KORG MINIKORG 700 | Synth Quest Episode 3

[@TheThunderwings]

The korg 700s was my first synth in the mid 70s. It will always be my favorite.

[@jmm1000]

the minikorg was WAYY ahead of its time - still hard to beat!

[@Sam_Utah]

Over the years, I have sold 5 700s/k2 synths then bought them back. Have to have one. It is just a cool synth.

[@carmelsmith4861]

Synth Quest Korg 700 miniKORG! WOW! Thank You!

[@madFame]

Hi Carm, glad you like the video! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I have a new Synth Quest video coming out soon :)

[@ProckGnosis]

Wow! Great job on the presentation and an interesting little synth I didn't know much about before watching.

[@madFame]

Thanks for the kind words, it is a surprisingly capable synth! Only one oscillator and decent controls but loads of character. Sound great no matter how you program it.

[@ECHQ]

Some trivia: This is the machine Human League used for the main bassline in "Being Boiled"

[@fremax6946]

Never seen before for me ! Thanks a lot, great video !

[@soepil]

Unwanted? Not at all! :) The 700 was my very first synthesizer and you know what first love is like ... I still have mine, though it could use some service. Thanks for a great video.

[@madFame]

Wow, what an amazing synth to have as a first synth! My first synth was the MS200, I started quite late but it lead me into the world of synths beautifully.

[@construct09]

Great, informative video, thanks for sharing, love my 700, simple but as you say such a sweet sounding synth.

[@madFame]

My pleasure! Great to meet a fellow 700 owner :)

[@construct09]

@@madFame Did you ever get around to modding your unit?

[@rjbush7955]

Love the Tank patch. Would be good for a bass line today

[@madFame]

@RJ Bush - Yeah, when I programmed it in I was surprised how modern it sounded! I've been surprised how versatile the 700 is considering it only has a single oscillator and very basic wave-shaping controls.

[@rjbush7955]

@@madFame it's really good. If I couldn't see the 700 I'd thought it be lately bass or a variation of another FM bass.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Gandalf, Frodo; mount up. We're going on another Synth Quest. Loved every minute of this. My friend has a 700s and it oozes character, just like its earlier sibling here. Are "chorus I" and "chorus II" two preset PWMs do you think?

[@madFame]

Hi Alex! I'm not sure what the Chorus waves are, you've got me thinking I should run it through my o'scope and have a look! I thought initially it was a unison sawtooth of some kind, but your suggestion seems more likely.

[@RobertWrightOneManCovers]

Lovely CP-30! One of my favorites in my entire stable.

[@madFame]

@Robert Wright - Yes the CP30 is a beauty, such a joy to play.

[@homeone4054]

I used to have a CP-30...some lovely sounds but it was just too big!

[@DroppedandSkrewed]

Nice sounds on this

[@davidsimons5944]

I'd love to have one of these but currently they seem to be too expensive when you find one. Nearest I have is probably my PE2000 though it's a shame that unlike on the PE1000 Korg didn't include a traveller. The 700s seems to have a unique sound & was used by Vangelis & Kitaro. The fascinating chunky controls remind of not so much a synth but more like a train drivers control panel!

[@alieustiansamateh6401]

Lovely

[@pedrobriceno1635]

Thanks friend!.....

[@madFame]

@Pedro Briceno My pleasure :)

[@SanplerVarondaro]

wow un reliquia vintage real saludos desde tijuana

[@eancurtis9333]

Exactly What trim pots make the filter dirtier?

[@cosmojonesmusic]

Great work. New subscriber.

[@madFame]

Thanks for subbing

[@Marky8864]

By coincidence, these two keyboards - the Minikorg and the Yamaha CP30 were used by Greg Hawkes all over the Car's first album. Listen to Bye Bye Love and that's exactly what you'll hear.

[@madFame]

Yes! Good spotting :) The 700 is all over the Cars records, such a versatile mono.

[@Marky8864]

@@madFame I use a Minikorg 700 live on stage with my Cars Tribute band, Heartbeat City. I run it through a Muza delay/ reverb pedal. There is no substitute. 😎🎛🎹🎹🎛

[@madFame]

That's awesome, if you're gonna do it, do it right! And it's true there is no substitute for the character and sweetness of the 700. Master Fumio Mieda's filter and oscillator are up there with Dr Moog's.

[@jeremythornton433]

Interesting. Are the fronts of the side panels vertical or slanted. They and the front panel look from here like they go straight up and down. On mine, they are slanted back. Great video! Thanks!

[@madFame]

Hi Jeremy. My 700 is the same as yours, slightly slanted on the front of the side panels and more of a slant on the controls panel. The perspective must make it look flat in the video. It's great to hear from a fellow 700 owner!

[@jeremythornton433]

@@madFame Yes it is! My serial number is 00293. I bought it used here in Toronto in I think 1974. We used to have a music store called Sparling Maurice. Sad to say, I haven't turned mine on or plugged it in in years. I'm planning on taking it to a vintage synth repair shop called "Synths When", in the summer. I'm afraid that if I power it up, something bad may happen. These guys specialize in old synths and are familiar with them. Better safe than sorry! I also have a Polysix that needs to go in too.

[@Psychlist1972]

Hey. Synthpunk has taken visuals from this video and included them, along with audio taken from other videos. Video is KORG MINI KORG 700 FS is not worth the price of admission

[@madFame]

Thanks for the heads up Pete! Much appreciated 🙌🏼

[@horowizard]

I don't know why they didn't put the controls on top. It must be very awkward having to adjust the sound while playing and you can't even see the settings.

[@madFame]

Units like this were designed to sit on top of an organ. Some organs had 2 or 3 keyboard tiers and could reach eye-level, so with the synth on top of that the front panel was the best place to see the controls. The Japanese companies, Korg, Roland, and Yamaha all did this with their first synths. Because there wasn't an existing market for synthesizers, tapping into the organ market, which they already supplied, helped them to sell more of their first synthesizers too.

[@Noiretranquility]

Korg will reissue, but to me one oscillator and very little modulation doesn’t cut it, it’s a cute one though

[@SendyTheEndless]

Tank = a donk!

[@PracticalCat]

Does your 700 have a quiet/low signal output level? eg it needs to be amplified? I have had my 700s for some time and I have wondered if this is normal or the preamp os bad. Its like it puts out a instrument level signal not a "hot" line out signal like my other synths.

[@madFame]

No it's definitely sounding normal. Although there is low and high outputs both seem to be similar to my other synths with these types of outputs.

[@PracticalCat]

So your outputs are fairly quiet as well? ie need an amp in order to drive a pair of headphones for instance? Thanks:)

[@madFame]

I just use mine through an interface for recording or through a PA speaker, which provide adequate volume. To use headphones in the main outputs I imagine you'd need a pre-amp. It doesn't help that the output sockets are mono as well.

[@rars0n]

Wow, Chorus 2 is delightfully out of tune. This thing sounds surprisingly versatile and is a hell of a first monosynth for the company. I hadn't heard of it before, so I really appreciate the demonstration!

[@madFame]

@Adam Baldwin Yeah I love this synth so much. I have a few non-destructive mods that I'm going to do on this synth, so look out for that video in the next few months.

[@rars0n]

@@madFame I will be eagerly waiting! Thanks!

[@ruxiwang9571]

this is exactly the same sound as volca keys

[@topofthemornintoya]

I like you

[@Paulcvids]

Lovely. Just one of my absolute favs. I might be nuts, but I’ve never been able to get either of the 700s models I’ve owned to sound as magical as the original 700 I bought. Video here: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIi4gGmpndCfitU. That said, I now also have a 770, which is weirder, wilder, and downright gnarly! Still miss my original 700 though! Thanks so much for this great vid.

[@madFame]

@Paul Curreri Wow, that's interesting! I've never had the pleasure of using a 700S, 770 or 800DV. The 770 and 800DV look very interesting and unpredictable, quite a unique architecture I'd love to try one day. I'm in the process of piecing together a DIY 700S upgrade to my 700. I'm trying to make it non destructive and removable if I need, but it'll be a bit of work. I'll be making a video of it if I ever get it done. Thanks for watching