The concept of an acoustic synthesizer would possibly sound like an oxymoron, nevertheless it’s precisely the type of sudden ideas that Korg Berlin was created to pursue. This impartial, R&D-focused division was cofounded in 2020 by Maximilian Relaxation and Tatsuya Takahashi, the person behind the Volcas, Minilogue and numerous different fashionable classics. But it surely has remained fairly quiet since its inception. That modified this week at Superbooth the place the workforce confirmed off its first prototype the Acoustic Synthesis_phase5.
Not like a conventional synth that makes use of oscillators, the phase5 makes use of tuned metallic forks. These forks are specifically designed to supply particular elementary notes and overtones. And for the reason that core sound era right here is an acoustic resonator, it has sure qualities a standard synth doesn’t. As an illustration it should suggestions like a guitar when held close to an amp and ring when struck on its facet. Takahashi instructed Fess Grandiose of Reverb, “we’re making an attempt to type of seize this rawness of devices, whereas being on the identical time, controllable like a synthesizer.”
So that is the “acoustic” half: metallic tines that ring, resonate and decay, virtually like a Fender Rhodes. The synth half comes from the magnets contained in the phase5 that enable it to maintain simply the elemental observe, or the elemental and the overtones, or simply the overtones. The overtones will also be modulated with an LFO making a sound that may solely be described as a sea sick bell.
Typically the sound it generates within the brief demo video above is kind of distinctive. It does have a ringing, vaguely Rhodes-like high quality to it. But it surely additionally type of seems like what you would possibly count on of a singing bowl patch on a ’90s sample-based synth. It is a contact otherworldly.
Proper now the phase5 is only a prototype and it is more likely to keep that means. Proper now Korg Berlin is solely gauging curiosity within the expertise. And if it looks like there is a marketplace for this type of unusual hybrid acoustic synth, then it should discover methods to develop it additional right into a completed product.