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1.2. The MS-20 and its family
In 1977, as synthesizers were growing in popularity in Japanese electronic music, Keio
faced a challenge in the form of the Yamaha CS-10 – a simple monophonic synthesizer
that was far less expensive than competing instruments. Mieda took on the challenge of
creating a monophonic synth that was affordable enough for a student to buy, but was
powerful enough to allow for serious sound design – preferably with more options than the
competition. In less than six months, the Keio team – often working late into the night and
sleeping in the freezing-cold factory – created four new products that were released in April
1978: the MS-10 and MS-20 synthesizers, the VC-10 keyboard vocoder, and the SQ-10 analog
sequencer.
With its semi-modular design – allowing students to patch creatively while still being usable
with no patching – the MS-20 was an instant hit. Mieda gave students and musicians lots
of fun extra features, from the completely patchable Wheel and Momentary Switch to the
External Signal Processor, and carefully designed and placed the patch panel so the cables
wouldn't obscure the knobs – a problem for nearly every other modular and semi-modular
synth on the market.
At the same time, Mieda came up with extraordinarily effective shortcuts and streamlining
techniques to keep the machine affordable – for example, he realized a huge cost savings
by repurposing electrical noise in the keyboard circuit to act as a trigger signal! But the
cost-saving measure that made history was the KORG 35 filter, a fabulously simple design
that could be configured as a low-pass or high-pass filter (the MS-20 got one of each, as a
nod to the Traveller design) while using very few components. Its sound was utterly unique
and garnered thousands and thousands of fans over the years, and is a major factor in the
MS-20's continued popularity.
Some 35 years later, Mr. Mieda consulted with a team of young engineers at Keio (now
KORG Inc.) and helped them design the new MS-20 mini and MS-20 FS synthesizers, which
have proven every bit as popular as the originals. However, aside from offering a few new
features like MIDI input and USB, the synthesizer itself hasn't changed at all – which is
awesome if you want total authenticity above all else, but not quite so awesome if you're
looking to expand your horizons.
That's where Arturia comes in.
1.3. Why a virtual MS-20?
Unlike some other models we've created, KORG MS-20 V isn't meant to fill a gap left by
a rare or expensive synthesizer. The MS-20 has always been available to musicians who
want one. It's well-known and well-loved by generations of electronic musicians, and still
widely available in hardware form, including both full-sized and smaller-scale 'mini' versions
currently being sold by KORG.
So why would Arturia want to create a software MS-20? Simply because our engineers can't
simply recreate the sounds of vintage synths – they always have an uncontrollable urge to
mess around with them and see what they can add!
As powerful as the original MS-20 was, studios and live rigs in the 21st Century have
different needs than those of the 1970s. It's quite possible – even likely – that getting a
hardware MS-20 to work seamlessly with a computer-based setup will be costly, fussy, and
lacking in some basic functions that modern musicians have come to expect.
With that in mind, Arturia has remained faithful to the original KORG MS-20's sound and
functionality, but has then taken its capabilities far beyond anything its creators could have
imagined, giving it a new lease on life in the world of plug-ins and DAWs.
Of course, all of these extra features are meaningless if the synth itself doesn't sound
awesome and authentic. Fortunately, Arturia has that well under control...
Arturia - User Manual KORG MS-20 V - Introduction
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