The sounds are convincingly analog enough for my needs and it even has somewhat of the distinct sound of the older MIDI Korgs (pre sample playback) but with of course much more instant control over the sound. (And more reliable MIDI!) I dumped my Prophecy to get one of these allthough it is a very different machine, but it can sound much nastier than the Prophecy in my opinion, better for more messed up sounds. The manual is fairly useless but allmost unnecessary if you are used to older "true" analogs except for deciphering the loop sequencer. The loop sequencer can do some neat stuff like building analog percussion loops and emulating a wavetable sequence. The MS2K isn't as ferocious or complex sounding as say the Nova or Virus but it makes a good workhorse and to me it actually feels like working with a vintage analog. It does pretty decent bass and pads and it is super clean sounding like the Electribes but not as cold and sterile. I got this to use as a monosynth so the extra voices sweeten and fatten up the sound niceley.

The interface is very good and condusive for quickly dialing the necessary patch for a track without getting bogged down with irritating menus and software. Who has time or spare patience for that crap? I passed on the Nord Micro-Modular for that very reason, even though the Micro-Modular has a lot more options for sound creation. I'll choose the Bass Station over the Pulse for the same reason. Building patches on a computer or with annoying menus and matrixes is like trying to play guitar with a mouse. Why should it take 15 minutes to create a patch with an editor that you can dial by hand in 15 seconds on a machine like the MS2k?

If you like old-school sounds and style of sound construction then get this. Plus it's cheap.

I'm a big fan of VA's in general; they address a market segment that's bigger than you'd think, with a myriad of "old fashioned" features backed up with modern amenities and a total lack of the service-related headaches which seem to shadow any "real" analog. DSP is NOT a four-letter word. I'm not one to take these new machines for granted.

Ask yourself: are you hot for these analog machines for their investment value or for their musical muscle? If the latter is true, VA's ought to fit the bill very well. As far as I'm concerned, there isn't a bad egg in the carton except for the turd Viscount kweefed out called the OB-12. Synths are getting better, and they're opening more avenues of creativity.

If you've got something, anything to say musically, you could be handed a Casiotone Whatever and you'll make magic. Case in point: Bill Nelson. Decidedly lo-tech, quintessentially brilliant.

Yes, the Virus and SuperNova have better specs than the MS-2000. Trust your ears. Since I own a Triton Pro, the polyphony issue is moot. If you own a pet, hark back to the moment that you first laid eyes on that puppy, kitten or baby llama, and you'll know what it was like for me when I played the MS2K for the first time. L'Chaim.

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/132/hot_karl.html and there you can git yer hands on some cool multi-samples to load in your machine.

KORG: KEEP 'EM COMING, and on the next one, increase the patching capability (maybe 3/4 stage patching?) double the mod. sequencer (16 steps goes by quick) give us more waveforms to play with, and a bigger screen and I bet they'll be sold out for years.

This is my first crack at an analog synthesizer and the manual was so well layed out that i was making my own sounds in only 1 day. The mod sequencer is really good and the virtual patches allow you to really screw w/ the sound. -Sounds almost as warm as analogs -No stepping when you turn knobs! (that's a problem w/ other VA's) The filters are really smooth. -the DWGS waveforms (64 of them!) allow you to pull off some digital piano, organ, brass, other sounds.

This little synth is capable of A LOT!