What it is and what it was built for
A 37-key, DSP-based digital synthesizer/vocoder released in 2002. Built for live performers who needed portable, immediate sound — especially singers needing real-time key transposition and vocoding without laptops or external gear.
How it works, in terms a player would use
It runs a DSP-based analog modelling engine, inherited from the Korg MS2000. You select one of 128 preset timbres. Each timbre has two oscillators, a filter, an amplifier, and basic modulation routed via four knobs. The keyboard has 37 keys. You layer two timbres — but polyphony drops to two voices, or three in one specific mono+poly combination.
What it does better than anything else
It delivers instant, expressive vocal synthesis and vocoding in a keyboard small enough to carry on the bus. Its DSP engine gives punchy, resonant filter sweeps and gritty, characterful basses — all controllable in real time with just four knobs and a single button per function.
What it does badly
It runs out of voices fast. Four-voice polyphony in single-timbre mode is tight for chords or arpeggios. Layer mode cuts that further, often to two voices. There is no user wavetable editing, no oscillator sync, no FM routing, no velocity-switched layers, and no patch memory beyond the factory 128.
What people made with it
Dance-pop hooks, electroclash leads, garage-rock basslines, and underground hip-hop vocal textures — all using its built-in vocoder and preset-driven immediacy.
Who should use it, and who should not
Live electronic performers, vocalists needing quick key shifts and on-the-fly vocoding, and producers wanting tactile, no-software entry into analog-modeled synthesis. Do not use it if you rely on deep sound design, multitimbral sequencing, or more than four-note chords.
Is it worth your time
Yes — if you need immediate, hands-on vocal synthesis, compact stage-ready basses and leads, or a portable vocoder that works without patch cables or software. No — if you need more than four simultaneous notes, real-time sound design depth, or stable layering with full polyphony.
