Korg Collection (V2.0 released, GUI update!)

[tonedef71]

Super nice ui update.

Are the programs different in the M1? Maybe it's just the order or not looking at a tiny ui, but some presets doesn't look familiar anymore. Not sure though. I may be wrong. Any heavy M1 users out here that have an opinion on it?

Y'know, I had wondered about that, too. Unfortunately I had never used the M1 plugin long enough to get a good sense of all the presets it comes with (and there are plenty of them).

By the way, Vintage Synth Pads used to sell a collection of about 387 new modern patches for the Korg M1:
https://www.kvraudio.com/video/korg-m1-synth-1849
https://www.kvraudio.com/video/korg-m1- ... ption-1841

I am not sure why this collection is not offered for sale at all on the VSP web site.

[tonedef71]

Hmm... it seems there were some loose ends with the KORG M1 update. The versions numbers are wrong in both locations where you can check the version number in the standalone executable for Windows:


and



At least, the version number displayed in the KORG Software Pass is correct:


I wonder if this is also the case with the other update KORG Legacy plugins. I have only re-installed the M1 plugin so far.

[aMUSEd]

Any good tutorials anywhere on programming the Wavestation?

The trouble with the WS (bought my first EX new in 1992, was my first synth, learned synthesis on it, bought my second EX second hand in 2007, and now only use the plug), is that it has a REALLY overly hierarchical programming structure. Wavesequences, become waveforms/Oscillators, four of which can be stacked and used in a Patch with Vector Synthesis modulation, and eight of those those Patches can then be stacked in a Performance with associated effects, keyboard and velocity zones. You have loads of modulation sources and destinations at every level. It's a huge headache, for sure, overly complicated.

Aside from the obvious (go through the manual, go through some patches and see how they are put together, read the SOS articles, although the early reviews aren't online, read Dan Phillips web page), choose a complete RAM bank, let's say RAM3, and make it your Init bank, you can find a blank sysex bank and load it in. That's everything Init from WaveSequences to Performances. Create a starting patch with all regular analogue subtraction stuff set wide open, Amp and VCA etc.

1) Start with a single oscillator Patch, and just go through all the individual waveforms, it might take a while, but will give you a good idea of what's available. Don't forget the Card waveforms too! You might start realising that some waves kinda belong together, in their name and sound, and that will give you ideas for the next stage. I had them all printed out and then highlighted interesting waves and sets of waves.

2) Same single oscillator patch, but this time start building a WaveSequence from scratch. There is so much possibility just here, it's quite incredible. From analogue style pitch sequences, to rhythmic drum stuff, to D50 style percussive transient wed to looped body sound, to slowly evolving drones and vocal sounds etc. Get to grips with how the Wavesequcnes work and all their parameters.

3) Next try a four oscillator patch and start getting to grips with the Vector Synthesis, which adds a whole new layer of complexity. Good starter is to have four different slowly evolving drones for oscillators 1-4, and then start cross-fading between them with the Joystick, then play around with how you can automatically crossfade between the WaveSequences with the crazy Mix Envelope controls, you can "draw in a path" for the crossfading to follow, loop it etc.

4) Start stacking the Patches together in Perormances with the Effects and Key/Velocity Zones etc. The Reverbs won't win any prizes these days, but I am sometimes still astounded by just how good some of the other stuff sounds, the Choruses and Panning etc.

That should help you grok the main hierarchy from most simple to most complex. The joy with the VSTs is of course you can ramp up the polyphony to 256, which is just insane (my EXs had 32 I think).

Don't forget the VST also has a kinda secret Resonant Filter mode, on the Filter Page, that none of the hardware ever had (it was always one of the main complaints about the WS). Go to Exciter Mode and turn it to Resonance. It turns the Exciter amount into a Res amount control. Also won't win any awards for analogue style sound, but it can totally work with some old presets and make them sound very different.

Also, try to find the old Paul Osborn presets if you can. I've scanned through many different banks since 1992, and that dude's have been the ones I often come back to again and again. He REALLY pushed it further than anyone else, with the combos of WaveSequencing and Vector Synthesis. Also loads of 70's style analogue string synth and pad style patches that sound incredible and alive. There were DreamWaves 1 & 2 and TranceWaves 1 & 2.

I made a track about 12 years ago that features many of Paul Osborn's presets tweaked, can hear it here, most of the swirly sequenced sounding bits are straight outta the WS-EX I had at the time.:

https://babaluma.bandcamp.com/track/the ... epathy-mix

Do note if you load a whole RAM bank in (ALL data), you usually need to load it into RAM1 for it to work properly. If you load it into to RAM2 the patches will be pointing towards RAM1 WaveSequences and Patches and it will sound totally wrong. It's one of the nightmares about having such an overly hierarchical synth architecture, and why if you want to mix and match WaveSequences or Patches from different RAM banks, a great Librarian software will be essential.

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques ... techniques

http://www.danphillips.com/wavestation/

Hopefully some good starting points, but it's an extremely deep and complex beast!

Great post. That's very helpful (and scary at the same time)! I really appreciate you taking the time to put all of that together and will absolutely explore it just as you described!

I found a load of these patches in this thread here:

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... 72a4700a65

I still use NI Kore 2 as my preset librarian for these, it's the only software I know that enables me to import and organise such a vast collection.

[Hermetech Mastering]

Yep, just checked, the Paul Osborn banks are in there, definitely check them out!

[Saw]

Hi folks,

As for the first version, pdf manuals available on the website.
https://support.korguser.net/hc/en-us/a ... DF-Manuals

Is it my understanding that there is no pdf on version number 2?

[ThomasHelzle]

Thanks Hermetech for the recommendations - great patches from Paul Osborn!
Is there a similar collection of patches for the M1?

Cheers,

Tom

[Vleker]

Wow I forgot about this post. At the time I created it I could upgrade for $99 but waited. Then they bumped up the price quite a bit. Now they also doubled the prices on the older ones.... Plus no resell option. Too bad, great plug-ins but a bad business which I'm not going to buy into.

[BBFG#]

Okay, they got me.
I guess Korg is just a weakness for me since I've been using them for fifty years...
I've bought and sold the legacy collection three times, and this time went the route of buying an unregistered Le license and using it as a coupon. So it worked out to about $30 per synth and about $15 for the effect. I can live with that. So far, most of the crashes have subsided with another Triton update also.
Polysix is still a blacklist that is reactivated in Cubase, but fine in Cakewalk.
However, the Odyssey stand-alone will not let me use the ASIO driver and crashes everytime I try to change it. Works fine in the DAWs though and TBH, isn't a great concern for me yet.
(But support has been contacted for it.)

[planetearth]

Thanks Hermetech for the recommendations - great patches from Paul Osborn!
Is there a similar collection of patches for the M1?

Cheers,

Tom

You've all grabbed these already, right? https://id.korg.com/static_pages/1

For anyone who didn't see them when you got the original version of the Collection, if you then upgraded using the Korg app, you may not have seen these at all.

Steve

[Watchful]

No worries, it's a hugely underrated synth, one of the most powerful ever made, and still capable of sounds nothing else can touch, IMO.

So it's not just me! I suspect most people associate the Wavestation with the cool, funky grooves and loops...but the reality is that the Wavestation is a seriously powerful synthesizer in its own right, and its best sounds are not Ski Jam or DebussyOnWheels, but some of its patches that emulated real instruments. You basically have 8 oscillators at your disposal, with some stunning samples. It can emulate LA synthesis, S&S, subtractive, and more with great authenticity.

I recall the launch of the Wavestation in 1990, and have to tell you that Korg had no idea how amazing this product was back then, even though they knew it was something powerful. A patch like King Sitar or Ethnic Drum Kit are still usable today, 30 years later, and they utilize no wave sequencing or vectoring. Glad to see the Wavestation getting some love here. It was an amazing machine, and the Korg Collection version does it justice.

[LoveEnigma18]

Hi folks,

As for the first version, pdf manuals available on the website.
https://support.korguser.net/hc/en-us/a ... DF-Manuals

Is it my understanding that there is no pdf on version number 2?

Got a reply from Korg support that new manuals will take some time.

[Aloysius]

How many years roughly?

[robotmonkey]

How many years roughly?

At least 5 as they need to redo all the screenshots.

[Aloysius]

[Teksonik]

Holy Moly !!! I had seen this thread going back to when it was refreshed and just thought it was discussions about the old plugins. I saw tonight there is a version 2 of all the plugins.

So now I have free upgrades to all my Korg plugins: M1, Wavestation, MS20, Polysix and MDE-X.

It's like having five new plugins as the new GUI's make them so much more pleasant to work with.

Now THAT'S the way to treat paying customers. Thank you Korg, well done !

I now plan to purchase the Triton, global financial meltdown be damned.......