Superbooth 2023: Korg Berlin has teased a prototype of an “acoustic synthesizer”, the Acoustic Synthesis Phase_5.
Originally teased by the brand on Instagram, it says the “Acoustic Synthesis_phase5 is an early prototype that unites the sonic richness of real physically vibrating bodies with synth-like control.” It is also said to demonstrate Korg Berlin’s “latest efforts in merging the physical world with electronics to make instruments that act and feel alive”.
Limited information on the new tech appears to be available in this early stage, but as Engadget reports, instead of oscillators, the Phase_5 uses tuned metal forks, which are specially designed to produce specific fundamental notes and overtones.
This means the Phase_5 has certain qualities that you won’t find in your average synth. For example, it will feedback like a guitar when held near an amp and ring when struck on its side.
For this to work, the forks are hit with a hammer (much like a piano), but the “hammer” within this synth is electromagnetic. As Korg says (via Gear News), “In technical terms, the scheme we use is called balanced armature, where the resonator is magnetised by a coil to make it move. This allows us to continuously supply energy to the resonators, even when they are in motion.”
At Superbooth, Reverb got a closer look at the prototype, which was given a demo by Korg’s Tatsuya Takahashi. You can click the video below to hear it in action, and to watch some interesting flip book drawings illustrate exactly how the forks work:
Also at Superbooth, Korg unveiled a special Crystal edition of its classic microKorg synthesizer in celebration of its 20th anniversary.
As the Phase_5 is just a prototype, more information is likely to follow in due course. Keep your eye on Korg.Berlin in the meantime for further updates.
