General

As soon as the original Opsix dropped, Korg was bombarded with user-requests, the loudest being for a modular edition. Enter the Korg Opsix Module synthesizer. Rather than just a one-to-one Opsix but minus the keyboard, this module is essentially the Opsix MK2 (and you can even get a version complete with a keyboard). Definitely built for serious sound-designers, this version of the Opsix is still FM-based, which can be a turn-off for some but mouth-watering for others. It was the DX Series synthesizers that gave the controls involved in FM synthesis a bad name, but that was back in the eighties. The issues that come with the complexity of FM synthesis are solved by the Opsix with simple elegance. This module comes loaded with plenty of faders and encoders, making it far easier and far more fun to control all of that FM-based power.

The Features of Korg Opsix Module

Since this is the second edition, everything is also a bit more roomy: the polyphony has been pushed up to 80, which is more than you think when it comes to FM-synthesis since, depending on the algorithm, a single FM voice can have plenty of sonic layers to it. The faders and encoders over on the left have been backlit and colour-coded to indicate whether you're dealing with an operator, a carrier or a modulator. A mass of filters has also been supplied - essential for those all-important finishing touches because, while FM has a lot of influence over the clarity of a sound, it doesn't achieve it in quite the same way as filters can. Compare it with a regular synthesizer, which takes a bunch of samples or a sawtooth wave and pushes everything through a filter, the Opsix is able to create a billion possible sounds and then push them through a filter. Do the maths and it quickly becomes apparent just how extensive this beast is.

Further Features

This model also features polyphonic motion sequencing alongside an enormous modulation matrix. There's an arppegiator prepped for building hair-raising patterns that just aren't physically possible when playing by hand. The effect section is like a fat cherry sitting on top of the sonic cream and, to really sweeten the deal, Korg also throw in a big software package on the side. This is basically a solid and complete synthesizer based on an extensive synth model but then loaded with a clear and easily navigated set of controls.