Following a soft launch at this year’s Superbooth, Korg has confirmed the upcoming availability of its NTS-1 build-it-yourself digital synthesizer.
This Monotron-style device can be put together without any soldering, and is part of Korg’s new DIY Nu:Tekt range. It includes a digital oscillator that’s inspired by the Multi engine found in the company’s Prologue and Minilogue XD synths, while other features include a multimode filter, on EG, three LFOs, three stereo effect processors, and an arpeggiator.
The oscillator can produce, sawtooth, triangle, square and VPM waveforms, but perhaps the biggest news is that, like the Prologue and Minilogue XD, it can also load custom oscillators created using Korg’s logue SDK.
The effects engine, meanwhile, covers reverbs, delays and modulation processors, while the arpeggiator has multiple patterns, scale options, note orders and modes. You can also adjust the pattern length and step duration.
The control set is pretty simple, with a ribbon controller keyboard joined by just a few knobs and switches, but deeper parameter adjustments are possible using combinations of turns and presses. There are also AUDIO IN, SYNC IN, SYNC OUT and MIDI IN connectors, giving you plenty of scope to use the NTS-1 as part of a wider setup.
Power, meanwhile, comes via a USB micro-B connector, meaning that it can be drawn from the mains, a computer or a portable power bank.
Shipping with a suite of software, the Nu:Tekt NTS-1 will be available in November priced at $99.99, putting it in prime position to be the must-have music tech Christmas gift of 2019. Our letter to Santa is in already, and you can find out more on the Korg website.
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