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Average rating:
4.8 out of 5
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really great synth, it sure sings nicely. Pros: fun, unique sounds, solid built, the XY pad is a gas. Cons: springy keyboard touch, sound quality is a tad thin.
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To put it lightly, this thing is amazing. No one has yet made a synth or plugin that can do what the Z1 can do. It's 10 years old and still cranks out sounds that give any plugin on my computer solid beating. The value of these will only go up.
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!
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Hmm... to sum it all up in a nutshell it's basically a polyphonic prophecy. Great sounds and a fairly user friendly interface. Like all synths it takes some time to get used to but well worth it in the end. Price is digestable too. id give it a 5/5
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Pros: - Great front panel interface (X-Y pad fun, knobs responsive) - Astonishly wide range of oscillator and filter options - Clean sound that varies between harsh or soft depending on how you want it - MOSS is a synthesist's dream - Sturdy Aluminium Case - LCD screen large and easy to delve into - I never found polyphony to run out
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.
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Great synth which helps you to learn as you go, start by twisting a few of the knobs, see and hear the difference and before you know it you start to program your own. Very korg in it's build quality, i.e very good in my experience. Check on Ebay for the extra sounds that are availible if you can't/don't want to program your own sounds and see what this monster DSP synth can do, it inspired me to get busy making music again after a 18 month break!!!
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