KORG's phase8 is an eight-voice electromechanical instrument that uses physically vibrating steel resonators to generate sound, blurring the line between acoustic instrument and synthesizer.
KORG has taken a pretty unconventional approach to synthesis with the phase8. Rather than traditional oscillators or circuits, this eight-voice acoustic synth uses Acoustic Synthesis technology – physically vibrating steel resonators driven by eight independent electromechanical voices – to generate sound that responds to touch, acoustic feedback and real-world interaction.
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The synth ships with 13 chromatically tuned resonators, with 8 installed at any one time. They’re both swappable and tunable, so you can customise the scale and tonal character of your instrument, and through envelope control, those resonators can cover everything from sharp percussive hits to long, drawn-out sustained notes.
KORG’s phase8 includes a polymetric rhythm sequencer with step programming and unquantised live recording. Each voice has a step skip for polymetric sequencing, and all sequences can be saved and recalled across 8 memory slots. Three amplitude modulation modes are on offer: tremolo and two audio rate, pitch-dependent modulation types. All come with the option to harmonically quantise the final mode.
Beyond the panel controls, the synth actively invites physical interaction. You can touch, pluck, strum or tap the resonators directly, or introduce found objects for entirely new textures. The AIR slider adjusts the acoustic response to whatever comes into contact with the instrument.
Parameter automation, trigger delay via the shift knob and strong external connectivity round out the feature set. Both MIDI/USB-MIDI and CV are supported, and the phase8 can sync to other devices over MIDI/USB-MIDI and Sync. External MIDI devices can trigger notes in the acoustic synth, and the sequencer can trigger notes in external MIDI instruments.
For those who got in early, the presale exclusive package includes three limited-edition percussive resonators designed for open-ended tactile exploration, each with its own distinctive character and available exclusively as part of the package.
