Opinions? I love it, but I hear it gets a bad rap, why?


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It's an early VA (this means that the algorithms used are not as refined as those in later ones - but that's mainly a matter of taste) with 4 voices of polyphony (really not that much since 6 or more is where things get useful and pretty much all other VAs of that time had more voices than that) and some bugs in the sequencer/arpeggiator (timing isn't exact).

MS2000

The MicroKorg has the same engine but less knobbage and no sequencer (it can also be found there) - and they're far more ubiquitous so if you want to check out the sound, you can buy one and sell it if it's not what you're looking for.

I pretty much agree. I kind of like the sound, though. I had a MicroKorg but unfortunately had to sell it. The good thing with such a relatively simple synth is that it's very quick and immediate to program, even the MicroKorg with its limited number of knobs.

Hate it. Radias is 1000 times better.

Hate it. Sounds thin and nasty.

I prefer it to the JP8000 which was from the same sort of time, but I still don't think its anything particularly sensational sonically. Some people have done great things with it (s&tg), and it has that fantastic mod sequencer and is well laid out, but it sounds too average to my ears.

If Korg ever do an analogue version of the MS2000 with the VA replaced with a souped up dual osc more complex monotron, same sort of case etc, then ...thumbsup

It can do some really nice bass for something in its price range.

Aliases like a motherfocker in the higher registers if you detune the oscillators, put it in unison mode or use the onboard chorus. Good if you that early 2000's supersaw sound (which I don't). Terrible if you want to play beefy leads that actually sound analog.

For whatever reason if you just stick to a single oscillator, there isn't much aliasing and the raw oscillator sound is actually kind of good.

Check out 1:57 for a solo I did on my MS-2000 with a pretty simple saw wave, although you can get a similar sound from pretty much any FM synth.



FWIW, my MS-2000R went on the chopping block last month so I could afford a ring for my fiancee, and it's not the first on my list of repurchases. That would be the Mopho.

My first synth, and the least interesting one I've ever tried, honestly...

Ditto

I've found it to be a quirky and idiosyncratic instrument. No idea why it was billed as a VA because it really doesn't sound that analog; its easily outclassed by the better softsynths in this dept. But it does have a character of its own and can make some really mad noises. Great fun for tweaking in realtime and cheap as chips. I love the sequencer and have got very used to quickly getting what I need out of it. Its great for layering with analogs and as a controller for softsynths as well.

If you see one for a couple of hundred then go for it.


Not the best demos but its the sort of thing the MS2k does well:

YouTube - Analog style sequencing on a MS2000R II

YouTube - Korg MS2000 demo 1

i have the MS2000r rack mount version. don't really think of it as a polarizing love/hate synth. it was cheap, has aux input & a ton of knobs for tweakage. i enjoy playing with it. but then again i'm not expecting it to replace a vintage analog synth or grand piano.

Love it.

I played in a band for a couple years and went back to the MS2000 several times after trying out a LOT of other gear. It's definitely got some character and was probably the first machine I actually got GASSY for. (Bought my first one from Mars Music the day it was released.)

-n8

Looks great. Wanted it the minute I saw it. Then I realized that KORG pulled a Roland move and put a thin, brash, digital, sounding synth inside the body of a MonoPoly hybrid. Still it was interesting, but add that it only had 4 voices and was kind of expensive, that killed it for me.

Hate it. I liked the form factor and it didn't sound bad at all for what it was, but I just thought it was unfocused and confusing. I'd remove 25% of the features. The step sequencer thing was unusable for me personally.

Love it. Love it, love it, love it. The first hardware synth I ever owned so maybe because of that I've got a real soft spot for it. But it's very hands on with little need for LCD menus. The sequencer is very cool to have. The virtual patch system is easy to use & can do some cool stuff. The onboard vocoder is a nice addition. The addition of the DW8000 waveforms (as well as the standard VA waveforms) gives it a lot of scope for a broad range of timbres.

There is very little I don't like about this synth. I was never concerned about the polyphony (if I was I'd probably have never bought a DSI TETR4 either). I love the sound of this thing as well. It's not a huge sound. It's quite understated but I realy like that. I'm not always impressed by massive sounds. I actually prefer things a bit more subtle. I think the MS2000 is a future classic. But it's horses for courses as you can see quite clearly from the mixed responses this thread is receiving.

i've got the ms2000R , , i don't use any of the knobs or tweak it or anything,, i just use a few default sounds. its good for what i use it for.

i love the MS2000 for what it is. I consider it pretty much a monosynth with overlapping notes for the arpeggiator. That said, I love the arpeggiator (gate time knob FTW), the vocoder, and the delay on this. I don't really use it much as a regular keyboard synth since I have a whole bunch of others (minimoog, sh-101, ms-20, jp6, jx-3p, etc) but for that stuff i mentioned above and on stage, the MS-2000 comes in very handy. Great live jamming synth since I can pull up a saved patch, mess with it, virtual patchbay and effects are right at hand as well.

I probably wouldn't buy one if I didn't already own it and realize what it can do for me on stage (and in the studio, it has pulled through a ton of times in the studio when we needed something in a pinch)

Love the sequencer (but hate it just have 3 tracks), hate the sound (can be useful, but quite boring for simple sounds), love many knobs (but of awful quality pots), hate small polyphony with monotimbrality (even Micron has 8 voices with 16 parts).

IMO, In this price range all newer "VA" advanced synths are more preferable: Alesis Micron (aka Akai Miniak, just add some midi controller), Waldorf microQ/Blofeld (which are the same, just little differencies, and also needs midi controller, BCR2000 for ex.), Korg Microkorg (just add midi controller).
More expensive synths takes the best of this range and adds an advanced UI with knobs, good onboard FXs....like Korg Radias, for ex.

Anyway, i have a lot more good jamming sets playing on Korg iMS-20 on iPad, which sounds much nicer than 2000, and have a lot more possibilities on freaky sequencing )

The MS2K is bitrimbral actually, and despite it being only 4 voice polyphonic, the split mode is quite flexible because you can spread the voices unevenly across the keyboard (1 voice for bass and 3 for leads for example).

On topic, I think the MS2K has a very unique sound amongst VA synths out there and although a lot of people don't dig its "mojo", it has a "mojo" nevertheless. It's not good at vintage tones (not that I give a damn about that) but it has a very low fi and dark character to it. I love it's sound.

So gross it's not even worth two sentences ...

I think you should hate it and upgrade to Radias!
Radias is the monster version of MS2K! You can even transfer MSK2 factory presets in Radias!

I loved it when I had it...but when I got my Q, there was no reason to keep it. MS2K made those lovely "alligator mayonnaise" sounds I loved, but when I got my Q, that was taken to a different plane.

Love it for what it is. A noisy, lonely spacey synth that can shred if necessary. Probably my favorite live synth because of the way the noise, distortion and delay knobs make it easy to bend into guitar pedal mayhem. It's just set up very well and has a unique sound.

I love it but I hate it.

Love it. Syncing the arpeggiator and step sequencer to MIDI clock, with the 3 track 16 step sequencer controlling pan and cut-off and resonance all to perfect tempo can be loads of fun. I am not too jazzed about how it sits in a mix, it's very digital sounding at best, but every synth in my arsenal has it's place, inlcuding the MS2000.

i loved to have it sitting around but hated to use it. sold it and haven't missed it once.

Love it. You can create some real good sounds with it. Way better than the crappy Radias.

I would recommend it for someone who's been using solely softsynths as a good introduction synth, but other than that I'm not a big fan.

Hate it..

I like the Microkorg XL/R3/Radius tho..

i agree with this. since everything is very laid out and accessible without fumbling through menus on a display its very good for learning the signal flow and what does what. i think its a pretty good starter synth but after you learn from it you'll start to want it to sound different...and it won't.