We interrupt my ongoing fetish for everything that is "E-70 organ"-like for this special scan.
Somehow, back in the day, I chucked this Korg catalog sheet into a box with a wack of other papers, all of which then quickly became lost for the next decade or two.
Then, just a short time ago, I was digging through some old boxes with a friend to show off some Moog modular "patch" sheets that included handwritten instructions from Bob Moog, and remembered I had this.
Wow. What a great summary of Korg's electronic products - all beautifully laid out within two pages. That's one jam-packed time capsule.
What I find most fascinating is how it so clearly demonstrates the design transition the synth industry was going through in the early to mid-80s. From the dino-3200 to the futuristic Poly-800. From knobs and jacks to buttons and digital displays. Wood paneling to plastic.
And how about that PME-40x "modular" pedal board? How cool is that?!?!? To think all of this was available in 1984.
It's also nice to be able to see what wasn't available. In particular, I'm talking about one of my favorite pieces of gear - the KMS-30 MIDI syncronizer. It's the glue that ties together most of my 80's XOX gear to my 2005 computer :o)
But, alas, the KMS-30 wasn't available until later. Too bad - would have looked nice in this little catalogue.
1 comment:
This catalog sounds like a fantastic snapshot of that moment when synthesizers were visibly shifting from analog knobs, patch points, and wood-paneled designs toward buttons, digital displays, and more compact futuristic hardware. The contrast between the PS-3200 and Poly-800 especially captures how quickly electronic instruments were evolving. For musicians interested in how those innovations shaped today’s keyboards and synthesizers, exploring electronic instruments through music lessons can provide an interesting bridge between vintage technology and modern music-making.
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