Korg DS-8

The DS-8 is Korg's contender among synths like the Roland D-50 and Yamaha DX7. It is a digital FM synthesizer with 4-operators per voice, 8 voices of polyphony and 8 parts multitimbrality. It's good for percussive, strange effect noises and such because its sound (similar to the DX7) is so unique. It has some digital effects such as chorus, flange, delay and analog-like controls for modulators, envelopes and the LFO. A joystick provides control of modulation and pitch bending. It also has a performance section for quick edits on the fly using (3) real-time sliders to control timbre, EG1 and EG2. A nice alternative to the common DX-7.

37 VISITOR COMMENTS

Skoulaman

November 24, 2011 @ 3:08 pm

Last weekend I bought one for 60 €, battery was (correct) replaced but the synth was in the "glitch mode" Restored this with a windows 98 computer (after several trials with lowerd buffer and file sizes under XP) connected with a midiUNO from M-audio. Buffer setting was 8 and a size of 256 bytes. Used program MIDOX. Thx Colin macDonald. Now I am ready to reprogram.
I have a Yamaha DX 27 and a CX5m 4 operator synth/computer but the DS-8 beat them, so easy to program and the hands on some controls, perfect.

gridsleep

November 16, 2011 @ 4:13 am

Never mind. If you just go to www.synthzone.com, select Korg, then go about 3/4 of the way down the very long page of links to Korg places, there's a box "Vintage Patch Archives". The DS-8 and other zips are in the linked pages. The problem is, when one searches for patches for a keyboard, the search engine goes straight to the directory, most of the time, and not to the proper original link in the site so it seems detached or hidden. Limitation of literal searches, I suppose.

gridsleep

November 16, 2011 @ 1:45 am

Korg DS-8 and 707 factory patches and other patches are available at http://www.synthzone.com/midi/korg/ds8/ which is not accessible from the web page that is supposed to present it. You have to go straight to the directory. These are the most patches I've been able to find anywhere. Oh, and now that I have a DS-8 with an MCR-03 card for external banks, it has such a beautiful sound. And so many ways to make beautiful sounds. I really love this thing. It's so simple and yet complex, and everything is right there on the panel. Amazingly underrated.

gridsleep

October 30, 2011 @ 9:35 pm

Manual and other useful info is available at http://www.deepsonic.ch/ the Deep!Sonic web site. Korg.com has no info on this machine or anything else of that vintage.

gridsleep

September 29, 2011 @ 10:41 am

This site is funny sometimes. The DS-8 is rated as a nice alternative to the common DX-7 (nice and good don't always mean the same thing) while the 707, which has EXACTLY THE SAME GUTS, is rated as a toy for beginners. Is it because this has squared off corners and perpendicular controls, while that one has rounded off corners and angular controls and is therefor more stylish and safe for children? Weird.