KORG recently announced the revival of one of their earliest synths, the miniKORG 700. Released in 1973, it was their first mass-produced monophonic synthesizer and paved the way for synths to become more mainstream. According to KORG, the miniKORG 700FS is an authentic revival of the miniKORG 700s, which itself was an improved version of the miniKORG 700.

KORG also explained why they have decided to revive the miniKORG 700 now. Apparently, the real beauty of the sounds produced by the miniKORG 700 was impossible through analog modeling technology that uses computational integrated circuitry to model analog circuitry. They also felt that deep experience is required when designing analog circuitry, not just theoretical know-how. This is why it has taken ten years for the KORG engineers who developed the monotron in 2010 to explore their full vision and revive the miniKORG 700. The project could not be in better hands either as Fumio Mieda, who designed the original circuitry, supervised to process to ensure everything was faithful and authentic.

While the miniKORG 700 was KORG's first synthesizer, time has done nothing to diminish its sounds. In fact, due to its clear and penetrating characteristics, the volca keys and volca bass both used the filter circuit from the miniKORG 700. Although faithful to the original, the miniKORG 700FS doesn't skimp on new functionality either. Whereas owners of the original had to write down the positions of the knobs and levers if they wanted to recreate their favorite sounds, this can now be done with the new memory program button. Changes in technology also meant that KORG had more space to work with and used this to add a spring reverb effect as well as a joystick for pitch and bend modulation. In addition, the miniKORG 700FS features aftertouch, an arpeggiator, USB port, MIDI IN connector, and a CV/GATE IN jack. The second oscillator, ring modulator, and other features that the miniKORG 700s added are also part of the miniKORG 700FS.

The miniKORG 700FS is undoubtedly a beautiful instrument. To commemorate this revival after nearly half a century, KORG is also including a hard case designed especially for this product. The full specifications of the miniKORG 700FS synthesizer can be found on the official website. It also has a section where Fumio Mieda reminisces about the miniKORG 700, which is definitely worth reading.