multi/poly vs modwave, keyboard, and other questions: Korg R&D answered them

multi/poly is Korg’s latest digital Synthesizer, the development team (Korg R&D) answered the questions I had in my news article.

Today at 6 a.m. Central European Time, Korg released the multi/poly, a digital reinterpretation of the Mono/Poly Synthesizer from 1981. I wrote a detailed news article about it.

It is another instrument in their digital synth series. I had some questions that the embargo press information could not answer. Dan Phillips and his team from Korg R&D USA, who developed it, and the rest of the digital synths (wave state, opsix…) read the article and kindly gave me answers to them.

multi/poly Questions

The previous Korg digital synths were based on a new platform that used a Raspberry Pi Compute module—a great example of what such affordable CPUs can do today. Here are also pictures that show this.

In the news article, I asked myself whether the new multi/poly is based on the same Raspi platform. Korg R&D said, “Yes, it uses the same motherboard with the industrial /embedded version of the Raspberry Pi, the Compute Module 4, as the wave state mkII and mod wave mkII.” So, they stay true to the platform.

Wavestate, opsix, and modwave are popular powerful digital synthesizers. However, the keybed was not particularly well received by users. I had a similar impression when I tested the opsix in 2021. I wondered if this offers the same keybed as the others and wrote:

“Korg consistently continues its digital synthesizer series, and it looks like they found a very financially attractive format and concept here: take the same style housing, plug in the not-so-popular keyboard”

Korg R&D says it’s a different keyboard with a new semi-weighted smooth and expressive keybed. Then, I’ll have to try out the new keybed at the next opportunity. I didn’t get an answer about why they omitted aftertouch once again. I guess the Korg management wanted to save money here.

In the article, I pointed out that Korg modeled not only the oscillators, filters, and voice cards but also the envelopes and portamento of the Mono/Poly for the synth engine. According to Korg R&D, they not only modeled the envelopes of the Mono/Poly but from many other synths.

The multi/poly offers:

envelope models: Mono/Poly, MS-20 EG 1, MS-20 EG 2, Odyssey ADSR, Odyssey AR, Mini, Pro, Linear
portamento models: Constant Rate, Constant Time, Vintage Linear, Vintage Mini, Vintage Exponential, Vintage MS-20

multi/poly vs modwave

In the article in the first impression section, I also asked myself whether it wouldn’t have been more logical to offer the whole thing as an update/paid upgrade for the mod wave synth since there are features that overlap with the synth, such as the wavetables.

Dan Phillips and his team at Korg R&D USA denied this because there are many differences between the new synth and modwave. They said:

classic and waveshaper oscillator types with PWM on the waveshapers
dual filters (vs single filter on the modwave)
completely re-written filters, including all the ones that have similar names to those in the modwave
new modeled filters: Mini, Pro, SE M/P, and Ladder highpass and bandpass, in addition to Mono/Poly and MS-20 lowpass and highpass
audio-rate filter cutoff modulation
oversampling for higher fidelity (Standard, the minimum, is 96 kHz; Extreme is 192 kHz)
virtual Voice Cards and voice Variation
new envelope structure, with delay, hold, release level, and overshoot in addition to ADSR, and modeled presets for curvature
modeled portamento, with Vintage Linear (Sequential), Vintage Exponential (ARP and most moog), Vintage Mini (different from modulars, and different even from the Voyager), and Vintage MS-20 (Hz/Volt)
modeled VCA responses
per-voice, antialiased drive
four layers, with layer rotate

All in all, there are many differences between the modwave and the new digital “Mono/Poly” reinterpretation synth. Many thanks to Dan and the Korg R&D team, who answered my questions. I didn’t even get a chance to write a request, haha; they answered my question faster. Congrats for the release.

Here is a very nice video by sound design expert John Lehmkuhl (Skippy) who was one of the sound programmers of the synth.