KORG miniKORG 700FS – BACK to the future …

Ah, yes. KORG is doing a perfect job. Following the ARP 2600 relaunch last year, the updated miniKORG 700S – now called miniKORG 700FS – follows this year. A pure retro-synth, with just a few, but sensible, adaptations compared to the original design. A classic synth, a piece of art.

The miniKORG 700 from 1973 was KORG’s first full-production synthesizer. It featured 1 VCO and 2 VCFs. Period. Its successor – the miniKORG 700S from 1974 – came with a 2nd VCO, noise and an excellent ring modulator. Kitaro – King of the Soft-Asia Electronic Pop – supposedly had 6 miniKORG 700S in his setup.

We are very pleased that KORG has now decided on a new edition of that classic synth. Simply because the original 700 / 700S are such rare instruments. Simply because the original 700 / 700S have such a fantastic SOUND: strong, lively, wild, suprisingly interesting. Let’s hope that the new miniKORG 700FS sounds equally good.

Big PLUSSES:

  • Near-to exact retro-design of the miniKORG 700S synthesizer
  • Pitch-Bender/Mod-Wheel (right next to the keyboard – instead of the KORG logo)
  • CV/GATE IN and MIDI IN, USB and SYNC IN/OUT
  • Stereo-Audio-OUT and Audio-IN (!)
  • Arpeggiator plus spring reverb (!)
  • 14 memories
  • Aftertouch

Smaller MINUSSES:

  • External 12V power supply
  • No VCF CV IN

Remarkable: All those loving design details of the original are present. Like the term “singing” (long release). Like the countless colorful fader caps. Like those filter slider fader caps with stop function.

We are looking forward to the miniKORG 700FS. KORG is doing a perfect job.

KORG miniKORG 700FS

Monophonic 2-VCO Analog Synthesizer
with CV/GATE, MIDI, USB
and Arpeggiator

Price: 1.999 Euros / USD

Further Info:
www.korg.com

Filed under 2021, General, Stories

“Es genügt, einen Ton schön zu spielen” sagte der Komponist Arvo Pärt im Jahre 2005. Diese Aussage ist ebenso einfach wie ich auch exzellent: Es braucht kein Meer an Tönen, denn entscheidend ist der Klang. Dass so mancher Vintage-Synthesizer der 70er und 80er Jahre teils unerreicht hochwertige Klänge liefert, steht außer Frage. Doch tatsächlich leben wir “heute” in einer nahezu perfekten Zeit. Einerseits hat man – mehr oder weniger – noch Zugriff auf die Vintage Analogen, andererseits wird auch bei Neugeräten die wichtige Komponente des hochwertigen Klanges wieder zunehmend berücksichtigt. Doepfer, Cwejman, Synthesizers.com, MacBeth, Moog, GRP, Studio Electronics, COTK, John Bowen und andere Hersteller bauen hervorragende Synthesizer, die den “Klassikern” in nichts nachstehen. All diesen (alten wie neuen) “großartigen” Instrumenten ist Great Synthesizers gewidmet. _________________________________________________________ In 2005 composer Arvo Pärt said: “Playing one tone really well is enough”. In other words, it is sufficient to play one tone 'beautifully'. I agree with that. All musical efforts are focused on the sound itself. Although I studied classical music (piano and drums), it’s the electronic sound that inspires me. Synthesizers are the epitome of new sounds and exciting tonal spheres. Today, many companies produce high-quality - excellent! - synthesizers: Doepfer, Cwejman, MacBeth, Moog, GRP, Synthesizers.com, COTK, Studio Electronics, John Bowen and others. It's their products I'm really interested in ... apart from Vintage Synthesizers, which I have been collecting for 20 years. Subsequent to our former websites Bluesynths and Blogasys, Peter Mahr and I have now created GreatSynthesizers. We hope you like it.

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