{"id":29907,"date":"2018-07-13T15:51:11","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T15:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greatsynthesizers.com\/?post_type=test&p=29561"},"modified":"2023-01-01T13:07:34","modified_gmt":"2023-01-01T12:07:34","slug":"korg-prologue-the-8-16-voice-pros-synth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greatsynthesizers.com\/en\/review\/korg-prologue-the-8-16-voice-pros-synth\/","title":{"rendered":"Korg prologue \u2013 THE 8-\/16-voice pro’s synth?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This took a while. 2 years, to be exact. After release of the 4-voice polyphonic minilogue\u00a0<\/strong>(that stepping stone to a pro’s synth<\/a>) we would have expected its bigger brother to arrive soon. But Korg set up another test balloon at first: its\u00a0monologue<\/strong>. A much-respected monophonic analog synth, available in various colors.<\/p>\n

T<\/span>he success of both instruments might have asured Korg of being on the right path. And so\u00a0the super-synth has now finally arrived: the prologue<\/strong>. A professional Japanese polyphonic synthesizer with 4 octaves \/ 8 analog voices (prologue-8) or, alternatively, 5 octaves \/ 16 analog voices (prologue-16). Great sounds.<\/p>\n

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Well … whether a 8-\/16-voice analog synthesizer built in 2018 is destined to write synth history or not – who knows. In any case, the prologue has come to occupy a niche in our studio setup. To make it more precise: the instrument’s polyphony is not its unique selling point, but rather its voice architecture. Its quality<\/em> of sounds.<\/p>\n

Trademark: Made In JAPAN<\/h2>\n

F<\/span>or a long time, “Made In JAPAN” was synonym for highest quality when it came to electronic gear. However, a number of scandals with\u00a0several Japanese industrial companies have seriously shaken that image in recent years.<\/p>\n

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According to the Made-in-Country Index, Japan ranked 8th in 2017, but was – alongside Canada – the nation most rapidly catching up again.<\/p>\n

[See: Article on the most popular indications of origin<\/a>, from:\u00a0welt.de\/wirtschaft]<\/p>\n

Korg and its prologue are high quality. “Made in JAPAN” is – with good reason – an trademark to be emphasized. Solid chassis, extremely solid, high-quality pots, switches and buttons, attractive wooden side panels, internal power supply: Prologue hardware speaks for itself. Big thumbs-up!<\/p>\n

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Pitchbend \/ ModWheel might be slightly oddly placed (above the keyboard! Some people like it, some don’t), but they are a significant improvement over minilogue \/ monologue. Remember that noisy slider with its center spring? Click \u2013 click!<\/em>\u00a0That annoying mechanical noise (!) each time you moved the slider? What a blessing to have “real” wheels on the prologue. And they are programmable, too …!<\/p>\n

The high quality keyboard – tastefully weighted and thus a pleasure to play – is another real improvement over\u00a0monologue\/minilogue. Ok, ok … a Fatar TP8 \/ S keyboard would have been even better, but\u00a0let’s not complain: The prologue keyboard feels great.<\/p>\n

All in all, Korg prologue hardware fulfills all criteria of a reputable professional synthesizer. “Made in JAPAN” is still a guarantee for high endurance, functionality and uncompromising quality.<\/p>\n

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But we can’t avoid asking a few small questions:<\/p>\n

Why are\u00a0imprinted potentiometer scalings missing? These “optical rasterizations” (usually 10 levels with fine subdivisions, like on a measuring tape) are\u00a0a given with most\u00a0synthesizers \/ audio devices \/ technical instruments. Such printed scalings might have given the prologue an even more professional look and would have made sound-programming a tiny bit more effective.<\/p>\n

Fingerprints and dust particles show up all too well\u00a0on the fine metal surfcae, letting\u00a0the prologue look old before its time. A dust cover is highly recommended! Cleaning the prologue with a microfibre cloth is certainly possible, but requires a lot of energy, since fingerprints are really stubborn\u00a0and hard to remove from the surface.\u00a0So visual maintaining of the instrument requires a bit more work than necessary.<\/p>\n

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Finally, access to the rear side connections is a bit difficult. Although all in\/outputs are labeled on the chassis’ upper edge – which is without a doubt very helpful – you simply can’t see<\/em> the jacks when bending over the prologue. This\u00a0has to do with\u00a0the futuristic look of the chassis, stylishly curved inwards.<\/p>\n

Sure, lifting the prologue does solve all (visual) problems, but it does not quite make sense to have to raise the synthesizer each time you wanna establish a connection from the prologue to, let’s say, a monotribe or volca beats (sync in <> out).<\/p>\n

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Let’s be honest: A these problems are no<\/em> problems. Lack of imprinted scalings, laborious cleaning procedures, slightly difficult rear-side access … who cares! Those are just peanuts compared to the big plusses of the instrument’s high-quality hardware.<\/p>\n

After all, considering other companies’ Toys’R’Us-synth-manufacturing-policies, Korg’s effort to build high-quality (pro’s) instruments can’t be rated high enough.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the big show<\/h2>\n

“The prologue is a keyboardist-oriented analog synthesizer featuring the best of<\/em>
\nKorg\u2019s expertise.”<\/em> (prologue user manual, page 3)<\/p>\n

T<\/span>he prologue is indeed a professional synthesizer in many ways, not only in terms of hardware, but also in terms of sound architecture and … SOUND!<\/p>\n

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The prologue features:<\/p>\n