Korg have announced that a reissue of their iconic PS-3300 synthesizer, which saw a run of just 50 units between 1977 and 1981, is set to launch later in 2024. Developed by a team of the company’s expert analogue engineers advised by original designer Fumio Mieda, the remake promises to deliver the sought-after sound of the original with some modern functionality improvements such as USB/MIDI connectivity and a dedicated app for preset management.
Watch our video of Will Gregory of Goldfrapp playing and speaking about the Korg PS-3300 here.
The semi-modular instrument will consist of three synthesizer units (PSU-3301) paired with mixer and utility sections (PSU-3302), along with a 49-note keyboard and 49-voice polyphony in place of the original’s 48-note/48-voice setup. Every note on the keyboard benefits from three independent oscillators, as well as multiple filters, envelopes and amplifiers, and each PSU-3301 module is equipped with 12 micro-tuning knobs. The three-band resonator feature found on the original design remains, but uses modern components in place of the cadmium sulphide-based circuitry in order to comply with modern safety regulations!
Although it is being designed to faithfully recreate the sound of the original design, Korg will be introducing some additional features that allow it to fit in with more modern setups. USB and MIDI connectivity will ensure compatibility with other instruments, whilst a new panel memory function will provide storage for 16 banks of 16 presets, allowing a total of 256 sounds to be saved and recalled. There will also be a dedicated librarian app to manage the instrument’s presets.
“Bringing back to life these legendary machines is not only a process of reproducing circuits and sounds, but also of learning and embracing the essence of the philosophy and development of synthesizers. Through this project I was able to relive the history of Korg and a critical moment in the evolution of our synthesizers. This was an extremely valuable experience that provided an opportunity for Korg's philosophy and technology to be carried on to future generations.” - Yoshihito Yamada, Chief Engineer, Korg Analogue Synthesizers
Pricing & Availability
The PS-3300 will be available in late 2024 and will be built to order, with an anticipated price of $13,000.
