audiobriefs
9:20in productionCh. 1 · Three in One/ 9:20 · ceiling 15 min
Synths & drum machines · Instruments

Korg PS-3300

Korg

Three PS-3100s bolted together — no compromises, no ensemble, no keyboard attached.

The Korg PS-3300 is a 1977 polyphonic analog synthesizer built from three PS-3100-derived units (PSU-3301), delivering 144 voices with independent oscillators, filters, envelopes, and amplifiers per note. It enables multitimbral sound creation through individual module adjustment and mixing. It omits the PS-3100's ensemble effect. It supports extensive voltage control and patching — including pitch modulation from envelopes or external sources — and uses a detachable keyboard format. It belongs to Korg’s 1970s line of large, expensive, patchable instruments, positioned as a high-end professional device.

Synths & drum machinesInstrumentsSynthesisSound designHardwareSynthesis across the network →
Chapters & takeaways4
  1. 1:09
    Three in One

    It is three complete PS-3100-derived units — labelled PSU-3301 — housed in one cabinet.

  2. 2:28
    144 Voices, Fully Independent

    Each note gets three independent oscillators, each with triangle, pulse, square, PWM, and sawtooth waveforms.

  3. 3:43
    Multitimbral, Not Polychoral

    You mix three separate timbres — but lose the PS-3100’s ensemble effect.

  4. 5:19
    No Compromises, No Keyboard

    It is a large, expensive, patchable instrument — built for professionals, not hobbyists.

Worth your time?

Yes. Use the whole thing.

4.5/ 5
What works
  • dense polyphonic texture
  • multitimbral layering
  • hands-on voltage control
  • full oscillator-per-voice independence
What does not
  • offer ensemble effect
  • include integrated keyboard
  • support preset recall
  • provide velocity or aftertouch
Use it if
  • studio owners
  • sound designers
  • voltage-control practitioners
Skip it if
  • performers needing portability
  • producers relying on presets
  • users without patch cables or modular experience
The written brief2 min read

What it is and what it was built for

It is a 1977 polyphonic analog synthesizer built from three integrated PS-3100-derived units (PSU-3301), designed as a high-end, professional, patchable instrument — not for hobbyists but for studios and composers needing massive, configurable analog polyphony.

How it works, in terms a player would use

It runs three identical PSU-3301 units in parallel, each with its own VCO offering triangle, pulse, square, PWM, and sawtooth waveforms. Each note triggers all 144 voices at once. Pitch modulation comes from an LFO or via patch panel sockets that accept envelope or external voltage sources. The three modules are mixed post-adjustment for multitimbral output.

What it does better than anything else

It delivers 144 simultaneous analog voices with independent oscillators, filters, envelopes, and amplifiers per note — more than any other 1977 analog synth. Its three-module architecture allows true multitimbral sound design where each voice stack can be tuned, filtered, and shaped separately before mixing.

What it does badly

It does badly anything requiring portability, immediacy, or built-in effects. It omits the PS-3100’s ensemble effect. It has no keyboard integrated — only a detachable one. It offers no memory, no MIDI, no velocity or aftertouch sensing. Its multitimbrality requires manual module balancing and patching, not layer selection.

What people made with it

The sources do not state what people made with it.

Who should use it, and who should not

A studio owner or sound designer who needs dense, hands-on, voltage-controllable polyphony and already owns or can source a compatible keyboard and patch cables should use it. Anyone needing quick recall, compact size, built-in effects, or modern integration should not.

Is it worth your time

It is worth your time only if you need raw, unfiltered polyphonic analog density and have space, budget, and patience for a non-keyboard, fully patchable system. It offers no shortcuts, no presets, no ensemble effect — just three PS-3100s wired together, demanding hands-on control for every voice.

Same bench · Synths & drum machines4 of 119
8:29
Novation Digital Music SystemsNovation · 1992The MM10 is a 1992 portable keyboard controller made by Novation Digital Music Systems. It was built to operate with the Yamaha QY10. It has no sound engine. It runs on batteries. It has full-sized keys. It forms, with the QY10, the first completely portable modern music workstation.
8:19
Mutable Instruments BraidsMutable InstrumentsBraids delivers radical timbral variety in minimal space—but with no internal editing, no tuning stability guarantees, and no analogue circuitry. It is a selector, not a synthesizer.
8:40
Mutable Instruments CloudsMutable InstrumentsClouds is a granular audio processor for Eurorack that transforms live input into dense, overlapping grains. It records continuously into a short, variable buffer (up to 8 seconds), allows freezing that buffer to isolate a sonic space, and provides hands-on control over grain position, size, pitch, density, timing distribution, and envelope shape. A diffuser blurs transients using all-pass filters. It supports 40–60 concurrent grains and operates in stereo with extensive CV control, dry/wet blending, feedback, and reverb-like effects during freeze mode. It does not store or recall samples, nor does it support offline processing or waveform editing.
10:15
Doepfer Dark EnergyDoepferA compact, monophonic, fully analog synthesizer released in 2010 as a stand-alone version of the Doepfer A-111-5 Eurorack module. It features dual LFOs capable of audio-rate FM (~5 kHz), a 24 dB/octave low-pass VCF, and a triangle-based VCO. The VCF can function as a sine oscillator when the VCO is disengaged and resonance is maxed. All sound generation and modulation are analog; only USB/MIDI contain digital components. It has no polyphony, no patch memory, no velocity or aftertouch, and no audio input. Superseded by the Dark Energy II in 2012.
Up next in Audio

Make Noise René

Make Noise · 9:48

René doesn’t sequence time—it sculpts it in three dimensions.

Play nextBack to Synths & drum machines
9:48