Back at the January NAMM show earlier this year, Korg's booth featured a few pieces of concept and "coming soon" gear hanging up behind some protective glass. One of the particularly interesting prototypes was a sharp-looking FM synthesizer called the Opsix. And today, we're finally getting the chance to get a hands-on look at what the final product is capable of.
As Natalie Chami mentions in the video above, how complex FM synthesis is can be a big detractor for musicians new to the format. But very much in-line with Korg's other products, the Opsix Altered FM Synthesizer aims to cut down on and combat the confusion with intuitive and accessible design features that also make it particularly excellent for live performance.
This synth's onboard control layout is really clean and clear, featuring sliders for volume and level and six operators that change color from pink to purple based on what function they're set to. When pink, the knobs function as your carriers (oscillators) and when purple, the knobs function as your modulators.
These change based on what algorithm you're going through—whether one of the 200 onboard presets (up to 500 can be saved) or one that you create yourself. To help inspire your creativity, there's also a "randomizer" mode that'll make total random algorithms you can play around in.
Check out the full video above to see Natalie demonstrate what some of the Korg Opsix can do as well as how it works. And if you're sold, you can pick up your own Korg Opsix right here on Reverb.