Aurality Redefined: Transcending the “Analog vs. Digital” Divide
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.
Related Videos: phase8 8-voice Acoustic Synthesizer - Launch Edition
Launch Edition: exclusive pre-sale creative tools
While the Korg phase8 supports nearly endless aural exploration, this Launch Edition expands your sonic sandbox with inspiring, diverse degrees of tactile hands-on creation and multi-textural timbral contouring. For a limited time, pre-sale orders of the Korg phase8 ship with a trio of special resonators, each bearing a distinct shape that you can sculpt and weave into your exploratory acoustic-synthesis workflow. While these three distinct resonators are exclusive to the pre-sale Launch Edition, they’re only available while supplies last — don’t miss your chance!
How it works: innovative haptic sound generation
To achieve the phase8’s namesake acoustic synthesis, the minds at Korg Berlin shirked the old “analog versus digital” discussion, reaching beyond the question of ‘naturality’ that plagues synth purists — haptic sound generation is the result. An octet of electromechanical voices undergirds eight individual slots, each housing a tunable, swapable steel resonator — 13 chromatically tuned options are included. Every interaction yields a distinct timbral output, from subtle plucks and pointed taps to sweeping strums and evocative strikes, expanded by interactivity, acoustic feedback, and your physical object of choice. In fact, whether you use your hands, a mallet, a stick, or a hot dog, you can strike the resonator or leave it on one or multiple pieces to influence the sonic textures that blossom and emerge.
Limitless transformation: modulation, polymetric sequencing, and more
Undergirded by an array of tactile resonance, acoustic feedback, and haptic sound generation, Korg’s celebrated synth scholarship takes the reins, transforming your haptic sonics into a prismatic palette of interactive tone-morphing possibilities. Onboard envelope-shaping tools let you adjust the duration of each resonator, from fast attacks and percussive plucks to ethereal sustains and lush, long-drawn drones. The phase8’s polymetric sequencer unlocks a robust repertoire of resonator rhythms, supporting both step programming and on-the-fly, live sequencing, with per-voice step skipping to inject further variety into your progressions, any time — eight memory slots are available to save and recall your sequences. Three expressive amplitude modulation modes expand your texturization tools via tremolo, pitch-dependent, and dual audio-rate modulation styles, including a harmonic quantization option for evocative pitch-warping wizardry.
Sculpting space: AIR, time, and power
Due to the roles of resonance and reactivity in the Korg phase8, meticulous consideration defined the acoustic synth’s spatial presence and environmental-integration capabilities. The dedicated AIR slider is your way to make real-time adjustments to boosting or damping the acoustic response of the resonators, while trigger delays and per-resonator Velocity controls let your hands-on sound shaping permeate the moment with the perfect power, presence, and precision. And because of the phase8’s automation tools, each subtle-to-striking change to a parameter is effortlessly recorded and reproduced.
Connect and cross-pollinate in any natural, synthetic, or hybrid array
While phase8’s innovation trades in organic, tactile, interactive, real-world sonic discovery, its multidimensional soundfield isn’t limited solely to the instrument’s onboard reach. The connectivity suite comprises 3.5mm I/O pairs for MIDI and Sync connections, joining a ±5V CV input and a USB-C port for both firmware updates and bidirectional MIDI communication. And with both headphone and master outputs, interoperative audio-level integration is only limited by your imagination — which natural wonders will you transmute with this innovative instrument of aural alchemy?
Korg phase8 Features:
- Groundbreaking acoustic synthesizer transcends the digital-analog divide for uncharted tonal transformation and sonic sculpting
- Innovative haptic sound-generation utilizes steel resonators for a polychromic textural exploration through nuanced multi-medium interactivity
- Electromechanical processing for each of the 8 onboard resonators supports 8 voices of immensely malleable synthesis via physically vibrating bodies
- Included hex key and 13 total resonators let you easily swap and customize tuning configurations
- Polymetric sequencer offers 8 storage slots, skip-step sequencing, and per-voice velocity controls for Imaginate soundscaping and unreal rhythmic progressions
- 3 modulation styles comprise tremolo, 2 audio rate FX, and a pitch-dependent modulation type, with pitch-based harmonic quantization
- AIR control supports continuous global modification to acoustic reactivity, boosting or damping responsiveness upon resonator contact
- Envelope shaping allows you to define temporal and timbral behavior for each individual voice
- Extensive surface-mounted controls span Shift, Envelope, Depth, Rate, and AIR parameters of comprehensive, creativity-first hands-on control
- Detailed automation and recording options mean all your real-time parameter changes are perfectly captured and retrievable
- Versatile tempo-synchronization options include external and onboard alignment for inventive trigger-delay playing for inventive offset progressions
- Diverse connectivity means CV, Sync, MIDI, and USB-C are simultaneously supported for expansive interoperate potential
