the virtual analog synthesizer KingKORG NEO is the oscillator.

KingKORG NEO Panel Photo

Let's start with the control panel. As you can see from the photo, the concept of the KingKORG NEO is very simple.
If you have experience with analog synthesizers, you should be able to make some sounds without looking at the manual.

The main components of an analog synthesizer are an oscillator, filter, envelope generator, LFO, and amplifier, and the KingKORG NEO is no different. The control panel is laid out in a way that makes it easy to understand the flow of sound.

In this report, I would like to focus on the oscillator (sound source) and filter sections, which are the distinctive features of the KingKORG NEO.

The sound creation process is simple, but the oscillator (sound source) inside the KingKORG NEO is not simple.
In the case of a normal analog synthesizer, the oscillator waveforms are limited to sine, triangle, sawtooth, pulse and noise generators, and you can create sounds by selecting one of these waveforms. If there are two oscillators, you can add thickness to the sound by changing the octave of the same waveform or shifting the pitch.
In the case of a normal analog synthesizer, there are two oscillators, but there are also models that have a sub-oscillator, which is a generator that produces a sound an octave lower. This is enough to create a sound. However, KingKORG NEO has three oscillators.

Three oscillators installed

■ An example of sound creation

Here is a guide to making sounds. First, select the waveform type using the dial on the left of the screen. In this screen, SAW (sawtooth wave) is selected. The KingKORG NEO has three oscillators, and each oscillator contains 138 waveforms. This is a dizzying number of waveforms. The screen also displays the waveform types, such as ANALOG, DWGS, and PCM.

Example of oscillator display

The oscillator selected is indicated by the 1, 2, 3 lamps in the upper left. On the left of the screen is a touch switch for turning portamento on and off, and below that is a knob for setting the portamento time.
On the lower left of the screen is a TUNE knob for changing the pitch of the oscillator.

You can also create a rich sound by selecting the waveform of the three oscillators and slightly detuning the pitch of each oscillator using the TUNE knob.
In addition, with NEO, it is also possible to detune a single oscillator. The possibilities for sound creation are endless.
Three oscillators and 138 waveforms. You can create sounds from a huge range of options.

■ The filter is amazing too!

The filters installed in the NEO are amazing. Usually, synthesizer filters are limited to low-pass and high-pass filters, and band-pass filters are rarely installed, but sound creation is mainly done using two types of filters.
Originally, the filters of synthesizers had their own unique characteristics, and the sounds that passed through these filters were popular with users, and they are still talked about as classic machines.
In that sense, it is not an exaggeration to say that the characteristics of the oscillators and filters are the characteristics of the synthesizer.
The Minimoog filter, the Prophet 5 filter, and the Oberheim filter are all examples of this.

The story jumps to NEO. NEO is equipped with modeled filters that simulate the ladder filter used in the Minimoog and other synthesizers, as well as the Curtis filter used in the Prophet 5. In addition, there are 18 types of filters available, including the filter from Korg's famous MS-20 synthesizer.

The joy of selecting filters on a vintage synthesizer, which is known as a classic machine, and creating sounds is a moment of bliss for users.

LPF P5 filter that simulates a Prophet 5

LPF OB filter that simulates an Oberheim

The filters modeled on famous historic machines each have their own characteristics, so you can enjoy creating different sounds with each one. The Moog filter is a little harsh, the Prophet 5 filter is more gentle and refined. The Oberheim filter is strong and assertive, making it possible to create sounds that reflect the characteristics of the famous machines, such as fat tones. Along with the oscillators, the filters are also a major selling point of NEO.

I might hear people saying that this is against the rules, but for users, such infringements are a joy.

Again, the synthesis process of KingKORG NEO is not difficult at all for those with analog synthesizer skills. As long as you get the basics right, operation is simple. And with an oscillator equipped with a huge range of waveforms and a filter equipped with a foul play... There are many reasons to want to buy the KingKORG NEO synthesizer.

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