Korg microKORG

About the Korg microKORG

Each microKORG sound is built from a 'timbre' consisting of two multi-function oscillators: the first draws on sawtooth, square, triangle and sine waves, a vocal-formant wave, white noise and 64 digital waveforms (several inherited from Korg's older DW-6000 and DW-8000), and can even process an external line-level signal as its own sound source; the second is simpler, limited to sawtooth, square and triangle, but can be detuned, synced or ring-modulated against the first for the kind of harder-edged textures a single oscillator can't produce alone. Four filter types (12 and 24 dB/octave low-pass, plus band-pass and high-pass), two six-shape LFOs, and an effects section spanning flanger, chorus-style ensemble, phaser and digital delay round out the shaping tools, all stored across 128 factory patches organized into eight genre banks. The built-in 8-band vocoder is deliberately less elaborate than the 16-band unit on the MS2000 it's derived from, trading some vocal clarity for the smaller, cheaper package - a trade-off that defines the whole instrument, which exists specifically to make MS2000-style sound design affordable and portable rather than to outperform it. A programmable step arpeggiator (versus the MS2000's six fixed patterns) and MIDI in/out/thru round out a feature set aimed at quick, hands-on sound design over deep menu diving.

Where to buy

• Reverb Korg Microkorg upper plastic case 49 EUR Best price View details
• Reverb Acrylic Dust Cover for MicroKORG 65 EUR View details
• Reverb Korg MicroKORG XL 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder - Black 205 EUR View details
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• Reverb [SALE Ends Oct 14] KORG microKORG XL+ Analog Modeling Synthesizer XL PLUS w/ 100-240V PSU 280 EUR View details
• Reverb [SALE Ends Oct 14] KORG microKORG XL+ Analog Modeling Synthesizer XL PLUS w/ 100-240V PSU 280 EUR View details
• Reverb [SALE Ends Oct 14] KORG microKORG XL+ Analog Modeling Synthesizer XL PLUS w/ 100-240V PSU 280 EUR View details
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• Reverb Korg MicroKORG XL 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder - Black 280 EUR View details
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• Reverb Korg Microkorg XL Plus Synthesizer with Vocoder w/ box, mic 298 EUR View details
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• Reverb Korg microKORG PT Limited Edition 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder - Red/Black - 2012 320 EUR View details
• Reverb Korg MicroKORG 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder 2002 - 2019 - Silver 330 EUR View details
• Reverb Korg MicroKORG XL 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder 2010s - Black 331 EUR View details
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• Reverb Korg microKORG XL+ 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder 2012 - 2019 - Black 373 EUR View details
• Reverb Korg MicroKORG Crystal - Limited Edition Special 20th Anniversary Model w/ box 373 EUR View details
• eBay KORG microKORG S MK-1S Analog 37-Key Synthesizer Vocoder Keyboard unbenutzt J... 375 EUR View details
• Reverb Korg MicroKORG 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder 2002 - 2019 - Silver 380 EUR View details
• eBay Korg MicroKORG 2 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder mit Box 400 EUR View details
• eBay KORG microKORG S MK-1S 37-Key Analog Synthesizer Vocoder Keyboard White 402 EUR View details
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• Reverb [SALE Ends Oct 14] KORG microKORG XL+ BKBK Limited Black Analog Modeling Synthesizer XL PLUS 466 EUR View details
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• Reverb [SALE Ends Oct 14] KORG microKORG XL+ BKBK Limited Black Analog Modeling Synthesizer XL PLUS 466 EUR View details
• Reverb [SALE Ends Oct 14] KORG microKORG XL+ BKBK Limited Black Analog Modeling Synthesizer XL PLUS 466 EUR View details
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• Reverb [SALE Ends Oct 14] [NEW] KORG microKORG 2 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder Grey 466 EUR View details
• Reverb [SALE Ends Oct 19] KORG microKORG XL+ BKBK Limited Black Analog Modeling Synthesizer XL PLUS 466 EUR View details
• Reverb [SALE Ends Oct 19] [NEW] KORG microKORG 2 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder Grey 466 EUR View details
• Reverb [SALE Ends Oct 14] KORG microKORG XL+ BKBK Limited Black Analog Modeling Synthesizer XL PLUS 466 EUR View details
• Reverb [NEW] KORG microKORG 2 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder Grey 466 EUR View details
• Reverb Korg microKORG XL+ 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder 2012 - 2019 - Black 470 EUR View details
• eBay KORG microKORG Crystal Analog Modeling Synthesizer Vocoder 37 Key 20th Limited 481 EUR View details
• Reverb Korg microKORG PT Limited Edition 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder 661 EUR View details
• Reverb Korg MicroKORG Crystal 37-Key Synthesizer/Vocoder 2023 - Present - Crystal 678 EUR View details

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Sound character of the Korg microKORG

Opinions on the stock sound genuinely diverge rather than clustering around one verdict: some reviewers describe blistering leads, atmospheric pads and cutting basses adjustable in real time, while others find the factory patches merely okay and a bit soft, lacking distinct character until reshaped by hand. One dealer review specifically calls the filter resonance 'markedly digital' rather than warmly analog, but immediately adds that countless analog-like tones are still reachable through the synthesis engine - a fair summary of an instrument that models analog behavior in software rather than reproducing it with real analog circuitry. The 8-band vocoder draws particular praise as a convincing retro effect in its own right, especially paired with the arpeggiator and delay, and one reviewer's description of bass patches as 'absolutely huge' for the unit's size suggests the low end holds up especially well relative to expectations for such a compact instrument.

What owners of the Korg microKORG say

The microKORG sits at 4.6 out of 5 across 330 ratings on Thomann, though only a handful carry full written reviews, and those split clearly along two lines: sound design praise versus interface frustration. Several reviewers call the ability to build custom patches the instrument's real strength, with one specifically praising huge-sounding bass patches and convincing electric piano tones for such a compact unit, while others found the stock presets merely okay or a bit soft and only really found their footing once they started editing. The sharpest, most consistent complaint is the editing workflow itself: multiple reviewers, including a self-described beginner and a non-musician visual artist making sound art, describe a genuinely steep learning curve navigating menus and on-screen abbreviations, with one experienced patch-builder recommending a more beginner-friendly alternative synth to newcomers rather than starting here. Praise is more unanimous around build quality for the price, portability, and the retro aesthetic, and one isolated complaint about a UK order arriving with a German manual and unhelpful support reflects on a specific retailer's fulfillment rather than the instrument itself.

Playability & handling of the Korg microKORG

Customer reviews repeatedly single out the mini-key keyboard as the physical trade-off for the compact size: one reviewer called the keys 'a bit spongy but solid to play,' listing the mini format itself as the main downside despite otherwise praising the tough plastic casing and retro knobs. Opinion splits sharply on the editing workflow - one self-described beginner found the menus and on-screen text hard to follow and recommended a more beginner-friendly alternative instead, while an experienced patch-builder (shopping for a backup while their Novation Mininova was in for repair) described a genuinely steep learning curve but still valued the hands-on control once past it, pointing newcomers toward the manual or online guides rather than expecting to figure it out by feel. A visual artist with no formal music background described a real adjustment period before understanding how to modify preset sounds at all, suggesting the instrument rewards patience and prior synth experience more than pure intuition. Limited four-voice polyphony (down to around two in layered patches) and the lack of USB on the original model are the two concrete technical limitations reviewers raise most consistently, both addressed later on the microKORG XL successor.

Recommended accessories & strings for the Korg microKORG

Running on 6 AA batteries as well as its power adapter makes the microKORG genuinely grab-and-go, a point several reviewers call out specifically for outdoor or on-the-move use rather than treating it as purely a studio fixture. Getting real use out of the vocoder requires a separate microphone or line source plugged into the audio input, since none is bundled with the unit itself. Pairing it with other small gear seems to be a popular use case: one reviewer specifically praised running it alongside a Korg Volca Beats, an Arp Odyssey and a Korg MS-20 mini as a particularly satisfying small-rig combination, and another valued it as a MIDI controller feeding software like Ableton Live directly rather than only using its own internal sounds.

Technical data for the Korg microKORG

Price history for the Korg microKORG

Cheapest seen: 49 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 678 EUR

The history of the Korg microKORG

Korg released the original microKORG in 2002 as a compact, far cheaper way to access the sound engine of its larger MS2000 synthesizer, and the gamble paid off: it became one of the defining affordable synths of the decade and, according to Wikipedia, remained in production as late as 2022, two decades after launch. A limited edition with reverse-colored keys followed in September 2007 with no functional changes, before Korg introduced a proper successor, the microKORG XL, at the 2008 NAMM show; it reached players in early 2009 built around the newer MMT engine shared with the Radias and R3 synths, adding PCM waveforms, phase modulation, a unison mode, doubled polyphony and a 16-band vocoder. Rather than retiring the original design, Korg kept it alive in parallel: the microKORG S arrived in late 2016 with the same original sound engine but added built-in speakers and doubled patch memory, and a software VST version followed in 2022 as part of the Korg Collection. A related 2014 release, the RK-100S keytar, borrowed the newer XL+ engine but kept the same 37-mini-key layout and added ribbon controllers for performance use - evidence of just how far this one compact design has been stretched across Korg's lineup since 2002.

About Korg as a manufacturer

Korg's origins trace back to a Tokyo nightclub, where founders Tsutomu Kato and Tadashi Osanai met after Osanai, an accomplished accordionist, began performing regularly at Kato's club backed by a rhythm machine - a partnership that led the pair to found the company in 1962 and release the Doncamatic DA-20, said to be the world's first disc-rotation auto-rhythm machine, in 1963. The microKORG shows an approach Korg has repeated across very different product lines: take an expensive, flagship-level engine - here, the MS2000's virtual-analog synthesis and vocoder - and repackage it into something smaller and far more affordable rather than letting that technology stay locked to a premium price point, the same pattern seen in how Korg's RH3 hammer-action keyboard turns up across multiple tiers of its digital piano range.

Notable players & recordings featuring the Korg microKORG

Wikipedia lists Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, Ethan Kath of Crystal Castles, and both members of MGMT among the musicians known to have used the microKORG, reflecting its wide adoption in indie, electronic and dance-adjacent production during the 2000s and 2010s. Its compact size and affordability relative to the MS2000 it's derived from made it a practical stage and studio tool precisely for the kind of smaller acts and bedroom producers who defined much of that era's electronic sound.