NEW SYNTH ANNOUNCEMENT! KORG’s opsix Altered FM Synthesizer

by | Nov 11, 2020 | Best Music Keyboards & Synth Pads

The new opsix Altered FM Synthesizer from KORG amplifies the legendary and expansive sound of real six-operator FM synthesis with 16-step note and motion sequencing, 32 notes of polyphony, triple multi-effects processing, arpeggiator, five modulation modes, twelve-point modulation matrix (including preset sequence patterns) – all with unparalleled instant on-panel editing.

Building on the groundbreaking level of FM editability pioneered by KORG with the volca FM Synthesizer, the opsix lets players move beyond programming with fast and intuitive access the building blocks of FM sound with zero programming. All 40 original FM algorithms are on board and allow for user configurations of the six operators as well to take FM synthesis to new levels. KORG’s opsix delivers the definitive FM synth sounds made classic in songs going back decades alongside new timbres that will become mainstays of current and future genres. Exploration of opsix’s vast sonic potential is facilitated by 500 programs (250 KORG preset programs and 250 user programs as the default) that can be called up and saved in an instant.

“The opsix is both classic and innovative,” says KORG USA Brand Manager James Sajeva. “It reimagines classic digital synthesis, taming its complexity while expanding sound-shaping possibilities. Everything that Altered FM embodies delivers unique and yet-unheard sounds that will propel FM’s nearly forty-year influence on music in new directions.

The sound-shaping power of opsix is further augmented by way of the granularity of control of its five operator modes – Carrier/Modulator Wavefolder, Filter, Filter FM, and Ring Modulator – including operator mixing, up to 8-voice unison from its 32 voices of polyphony, three stereo effects processors with 30 effects types (dynamics, EQ, delay, reverb and more), the 16 Step sequencer’s “logue-style” motion sequencing, multi-modeled filter section to follow FM sound creation, and a 12-patch virtual patch bay for expressive modulation options including three envelope generators and three LFOs. A host of dedicated and programmable buttons, sliders, knobs and an LED display are arrayed above a full-size 37-key velocity-sensitive keyboard. The relationships between operators are graphically displayed by the positions of the knobs and sliders, which, along with opsix’s built-in spectrum analyzer and oscilloscope, lets players visualize what they are hearing.

The KORG opsix Altered FM Synthesizer will be available in early 2021 for $799.99.

For more information, visit www.KORG.com.