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Notes: Two decades in the game and the mighty MicroKorg remains a classic. Crystal version celebrates the anniversary with a fresh new look and the same punchy sound.

Supplier's Notes:
A shining homage to two decades of microKORG legacy

The microKORG was originally released in 2002 and has remained strong for two decades. Countless tracks and artists have made use of the amazing possibilities it offers and it continues to be one of the most popular choices for musicians on stage and in the studio.

The instruments that musicians recognise as "classics" are those that are loved and always in use, regardless of times and trends. The word "classic" symbolises musical instruments that are revolutionary in their field. There may be imitations of a classic, but the distinct character of the original shines more brilliantly and is only enhanced by time.

Two decades ago, the portable, battery powered microKORG was born with a radical new micro-keybed, a powerful Vocoder and ready-to-use sounds ideal for contemporary genres delivering countless hit performances, and instantly revolutionising the way musicians played. This compact sound monster introduced synthesis to a vast number of non-keyboard playing musicians and created a way of making music we now take for granted: a small keyboard resting unassumingly atop a larger one onstage, made for use by hobbyists and pros alike and finding itself front and centre of studios worldwide from the smallest bedroom to the largest pro recording facility.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release, the special edition microKORG Crystal offers a unique and stunningly stylish take on this beloved synth - now a classic in its own right.

The microKORG was originally released in 2002 and has remained strong for two decades. Countless tracks and artists have made use of the amazing possibilities it offers and it continues to be one of the most popular choices for musicians on stage and in the studio. microKORG Crystal is the ultimate reincarnation of this iconic synth.

"Skeleton" type semi-translucent chassis, with matching knobs and controls

Previously unchanged, the microKORG Crystal features a new take on the structure of the microKORG, with a semi-translucent chassis that lets you see the electronics and internals. Even the controllers are semi-transparent, including the knobs, dials and wheels. As a commemorative model, the microKORG Crystal is great fun to look at from any angle, and as its name suggests, it "crystalizes" the energy and feelings of the KORG team behind its birth.

A panel with a beautiful sheen

The microKORG Crystal features a stainless mirror-finish front panel that blends perfectly with the semi-translucent knobs and dials, blurring the limits between you and your instrument and providing a cosmetic impact never seen in any other musical instrument.

Aluminium side panels for a sturdy feel

The original microKORG featured wooden side panels that suggested a retro feel, serving as an elegant accent to the analogue modelled synth engine. This new special microKORG features sleek aluminium side panels for a clean and depurated look.

Dedicated transparent carry bag

The microKORG Crystal features a stainless mirror-finish front panel that blends perfectly with the semi-translucent knobs and dials, blurring the limits between you and your instrument and providing a cosmetic impact never seen in any other musical instrument.

Specifications

Sound generation:
Analogue Modelling Synthesis System

Synthesizer program:
Multi Timbral: 2 (max, Split/Dual Mode)

Voices: 4 voices

Sound source:
2 Oscillator + Noise Generator
Multi Mode Filter (-24dB/octLPF,-12dB/oct LPF/BPF/HPF)
EG×2
LFO×2
Virtual Patch×4

Voices: 4 voices

Vocoder program

Voices: 4 voices

Sound source:
1 Oscillator +Noise Generator
EG×1
LFO×2 8
Channels vocoder
Level and pan of each channel can be edited
Formant Shift function

Programs: 128
Effects: Modulation effects (3 types), Delay (3 types), Equalizer
Arpeggiator: 6 types

Controllers
Real-Time control knob X 4 (3 level Selection),
Arpeggio ON/OFF

Keyboard: 37 Keys (mini-keyboard, keyboard has velocity)
Inputs: AUDIO IN 1,2, Level switch LINE/MIC, [AUDIO IN 1, 2 (LINE) ], [AUDIO IN 2 (MIC)]
Outputs: L/MONO, R, Headphones
MIDI : IN, OUT, THRU
Display : 3 characters×1 line with 8 segment LED
Power supply: DC 9V (AC adapter)
Power: 6.4w Max
Dimensions: 524 x 232 x 70mm
Weight: 2.4 kg (instrument only, without batteries or microphone)
Included items: AC adapter, condenser microphone, dedicated transparent carry bag

Notes: Part of Xaoc's Leibniz Binary Subsystem, the updated Drezno ADC/DAC module builds on the original with higher resolution converters, allowing you to use it for pitch quantisation.

Supplier's Notes:
Drezno II is an improved version of the original Drezno module. It is an essential member of the 8-bit Xaoc Devices Leibniz Binary Subsystem. The Leibniz subsystem is a family of modules that operate on 8 binary (two-state, on/off) signals. These signals are arranged as 8 bits of digital data and may represent analogue signals and voltages, or they may be whatever you want them to be (clocks, gates, rhythms, etc.).

Drezno features an ADC (analogue-to-digital-converter) and DAC (digital-to-analogue-converter), allowing it to act as an analog front-end of the system. In other words, Drezno allows one to convert analogue signals and CVs into digital numbers, as well as to obtain analogue signals back from some other digital numbers (or 8 binary signals). Between these two conversions there is a whole universe of digital shenanigans waiting to happen resulting in all kinds of signal transformations and modulations.

Both (ADC and DAC) sections of Drezno can work independently, or they can be linked. Input and output range of analogue signals may be adjusted using Gain and Offset sliders. Individual bit outputs (for the ADC) and inputs (DAC) allow for extensive cross-patching and the creation of complex waveforms and rhythms. A very fast clock (up to 2MHz) at which the conversions are performed may be replaced with any external clock (for each section separately).

Compared to its predecessor, Drezno II uses new converters of much higher resolution which results in much lower noise floor and higher accuracy. The lower bits are much more stable than before. It is easy now to use Drezno for quantizing pitch voltages with accurate results with 128 or 256 semitone steps. Potentiometer ranges are factory calibrated for precise chromatic scale. A new switch on the front panel allows the user to select the calibrated range of 10Vpp or 20Vpp, so that the lowest bit or the second bit correspond to 1 semitone.

Technical details

Eurorack synth compatible
12hp, skiff friendly
Current draw: +80mA/-50mA
Reverse power protection

Notes: Optional accessory replacement panel.

Black anodised alu + heavy duty screen printing.

Review: Who doesn't love a bit of Dolly Parton? The globally renown queen of country - and the unlikely cult hero who invested heavily in the quest for a Covid-19 vaccine once the pandemic hit - is still turning out plenty of new music. Rockstar is her latest full length and it comes via Butterfly Records and Big Machine Records. It is a collaboration with a variety of rockstars which marks her first moves in the world of rock. Legends like Simon Le Bon and Rob Halford, Pink, Brandi Carlile and Sheryl Crow all feature across eight sides of vinyl and an adventurous and accomplished long player.

Review: Depending on your personal circumstances, the Covid pandemic was either a blissed-out paid holiday or a stressful and seemingly never-ending time of loss and hardship. Both ends of the spectrum are gorgeously captured here by London-based Joy Ellis, who wrote her third album 'Peaceful Place' during those strange weeks. Though a renowned singer, she decided to strip things back to just piano for this record, with long-time collaborators Adam Osmianski on drums and Henrik Jensen on double bass fleshing out the sound. It is a poignant listen from front to back, with all the many different emotions of that time conveyed perfectly, from grief to uncertainty, hope to despair, in one immersive record. The sheer beauty of these songs and the meaning of the melodies stay with you long after they have finished playing, making this a real triumph out of adversity and one that is sure to stand the test of time.

Review: Les Demerle Sound 67 is a group defined by core member and prodigious drumming talent DeMerle, who famous playing power and rhythmic elasticity is what stands out here. It is a high class jazz record with his bold presence and command of modern jazz drumming front and centre as his side men do a fine job of filing in the spaces with Randy Brecker on trumpet and rock diva Genya Ravan adding her own vocals. This album is a great find in some long lost vault that contains plenty of evidence as to why DeMerle would go on to be so revered in ensuring years.

Review: Here's a reissue of the 13th studio album by REM, one of the most influential bands of the 1980s and 1990s. More introspective and political than their previous albums, Around The Sun also contains guest appearances from the likes of Q-Tip and Patti Smith, making for a heartfelt and prescient album of its time, be it critical of subjects as violent as the Iraq War or as ephemeral as the passage of time. An initially lukewarm reception might've dealt it a blow, but REM diehards will undeniably still be chomping at the bit.

Review: The fifteenth and final studio album by REM, one of the most influential bands of the 1980s and 1990s, came as a triumphant coda for their long-standing career together. The title is noted as the last utterance to ever have escaped the lips of lead singer Michael Stipe on an REM record, tying the bow on a lengthy career while embracing the tide of change. Regarded as relatively upbeat and energetic compared to their balladic former albums, it's a bittersweet goodbye - the likes of 'Uberlin' and 'Oh My Heart', for all their teary jovialty, were never performed in concert, couching the band's sayonara moment in as much mystery as it did finality.

Review: Joseph Kosinski, famous for his direction on 'Tron: Legacy' scored by Daft Punk, wanted to go a completely different direction for 2013's 'Oblivion' starring Tom Cruise. An emotional, epic soundtrack composed by French electronic act M83 was the only real option for him - a match made in heaven. Immediately, 'Jack's Dream' and 'Waking Up' are cinematic and vast in scope with blaring strings that swell in ways that only movie soundtracks can. A complete departure from Anthony Gonzalez's megahit 'Midnight City', 'Oblivion' is an orchestral affair that is bold and punchy, with soft and ethereal ambient patches scattered throughout. The title track is a major standout, featuring Norwegian talent Susanne Sundfor, a favourite vocalist and frequent collaborator of Royksopp. Expect the unexpected, but prepare to be amazed.

Notes: An ART wavetable dual oscillator mono voice source that can be used to build polyphonic patches and multi voice patches. It generates its harmonically rich sound using two 80s vintage D/A converters to feed your filters and effect processors. VORTEX comes loaded with dozens of wavetables, plus additional user wavetables can be loaded from the front panel SD card. A detune knob controls the second VCO and adds effects from deep phasing to a sub octave. The position knob and CV input selects waves in the tables and vibrato from LFOs to create FM. Like other ART sound generators a dedicated Gate output manages the voice envelope or any modulation synced to that voice. VORTEX is a great companion to the analog ATX1 and a must for digital synthesist enthusiasts.

Size: 8HP - Depth: 40mm / 1.5"
Power: +12V 80mA / -12V 25mA

Review: Created and directed by Mike Flanagan, The Midnight Club is a hit original Netflix series with a soundtrack by The Newton Brothers that now gets its own vinyl release thanks to Waxwork Records. It comes across four sides of gatefold orange and purple swirl vinyl and is a tasteful mix of orchestral and synth sounds that are coated in eerie ambient cues packed with emotion and darkness that embody the modo of the film which centers around the stories of eight terminally ill people who all live at the Brightcliffe Home hospice centre.

Review: Demuir's Visions album gets its first series of remixes here as standout cut 'Home Sweet Home (The Journey)' gets reworked by Baltimore's finest dance music ambassador and bona fide legend DJ Spen. First up he brings some shuffling and deep soul to the groove with an irresistible skip to the drums and a lush vocal. The dub pairs things back a little further with more splash in the percussion and last of all comes the Hump mix. This one has noodling keys working their way up through the mix to bring real enlightenment.

Review: Boris Brejcha is a big deal in the techno world and for good reason. He has an all consuming sound that works in a wide array of different settings. He serves it up on veteran German label Harthouse here with a coloured 12" packing one solid punch on each side. 'Moment In Life' is a moody one that teases and pulls back, with suggestive synth motifs and textured synth modulations all suggesting something is just around the corner. 'Lost Memory' is a much deeper and more pensive cut with lonely lead speaking of real pain.

Review: Yugoslavian synth-pop band Videosex formed in 1982 but settled on its more lasting line-up in 1983 with Anja Rupel on vocals, Janez Kriaj playing bass, Iztok Turk drumming, and Matja Kosi and Nina Sever both on keys. A year later they broke through with their Videosex 84 debut album and then had another local hit with the follow-up, 1985's Lacrimae Christi. It now gets a first-ever international release, all remastered and on nice heavyweight vinyl. The group had plenty of mainstream hits - two of them are on this album in the form of 'Sivi dan' (or Gloomy Day) and 'Tko je zgazio gospo?u mjesec' (or Who Ran Over Mrs. Moon), played some big concerts and even appeared on national TV before eventually splitting up in 1992.

Review: Span's Mate assembled a high class mix of house talents from across the globe for this bumper double 12", 'All Together!!'. Byron The Aquarius opens with one of his more subdued and dusty house groovers in 'Tribes Of Love'. Melchior Sultana brings his signature sun and soul to the beautifully scruffy kicks off 'I Wanna Go Back' and Javonntte's warm, leggy depths invite you in deep on 'Tribute K.a.' Elsewhere are swirling, soulful jams like Alfonso Bottone's' If This Is Heaven, I'm Coming Too' and Garrett David's gently jacker 'Sassy Lead & A Familiar Bark'.

Notes: Great value from this versatile percussion module, built around a noise generator and four linked envelope generators, each with its own VCA. Generate hi-hats, envelopes, shape drums or create modulation sequences.

Supplier's Notes:
Ricochet is a compact, fully analogue module featuring four interconnected decay envelopes, each with its own VCA and an integrated noise generator.

The module's design is inspired by the way skipping stones bounce on the water, creating a versatile tool for crafting percussive sounds.

The exponential envelopes are specifically designed to generate dynamic percussive tones. The unique linking function connects the end of one envelope's decay to the trigger of the next, enabling the subsequent envelope to activate once the previous one ends. This innovative feature allows you to create ratcheted envelope.

A front-panel trimmer lets you adjust the threshold for triggering subsequent envelopes, while a rear header enables connecting two Ricochet modules together, or linking the last envelope to the first. This feature transform the Ricochet to a weird sequencer where the steps length depend of the decay times.

Since Ricochet is fully analogic, trig inputs are velocity-sensitive, responding to a standard gates but also allowing attenuation to modify the envelope's velocity (you can play with the dynamic of your sound by attenuating the trigg input. Ricochet is also perfect to play with drum pads).

Each VCA features a gain control that can be pushed to achieve subtle saturation.

All envelopes and VCAs have separate outputs, but there are also mixed audio and envelope outputs. When an individual output is connected, it is removed from the mix. The decay modulation inputs are normalized between each other.

Last but not least, an analogue noise generator is normalised to the first input, so you can use ricochet on it's own to create hi hat kind of sounds

Main features:

- Fully analogue design so everything is responsive to the amplitude
- Unique linked envelopes feature
- Compact 4 envelopes 4 VCAs module
- Linkable to a second ricochet or looping back the last envelope to the first one

Some applications:

- Envelope generator
- Drum shaper
- Hi-hat
- Clap envelope shaper( with short ratcheted envelopes)
- Envelope sequencer
- Trigg delay
- Burst generator

Technical details:

- Fully Analogue design
- 14hp
- Skiff friendly
- Reverse power protection

Review: London might be seen as one of the hottest places for new, urban jazz sounds, but this album Second Light from Kepler Is Free shows that Greece also has its own vibrant scene. Their debut album was a quickly sold out success and now the jazz rock ensemble is back with more expansive work that traverses the 60s, 70s, soul jazz, hip hop and experimental in all new ways. The band was founded in 2018 and though all members are relatively young, they show their maturity here with more widescreen and entrancing sounds that come in collaboration with LEX, one of Greece's best-known rappers.

Review: It's time to head back to 1987 and the early days of techno and electro experiments helmed by Juan Atkins and Doug Craig as Channel One at their studio lab in Detroit for this one. Remastered from the original tapes for this reissue, 'Technicolor' sounds as new and inventive now as ever - it has crashing hits and tight arps with hints of Kraftworks tinny synth work over a punchy low end with muffled vocal stabs. Pure body music. Radio and long mixes are included alongside third version 'Color Dubbing'. Essential stuff.

Review: We all know that it is imperative to stay away from the minibar in most cases, but not here: the French label of that name is a classy outlet for those who like stylish minimal sounds. And who better to serve them up than the rightly revered Cabanne. This two-tracker kicks off with 'Karan' which is a delightfully smooth and heady late-night minimal joint with sci-fi designs and deft synth modulations. 'Straight' then has more defined drums powering forward the spaced-out motifs and slippery basslines. Two high-class sounds for connoisseurs only.

Review: Talk about the kind of album title that the world needs more of right now, Adam Badi Donoval brings together a host of musical talent - Adela Mede and Martyna Basta on vocals, Toma Niesner's guitar work, Andreas Dzialocha on bass guitar, field recordings by Ondrej Zajac and John Sampson, and Kepla's input via suona and cello - to offer up a meditative journey into deep, sometimes dark, sometimes lighter than air, and always very personal spaces. Tracks like 'When It All Falls Into Place' are deceptively rousing, '(G)Listen' is a serene slice of folktronica, while 'Time Passes Slowly When You're In A Submarine' celebrates the power of found sound and refrains. Sometimes Life Is Hard & So We Should Help Each Other is a subtle but bold thing of wonder, and once tapped is impossible to emerge unaffected from.