jmtd → log → synths → Korg Minilogue XD

I didn't buy the Arturia Microfreak or the Behringer Model-D; I bought a Korg Minilogue XD.

Korg Minilogue XD, and Zoom R8

I wanted an all-in-one unit which meant a built-in keyboard. I was keen on analogue oscillators, partly for the sound, but mostly to ensure that most of the controls were immediately accessible. The Minilogue-XD has two analogue oscillators and an analogue filter. It also has some useful, pure digital stuff: post-effects (chorus, flanger, echo, etc.); and a third, digital oscillator.

The digital oscillator is programmable. There's an SDK, shared between the Minilogue-XD and some other Korg synths (at least the Prologue and NTS-1). There's a cottage industry of independent musicians writing and selling digital patches, e.g. STRING User Oscillator. Here's an example of a drone programmed using the SDK for the NTS-1:

Eventually I expect to have fun exploring the SDK, but for now I'm keeping it firmly away from computers (hence the Zoom R8 multitrack recorder in the above image: more on that in a future blog post). The Korg has been gathering dust whilst I was writing up, but now I hope to find some time to play.