The Good and The Bad of The MicroKorg XL.

Hi, I'm Nathan, a new KZbinr with a serious Ebay problem. I did the thing I always do...accidentally buying something on my favorite auction site by bidding much lower than I think the item will sell for but winning the auction anyway! So yeah, I bought a MicroKorg XL for 193 dollars, dumbfounding me completely with such a low price.
I've never owned an OG MicroKorg, but I saw them in every shared practice space I had when I lived in Montreal in the mid 2000s. I now regret not picking one up back then to see what was up.
This review does not go into the deep menu diving that's possible with the XL. Rest assured, you can navigate the mostly annoying workflow to create your own sounds, just check out the online manual!
Instead, this review goes over build quality and the stock presents (or the presents the previous owner created). Stay till the end for four pieces I made with the XL, Meris Hedra, and the Fender Marine Layer.
New MicroKorg XLs on Amazon although I would definitely recommend looking for used ones:
www.amazon.com/Korg-microKorg...
My music on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/artist/0N3yh...
And Apple Music:
/ winter-triangle
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:08 The Good and the Bad
1:51 Comparison with Grandmother
2:36 Arpeggiator
3:41 First Impressions
4:00 Vocoder
4:38 Good and Bad Sounds
11:35 Fav Arp Sound
13:04 Conclusion
13:41 4 Pieces of Music

[@buckdancer421]

I got my red MicroKorg XL working again today after about 10 years! It’s such a fun little thing, I love the sounds. Found your channel because of it, great stuff and your on screen persona is awesome!

[@HiImNathan]

Heckin yeah! Glad you are dusting off those cool arp sounds. Appreciate you!

[@Cherroxx]

For latch settings for the arp turn the dial to FULL EDIT, then use knob 1 and turn until you see ARP (+something more, just forget about that), then use the knob 2 until you see LATCH ON/OFF, then use knob 3 to turn on and off 😅 I'm not a synth player, but I do own a microkorg XL, and commenters can correct me if I'm wrong, but if you connect the microkorg XL to a computer, install the driver and the sound editor - you then can swap all the sounds to the original microkorg sound library. When you download the sound editor you get the factory prestes of all the microkorgs. I have done this and seems to work fine, the microkorg really opens up with the sound editor.

[@HiImNathan]

Hey thank you for the comment and for checking out the video. Yes you are correct, it's the latch on/off but I continue to experience problems getting it to work! I'm about to turn it on and have another go to see if I'm crazy. I wasn't super clear but I guess what I was really wanting was just a 'hold' button on the front so it was easy :) Thanks for all these tips Cherroxx!

[@ChappIOMusic]

I like the concise good vs bad format. Keep it up 👍

[@HiImNathan]

Hey thank you so much! First time I tried doing that I agree, might be a good format to follow in the future. Appreciate the comment!

[@FabiofromSirius]

A super and amazing synth! I love it.

[@HiImNathan]

I think I might be starting to love it too! Thanks for watching!

[@Bilpokat]

Yay you won’t be disappointed And the keybed is fire

[@HiImNathan]

It's pretty fun and yeah I agree the keybed was a nice surprise at this price point AKA dirt cheap!

[@moronpoliceHQ]

You can do lots of cool things with this little bastard, but the reason it's so beloved by many, is the bass sounds, which I don't think you featured? Also, the vocoder is wonderful. It's also quite sturdy, despite its shitty knobs. Have had mine for probably 20 years now, and it still works great. And I'm terrible at taking care of my stuff.

[@HiImNathan]

You’re right I didn’t highlight the bass sounds due to time but I did like what I heard from the XL. Good to know on durability/longevity. That’s awesome you’re had yours for so long! I’m actually wondering now how old the one I made the video with might be.

[@1TN]

100 subscribers 😍 🎉

[@HiImNathan]

Honestly can't believe it! LFG!

[@DJ-bq8ng]

Just got one for free! Been enjoying the little monster as my first big boy synth

[@HiImNathan]

Let the vibrations fly my friend, it’s going to be great!

[@LScott97]

Really good video. I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you.👍👍👍

[@HiImNathan]

Cheers, thanks for watching!

[@SanplerVarondaro]

muy buen video gracias y saludos

[@HiImNathan]

Muchas gracias por ver este vídeo! Feliz creación musical.

[@onceanquagh]

Lot of creation is possible by the easy sound editor software. Possible to get 2 different sound in 2 separate MIDI channel for jam sequencing. Full of Cc# can be drived via a MIDI panel or sequencer. Full of internal effects too.

[@HiImNathan]

This dude MicroKorgs 💓

[@djkanyon]

Nothing wrong with Micro Korg, it was always it's price. This tiny almost childish synth should have never been 500-600 usd in our times. 300 USD new, 150-200 used. Simply not that capable enough and the sound is not that recognizable. Thanks man, good review

[@HiImNathan]

Thanks for this wise comment DJ Kanyon. Looking up the price for a new XL had me a little shocked and perplexed...like who would pay the $629 that it's listed for on Sweetwater today? But you're right, for the price I got it for it sizzles, esp for a beginner.

[@djkanyon]

@@HiImNathan to me there's no bad gear, just the wrong pricetag! Big companies tends to overprice things

[@Lizard-of-Oz]

If the knobs feel loose you might want to check if it has nuts that you have to tightened right there, just like the old car stereos in the 70s

[@jinnyridger5075]

YUPS, WE USED TO PUT BEER BOTTLE CAPS ON THE END OF THE KNOBS UNTIL COPS STARTED CHARGING FOR OPEN CONTAINERS. WE USED POP TOPS AFTERWARDS NOT AS COOL LOOKING.

[@Putra-hl3nj]

I wanna ask, what's name the adaptor called ? Is ka350 ?

[@HiImNathan]

I actually don’t know, that is the adaptor that came with it. Unfortunately I loaned it to a friend so I can’t check directly at the moment. When I get it back I’ll reply again to your comment.

[@Putra-hl3nj]

@@HiImNathan thank u so much, i will wait. because I wanted to buy it, but forgot to put the adaptor. I wanna ask one more thing. Can it be turned on using just an adaptor without using the battery?

[@HiImNathan]

Yes it can, batteries are not necessary.@@Putra-hl3nj

[@andisantoso4155]

There's tap tempo button?

[@HiImNathan]

Not on the XL…not sure about other MicroKorgs

[@teddym2808]

I honestly can't stand it. I have a mint XL+. What do you reckon it's worth in a quick sale situation? What did you pay for the XL?

[@HiImNathan]

It’s not for everyone that is 100% truth. I paid around $200 for mine. Maybe you could get 250 on the high end?

[@teddym2808]

@@HiImNathan well yes am in OZ so in AUD that's about 400, would part with it for that. It's like new cause I never used it cause I don't like the sound. I am glad you got use out of it, cheers for the reply.

[@HiImNathan]

@@teddym2808For the right person, esp a synth beginner it offers a lot of sounds and memory slots for that much money. Hopefully you find the right buyer who will love it. Appreciate you watching and commenting 🫶

[@jodo985]

So just when I think I should sell my Microkorg xl (to fund for a Behringer Cat) videos like this pop up and wham, I love it again.😂 BTW, I know that you should never sell music gear. You’ll miss it!!!😂 And, I bought a sound pack a couple years back, from kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3q4poODpteHaposi=q2CNomJqoHsz_VJz And they sound amazing.

[@HiImNathan]

Thanks for sharing the sound pack! Would love to explore some new sounds and this looks like a great way to get going. Do you use the online editor to change the patches?

[@jodo985]

@@HiImNathan I used the Korg editor software. Super easy.. Since I just noodled around, I usually left my laptop plugged into the Microkorg and just would select a patch and play it from the laptop without actually installing.

[@HiImNathan]

That’s great to know! Going to try this asap, I’m intrigued by the possibilities!

[@jinnyridger5075]

KIERA COYOTE SAY "THE PRICE IS SURE RIGHT FOR THESE".

[@HiImNathan]

OK KIERA GO ON

[@jinnyridger5075]

@@HiImNathan LOL. FOUND ONE LOCALLY FOR $150.00 MADE SURE I SUBSCRIBED. HOPE TO SEE MORE SYNTH VIDS SOON.