Korg PS-3300
Encyclopedia
The Korg PS-3300 is a polyphonic analog synthesizer
produced by Korg
, between 1977 and 1981.
s ever made. Only around 50 units were produced by Korg
over a 4-year period from 1977 to 1981 after which it was discontinued. The high production costs of this very complex instrument gave it a price tag that was out of reach for anyone but the wealthiest musicians of the day. It is a much coveted synthesizer by professional musicians and collectors alike as it has a big and unique sound which has been described as an orchestra of synthesizers. It has attained near mythical status due to its rarity and the fact that it was adopted and revered by many of the artists that were the synthesizer pioneers, such as Vangelis
, Jean-Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk
, Klaus Schulze
and Keith Emerson
. Even Bob Moog was so impressed with the PS-3300 that after he was given a demonstration of it he is quoted as saying that it was "the best synthesizer for fat sounds". At its release back in 1977, along with the smaller PS-3100, it was a landmark synthesizer in many respects. It was the worlds first fully fledged polyphonic synthesizer where all 48 keys could be played at once and articulated independently of each other. Still to this day, the Korg PS family of synthesizers (PS-3100, PS-3200, PS-3300) remains the only fully polyphonic analog semi-modular synthesizers in existence.
with patch points at the bottom of each strip. No patching is required to start playing since all the normal connections have been made internally, this is often referred to as a "semi-modular" configuration and is easier to use than a conventional modular with unconnected modules.
The Korg PS-3300 is actually three complete synthesizer units in one box where each synthesizer unit is almost identical to the smaller Korg PS-3100 and is labelled as "PSU-3301" on the front panel (PSU, abbreviation for Polyphonic Synthesizer Unit). The unique feature of 48-note polyphony means that each unit has 48 oscillators, low-pass filters, envelopes and amplifiers, which makes for a mind-boggling 144 oscillators, 144 filters, 144 envelopes and 144 amplifiers in total for all three units (no voice board sharing here!). Each Oscillator, called Signal Generator by Korg, has 6 waveforms (Triangle, Sawtooth, Wide Rectangle, Narrow Rectangle, Pulse and Pulse Width Modulation), as do the LFOs, called Modulation Generators by Korg, (Triangle, Sawtooth, Ramp, Rectangle, Pink Noise and White Noise). The filters have the usual Frequency Cut-off and Resonance (called Peak by Korg) control knobs and the envelopes have Attack, Decay and Sustain control knobs plus an unconventional Release function which can be controlled by a foot pedal acting much like the sustain pedal on a piano. The envelopes and LFOs are notable for their wide range, for example the Attack of the envelope can be several minutes at its most extreme and the LFOs are very fast, extending into the audio range.
An example of an LFO-modulated sound on the Korg PS-3300 can be heard on the tracks "Magic Fly" and "Fasten Seat Belts" by the 70s French synthpop band Space. Here, they're using the Sawtooth LFO waveform to modulate the Filter Frequency Cut-Off to create the fat rhythmic synthesizer backing beat for both tracks, the Korg PS-3300 being clearly distinguishable by its unique oscillator and filter sound. This approach was a common method used to create synthesizer beats before the existence of MIDI and software sequencers.
Each of the three PSU-3301 synthesizer units has its own individual audio output and many Control Voltage output and input options for oscillator, filter, envelope and LFO. This semi-modular design provides a vast number of modulation possibilities, being freely patchable by making connections with cables. There's also a Resonator (see below) per unit and two positional crossfade knobs which sets varying Volume and Filter Frequency Cut-off for a synthesizer unit across the keyboard allowing complex layers of sound to be created when all three units are played together. Further amplitude modulation with the LFO as modulation source can be controlled with the Amplitude Modulation knob, enabling constantly evolving sounds as the different layers fade in and out. LFO modulation of oscillator and filter also have their own dedicated intensity control knobs and here lies some of the secret behind the big sound of the Korg PS-3300. The effect of an ensemble of instruments can be created since it is possible to modulate each of the three oscillators and three filters per key with an individual free-running LFO, for a total of six free-running LFO modulation sources in parallel. Jean-Michel Jarre put the big sound of the Korg PS-3300 to good use on the album "Concerts In China", and recently dusted it of for his 2008 Oxygene Live tour.
Another example of the Korg PS-3300's big sound and prowess as an orchestra of synthesizers can be heard on Keith Emerson
's soundtrack for the film "Nighthawks" where the Korg PS-3300 was used for virtually all the synthesized sounds, including synthesized orchestral brass, fat Moog-like bass, synthesized timpani and orchestral string effects. The Korg PS-3300 was also heavily used on the Emerson, Lake and Palmer album "Love Beach", for example on the track "Canario". Indeed Keith Emerson loved the Korg PS-3300 so much that he became the official endorser for both the Korg PS-3300 and the PS-3100, appearing in Korg product catalogs and on posters (and it wasn't because he needed the money). It was a bit of a coup for Korg since Emerson was known to be a big fan of Moog synthesizer
s, which at the time was the industry leader.
filters. There is also great scope for phased, spacey and abstract synthesizer sounds by modulating the peak frequencies of the Resonators as previously described to produce sweeping effects, a much favoured technique used by Vangelis
, for example on the track "Chung Kuo" from his album "China" where white noise was passed through the PS-3300's sweeping Resonators.
Vangelis can be seen playing his Korg PS-3300 in the "Chariots Of Fire" video, positioned right next to his Yamaha CS-80
, both keyboards can be spotted around 1:40 in the video. The Resonators can be heard in all their glory on the Space track "Blue Tears", at 1:59 in the track a rich synthesizer bass sound is introduced which gets brighter throughout the track in a very throaty wovel-like way, a signature sound that only could be achieved with the Korg PS-3300 Resonators back in the 70s.
. This is a completely unique feature for a polyphonic analog synthesizer which allows the Korg PS-3300 to be tuned to exotic scales such as the Byzantine scale
or Eastern scales that have a different Musical temperament
than Western scales.
Three examples of alternative tuning systems are given in the owners manual and are as follows: 1) Mean Tone System - This is a scale used for medieval keyboard instruments and features a pure Major third. 2) Just Intonation - Which is a theoretical scale with a pure Major third and fifth in C. 3) Hepatonal Scale - This scale divides one octave into seven equal intervals.
The Modulation part of the PSU-3302 unit comprises an auxiliary envelope with delay and 3 separate outputs which simultaneously outputs the normal CV signal as well as an inverted signal and a voltage offset version of the signal. There is also a Sample & Hold module with its own built-in clock frequency function so no need to sacrifice an LFO, and there are two Control Voltage Processors, as well as inputs for the Korg PS-3010 Polyphonic Keyboard and the Korg PS-3040 Dual Foot Controller.
with different sounds fading in and out by moving the joystick.
The PS-3040 Dual Foot Controller is basically two CV control pedals with variable range, which also can be connected to any parameter with a CV input, adding greatly to the possibilities for expression. The voltage range is set with knobs on the PSU-3302 panel of the Korg PS-3300 and is part of the Voltage Control Processors. The pedals are made out of heavy duty cast metal and are designed to have the entire foot placed upon it giving the player the kind of precise control one has for example over an organ volume pedal. (Note! This set of pedals is in addition to the Sustain/Release pedal described earlier).
There was also a junction box called the Korg PS-3050, which was for controlling up to three Korg PS series synthesizers from one keyboard by routing a PS-3001 cable from the keyboard to the junction box and then routing separate cables from the junction box to the PS synthesizers. The only other functionality the PS-3050 junction box added was that octaves could be switched on and off selectively for the PS synthesizers, effectively enabling keyboard splits.
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
produced by Korg
Korg
is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
, between 1977 and 1981.
History
The Korg PS-3300 is one of the biggest and rarest synthesizerSynthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s ever made. Only around 50 units were produced by Korg
Korg
is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
over a 4-year period from 1977 to 1981 after which it was discontinued. The high production costs of this very complex instrument gave it a price tag that was out of reach for anyone but the wealthiest musicians of the day. It is a much coveted synthesizer by professional musicians and collectors alike as it has a big and unique sound which has been described as an orchestra of synthesizers. It has attained near mythical status due to its rarity and the fact that it was adopted and revered by many of the artists that were the synthesizer pioneers, such as Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
, Jean-Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, Klaus Schulze
Klaus Schulze
Klaus Schulze is a German electronic music composer and musician. He also used the alias Richard Wahnfried. He was briefly a member of the electronic bands Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel before launching a solo career consisting of more than 60 albums released across five decades.-1970s:In...
and Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
. Even Bob Moog was so impressed with the PS-3300 that after he was given a demonstration of it he is quoted as saying that it was "the best synthesizer for fat sounds". At its release back in 1977, along with the smaller PS-3100, it was a landmark synthesizer in many respects. It was the worlds first fully fledged polyphonic synthesizer where all 48 keys could be played at once and articulated independently of each other. Still to this day, the Korg PS family of synthesizers (PS-3100, PS-3200, PS-3300) remains the only fully polyphonic analog semi-modular synthesizers in existence.
Architecture
The layout of the front panel clearly shows the modular origins of the Korg PS-3300. Oscillators, filters and envelopes are all arranged in vertical narrow strips, much like the front panel of the Moog modular synthesizerMoog modular synthesizer
Moog modular synthesizer refers to any of a number of monophonic analog modular synthesizers designed by the late electronic instrument pioneer Dr. Robert Moog and manufactured by R.A Moog Co...
with patch points at the bottom of each strip. No patching is required to start playing since all the normal connections have been made internally, this is often referred to as a "semi-modular" configuration and is easier to use than a conventional modular with unconnected modules.
An example of an LFO-modulated sound on the Korg PS-3300 can be heard on the tracks "Magic Fly" and "Fasten Seat Belts" by the 70s French synthpop band Space. Here, they're using the Sawtooth LFO waveform to modulate the Filter Frequency Cut-Off to create the fat rhythmic synthesizer backing beat for both tracks, the Korg PS-3300 being clearly distinguishable by its unique oscillator and filter sound. This approach was a common method used to create synthesizer beats before the existence of MIDI and software sequencers.
Each of the three PSU-3301 synthesizer units has its own individual audio output and many Control Voltage output and input options for oscillator, filter, envelope and LFO. This semi-modular design provides a vast number of modulation possibilities, being freely patchable by making connections with cables. There's also a Resonator (see below) per unit and two positional crossfade knobs which sets varying Volume and Filter Frequency Cut-off for a synthesizer unit across the keyboard allowing complex layers of sound to be created when all three units are played together. Further amplitude modulation with the LFO as modulation source can be controlled with the Amplitude Modulation knob, enabling constantly evolving sounds as the different layers fade in and out. LFO modulation of oscillator and filter also have their own dedicated intensity control knobs and here lies some of the secret behind the big sound of the Korg PS-3300. The effect of an ensemble of instruments can be created since it is possible to modulate each of the three oscillators and three filters per key with an individual free-running LFO, for a total of six free-running LFO modulation sources in parallel. Jean-Michel Jarre put the big sound of the Korg PS-3300 to good use on the album "Concerts In China", and recently dusted it of for his 2008 Oxygene Live tour.
Another example of the Korg PS-3300's big sound and prowess as an orchestra of synthesizers can be heard on Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
's soundtrack for the film "Nighthawks" where the Korg PS-3300 was used for virtually all the synthesized sounds, including synthesized orchestral brass, fat Moog-like bass, synthesized timpani and orchestral string effects. The Korg PS-3300 was also heavily used on the Emerson, Lake and Palmer album "Love Beach", for example on the track "Canario". Indeed Keith Emerson loved the Korg PS-3300 so much that he became the official endorser for both the Korg PS-3300 and the PS-3100, appearing in Korg product catalogs and on posters (and it wasn't because he needed the money). It was a bit of a coup for Korg since Emerson was known to be a big fan of Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
s, which at the time was the industry leader.
Resonators
A much desired feature of the Korg PS-3300 is its Resonators which is a set of three band-pass filters per PSU-3301 synthesizer unit. The frequency of each of the bands can be set with control knobs on the front panel or modulated with an LFO or an envelope to add animation to the sound and there is also a depth control for the level of resonance. These band-pass filters are in addition to the usual low-pass filters that are common to all analog synthesizers. It is these Resonators that partly gives the Korg PS-3300 its distinct sound and sonic flexibility. For example, large synthesized choir or orchestral type sounds (often referred to as "pad" sounds) can be made to sound more authentic and richer than those obtained with just a low-pass filter since the Resonators, when static, can be used as formantFormant
Formants are defined by Gunnar Fant as 'the spectral peaks of the sound spectrum |P|' of the voice. In speech science and phonetics, formant is also used to mean an acoustic resonance of the human vocal tract...
filters. There is also great scope for phased, spacey and abstract synthesizer sounds by modulating the peak frequencies of the Resonators as previously described to produce sweeping effects, a much favoured technique used by Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
, for example on the track "Chung Kuo" from his album "China" where white noise was passed through the PS-3300's sweeping Resonators.
Vangelis can be seen playing his Korg PS-3300 in the "Chariots Of Fire" video, positioned right next to his Yamaha CS-80
Yamaha CS-80
The Yamaha CS-80 was a polyphonic analog synthesizer released in 1977. It supports true 8-voice polyphony as well as a primitive settings memory based on a bank of micropotentiometers , and exceptionally complete performer expression features, such...
, both keyboards can be spotted around 1:40 in the video. The Resonators can be heard in all their glory on the Space track "Blue Tears", at 1:59 in the track a rich synthesizer bass sound is introduced which gets brighter throughout the track in a very throaty wovel-like way, a signature sound that only could be achieved with the Korg PS-3300 Resonators back in the 70s.
Tuning / musical temperament
The oscillator section of each PSU-3301 synthesizer unit has the usual global tuning knobs; an octave switch with footages 16, 8, 4, 2 and there are separate control knobs for coarse and fine tune as well. However, along the very bottom of the synthesizer unit there is an additional set of individual miniature tuning knobs (labelled "Temperament Adjust") for each of the twelve notes in the octave, making it possible to tune it to scales other than the Western standard of Equal temperamentEqual temperament
An equal temperament is a musical temperament, or a system of tuning, in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratio. As pitch is perceived roughly as the logarithm of frequency, this means that the perceived "distance" from every note to its nearest neighbor is the same for...
. This is a completely unique feature for a polyphonic analog synthesizer which allows the Korg PS-3300 to be tuned to exotic scales such as the Byzantine scale
Byzantine scale
In music, the double harmonic major scale is a scale whose gaps may evoke "exotic" music to Western listeners. This is also known as the Arabic and the Byzantine scale. It is also likened to the gypsy scale because of the augmented 2 between the 2nd and 3rd degrees...
or Eastern scales that have a different Musical temperament
Musical temperament
In musical tuning, a temperament is a system of tuning which slightly compromises the pure intervals of just intonation in order to meet other requirements of the system. Most instruments in modern Western music are tuned in the equal temperament system...
than Western scales.
Three examples of alternative tuning systems are given in the owners manual and are as follows: 1) Mean Tone System - This is a scale used for medieval keyboard instruments and features a pure Major third. 2) Just Intonation - Which is a theoretical scale with a pure Major third and fifth in C. 3) Hepatonal Scale - This scale divides one octave into seven equal intervals.
Audio mixer and modulation
On the far right hand side of the front panel there is a fourth unit labelled "PSU-3302" which is a mixer and modulation section where the three audio channels from the synthesizer units are mixed into a single channel with separate outputs and volume control for line and headphones. There are also three external mixer inputs for effects loops or other sound sources. The mixed level can be modulated by control voltages from an LFO or envelope enabling for example fade-ins while playing the keys.The Modulation part of the PSU-3302 unit comprises an auxiliary envelope with delay and 3 separate outputs which simultaneously outputs the normal CV signal as well as an inverted signal and a voltage offset version of the signal. There is also a Sample & Hold module with its own built-in clock frequency function so no need to sacrifice an LFO, and there are two Control Voltage Processors, as well as inputs for the Korg PS-3010 Polyphonic Keyboard and the Korg PS-3040 Dual Foot Controller.
Keyboard and foot controllers
The Korg PS-3010 Polyphonic Keyboard is a specialised keyboard with its 48 keys (not 49) and proprietary 60-pin connector that connects to the Korg PS-3300 via a special cable, the Korg PS-3001. The keyboard has a trigger mode dial selector switch with 5 different trigger modes as well as a momentary switch for retriggering of envelopes during sustained notes, plus three on/off sliding switches. There is also an X-Y joystick with calibration sliders and separate CV outputs for X and Y direction movements, these can be connected to any of the many CV inputs of the three synthesizer units of the Korg PS-3300 for some advanced modulation control. In fact, if both CV outputs are patched to two of the individual Channel Amplitude CV inputs, it offers an early version of vector synthesisVector synthesis
Vector Synthesis is a type of audio synthesis introduced by Sequential Circuits in the Prophet VS synthesizer during 1986. The concept was subsequently used by Yamaha in the SY22/TG33 and similar instruments and by Korg in the Wavestation....
with different sounds fading in and out by moving the joystick.
The PS-3040 Dual Foot Controller is basically two CV control pedals with variable range, which also can be connected to any parameter with a CV input, adding greatly to the possibilities for expression. The voltage range is set with knobs on the PSU-3302 panel of the Korg PS-3300 and is part of the Voltage Control Processors. The pedals are made out of heavy duty cast metal and are designed to have the entire foot placed upon it giving the player the kind of precise control one has for example over an organ volume pedal. (Note! This set of pedals is in addition to the Sustain/Release pedal described earlier).
There was also a junction box called the Korg PS-3050, which was for controlling up to three Korg PS series synthesizers from one keyboard by routing a PS-3001 cable from the keyboard to the junction box and then routing separate cables from the junction box to the PS synthesizers. The only other functionality the PS-3050 junction box added was that octaves could be switched on and off selectively for the PS synthesizers, effectively enabling keyboard splits.
Notable artists
Artists who own and have used a Korg PS-3300 in their recordings:- VangelisVangelisEvangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
- Jean-Michel Jarre (owner of two, both spotted at Place de la Concorde concert 1979)
- KraftwerkKraftwerkKraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
(now owned by former member Karl BartosKarl BartosKarl Bartos was, between 1975 and 1990, along with Wolfgang Flür, an electronic percussionist in the electronic-music group Kraftwerk. He was originally recruited to play on its US "Autobahn" tour...
) - Keith EmersonKeith EmersonKeith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
- Klaus SchulzeKlaus SchulzeKlaus Schulze is a German electronic music composer and musician. He also used the alias Richard Wahnfried. He was briefly a member of the electronic bands Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel before launching a solo career consisting of more than 60 albums released across five decades.-1970s:In...
of Tangerine DreamTangerine DreamTangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
(now owned by film composer François Evans) - Space (French band)
- Ryuichi SakamotoRyuichi SakamotoAfter working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
of the Yellow Magic OrchestraYellow Magic OrchestraSakamoto first worked with Hosono as a member of his live band in 1976, while Takahashi recruited Sakamoto to produce his debut solo recording in 1977 following the split of the Sadistic Mika Band... - Vince ClarkeVince ClarkeVince Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure....
- Matt BlackMatt BlackMatt Black is a British DJ and one half of music duo Coldcut .As a college student, he was a member of a band called The Jazz Insects, whose first single was played by John Peel in his radio show...
of ColdcutColdcutColdcut are an English dance music duo, comprising Matt Black and Jonathan More. Their signature style is electronic dance music, featuring cut up samples of hip hop, breaks, jazz, spoken word and various other types of music, as well as video and multimedia.-1980s:In 1986, computer programmer Matt... - Aphex TwinAphex TwinRichard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
(believed to be the owner of three PS-3300 synthesizers) - Gino Vanelli
- Paul DavisPaul Davis (singer)Paul Lavon Davis was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his radio hits and solo career which started worldwide in 1970. His career encompassed soul, country and pop music...
External galleries
- Korg PS-3300 Gallery to accompany this article
- A Korg PS-3300, this is the early model with metal ring knobs
- Korg PS-3300 pictures at sequencer.de
- Klaus Schulze's Korg PS-3300