Superbooth 2023: Korg Berlin - Prototype Acoustic Synthesizer

Tatsuya Takahashi (Tats) continues to innovate from his labs at Korg Berlin, he revealed their latest innovation - acoustic synthesis. Tats explained that Korg Berlin has developed metal resonators that are designed to contain frequencies that are pleasing to the ear. The resonators move in complex ways when stimulated, with the fundamental frequency creating a sense of pitch. Korg Berlin uses an electromagnetic system to move the resonators, similar to the hammer in a piano. The company then uses capacitive pickups to capture the movement and feed it into a feedback control system, allowing them to manipulate and sustain specific overtones and frequencies. Korg Berlin showcased an early prototype of the technology, which they called the acoustic

[@nodataavailable]

This is by far the best explanation and demo of what they're up to out of all the Superbooth ones I've seen. Great work!

[@VacancyOfDisco]

this is so cool and cant wait to see what they do with it! Its like a Fender Rhodes mashed up with a Moog Guitar 😍

[@gumse666]

Korg should actually do it so you could play it like a Fender Rhodes to start with. And then activate "warp drive" with infinite sustain, feedback, overtone manipulation and so on. Perhaps a Osmose type of keyboard with both electronic and mechanical manipulation of the "rods".

[@DurararaX2]

Something new that actually impresses me, good show, Korg!

[@mdjey2]

Tatsuya, keep it up! This reminds me of physical modelling synth Logic Sculpture where you can pick material of string.

[@13opacus]

Love the flip books, who needs ai :) What an exciting looking synth too! Bring it on!

[@thomasdupont7186]

It is not everyday that you see a new form of sound synthesis.

[@Ribos87]

I hadn't realized from other videos on this that ALL the sound is coming from the resonators - the overtone knob just became that much more impressive! Whatever product this eventually becomes, I'm going to have to get my hands on one.

[@dephoner6911]

Okay, that's the future. Incredible work and idea

[@Ponk_80]

I find it interesting to see new concepts of potential instruments to come.

[@maler.michel]

I like the mindset of finding out the power of frequencies and vibrations. In my head I see the clocks on the arms of the ancient Egyptian gods in hieroglyphs. The symbol on it looks like a sun. But I had the idea that it could symbolizes the shape of a certain frequency that can deform objects and override gravity... 💚🌿

[@EarmonkeyMusic]

This is absolutely brilliant. Anything that looks like you built it from a Radio Shack kit gets bonus points too.

[@timb.4825]

Looks great. Electro-mechanical modulated synth.. nice👌

[@DoctorRevers]

Very cool stuff. Great to see tatsuya.

[@RaquelFoster]

For a week I've been seeing these brief acoustic synth demos popping up in my YT feed, and all I can think about is the tension between these guys and the Korg VPs. VP 1: "Takahashi-san... We love you. Everybody loves you. You invented the Volcas! And the Monologue!" VP 2: “What he’s trying to say is that you’ve been burning cash for two years with nothing to show, and there are a lot of rumors about what’s actually going on in that Berlin office. Watanabe visited a few weeks ago. He said you were nowhere to be found, and the engineers were all working on flip books while Lukas shot them in the ass with Nerf darts. If you don’t have a hardware demo at Superbooth we’re pulling the plug!"

[@doctorauxiliary]

this is really exciting stuff!!

[@BillDerBerg]

It's an amplified xylophone

[@doctorauxiliary]

at its core, yes. but it's gonna be so much more than that....

[@michaelcrouch5833]

Actually it’s closer to a harmonica in operation. But with the split on each of the reeds and the ability to modify the driver you’re in a different world. When you try to use acoustic sound as the basis you are going to look like a lot of acoustic instruments.

[@CommunityGuidelines]

Electromagnetic acoustic synthesis... interesting idea. It needs filters and envelopes to give those feedback-like tones life, fluidity, and motion. The biggest question is what can this system accomplish, that regular synthesizers cannot?

[@dr.getter7118]

Nothing. There's nothing in this world that is as powerful and as flexible as an electronic sound synthesizer. A theoretical one with infinite elements (or say, modules) of infinite variety would be able to generate any possible sound. Both imaginable and unimaginable. This acoustic "synthesizer", if anything, would appeal to people because of its limitations, I guess. Less freedom in the timbres being generated would push users down certain paths that you'd find way less frequently with a more common synth. Just my 2 cents.

[@visisydandthevoid]

This could be awesome one day

[@easibroeasibrode6381]

Increible ❤

[@richardm123uk]

An eventual Harry Partch in a box?

[@benhoughtonmusic]

very novel idea, interested to see where they end up with this!

[@afxtwinreverb]

I came from the future. Korg discontinued this product after 2 years.

[@mattbrown-mb]

If only Korg had provided firmware updates it might have survived 😂

[@henri-fillipbauer6579]

And now it’s worth 10 000$

[@raspberry1440kb]

well now i have to buy it on day of release

[@christopherventer6391]

Very interesting. Would be great for soundtracks. Has a kind of Akira Gamelan vibe.

[@rekindle]

Is it working in a similar way to an E-Bow? A polyphonic E-Bow would be great

[@thomasyon4332]

Hope they'll manage to do it right !

[@adeniranbalthazar5700]

Does anyone know how it compares to Physical Sythesis' Cicada Acoustic Synth?

[@straighttalk2069]

Great idea but it won't be cheap even if Uli copies it.

[@phantazzor]

I have a name for you, Korg Gamelan

[@VuotoPneumaNN]

Looks like it has western tuning tho

[@phantazzor]

@@VuotoPneumaNN ok, I thought gamelan where close enough to western

[@rattlededge-somemikeratled1630]

ace

[@NullStaticVoid]

so it's an E Piano with modulation?

[@mcentertain]

Sounds terribly similar to a rhodes piano :D

[@minecraftavatarofhunterbiden]

Sound no talking please

[@giannisozo7928]

Shutup and take my money

[@boimesa8190]

Lots of contradicting statements...?

[@williamwilkinson4756]

Too much talking not enough action. Show us don’t tell us. Not interested.

[@JH-lo9ut]

It is funny to think of how korg wants to project their image. The booth looks like it is thrown together with the cheapest possible osb board. There is no backdrop, no korg logo to be seen. Their star synth engineer and ceo of Korg Berlin is dressed like he is going for a Sunday afternoon beer in the park (as you do in Berlin) Everything is staged of course. They know this is going to be covered by lots of press and youtubers. Korg is a massive corporation, renowned in the industry for decades, but they play it like they are a little startup with some cute synth nerds tinkering in a garage. Someone chose exactly what potted plant to put in the background, and I bet that person charged more money for that, than I make in a month.

[@cockur]

If the sound is being generated by a resonator being struck and then a pick up to amplify - then it's not "really" a synthesizer right? More like a Rhodes

[@richardnipples7574]

cool toy car parking lot

[@claudesilverio677]

Why I think at the FenderRhodes?

[@expandingknowledge8269]

Very interesting technology. So would this be classified as ReSynthesis?

[@mikestrauss8613]

pretty cool kalimba

[@matthewdearstreaming]

Yes please!

[@matthewtunnicliffe201]

It's going to be very interesting to see how this develops.

[@happyrat1garyg.510]

craptastic