Synthesizer
Reviews : Keyboard
They say that good things come in small packages - but just how much synthesizer can Korg cram into the tiny Micro X?
Photos: Mike Cameron
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What's small, white and full of tunes? I don't know
what you're thinking of, but I'm talking about Korg's Micro X keyboard,
first unveiled at the Winter NAMM show back in January 2006 and now to
be found on the shelves of music retailers everywhere.
Although it has the word 'Micro' in common with
other instruments in the Korg line-up, the more significant family
connection is with the X50, a general purpose, entry-level synth that
was launched at the same time as the Micro X. In essence, the Micro X is
a version of the X50 that has gone through a very hot wash. From what I
can see, the two keyboards are more or less functionally identical,
with significant differences only to be found in their respective sound
sets and the layout and design of some of the controls. This is an
obvious consequence of the fact that, whereas the X50 is a metre long
and has 61 keys, the Micro X measures two feet and has just 25.
In producing this 'Mini Me' version, Korg's
marketing department clearly have their eye on the computer musician
looking for a compact controller keyboard and high-quality MIDI sound
source to fit into their equally compact home studio. I guess that's why
they've also bowed to the prevailing fashion in hi-tech gadgetry and
produced the Micro X in both a white and a black version. However, the
Micro X should not be seen as a mere plaything that's there to make a
style statement. As a synth that can be easily carried on board a plane
as hand luggage (security checks allowing), it should also appeal to the
peripatetic musician who likes to travel light. And just to underline
the instrument's eminent portability, the Micro X comes packaged not in
the usual boring cardboard origami, but in a very chunky and very orange
moulded-plastic case.
The Micro X with its orange carry case — a thing that can only be described as 'ridiculously funky'.
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If you still have any suspicions that the Micro X is
more big boy's toy than genuine musical tool, a glance at the spec
sheet (and indeed at the price label) shows that this is a synth that
does, in fact, need to be taken seriously. For starters, it is powered
by Korg's 'HI' (Hyper Integrated) sample and synthesis system, the same
technology that fuels the company's up-market Triton range. The Micro X
therefore represents the cheapest way of acquiring that legendary 'Korg
sound'. And what a lot of sounds it offers: 640 single patches, 384
combinations and 40 drum kits, plus a full GM sound set thrown in for
good measure. It also boasts 89 different effects algorithms, with the
ability to use up to four at once — one as an insert effect, two as
master effects, and a master three-band EQ.
For seconders, like any other proper grown-up synth,
there's virtually no area of the Micro X that's not programmable.
Equipped with a generously-sized, high-quality backlit display and
buttons and knobs galore, it's clearly an instrument that is intended to
be programmed. On top of this, it has features that you just don't find
on Toytown synths — like two individual outputs alongside the usual
stereo pair, not one but two separately programmable polyphonic
arpeggiators and even esoteric functions like the ability to program
your own microtuned scales.
While no-one would claim it's built like a tank, at
2.5kg the Micro X certainly gives the impression of being robust enough
for its intended purpose. Some parts, like the knobs and end-cheeks, are
a bit lightweight and plasticky, but others, like the joystick-style
combined modulation and pitch-bend control, feel reassuringly solid. The
keyboard itself has a light, springy action that I really like. While
it's velocity sensitive, it doesn't offer aftertouch, which many people
will find limiting, particularly when using it as a controller keyboard
with soft synths. To compensate, there's an input for an assignable
continuous controller pedal which could be employed for the purpose.
Alongside this is a jack for an on/off footswitch, which can be used
variously for switching programs, turning the arpeggiator on and off,
applying modulation to a sound or an effect, or as a tap-tempo control.
Unusually (and most welcomingly), the Micro X also offers a third input
specifically for a damper pedal.
The remaining connections at the back comprise MIDI
In and Out sockets and a USB port which enables you to hook up directly
to any computer running Windows XP or Mac OS 10.3 or above. Korg also
include an editor/librarian program which can function both in
stand-alone mode and as a plug-in from within the majority of popular
sequencers. See the box above for more.
The Microsound Of Music
At the heart of the Micro X is 64MB of PCM samples,
which, while not over-generous by today's standards, is still enough to
provide 642 multisamples and 929 drum samples as the keyboard's raw
sonic material. The organisation of the sounds follows the established
Korg practice of Programs, Combinations and Multis. As you can probably
guess, Programs are basically single instruments, while Combinations
involve up to eight Programs, which can be split, layered or
velocity-switched to your heart's content. While one arpeggiator is
available within a Program, you can employ two arpeggiators in a
Combination, using one, for example, to trigger a drum pattern using a
drum kit Program and the other to create conventional arpeggios over the
top. You can also do the same in Multi mode, wherein the Micro X works
as a 16-channel multitimbral MIDI sound source. Incidentally, maximum
polyphony is a relatively generous 64 notes, though this may be reduced
if you're using more complex sounds.
Although its appearance may suggest it's intended
for techno-style music-making, one of the selling points of the Micro X
is that it is a keyboard for all seasons. Its 640 preset Programs
include a great many 'conventional' instruments — pianos, organs,
guitars, strings, tuned percussion and so on. Plus you've got the GM
soundset — which doesn't float my particular boat, but it would make the
Micro X appealing to people looking for an easily portable instrument
to use in conjunction with a MIDI file player. But that's to say that
the Micro X doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to more contemporary
styles. Also on offer is a wide variety of digital and analogue-style
keyboard pads which are both fresh and inspirational. Korg have
developed many of these specifically for this keyboard, so you won't
find them anywhere else.
The Micro X's editor software has many screens for
editing different sets of functions. This one, the Multi-programming
screen, makes it easy to set up the main performance parameters for a
Multi patch, with virtual knobs for pan and sliders for volume.
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The overall quality of the voices is very, very good
indeed: the pianos are particularly excellent, the organs are
exceptional, the strings sublime. Even the acoustic guitars are pretty
convincing. Among the more 'synth-y' type presets there are loads of
fresh-sounding and really quite inspirational sounds. Also worthy of a
mention are the drum sounds — a bonus here being that you can assemble
them into your own kits.
For ease of selection, all the sounds are grouped
into logical categories, which Korg have made easy to navigate with the
provision of both a data wheel and what they call a 'Click Point'.
Looking like the miniature air nozzle you get above your aircraft seat,
it's a sort of cross between a joystick, a trackball and a mouse. To
help you decide which voice might be right for the job, the Micro X
offers an audition button, which triggers the sound with an appropriate
musical phrase.
For real-time tweaking, the Micro X provides four
controller knobs, plus a button to switch their function between three
sets of parameters, giving you fast access to 12 controller parameters
in all. Four of these are user-programmable per Program, four control
the filter/envelope, and four cover the arpeggiator. When you're using
the Micro X as a controller keyboard, the knobs can be switched to
control 12 soft synth parameters or DAW functions. You can program and
store up to 64 different setups of this type, and to get you started,
Korg give you a set of preset templates covering popular software
packages and programs such as Reason, Garageband, Cubase and Korg's own Legacy soft synth collection.
Just going back to the arpeggiators for a moment
(always a favourite function of mine), there are 256 pattern locations
on offer in all. Initially, the 251 writeable user patterns are
pre-filled with a superb set of factory programs, ranging from basic 'up
and down the scale' patterns to drum patterns, guitar and bass riffs
and piano-type flourishes. The preset combinations give you a flavour of
just what you can do when you start using the arpeggiators in anger,
especially as you quickly discover that many of them respond dynamically
to your playing.
The arpeggiators are, of course, totally user
programmable, as indeed is every other aspect of the Micro X's sounds
and setups, and programming is entirely possible just from the Micro X's
front panel, but with pages of parameters to wade through, any sensible
person will make use of the bundled editor/librarian software and do
their tweaks from the comfort of their computer chair (see the 'Micro X
Plug-in Editor' box on the previous page, and the screen at the bottom
of this page). I have to say that opening up this editor program is a
bit like peeping into what you thought was a shallow ditch and
discovering yourself staring into the Grand Canyon. It really brings
home just how technically well-endowed the Micro X is, in spite of its
small stature.
In times when you can squeeze an entire lifetime's
collection of music in a box not much bigger than a tin of sardines, I
feel I should be at home with the idea of miniaturisation. Even so,
while playing the Micro X through a keyboard amp of decent wattage, I
often found it hard to believe that something so small could produce
such a big, mature sound. It shouldn't be surprising really, though,
because what you've actually got here is the chip from a physically
bigger synth wrapped up in smaller casing.
The Micro X certainly has that polished, 'shiny'
sound that Korg keyboards are known for, and if that's your bag (not
everyone likes it) this keyboard will sell itself to you on its presets
alone. But you also get excellent playability through the various
real-time controllers, and a superb functional spec too. For me, the
icing on the cake is the ability to load and edit sounds directly from
within a host sequencer. This means that you can treat the Micro X very
much as you might a virtual instrument, only there's no load on your
computer's CPU!
Not everyone will be convinced by any keyboard that
has just two octave's worth of keys, no matter what it sounds like. But
then if you're a player who can do justice to a full set of keys,
there's always the X50, which doesn't cost that much more and also gives
you just about everything you've read about here. Personally, as
someone who works more or less exclusively in the studio, I'd rather
have the advantage of the Micro X's compact size. Plus I happen to think
that the Micro X looks a whole lot more appealing than the X50 —
especially the white version I had for review.
Make no mistake, the Micro X may be physically small
but it is every inch a highly capable, hugely versatile synth. If
you've always hankered after that 'Korg sound', then you absolutely must
give this a try. In short, I loved it, and with any luck someone
somewhere has asked Santa to start processing a back order immediately
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