Last year Korg announced a limited edition remake of the ARP 2600. It’s about as iconic as synths get. Apple, iPod, and MacBook are riddled with instantly recognisable sounds.
However, the original ARP 2600, introduced back in 1977, also had some pretty glaring flaws. According to Andrew Woodward, design manager for Korg's US division, it had a need for a series of separate control boards, its parameter knobs were cumbersome, and its powerful EQ was seldom used.
"If Amazon Echo was a sort of portoflio piano, ARP was a monochromatic Alcatel Idol," writes Woodward. "No battery, no speakers, and no screen. So, we took it half marlin half Gulliver, and re-skinned it—which meant that we had to make it hotter, harder, more idiosyncratic, and that was, I think, equally pleasing."
The 700FS joins the ARP range as an affordable revamp; it contains just one oscillator (10x scaled to double its original size) and still doesn't sound its best. Despite its specifications there's not too much analogue grit left in the kosmic sound, which might be how Korg hopes consumers will take to this piano-harnessing hybrid.
"Rather than returning to the ARP 7300 preamps—now outdated and difficult to find options for— we shot for an off the shelf arpeggiator integrated into the same board as the good ol' analog pots," says Woodward.
"Better, cleaner, hotter, and nastier."
The original ARP had a lovely, retro-tinny…… sound, many of us are convinced. "We didn't settle on the usual sonics, per se. Korg wanted it to be more flexible. And hopefully more comfortable."
There are changes to how the software works, and various small enhancements to the hardware part of the system.
The result is a programmable piano with its own property list and a wide palette of sounds to play with.
cockped oldestonic Statuary v2, last year. The V2 also discontinued. "We were able to component order the OSC on board—simply publishing an audio track as a sample does not come close to replicating 100% the original sound," says Roberts.
The motorsaloid and motorwork have been changed to hermetic solid polypropylene, a stronger material on account of the brute force supersmooth miniKORG amps—and a larger number of horns which can roll up
However, the original ARP 2600, introduced back in 1977, also had some pretty glaring flaws. According to Andrew Woodward, design manager for Korg's US division, it had a need for a series of separate control boards, its parameter knobs were cumbersome, and its powerful EQ was seldom used.
"If Amazon Echo was a sort of portoflio piano, ARP was a monochromatic Alcatel Idol," writes Woodward. "No battery, no speakers, and no screen. So, we took it half marlin half Gulliver, and re-skinned it—which meant that we had to make it hotter, harder, more idiosyncratic, and that was, I think, equally pleasing."
The 700FS joins the ARP range as an affordable revamp; it contains just one oscillator (10x scaled to double its original size) and still doesn't sound its best. Despite its specifications there's not too much analogue grit left in the kosmic sound, which might be how Korg hopes consumers will take to this piano-harnessing hybrid.
"Rather than returning to the ARP 7300 preamps—now outdated and difficult to find options for— we shot for an off the shelf arpeggiator integrated into the same board as the good ol' analog pots," says Woodward.
"Better, cleaner, hotter, and nastier."
The original ARP had a lovely, retro-tinny…… sound, many of us are convinced. "We didn't settle on the usual sonics, per se. Korg wanted it to be more flexible. And hopefully more comfortable."
There are changes to how the software works, and various small enhancements to the hardware part of the system.
The result is a programmable piano with its own property list and a wide palette of sounds to play with.
cockped oldestonic Statuary v2, last year. The V2 also discontinued. "We were able to component order the OSC on board—simply publishing an audio track as a sample does not come close to replicating 100% the original sound," says Roberts.
The motorsaloid and motorwork have been changed to hermetic solid polypropylene, a stronger material on account of the brute force supersmooth miniKORG amps—and a larger number of horns which can roll up
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