Korg ARP Odyssey - the remake of 2015!

One way ahead, I'm thrilled! Duophonie expands a synth many times over classic monosynths, but in turn.

An original Odyssey I had not under my fingers, so I can give no exact information about authenticity of the "original sound", but on the basis of good comparison video on the Web, you can convince yourself that even ARP is in it, where synonymous ARP draufsteht. However, I can compare it to my familiar MS-20 mini, Juno 60, Waldorf Pulse and other synths.

The box rocks in the truest sense of the word and is a treat as well as haptic! Although many complain about the 86% keyboard, I like this compromise as with the MS-20 mini .. Due to the slightly smaller design, the device does not seem so bulky and also finds a good place in project studios. Alternatively, you can play it via MIDI with your favorite keyboard or sequencer.

Plastic is also the housing tray. The front with the metal plate looks stable, tidy and thanks to numerous faders also clear. The big advantage over rotary encoders is, on the one hand, that you can see the sound based on the fader position and, on the other, you can operate up to 4 faders simultaneously with 4 fingers while playing with the other hand on the keyboard.

The general processing quality should match that of the MS-20 mini, which is the current mid-range standard. Nice that the rear audio output next jack and XLR is available. Also implemented in jack are the inputs "Pedal" and "Portamento Footswitch". I have not yet used the rear trigger and CV inputs / outputs - due to the lack of analogue sequencer.

The supplied case is convenient for safe transport, but at the beginning it is unpleasantly steamy.

The 2 oscillations, each saw tooth and rectangle (both with variable pulse width) sound wonderfully organic, even with completely open filter. Much "nobler" than the MS-20 mini and less static than, for example, the DCOs of my Juno 60. Noise is filtered and unfiltered. And to boost the output or raise the level, a drive switch is available. The only drawback of the oscillators, as in the original, there is no screening for the exact pitch, only one fader for coarse and one for fine tuning and a two-octave switch. For this reason, my old guitar tuner is connected to the Odyssey by default.

Although technically more or less on the level of the seventies, there are endless possibilities to create and modulate different sounds like FM, Ring or Sample & Hold. Something unusual for me is that the modulation sources are set at the modulation target. I particularly like the syncsounds, which sound much more supple than those of my Waldorf pulse.

The ADSR Envelope is fast enough for most applications, the stripped-down AR a little more lame. The LFO could, as in the original, have a slightly larger area. Alternatively, Oscillation 1 can also be used as an LFO. Since there is unfortunately no way to synchronize the LFO externally to the tempo, sensitivity and endurance is required for tempo-based settings. I assume that this is easier to do with an original Odyssey with a slightly larger travel path.

I really like the LP filters. All 3 filters of the different original versions were implemented, whereby I personally like the 12dB from Rev1 best. It sounds warm, fat and thins the least. The HP filter is rather rare in my use, but handy for bassless such as HiHats.

The PPC (Proportional Pitch Control) are somewhat unusual at the beginning. With a little practice, however, they can be wonderfully used for expressive play. Vibrato and Bendigs up to a whole tone up or down work flawlessly. Anything beyond that requires more intensive practice. But it's fun and a welcome change from the usual pitchwheel.

The nice thing about a duophonic synth like the Odyssey, it suits my playing style as a guitarist very much. Chord melodies with intervals, but also very "e-guitar-like" sounds like Sync can be implemented wonderfully. In general, thanks to the possibilities of Mouluations and Duophonie an enormous record of different sounds is possible. I like to use the Odyssey for strings and pads just as much as for percussives, FX, sick organ sounds or just big fat basses and nice singing leads.

CONCLUSION Beautiful new analog synth world, who would have thought that 10 years ago. We are spoiled for choice between the new MS-20, Prophets, Moogs and Oberheims and this wonderful ARP Odyssey.

In any case, the Korg ARP Odyssey is an incredibly versatile and playfully unique duophonic synth that has now been reissued in a slightly smaller version but with a simple midi and all 3 filter revisions. Once you have decided on it, you only have the choice between three different design models.

From Gear Setup

Industrial classic

Basically a condensed 2600. Some people many not like the mini keys but it personally doesn't bother me. Can get anything from basic open saws to bleep blorps to Alien dial up it's all there. My gripe is that the oscillators bleed sound no matter how you set the thing and respond to pitch on the keys while everything is completely off.

Authentic sound and solid construction

Having experienced the original I was expecting just a flavour of it when Korg announced the reissue. I"m so pleased I took the jump and got one. It sounds near identical but with a few modern extras like USB. Solidly built, with decent sliders and the fab proportional pitch controls (take a bit of practice but so good once you get it). The mini keys wont be to everyone's liking but they are much nice than many and you can still shred a bit on them. Of course if you are that kind of player then you could get the module version and a nice weighted controller keyboard.

1-to-1 clone with a few caveats

Almost perfect. Soundwise, indistinguishable from the OG. A few small problems with this recreation. I had no problem with the slim keys. I did find however the reduced fader throw made it harder to fine-tune certain sounds -- the filter cutoff especially. A longer throw would have been better there if nowhere else. Not sure I understand the Japanese obsession with making everything as small as possible. I wish the LFO had a free-run mode instead of retriggering with the envelope, as that makes it hard to do certain sounds (think Kalpol Intro). The envelope auto-trigger has a glitch when a keydown event interrupts the cycle, due to the aforementioned LFO retriggering. Some of the modulation depths seem weird -- I wish the osc-to-osc FM was stronger. The envelope could be "snappier" -- capable of more fine control in the very short ranges. I like my envelopes to go down to nothing but a zero-crossing click. But these are small gripes. The sound is there and that's most important.

Nice little reissue.

what a great synth, not as deep as moog, more complex than almost any roland analonger but the Jupiter 6 and 8.... very cutting lead sounds. I think the Korg folks did a band up job recreating this classic subtractive. Its so easy to put my kraftwerk or gary numann hat on with this synth and you can just play the riffs from cars all day on this thing. I dock her one point because of the mini keyboard. Its a pretty decent example of mini keys, but it just sucks a dick for my long, spidery fingers. Fortunately the MIDI implementation is well done, a much needed update over originals, so I can play it or sequence it as a module commanded from my PC or my giant Yamaha digital piano that was the best keyboard going short of a Yamaha acoustic baby grand...

I got mine on the cheap used, don't pay full price if you can help it, these come up for sale sometimes now, keep your eyes peeled.

Traded in for a module version with the analog sequencer unit from the MS-20 module... I just never used the tiny little keys and the sequencer is really fun for simulating burbling ARP 2600 sequences.

Fantastic sound. Great synth for "musicians"

This synth sounds fantastic. I don't know if it's the quality of the filters, or the oscillators or what but the sound is just amazing. This thing is just the bee's scrotum when it comes to lovely sounding leads. It's not a flexible synth for tweakers and sound designers like say an ms20 is, but this thing is for musicians, as in tweak a few knobs, wow, the sound, then off you go and play lovely lead sounds on it. The only downside I found is the silly squashy push buttons for pitch bend and vibrato/tremolo (whichever one it is): hard to use and who knows how long they will last.

Both a beauty and beast of a synth.

Can sound very industrial and at the same time super lush. Has a very unique sound to it. Build quality and connectivity is superb as well. And just when you thought you heard it all, there's the S/H mixer which allows for crazy cross modulation.

Karp is good!

It has an XLR out. I use it so I can make the synth more balanced. That's what it's for right? It makes squirty sounds pretty well. It also makes great bass. It's like a little 7 year old punk kid that just might cut you. It's just so cute and angry.

I hate the little keys and play it with anger.

great job from Korg

with its 3 filter sets it is better than the original (which I had) midi functions and the slimmer body make it easier for live rigs. smaller keys are absolutely playable even for people with big hands like me.

I endorse the full size, no mini keys here.

I had one back in High School that my mother gave me. Glad to have a perfect replica now to honor her memory.