I’ve never had any of the keyboards from the latest “korg family” but since the rack versions came out I’ve been very attracted to them, I think the Modwave more than the others. In recent years I’ve often wanted the Waldorf Iridium, but today I think that with the same price you could start collecting all these korg and create a crazy console Anyway this Multi and the other modules have very interesting sequencers and the kaosspad, you could think about selling your Cobalt…
I love how NAMM is the end of January! After Christmas and new years it’s just cold and gray here. NAMM gives you something to look forward to during the dark days of winter!
Selling the Cobalt might make sense, but my main consideration isn’t cost, but space, and the Cobalt 8M takes such little space for what it offers in terms of easily tweakable sounds and probably wouldn’t fetch me too much money. The reality is I totally don’t need the Multi/Poly since I already have both the Cobalt and the Wavestate for digital versions of “analog” sounds. Heck, I have what could still be considered the Mothership of Korg Digital synths: the Korg Kronos, which has a very deep and robust Virtual Analog engine (I mean, arguably, it has two or three different engines that could be characterized as virtual analog, including one that mimics the original Mono/Poly). So, once the “oh cool, they made a desktop module of that synth” excitement passes, I may see better options for expanding beyond what I already have/can do (Modular keeps whispering to me).
If the 24 knobs, 24 buttons, and 8 faders in the channel strips are mappable in perform/device mode via MIDI-learn, then this alone makes this controller very interesting. The 8 big knobs seem to be endless encoders and the 16 small ones potentiometers. Curious about the feeling of all those moving pieces. And wireless midi out of the box is very interesting too.
They have had a predecessor for over a decade (that I have never seen). I wonder whether this is just an expanded version or a serious mk2.
From what i’m reading this is a revival of the discontinued Kronos – the external synth is close to the same – it does have a powder-coated metal body with black wooden side panels. The software got a rev bump, but not to a major new release. But inside its different, faster processor, and a built-in SSD with 120GB with 62GB of free space for extensive user sampling and sound library expansions.
The synth has the same nine engines, including the physical modeling engine. ( I point this out for a certain person who has been asking about physical modeling synths recently. )
Korg is likely bringing this synth back, due to the marketing misstep by the replacement for it, the Nautilus. ( Though this is only supposed, and not verified to my knowledge. )
All these keyboards this year, may be a bit of a trend.
They’re not registered as an exhibitor at NAMM. But besides Elektron having an office in LA …
and announcements do get made there.
But keep in mind projects in development from any company is an unpredictable journey, that sometimes takes unexpected and surprising directions along a long route. And sometimes they end up no where.
Anyway this Multi and the other modules have very interesting sequencers and the kaosspad, you could think about selling your Cobalt…
