While still in its prototype stage, Korg’s Nu:Tekt has certainly caused a bit of a fuss in gear nerd circles. In what appears to be a revitalised edition of the company’s previously released Monotron, the Nu:Tekt is a solder-free, build-it-yourself synth kit, offering a digital oscillator with saw, triangle, square, VPM and user waveforms with an analogue-style multimode filter.
The Nu:Tekt also features digital delay, reverb, modulation and user effects, as well as an envelope generator and arpeggiator function to get weird with – it even looks like you’ll be able to add your own custom oscillators and effects via Korg’s logue SDK function. With MIDI In, Sync I/O, Audio In and USB connectivity, the Nu:Tekt definitely looks like it’ll be a real fun little package for both beginners and professionals.
Also new from Korg is the Volca nubass, a very welcome addition to the affordable little Volca series. The nubass features a vacuum tube which is linked to the oscillator, sub-oscillator and drive circuits of the synth to provide you with a thick, squelchy bass sound – this thing definitely sounds like a 303 killer. Elsewhere, the nubass boasts all the features of the Volca series you’ve come to expect, a 16-step Volca sequencer, motion sequencing knobs and transpose, accent, slide and randomise functions.
Listen to how it sounds below.
Finally, there’s the Korg Minilogue XD Module, which is essentially just a Minilogue XD minus the keyboard. Boasting a powerful analogue synth engine, the Minilogue XD Module is perfect for users looking for a solid and reliable desktop module which won’t break the bank. Furthermore, the Minilogue XD Module features a poly-chain function to connect it to other Minilogue units for a massive eight voices of analogue sound – do this, and you’ll be in DSI Prophet ’08 territory, which is certainly a desirable place to be indeed.
Keep your eyes peeled on CMI Australia for when these products land in stores.
