Korg DS-8

The DS-8 is very easy to program, as it applies the very same terminology Korg used with their analog synths to the parameters used by the 4-operator FM synthesis they licensed from Yamaha

Polyphony is standard for the time - 8 voices. Multitibral, so you'll wish you had more if you're in multi-mode. layering 2 sounds is possible, but if you cut yourself down to less than 4 notes, it could seem weak.

The effects are not as good as the M1 -- which came out later. Still, they're good enough to make a DS-8 much more usable than a 707, since the 707 lacked the effects unit.

there's no onboard sequencer. the keyboard feels great -- lightly weighted, with velocity and aftertouch.

midi implementation is basic, but ok.

front panel controls for modifying sounds while playing made this board leagues better than the DX7 II which had 6 operators but cost double what the DS-8 was going for.

very reliable. but most of the used ones i've found are not in as good shape as mine was.

Korg was helpful, but they no longer support this synth.

i sold mine after it got zapped by lightning and midi died. i've had 3 since then, used models, which did not work right. still looking to find one in better shape.

I used to run the DS-8 users group back in 1990. We had members from all over the world. You can get a ton of DS-8 patches and manuals and other info from my website: www.lo-res.com.

If your experience of FM synthesis has been limited to Yamaha's DX range -- especially the DX7 -- you'll find the DS-8 remarkably easy to program. It's very simple and all the parameters are laid out on the front panel. Even without a manual it's easy to get around. The presets sound somewhat bland but can easily be spiced up yourself.

There are 100 programs and 10 combinations arranged as what you might call performance memories. Combinations may be single voices, layers of two voices, splits, or a 'multi' mode. If you think of its architecture as a kind of primitive M1, you'll soon get the idea. The DS-8 is 8-note polyphonic, which can get cramped for big chords in combination mode (The M1 is 16-note poly). It has some useful inbuilt effects (short or long delay, chorus or flanger) and you can edit some paramaters (portamento, filter cutoff, two envelope parameters) on the fly, just as if it were an analog synth with proper knobs on. Not far away in edit mode is a wonderfully raucous ring modulator. Although the majority of parameters are digital access hunt-and-peck, the menus don't go that deep so it's easy to make changes. Vast and detailed complexity is sacrificed for simplicity and ease of use, and that can't be bad, if you're into playing rather than programming. The DS-8 can take expansion cards which fit in a slot on the front. It sends and receives MIDI (I have not tried this yet) but there is no sequencer or arpeggiator, and you can't process external sounds with it as you can with, say, a MS-2000 or a Wavestation A/D. The keyboard action is pleasantly spongy (however, my DS-8 is a well-used secondhand example.)

The DS-8's sounds are very much what you make them. The basic quality is FM -- scratchy, glassy and percussive, scoring highly with electric pianos, bells and clangorous ring-modulated effects. Like some other reviewers, it won me over with the fabulous steel drums patch. I played this along with a friend and he instantly started singing calypso! However, the approach is accessibly analog-style and the general layout is similar to an M1. The 'real instrument' sounds aren't nearly as good as the sample-based M1, but with a small amount of experimentation you can make them your own, with big pads, dynamic basses, cutting leads and some funky clavinet sounds --all with that distinctive FM edge that will be heard in a mix without overpowering it. It reacts to velocity and aftertouch, which is great for expressive leads, but a minimoog it ain't.

I have not had mine long enough to say. However, my example is a secondhand one that's clearly been around the block, and it seems to work OK, as far as I can tell.

'Korg' and 'Customer support' are words that do not go together well. For keyboards of this age you're better off with a specialist technician and third-party help anyway.

I chose this keyboard because I wanted a little FM again in my rig, and I happened to see it on eBay for a bargain-basement price. I used to own a Yamaha DX21 and a Yamaha TX81Z and rather missed them. The DS-8 sounds like these in many ways, but I find it easier to edit and to get around generally than I did with the Yamaha instruments. Maybe that's because I am a Korg fan and I am comfortable with the way Korg does things: even though it's an FM synth, Korg has worked hard to make an easy-to-understand interface. You don't have to get your head round unfamiliar concepts such as FM modulation, operators and so on -- think of it as a normal 2-oscillator polysynth with an LFO and you'll do just fine. This disarming simplicity is a tribute to Korg's fabulous design team and shows that Yamaha's over-geeky approach to FM was quite unnecessary -- but hey, maybe that's just me (I find Roland kit too fussy, and Yamaha kit generally incomprehensible). My rig contains a vintage BX3 organ, SP200 piano and M1 synth -- and the DS-8 will sit right in very nicely. I play classic rock and blues, with some funk. The most attractive feature of the DS-8 is, frankly, the price. You can pick them one up now for less than the cost of a good restaurant meal for two (with wine...) Why so undervalued? The reason is that while the DS-8 scores over many of the Yamaha synths for easy programmability, it was never a big hit with the keyboard fashionistas. As an FM synth it was seen as an also-ran, an imitator; and as the last thing Korg released before the mighty M1, perhaps Korg didn't put as much effort into promoting it as they might have, being diverted by their latest (and, to be fair, much better) creation. But that's ancient history. If you can find a DS-8 now, it's a handy little keyboard for a giveaway price.

I have had this synth for one day now. I have no manual and it took me only two hours to figure out how to use it. Its a really cool synth with some REALLY eighties sounds. :-)

It has good features considering the age of the keyboard, my favourite has got to be the multi layers and effects all at the same time.

The synth sounds are good, but the real instrument sounds are REALLY poor, but then it is 15 years old! :-)

Yes I could depend on it, I spent a day - pulled it apart, stripped to the keys and circuit board. Fixed it and now it works cool! :-) Would like to replace keys with sparkly white ones tho!

Korg, I haven't dealt with them yet... but I will! :-) I want those keys replaced!

It was certainly worth FREE, and yes I would get it again if I could get it FREE. Its a really cool, synth and if you could upgrade the sounds it would be worth a fortune to me.

Update:

I posted availability of a .pdf manual below. That e-mail address is no longer current. Send requests to yeahright73@hotmail.com, with a subject line of DS-8 Manual Request. If it looks like spam, it will be deleted without being read - sorry, that's the nature of hotmail. You must be able to hold a 12Mb file in your mailbox.

Also, my DS-8 is now no longer functioning - I believe it has damaged logic through my own error. It responds to MIDI, but not front panal control. Cosmetically, it is 10/10. If you are interested in a parts synth, e-mail me at the above address and make an offer.

Well, it's been nearly a year since I picked up my DS-8 and posted an early comment on it. I've since found a printed manual and a .pdf manual, and a few banks of mediocre patches. I've tweaked with it, and gotten some useable sounds, and some useless sounds. I still like it, but I'm not blindly excited just because I have a new toy.
It makes a raunchy high frequency white noise when pushed, that requires me to run anything I do with it through CoolEdit Pro for some clean-up.

The buttons are difficult to use, some of them don't respond well. They may need cleaning, they may need replacing. I don't know. This is directly related to the age of this synth and the amount of use it's seen.

I find it incredibly time consuming to edit patches, especially to create anything good. I wish there was a free-ware patch editor out there for it. I can't see paying for MidiQuest to edit one synth.

I still think Korg has a real cranial/rectal inversion problem and needs to support their old gear; I'd love to see an online patch library and such.

The aftertouch and velocity seem to be all or nothing, even at their lightest settings. I wish it were more subtle.

But on the positive side, it makes some wonderfully lush pads, bright leads, and 50 buzzy bass sounds that are all alike. It has the ability to make beautiful sweeping timbres, eerie noise effects, warbles, bell tones...There seems to be an endless array of musical sounds hidden away in there, waiting for me to stumble across just the right parameter to set them loose.

It was not the synth I was looking for in the first place. I was vainly hoping to find something to take the position of the bass guitar I don't have so I could finish my songs. I ~still~ don't have that, and will probably just buy that bass eventually. But it has opened up a whole new world to me, a world of creativity I never saw coming.

The onboard effects are not the end all and be all of digital effects, although they are useful to an extent. I suspect that is where mine gets it's top-end noise from. I have outboard effects on my mixer's sends, this provides an endless variety of ways to expand and enhance my sounds.

It isn't a sampler, it isn't a workstation, it isn't an analog, and it isn't PCM. It can't be compared to your Junos, Tritons, Akais, Waldorfs, etc. It is an inexpensive FM synth, pure and simple. Don't expect it to be anything else, and appreciate it for what it is. What it does, it does well with the exception of the few flaws I've pointed out.

It's not light and flimsy, nor does it weigh 80 pounds. It seems sturdy enough to cope with moderate abuse or heavy use. Don't throw it across the stage, and it will still work at the end of the night.

Regarding the manual, I found that after tinkering for so long, it didn't tell me much that I didn't already know. But if you need a copy, I will be happy to provide the support that Korg seems to delight in denying you. For a .pdf of the Korg DS-8 User Manual, e-mail your request to:

mike.fowler@don't.you.dare.spam.me.servicezone.com

I can't think of anything easier to use...Pklug it in, turn it on...and away you you...select patches via up/yes or down/no buttons

8 voice polyphony, but hey, in the days of monophonic analog synth rip-offs, thats not too bad! The keyboard action is excellent..nice meaty feeling keys, with a spring to them...alomst "synth weighted" feel...6 onboard effects to spice up those FM sounds, and they are extremely easy to use, and sound great too, especially the flanger and the delays...

It is what it is....you can make some beefy bass sounds on this thing, as well as great rock organs...but thats its for any type of realism...this synth excels at tweaky, synthy "in-yer-face FM...if you love digital...this is the synth to own....also has 3 reraltime sliders to tweak along as you play....you CANNOT tweak, and then save the sound via the sliders!

Heavy duty construction, made to last....built like a tank!

fORGET ABOUT IT. THERE is NO CUSTOMER SUPPORT..I BOUGHT MINE USED ON EbAY and I have never even seen the manual....I happen to have two ROM cards with 4oo sounds on it...but I am also the only one I know with them..so good luck folks...you're on your own...on the bright side, this is so easy to use, you really shouldn't need a manaul, everything is fairly straightforward.

Overall, I would buy this again....you have to remember it is what it is...and nothing else...If you're looking for an easy intro to FM programming (uses FM synthesis, but ANALOG terms ADSR, etc) then this is for you...if you're looking to sound analog, BUY analog...If you're into wreaking hairy digital mayhem...then buy this synth...even better than the DX-7! I personally play and write techno, house, trance, and this unit more than fills the void...I even have people come up to me and say "wow...I didn't know that thing could scream like that" It's all in the programming folks....!

Editing/tweeking patches is easy for the basic stuff, yet I would not suggest building patches from scratch unless you are familiar with FM synthesis. I have two sets of presets via the 128k card which lets you save/load two banks (A & B) to the card, though only one bank can be present on the DS-8 at a time. Manual is decent, I own a DS-8 from 1984 which I bought new at the time.

8 note polyphony. I would suggest using the DS-8 synth in the split/layered setup if doing midi sequencing. You can select two sounds and split the keyboard accordingly, while transposing octaves in the DS-8 to fit the proper register of each sound. This way you also have access to the effects, I really dig the stereo delays. You only have to use one MIDI channel and can keep the DS-8 in Poly mode, mine boots up in Omni mode automatically. This is helpful if you have limited MIDI channels available from you interface, I send a MIDI cable through a Korg Wavestation and then into the DS-8, which is set to receive on MIDI channel 16. No on-board sequencer. Keyboard action is decent.

Sounds are not realistic, except for maybe the steel drums and old wurlitzer style organs. This synth does have some great sounds! Electric piano's are nice and I love the bleep/pulse synth type sounds. This synth is excellent at sharp percussive sounds, especially when you use them with the digital delay. The Timbre slider is great for adjusting the initial attack frequency and sounds work well in mixes when this slider is positioned lower (in the negative). I feel this synth lacks some low bass frequencies, but it always finds a nice place in the mix, I also like the sharp analog string type sounds with delay. Great for new age/ambient trance/techno.

Very dependable, I have had this synth for 16 years and have had to change the internal battery (watch type battery) once. You should have a 128k DS-8 card for backing up sounds.

N/A

If stolen I would buy this again, as they are CHEAP! And worth it! You can get these synths at great prices, considering what they can do. I have been performing/producing music professionaly for 10 years and own a Korg Wavestation, several ensoniq pieces, novation BassStation...and much more...like I said the digital delayed percussive synth sounds from the DS-8 always fit nicely in the mix and sound different then any of my other synth's could. This synth can find spot's in your tracks that fill spaces perfectly. The reason for giving this synth a 7 rating is the lack of sound/midi power and polyphony, compared to today's standard's a 7 is very good.

Yes it is easy to use. But My ds-8 has got old keys and hard to push..
I have many Patches (syx files) on PC. I can contol all system via midi contol system and synth editors. that makes it easy for me. But somebody does not like to control from PC editors, y think it seems cold using type.

Features are good 8 poly is enough if you have another modul or good sound card in your PC. Only six Fx and that's for all timbrals at the same time, I wish yt wold have several fx afor multi channel freely.
Echo fx is very clear. Midi control made me happy always.

I make new wave music and that means Korg ds-8 and wavestations good for me. But it depends on what kind of music you make?? for new age it is ok, for acid and hose well ok again but y dont know your music..

I need but do not find a quality customer support here in Turkey
They like to sell something us but do not like to help us later..

I always need this keyboard , I willnever sell it until stolen or broken. I realy like Depeche sounds and make 3 cd albums, now y have ds-8 for 5 years. yt is cheap only 100 - 200$ in Turkey. I have awe 64 gold sound card, roland u-110 module and lots od synth, sample, editor programs on my PC. I compare it to dx-7.. It must have reverb fx. Hmmm. I am programming synthesizer since 1985. And y learned how to program. If u like digital sentetic and a little bit strange sounds then ds-8 is for u, ..

The DS-8 was Korg's last synth released before the huge M1. It is an FM synth, much like the Yamaha DX series. The presets are a mixed bag, the basses and leads are generally nice, so are some of the other strange sounds (my personal favorite is the SynCry2). I got this keyboard second hand, so some of the presets may be different, I don't know. Being an FM synth, the pianos and acoustic sounds are horrendous, however they have their own distinctive sound (if not realistic). The patch editor is rather straightforward, however I don't have the manual (if anyone reading this does, SEND IT TO ME!!) so I don't know what everything does.

The keyboard has has 8 voices/polyphony and can be 8 part multi-timbral in multi-mode, although I'm not sure about how many oscillators it has, two per voice, but in the 8 part mode you seem to lose some of the oscillators. I'm actually fond of the action of the keys, they are velocity sensitive and have aftertouch. Unlike Rolands and Yamahas, the keys are stickier, giving it a better action. The DS-8 has a few effects, short delay, long delay, manual delay, chorus, and flanger. while i wish it had something like distortion, the effects are very good, and flexible. As far as I know, the Korg can accept 128 bit cards (which also work in the 707), and store 100 more patches. i don'tk now about boards, memory, etc... As for MIDI, it has midi in/out/thru, and about everything transmits, although i haven't been able to use SYSEX with it, as i DON'T KNOW HOW! There is no on board sequencer

the expressiveness of this keyboard is one of it's best parts. It has three sliders, which mess with the settings, i'm not totally sure what.. the first sharpens and dulls the oscillators, i think, while the other two change the rate/speed of the envelope generators (but don't quote me on that). It's great for ambient and techno-type music. Although not as fat as analogs, and it lacks a filter (a major downfall), it has great harsh developing pads, etc. you can also get some weird sound FX and sub level noises. you can program it to respond differently to velocity and aftertouch, further adding to its expression.

So far i've had no problems with it, but this is not a full studio machine, i use it for basses or sound FX or leads, etc. while i use it for performances, i'd never use it by itself, it doesn't have the power or the polyphone or the multi-timbrality to handle it.

never dealt with any kind of support, and don't have the manual..

i would definitely buy this synth again, although i bought it thinking it would be more of an analog synth than it is. i've been playin piano since i was five, keyboards for quite some time. being a teenager, i don't really have the budget to buy everything i want, and for 200 dollars i'd definitely buy this keyboard again. it's versatile, and great sounding. i wish it had more FX, and i had the manual (so please, if anyone has one, photocopy it for me). If anyone has any other questions, i'd be glad to answer them, e-mail me at JACKIExDAN@hotmail.com. Also if anyoen has patches to trade, etc, i'm very willing to do that also.

The presets are a mixed bag. The synth sounds and weird noises are quite good, as well as some of the pitched percussion sounds(the steel drums sound great!). Electric piano and organ sounds are very good, and with just a little tweaking the organs can sound really excellent. Woodwinds, brass, strings, and acoustic piano sounds are not realistic at all, but many of the sounds are useful as synth sounds. In other words, they're so bad they're good. For example, the piano 1 patch doesn't sound like any kind of piano, acoustic or electric, but it can be very expressive and interesting.For a digital FM synth it is very easy to edit sounds. The parameters are set up similar to an analog machine. I don't know of a patch editor, but I think it might be useful just to have all the controls on one screen instead of scrolling through LCD displays. The manual is good at explaining every function and what it does, but that is all it does. There are no suggestions as to what kind of procedures to follow in editing sounds, which is ok becaue the controls are so straightforward, but if you don't have any synthesis experience it may take you a while to figure out how to get the sounds you want out of this.

Poyphony:8 Multitimbral:8 No sequencer It will take ram cards if you can find them Patches:100 Combi memory:10

The digital delay really sounds great, unfortunately there is only one so if you are in multitimbral mode all your voices will have the same effect. It's possible to assign channels to either of two outputs and assign the delay to only one, so it's possible to turn the delay off on some channels in a roundabout way, but you lose stereo sound using this method. There is a joystick which can control pitch bend, modulation, and timbre, and something called a performance editor, which consists of a high pass filter, two envelope generator speed controls, and toggle switches for both oscillators, velocity, aftertouch, portamento, and effect. The only feature I use on this is the oscilator switches, to turn off one or the other oscillator while edition, and theeffect switch to turn off effects while editing patches. None of the settings in the Performance editor can be saved with the patch. It's kind of a strange feature, I suspect that it would be more useful when playing live, but I use mine solely in a studio so I pretty much ignore it. All these manipulations can be done in patch editing mode anyway.
It is velocity and aftertouch sensitive, and the flexibility of these controls is one of teh better features of the machine. Velocity an control amplitude and timbre independently for each oscillator, with varying degrees of sensitivity to both. Aftertouch can control pitch modulation, timbre, and amplitude. These are some of the most fun parameters to play with, especially the timbre controls. These can produce some very expressive sounds.
The keyboard seems fine to me. I am not a pianist or an organist though. The keys are not weighted, and there is some mild spring noise. Keys are noisy if you apply lateral pressure, so if your technique is slopply like mine, then it can get a little noisy. I don't really have any complaints about it for my purposes, but if I were a piano player I might really hate it.
This is not the most full featured keyboard around, but the things it does it does very well. I am using it as a controller keyboard in my midi system, and as a sound source for analog/digital/strange type sounds, and for my purposes it has all the features I need.
I don't think you can do much better for $300 used.Never

As I mentioned before, this can be a very expressive instrument with the aftertouch and velocity controls programmed right. It can be very satisfying to play. I am using it in a small midi studio with a sample-playback type sound module, and with only these two devices I can be very flexible. The DS-8 is good for any type of synth sounds and can really make some interesting and useful noise. I am composing soundtrack music so I delve in to many different styles. If you like to program your own sounds, as I do, the DS-8 can be good for any synth-type sound. I don't think you can do much better for $300. It's terrible at generating realistic acoustic instrument sounds though.

I don't do gigs, but it works great in my studio. There is a battery for the internal memory which I'm sure is going to die someday. I have all my patches saved in a patch librarian though, so I don't anticipate any problems. This is not a very popular unit, so it's hard to find things like a patch librarian and patch banks on the internet. But its almost 10 years old and everything still works on it, so it must be somewhat reliable.

Never needed to use customer support.

I'd buy it again. It's great because it works well as a sound source and a controller, its very expressive, and it is a good compromise between an analog synth and something like a DX7. It can do analog and digital synth sounds very well. With limited space and budget, I don't think I could find a better compromise. The one thing I wish it had was a "smart" system for asigning voices to channels in multitimbral mode. As it is you have to know how many voices you want to use on each channel ahead of time, and program it in. Luckily, you can save this information in combi memory and you can switch combi memory via midi. There's one really strange thing about it, which is that when I bought it the LCD display was dusty behind the glass panel, almost to the point of making it unreadable. Somehow dust gets in under the glass panel. To clean it you have to take the whole back off, and then remove two circuit boards to get to it. If you could get the glas panel off, I suppose you could fix this problem with some good contact cement or something, but I don't want to risk breaking the panel.