KORG have announced the forthcoming availability of the multi/poly native plugin, available at the intro price of $149.00, increasing to $199.00 after the promotion. Owners of the hardware multi/poly are eligible for a crossgrade license to multi/poly native at the special price of US $49.99, via a coupon code tied to the multi/poly hardware’s unique ID. Using the hardware and software versions together, you can have the best of both worlds: a physical instrument that responds to your touch, and complete DAW integration.
Inspired by the legendary Korg Mono/Poly, the new multi/poly analogue modelling synthesizer delivers breathtaking analogue sounds combined with extraordinary digital power and flexibility.
Korg is now pleased to introduce the multi/poly module: all of the multi/poly’s incredible features and sounds in a compact 19″ desktop/rackmount package. With support for MIDI 2.0 property exchange and poly aftertouch, the module is an excellent companion to Korg’s Keystage controller. It’s also fully compatible with programs from the multi/poly native software, as well as an increasing number of excellent third-party libraries, keeping the updated sounds and software fresh. The new 19″ rack-mountable enclosure has the same controls as the keyed model, yet is easily transportable and fits neatly into any studio or desktop production system.
The multi/poly features redesigned, incredible-sounding filters and oscillators – and its advances in analog modeling go so much deeper. To start with, each voice has a Virtual Voice Card whose oscillators, filters, envelopes, LFOs, and portamento circuits model analog hardware component variations. The result is that each voice has a slightly different character, creating naturally rich timbres. Dial in as much or as little of this variation as you like, separately for each sound.
Just like in an analog synth, voice cards also continue to play even if you’re not hearing them. Envelopes keep evolving, so that if you play a pad with a long release time, newly played notes “catch” the envelope at its current level instead of restarting from zero. Oscillators and LFOs maintain their phase, and resonance continues to ring. Each oscillator’s pitch can also drift slightly over time, modeling the slight pitch instabilities found in analog hardware.
Envelopes are an often-overlooked factor that contributes to the unique sounds of vintage synths. The multi/poly includes envelope curvature presets for the Mono/Poly, MS-20, “Mini,” “Pro,” ARP Odyssey, and more. Also, analog VCAs don’t respond evenly to voltage, and have different thresholds for turning on and off, which in turn has a strong effect on the Amp Envelope’s character. So, the multi/poly features modeled VCA responses from the Mono/Poly, MS-20, Mini, Odyssey, and Pro, as well as a linear option.
Ever tried to re-create a portamento effect from a favorite song, but couldn’t find the right setting even when you switched between “constant rate” and “constant time?” Classic analog synths had different approaches to portamento, too, and so the multi/poly has six different portamento models to choose from.
The multi/poly offers FOUR oscillators per Program, for unusually thick, complex tones. Each can use the Classic, Digital, or Waveshaper oscillator types. The Classic oscillator models traditional analog synth oscillators with stunning fidelity and effortless thickness. 11 options include both single and dual waveforms, for modeling synths that generated multiple waveforms at once. Front panel knobs give you hands-on control of pulse width, triangle “lean”, dual-waveform blend, and more.
The Digital oscillator plays wavetables with up to 64 steps, like vintage hybrid synths and modern eurorack modules. Start with over 200 factory wavetables, or load your own. Import modwave wavetables directly, or convert wavetables from popular software formats. Use the 30+ Modifiers to change the way that the tables are loaded, resulting in subtle to extreme changes in timbre, and 8 Morph Types like Stretch, Flip, and Mirror to process them in real-time.
Waveshaper offers a “West-Coast” approach, in which simple waveforms (sine or triangle) are processed through a shaper table. Modulating gain into the shaper creates glassy, dynamic harmonics. Use the Berkeley shaper for traditional wavefolder timbres, or select from over 90 other shaper types. The multi/poly also adds modulatable pulse width, a unique twist, for another dimension of richness and motion.
In addition to oscillators 1-4, there’s a separate noise generator with dedicated filtering and saturation, and a ring modulator with inputs from all of the above.
The multi/poly also expands on the original Mono/Poly’s powerful oscillator sync and x-mod capabilities, for timbres otherwise only possible with a large modular setup. Create unique sounds with Oscillators 2, 3, and 4 simultaneously following Oscillator 1 for sync, x-mod, or both at once. Alternatively, split either function into oscillator pairs with separate control.
All of the multi/poly’s filters are newly redesigned, including an amazing suite of vintage filters with authentic euphonic saturation. To start with, there are five different 4-pole self-resonating models. M/Poly provides the strong, sweet sound of the classic Korg Mono/Poly. Mini is the ladder filter from a beloved American mono-synth; resonance is reduced at low frequencies, critical for producing those classic bass sounds. Pro is from the first programmable polyphonic synthesizer, with strong resonant sweeps all the way down. Finally, Ladder HP and BP are 4-pole self-resonating highpass and bandpass filters, respectively.
The MS-20 LP and HP 12dB/octave self-resonating “Korg 35” filters lovingly recreate the distinctive, aggressive timbral signature of the classic Korg MS-20. The SE M/P 2-pole filter is more gentle in character, and features a continuous control to sweep between lowpass, band reject, and highpass, plus a separate bandpass mode.
You can also shape and refine with a full collection of linear, resonant 2-pole and 4-pole lowpass, highpass, bandpass, and band reject filters. Or, step outside the box with KORG’s unique Multi Filter, which creates modulatable blends of multiple modes simultaneously.
All of these filters support audio-rate modulation for ear-catching bright, fizzy, and bubbling effects. Use any of the oscillators or the ring modulator as the modulation source, and even blend in the noise generator for more chaotic timbres. In addition to the vintage filters’ built-in saturation, a post-filter anti-aliased Drive circuit lets you add more weight and grit to taste, from subtle thickening to heavy distortion.
Finally, you can use any two of these filters simultaneously, in series or in parallel. Programs have two filter slots, A and B. Each source, including the four oscillators, noise, and ring Mod, has a balance control which crossfades between the two filters–enabling a wide array of creative options. For instance, send one group of oscillators through the M/Poly filter, and the other through the MS-20 lowpass. Create a classic highpass->lowpass serial chain, but route one or more oscillators around the highpass. Since this is a continuous crossfade, and not just a switch, you can modulate the A/B Balance for unique effects. The filters can also run in stereo, with separate panning for each of the sources.
The multi/poly has four Layers, each of which contains a Program. Naturally, these can create layered sounds, velocity splits, and keyboard splits. Inspired by the original Mono/Poly’s paraphonic mode, which cycled through its four oscillators, Layer Rotate adds a new possibility: flexible round-robin for entire Programs.
Set up the four Layers with different Programs, and then cycle through them with each key-press. Play them in repeating or random order. Trigger one, two, or three Programs at every step of the cycle. Use Layer Rotate together with the arpeggiator for mind-bending patterns.
Bursting with modulation sources and destinations, the multi/poly invites you to explore. Most parameters can be modulated, with more than a thousand modulation destinations per Performance, and no fixed limit on the total number of modulation routings. You can even modulate settings for individual Motion Sequence Steps! Each modulation routing includes a primary modulation source, an intensity, and a secondary modulation source; the three are multiplied together to create the modulation amount. A single destination, such as Filter Cutoff, can have up to 31 incoming modulation routings.
Mod Knobs put macro transformations under your fingertips, making it easy to explore the sonic worlds inside each Performance. Tweaking an existing sound? Quickly identify modulation sources using real-time displays of all envelopes, LFOs, and other primary modulation sources. Easily create modulation routings using drag-and-drop, and get an overview of all routings via the Mod List. Mod Processors let you transform modulation signals using quantization, smoothing, curvature, and more.
Motion Sequencing 2.0 evolved from the wavestate’s Wave Sequencing 2.0. Timing, Pitch, Shape, and four sets of Step Sequence values are separated into “Lanes,” each with their own loop start and loop end, adding a deeper, more customizable level of phrase and modulation recording.
Every time the sequence moves forward, the individual Lanes are combined to create the output. For instance, a step sequence value may be matched with a different duration, pitch, and shape every time that it plays. You can modulate each Lane’s loop points separately for every note, using velocity, LFOs, envelopes, Mod Knobs, or other controllers. Each note in a chord can be playing something different!
Lanes can also randomize the step order every time they play. Individual steps can be randomly skipped, with a modulatable probability from 0 to 100%. The result is organic, ever-changing sounds that respond to your control.
Kaoss Physics models a ball rolling on a surface and/or bouncing off walls. “Throw” the ball with a gesture on your mouse or trackpad, or launch the ball automatically using a trigger source such as Gate + Damper. You can also directly control the ball by dragging without releasing. Use DAW automation to record both gestures and direct control. The position of the ball produces eight modulation signals, which can be used to control any modulation destination: the X and Y locations, the distance from the center, the angle relative to the X axis, and finally separate signals for +/- X and +/- Y. The result is an interactive controller that amplifies your physical gestures, transforming them into captivating, complex, and evolving musical results.
There is a bump in the virtual surface, going either down or up, like a valley or a hill. You can set the height or depth of the bump, and choose one of several different shapes for its slopes. The surface has adjustable friction, so that the ball slows down as it travels. There are walls on the four sides of the surface, and when the ball hits a wall, it bounces off. Walls can slow down the ball, as if they were padded, or accelerate the ball, like bumpers in a pinball machine. The walls can also be removed entirely, so that the surface wraps around to the opposite edges like a vintage arcade game.
The modeled environment can create specific modulation effects. For instance, use a centered bump with negative height so that the modulation values always eventually return to 0. Or, position a bump with positive height on a side or a corner, to push modulation values away from that zone
Most parameters, including Tilt, Friction, Time, Bump Height and Position, etc. are modulatable. You can even modulate them from the Kaoss Physics outputs—for instance, try modulating Tilt X with Kaoss Y.
multi/poly will be available to PC and Mac users (VST3, AU, AAX and standalone) as well as a hardware module.
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