It’s not often you find an instrument as unique and compelling as Korg’s newly announced phase8 synthesizer—an 8-voice acoustic synthesizer that sets itself apart from the rest with its emblematic steel resonators.
Essentially, the phase8 is a vibraphone/mbira/kalimba hybrid instrument whose tines control the kind of powerful analog synth engine Korg is known for. Its thirteen chromatically tuned electromechanical steel resonators are all swappable and individually tunable, facilitating the ability to create specific harmonic modes and microtonal harmony. The physical nature of the resonators produces a tangible interaction with the machine and the music itself—use your fingers, mallets, or whatever you’d like to draw out anything from short percussive pangs to long and sustained textures.
In addition to the phase8’s unique design, it’s also a fully realized modern analog synthesizer, featuring a polymetric sequencer for step programming, trigger delay, three amplitude modulation effects, parameter automation, and full external connectivity with MIDI/USB MIDI and CV connection and tempo synchronization.
Make sure to keep both an eye and an ear out for the Korg phase8. This unique and bespoke synthesizer isn’t like anything we’ve seen before, and we can’t wait to hear what it’s capable of.
