incredibly solid extremely easy to use (though you will need some time to unleash its full power) lots of knobs make it very useful and expressive in a live situation - if you are thinking about sweet, childish and cheesy sound that suddenly evolve into angry cyborgs, you get it looks great! (ok, this doesn't affect the sound at all...)

cons:

only 4 notes poly. you may say "think of it as a monophonic synth", but how can i use organ and piano like waveforms with only 4 notes? after all, if they are there this means i paid for them. it's a shame, ms2000's pads - even the presets - are truly awesome (after all, who made the wavestation?), and with say 8 notes this would be a monster pad machine.

you can find, for about the same price, other synths like micron, k-station and so on with more poly, better analog emulation, wider patch memory, fatter sound and more filtering options. it's still cheap, but it should have been much more.

the delay is quite good, the phaser could be better but if you set it to a low amount it can be useful, the chorus/flanger is surpisingly poor and the distorsion (you cannot set the amount, just on or off) is useless

conclusions:

not the best synth of the world, not even in the top 10. probably, not even in the top 50. still quite good and worth a look if you're a low budget musician (like me :)) and you want a reliable/expressive synth for gigging - we all heard and sometimes went through frightening stories about self destructing microns, ghost editing, etc... i gave it 3 instead of 4 because of the price, add 1 if you find it for 400 dollars or less

I now own two synths. I first purchased the Alesis Micron, a budget VA, and now the Korg MS2000B, an intermediate VA.

I feel that too many people rely on one synth to be their bread and butter synthesizer. And coming from a lifestyle like that, I would have to agree on some points that the MS2000 just can't cut it as your number one synth. Chords get cut short, due to the polyphony of four notes.

The reason I mentioned that I own an Alesis Micron is to make some correlations between the two synthesizers. Both have full-size keys, and both are in the 3 octave range. The Alesis Micron has 4 more notes of polyphony, and also many more modulation and filter options, as well as a very comprehensive effects section and mini-sequencer.

Strangely, now that I have bought the MS2000B, I find that I am not as enticed by the Alesis Micron. and here's why!

The Alesis Micron has a very well-rounded analog sound. It doesn't sound truly analog, but carries a beefiness that the MS2000 doesn't. I can make a million more sounds on the Alesis Micron. In the same breath, I really feel that it doesn't matter so much to me now. I now have the ability to use over 30 knobs to shape my sound with the MS2000, and even thought it's a very basic synth as far as modulation possibilities go - I can get excellent sounds out of it in a very short amount of time.

The Micron has 3 oscillators, the MS2000 has only two. I don't use the digital waveforms on the MS2000.

Now here's what really strikes me. There is an instrument called a theremin, many of you have heard it before, it was made famous by Clara Rockmore. I have tried to create on on the Micron, and I have also tried on the MS2000. The MS2000 clearly excels in getting a very accurate 1920's old recording emulation of the sound. This is truly a plus for me. I am not even a huge fan of the theremin. I appreciate this because I can make the MS2000 sound like an ancient synthesizer. I am unable to do this on my Micron - not for lack of ability, but just because the sound quality of the two synthesizers are completely different.

I would say, if you want to acheive a much older sound out of the current synthesizer market, the MS2000 has an edge over the others. I keep thinking of the Raymond Scott "Hall of the Mountain Queen" song, you have probably seen it on the recent Tic-Tac commercials, with the girl juggling tic-tacs on her tongue. I have been able to create a very striking emulation of that sound as well. I believe it's a combination of the filter and the noise oscillator on the MS2000 that allow me to really "mold" an older sound. And the best part of this - no volume loss! An old synth would be very quiet in comparison. I'm really impressed with the sound of this synth. It's a basic synthesizer, capable of giving me the sounds I am looking for.

I primarily use it for creating my own sounds as well as playing music by bands such as "Planet X" and "The Mars Volta".

My feelings are quite mixed about this synth as it is the first I've bought and I haven't had the pleasure of experimenting with other kinds of synths.

The PROS: The great thing about synths is you can screw around with the knobs and buttons and get instant changes in the sound to suit what you're looking for.

Although understanding the mathematics behind synth oscillators and wave lengths etc are confusing I personally believe that it isn't too complicated - you quickly get the jist of what all the knobs do and are able to accustom what you want even if you don't know exactly what you're doing.

The Pitch bend and the mod wheel are skinny but extremely good and effective during performance... perhaps the best I've used in all of my keyboarding use.

THE CONS:

The synth preset sounds are pretty weak. The Just sound lifeless - and YES I am aware that YOU control the sounds - it just feels as if the synth is lacking any real punch or fire in its belly.

Although you can adjust the whitenoise and distortion to give it a "fuller" sound it still lacks the basic grunt that you're trying to make up.

The sounds in general are very VERY alien like and I can't imagine anyone using expect people like myself who can't afford a really powerful synth - like the Nord Lead brand.

THE MIDDLE GROUND:

This synth has the abilities to mimic or give a cheap imatation of sounds you may need to emulate certain artists - such as the above mentioned groups.

It is good for sound scapes and if you get get the grunt up its great for leads - but you'll never sound EXACTLY like what you're covering - just a cheap knock off or at best a good knock off.

THE VERDICT:

I picked up mine for a relatively cheap price second hand ($650 AUS) and don't get tired of it.

YES it's sounds are weak and not exactly what I want but I can create similar sounds with my own "unique flare".

If you're a hobbiest for this kind of thing I do suggest buying this if average sounds don't faze you but if you're looking for something with massive grunt this aint your boat.

It gets the job done... but it could be done better.

I do have to say though that I wish the knobs were a bit larger. However, they have held up well under my big fingers just fine. Further more, I ditched the thin side panels and custome made 5/8 inch full side panels. Makes the thing look a little more reminicent of my other real analogs. On that note, NO this thing is not a Minimoog that is for certain. I can say it with all conviction because I have a Mini, as well as Oberheim OB1 and famous synth powerhouse The Paia Fatman (Sarcasm Intended). I use to own a Rogue Moog and a Korg MS-10. As far as comparisons go, I have pulled off a fairly convincing Rogue Moog sound with it. However, I use the MS2K as a synth in it's own right. When I am recording with it, it is because I am playing an MS2K. If I want the sound of a Mini, I will use a Mini. If I want the sound of an Oberheim, I will use the OB-1. But for this synth, the possibilities are plentiful when developing your own sounds. (If you can't afford a mini, there are software versions of it an many other synths that will get you pretty close.) I have no qualms with the filter, delay, modulation etc. My only wish is that there was more control over the distortion instead of the "it's either ON or OFF" option that it has today. Originally it had a MIDI timing problem with the earlier operating system. However, the lates OS has fixed that problem.

For all the people out ther who say this synth (or any other synth) is crap, I say that it is all a matter of opinion, and a matter of who is behind the controls. Every synth is capable of making music, it just depends on how it is being used. That being said, yes, there are some cheap ass synths out there (and some expensive ones) with faulty operating systems, hard to understand user interfaces, shoddy construction and they deserve thier bad reviews. But to cut up a synth because it does not sound like this synth or that synth is missing the point, just use whatever piece of equipment for what it is.

I will give you one piece of advise when using this synth...Always ALWAYS use the correct power adapter!!!! I F'ed up by putting in a different power adapter and wound up frying the main board, had to spend $280 to fix it...I could have bought a brand new one for a little more, but did not want to see this one go to waste.