Anyone would be forgiven for reading the words “acoustic synthesizer” and writing it off as an oxymoron, yet the Korg phase8 defies logic — it’s a true 8-voice acoustic synthesizer. In techno-optimist solarpunk fashion, the phase8 builds on decades of aural innovation and synthesizer scholarship, wielding wave-shaping wizardry to connect with the limitless wonder of nature. Through a combination of individualized electromechanical voices and a state-of-the-art haptic sound-generation system, swapable and tunable steel resonators initiate a sonic odyssey of envelope shaping, analog wavefolding, polymetric sequencing, and pitch-based modulation. In its bid to harness the lush depth of organic interactivity, Korg’s ingenuity has left Sweetwater’s synthesists aghast — this out-of-time instrument is teeming with lifelike reactivity and responsiveness that goes unrivaled by anything else available. And with a suite of multimode connectivity, the Korg phase8 truly transcended the analog-digital divide, emerging on the other side as something beyond the realms of traditional synthesis yet retaining its spirit of innovation.