audiobriefs
10:49in productionCh. 1 · Timeline/ 10:49 · ceiling 15 min
Synths & drum machines

Korg MS-20

It forces you to wire your way into the sound — no shortcuts, no safety net.

A monophonic analog synthesizer from 1978. Two VCOs. Two VCFs in series: high-pass then low-pass. Ring modulation on VCO2. Modulation generator with pulse and sloped outputs. Two envelope generators. Noise source. Modulation VCA. External control via frequency-voltage converter and envelope follower. Patch panel enables rerouting of audio and modulation signals.

Chapters & takeaways4
  1. 1:09
    Timeline

    Launched in 1978 and built until 1983, it arrived after Korg’s miniKORG but before the PS series.

  2. 2:39
    Signal Path

    Two VCOs feed two VCFs in series — high-pass then low-pass — with patchable audio and modulation paths.

  3. 4:34
    Control & Modulation

    A modulation generator with pulse and sloped outputs, two envelope generators, noise, a modulation VCA, and external control options define its articulation.

  4. 6:24
    Oscillators

    VCO1 offers triangle, sawtooth, pulse, and white noise. VCO2 offers sawtooth, square, narrow pulse, and ring modulation.

Worth your time?

Yes. Use the whole thing.

4.5/ 5
What works
  • patch-routing
  • filter-sculpting
  • external-signal-processing
What does not
  • preset-memory
  • polyphony
  • tuning-stability
Use it if
  • sound-designers
  • patch-curious-players
  • external-signal-integrators
Skip it if
  • live-performers-needing-quick-access
  • studio-users-relying-on-recall
  • melodic-polyphonic-play
The written brief1 min read

What it is and what it was built for

A monophonic analog synthesizer released in 1978. Built for studio experimentation and live sound design using subtractive synthesis and patchable routing.

How it works, in terms a player would use

Two VCOs feed two VCFs in series: a high-pass then a low-pass. Ring modulation sits on VCO2. A modulation generator offers pulse and sloped outputs. Two envelope generators shape dynamics. A noise source, modulation VCA, and external control options — frequency-voltage converter and envelope follower — let outside signals drive the synth.

What it does better than anything else

It routes audio and modulation signals more freely than most 1970s subtractive synths. Its dual-filter cascade gives precise spectral sculpting. External signal processing via envelope follower or frequency-voltage conversion is built-in and immediate.

What it does badly

It is monophonic. It has no memory for patches. Tuning drifts. The patch panel demands constant reconfiguration for new sounds — no quick swaps.

What people made with it

The sources do not specify what people made with it.

Who should use it, and who should not

Players who value physical patching, external signal integration, and aggressive filter interaction. Not for those who rely on presets, polyphony, or stable intonation.

Is it worth your time

Yes, if you want hands-on patching with immediate, tactile feedback. No, if you need polyphony, preset recall, or stable tuning across long sessions.

Same bench · Synths & drum machines4 of 152
10:09
Alesis Andromeda A6AlesisThe Alesis Andromeda A6 is a 16-voice, 16-channel multitimbral analog synthesizer released in 2000. It combines a pure analog audio path with digital control. Its VCOs include pitch correction—a feature missing on older synths. Alesis developed a custom ASIC for it. Axel Hartmann designed it. It is high-end, innovative gear from Alesis, a company known for budget equipment. Alesis developed studio equipment during the 1990s.
9:17
ARP AvatarARP · 1977The ARP Avatar was a 1977 guitar-controlled synthesizer module. It copied the ARP Odyssey’s synthesis architecture but removed the keyboard and added a 6-way fuzzbox. It required a hexaphonic pickup and pitch-to-voltage conversion. It failed commercially. Sales totalled $1 million over two years against $4 million spent on R&D and production. It contributed to ARP Instruments’ bankruptcy in 1981.
10:08
Yamaha CS-15YamahaThe Yamaha CS-15 is a monophonic analog synthesizer produced by Yamaha from 1979 to 1982. It features two voltage-controlled oscillators, two 12 dB/Oct multi-mode voltage-controlled filters (low-pass, high-pass or band-pass), two ADSR envelopes and a low-frequency oscillator. It also features white noise and an external-in for processing other sounds. The CS-15 offers great flexibility with various routing possibilities to the filters and envelopes. You can, for example, route VCO 1 to both VCFs and the VCFs to any of the envelopes positive or negative voltage. It's actually a duophonic / bitimbral synthesizer but you have to connect it to two separate CV/Gate controls (Hz/V like Korg synthesizers not V/Oct) to play the extra voice. In the CS series, the CS-5, CS-10, CS-30 and CS-30L were similar in sound, structure and design. The CS-5 and CS-10 had a single oscillator and one multimode filter, whereas the CS-15, CS-30 and CS-30L each had two oscillators that could be routed in various ways through two multimode filters.
9:16
Doepfer A-100DoepferThe Doepfer A-100 is an analog modular synthesizer system introduced in 1995. It uses 3U-height, 2HP-width modules patched with 3.5 mm leads. It established the Eurorack standard adopted by many manufacturers. It enables emulation of the Trautonium and Theremin using specific modules.
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