You can get just the most amazing range of sounds out of it, with over 300 modulation destinations and an X/Y pad that is far superior to many of the new ones, you can do completely mental stuff like modulate 50 parameters at once with one finger! The presets are mostly garbage, but dig in and you will find stuff that will blow your mind. Setting up the patch takes a little time, but once it's there, watch out!

This is Korg's crowning achievement in synthesis! Get one while you still can!

Cons: - Very Heavy - Keybed is not terrible, but incomparable to great an1x/k5000 feel - Hmm..the slight problem i had with the sound

That last remark refers to the very subjective feeling I had about the sound. Where I'm sure most people love it, and I did for a long time also, I eventually began to consider the sound, though 90% gratifying was still rather, how should I say it, 'sterile.' For me, the sound is fundamental, and however deep I dug into the engine, I never found a consistent feeling that the synth would leap out at me with a remarkable sound.

That's not to say it is a bad synth; on the contrary, this synthesiser is a dream for any genre. It is a powerful monster capable of crafting sounds from ambient pads, persussive, sweeping weirdness to delightfully realistic, or perhaps surrealistic, musical instruments.

However, in comparing it too closely to my wavetable, additive and analog modelling synths, I felt imo it lacked the character, lushness or general indefinability of the rest of my studio.

On the other hand, it was more powerful and capable than anything I've ever played before.

In general, the z1 is still a worthy addition to a studio. It is best used to fill the gap between the workstation and synth, thanks to its ability to do everything, but not relying on boring samples. I would have kept it and loved it, had i not needed a more portable setup and it was not so heavy. Basically, if there was a rack verison, I would get it.