Korg PS-3300
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| PS-3300 by Korg | |||
| Synthesis type: | Analog subtractive | ||
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| Polyphony: | 48-note polyphonic | ||
| Timbrality: | Multitimbral | ||
| Oscillators: | 144 VCOs (3 per key) | ||
| Filter: | 144 Low-Pass VCFs (3 per key) 9 Band-Pass VCFs |
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| Attenuator: | 144 VCAs (3 per key) 144 Envelopes (3 per key) |
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| LFO: | 6 LFOs | ||
| Keyboard: | 48 keys | ||
| External control: | CV/Gate, Kenton MIDI Retrofit | ||
| Produced: | 1977 | ||
| Original price: | ¥1,200,000 in 1977 (Ref: Korg) S/H Price: £10,000 in 2003 (Ref: SOS) |
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[edit] History
The gargantuan Korg PS-3300 is one of the biggest and rarest synthesizers ever made. Only around 50 units were produced by Korg due to higher than expected production costs. 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 by many of the now legendary artists that were the synthesizer pioneers. 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 series of synthesizers (PS-3100, PS-3200, PS-3300) retains the honour of being the only fully polyphonic analog modular synthesizers in existence.
[edit] 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 synthesizer with patch points at the bottom of each strip. No patching is required to start playing since all the normal connections has been made internally, this is often referred to as a "semi-modular" configuration and is easier to use than a convential 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 being an abbreviation for Polyphonic Synthesizer Unit). The unique feature of 48-note polyphony means that each unit has 48 oscillators, 48 low-pass filters, 48 envelopes and 48 amplifiers, which makes for a mind-boggling 144 oscillators, filters, envelopes and amplifiers in total for all three units. Each oscillator has 6 waveforms (Triangle, Sawtooth, Wide Rectangle, Narrow Rectangle, Pulse and Pulse Width Modulation), as does the LFOs (Triangle, Sawtooth, Ramp, Rectangle, Pink Noise and White Noise). The filters have the usual Frequency Cut-off and Peak (Resonance) control knobs and the envelopes have Attack, Decay and Sustain control knobs plus an unconventional Release function which is controlled by a foot pedal. The envelopes and LFOs are notable for their wide range, for example the Attack of the envelope can be several minutes at it's most extreme and the LFOs are very fast, extending into the audio range.
Each of the three PSU-3301 synthesizer units has it's 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.
[edit] 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. There is also a depth control for the level of resonance desired. These band-pass filters are in addition to the usual low-pass filters that are common to all analog synthesizers. Indeed it is these Resonators that gives the Korg PS-3300 its distinct sound and sonic flexibility. For example, large choir sounds or orchestral type sounds can be made which sounds better and richer than those obtained with just a low-pass filter. There is also great scope for phased, spacey and abstract synthesizer sounds by modulating the peak frequencies of these Resonators as previously described, a much favoured technique used by Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre on many of their recordings with the Korg PS-3300.
[edit] Tuning
The oscillator section of each PSU-3301 synthesizer unit have 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 are an additional set of individual miniature tuning knobs for each of the twelve notes in the octave, making it possible to tune it to scales other than the Western standard of Equal temperament. This is a completely unique feature for an 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.
[edit] Audio Mixer & Modulation
On the far right hand side of the front panel there's 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's 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 extra envelope, Sample & Hold and two Control Voltage Processors, as well as inputs for the Korg PS-3010 Polyphonic Keyboard and the Korg PS-3040 Dual Foot Controller.
[edit] Original Sales Literature
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[edit] Notable Artists
Artists who own and have used a Korg PS-3300 in their recordings:
- Vangelis
- Jean-Michel Jarre
- Kraftwerk (now owned by Karl Bartos)
- Klaus Schulze of Tangerine Dream (now owned by film composer François Evans)
- Keith Emerson
- Vince Clarke
- Coldcut
- Space (electronic band)
- Gino Vanelli
[edit] Artist Gallery
 Vangelis and Korg PS-3300 (right) |
 Jean-Michel Jarre and Korg PS-3300 (right) |
 Keith Emerson and Korg PS-3300 (top) |
 Klaus Schulze and Korg PS-3300 |
[edit] External Galleries
[edit] References & External Links
- Korg PS-3300 Owner's Manual and Schematics at Korganalogue.net
- Korg PS-3300 at Korg Museum website
- Korg PS-3300 at Vintagesynth.com
- Korg PS-3300 at Matrixsynth blog
- Korg PS-3300 at Sequencer.de
- Korg PS-3300 at Jarrography
[edit] Anecdotes
- After Bob Moog was given a demonstration of the Korg PS-3300, he is quoted as saying that it was "the best polyphonic synthesizer for sheer versatility in sound shaping and potential for animated, fat sounds".
- Vangelis can be seen playing the Korg PS-3300 in the "Chariots Of Fire" video.
- A Korg PS3300 recently perished in a studio fire in Norway.
