Korg ARP 2600 FS
Having achieved acclaim for their recreation of the ARP Odyssey, Scot Solida is pleased to see that Korg have at last tackled the venerable 2600. But does it live up to the legend?
As soon as Korg’s variants on ARP’s venerable Odyssey were released, speculation began: when would the company trundle out a version of the mighty ARP 2600? That was five years ago, but now that dream is a reality and though Korg’s Odyssey is a lovely little thing, it in no way prepares one for the majesty of this modular monolith.
This is no cheap imitation. The original ARP 2600 came built into a
Tolex-covered cabinet. So, too, does this. However, that – and its similarly-housed companion keyboard – are tucked into a rugged flight case. Be warned: it is extremely heavy. Happily, casters are included.
Once removed from its protective shell, this new ARP is revealed to be the spitting image of the original, having only the merest differences. There are minor changes to the hardware – sturdier handles, for example – adding to the impression that this is an improved edition, rather than a knock off. For the most part, it looks as if 50 years of technological advancement have all but been ignored, save for the presence of MIDI and USB connections on the left side of the case. Closer inspection reveals that the Cinch Jones connectors used to connect the original main unit to the 3620 keyboard have been replaced by 8-pin DIN jobs. Likewise, the power connector on the right side has been swapped out for a familiar IEC connector. A pair of XLR outputs are also included in addition to the 3.5mm outputs on the front-panel.
The only 1/4” output is reserved for headphone use.
Korg tell us that, despite it being nearly identical on the outside, the reissue’s inner workings are made up of a combination of through-hole circuits along with modern surfacemount technology.
The unit under review was a prototype version that featured the dark grey panel of the units released between 1971 and 1977. At the time of this writing, this is the only colour-scheme planned, but that could change.
Released in 1970, ARP’s original 2600 was an attempt to present a complete electronic music studio in a portable, self-contained unit, offering a pre-patched signal path that could be reconfigured using 3.5mm patch cables. It went through numerous revisions (most notably changes to the filter and colour schemes) remaining in production until 1981.
Korg’s ARP 2600 FS retains the entirety of the original’s signal path as well as its flexibility. There’s a preamplifier, envelope follower, and ring modulator in the upper-left. By default, the ring mod is fed by oscs 1 and 2, but can be defeated by plugging anything into either channel.
To the ring mod’s right are three oscillators with adjustable frequency and fine tune. All three can produce sawtooth waves, with VCO-1 offering square, and VCOs 2 and 3 providing adjustable pulse waves. Because it’s meant to double as an LFO, VCO-2 adds sinusoidal and triangle waves. However, all three oscs can be detached from the keyboard and shoved down into the LFO range. Individual outputs for all oscillator waveforms are provided.
Frequency modulation is by default provided by the ADSR and sample-and-hold. The frequencies of oscs 1 and 3 can be modulated by VCO-2’s sine, while VCO-2 receives VCO-1’s square.
PWM is only possible with VCO-2, with noise as the default modulator. All mod sources are accompanied by vertical amount sliders and can be rerouted by plugging in one of the included 3.5mm cables. This flexibility recurs throughout.
The filter is a self-oscillating, 24dB low-pass affair. A switch toggles between the earlier Moog copy and those of ARP’s later variant. There are some sliders for Frequency, Fine Tune and Resonance.
Select waves from the oscillators, ring modulator, and noise generator are pre-wired into the filter mixer. As ever, these inputs can be overridden with a patch cable. Filter modulation is pre-patched to ADSR and VCO-2.
In addition to the single ADSR, there’s also an AR envelope. Both can be triggered from the keyboard, the S&H gate, internal or external gate/ trigger sources.
A VCA section can be set to drone on indefinitely, or be modulated by either envelope. The VCA’s input can be fed by any source, but is hardwired from VCF and ring mod.
The Mixer section allows (modulatable) panning, and offers four inputs, with sliders for two. A pair of sliders is also provided for feeding in the built-in spring reverb.
The synth’s bottom section is flanked by a pair of speakers, between which resides a noise generator with white, pink, and low frequency options. There’s also a ‘voltage processor’ section that allows you to do things like invert voltages or add a bit of lag to the signal.
By default, the S&H section is fed by noise, and has its own (replaceable) clock. A handy three-point electronic switch is also synchronised to the S&H’s clock (the manual suggests using it for auto-panning).
Finally, there’s a set of four multiple jacks for combining signals, as well as a pair of KBD CV jacks for tapping into a connected 3620.
Comparing a brand new instrument to a hoary old vintage model is something of a fool’s errand. Electronic components age and fail, are replaced and re-calibrated (or not). It’s almost a cliché to say that no two analogue synths – even those of the same model and vintage – will sound alike, and that applies here.
Nevertheless, we had a vintage MkIII on hand during the review period, and we couldn’t miss the opportunity for comparison. The MkIII exhibited the usual signs of age: scratchy faders, clunky keyboard action and the occasional tricky jack. Tuning was stable, but calibration was long overdue.
It was therefore somewhat surprising to discover that similar parameter settings on the two units
The 2600 is a reminder that synthesisers can be lovingly crafted
more often than not produced nearly identical tones. Most of the discrepancies could be addressed by nudging the faders ever-so-slightly on one or the other instrument.
At first, it seemed that there were noticeable differences in the filters on the two units, despite the fact that the Korg was switched into its type II position. Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that we were hearing the results of poor calibration of the older unit’s filter and keyboard scaling. When we accounted for these differences, many of the discrepancies vanished. Naturally, there were still some minor differences. This may be due to ageing components on the original, or a notorious design fault that needlessly pared the later 2600s’ filter frequency range down to 11kHz. We asked Korg if the fault had been addressed in the repro, but got no definitive answer.
Comparing envelopes was difficult, as the MkIII had modifications to both the ADSR and AR circuits, with switches added to extend envelope times. That said, the envelopes on the Korg version seemed slightly snappier than those on the old MkIII, even when the latter’s envelopes were switched to their shortest settings. This was particularly evident in the attacks.
The new unit’s spring reverb makes its presence known in a way the MkIII’s does not. While they share the nasal, metallic tone typical of small spring-based devices, the new model’s reverb is more obvious. There is reason to expect such – the MkIII used a smaller reverb tank than did the older 2600s and Korg has clearly chosen to include the larger one.
While the new keyboard’s umbilical connector can’t be plugged into the old 2600 (or vice-versa), it is possible to interconnect the two synths using patch cables. The gate voltage produced by the new machine is slightly higher, but not so much that it causes issues. The 2600 has always expected higher trigger and gate voltages than many other synths and this hasn’t changed. This means you might have to adjust the output of a connected synth or sequencer to get the desired results.
It’s hard to find fault with this re-issue, but nothing’s perfect. The MIDI implementation is beyond basic, with only note-on, off, and pitchbend transmitted via MIDI or
USB cables. It would have been nice to see some allowance for velocity or MIDI sync for the arpeggiator.
Korg have had much success with their affordable, scaled-down repros of the ARP Odyssey and their own MS-20, and it’s all too easy to react with some disappointment that they didn’t tackle the 2600 with a similarly budget-minded approach. However, to do so would be to miss out on a chance to present electronic musicians with an honest-to-goodness re-issue of the 2600 in all of its legendary glory. And be assured, the company got it right – their new 2600 is a 2600. It looks and sounds every bit as gorgeous as the original.
ARP’s 2600 was not cheap in its day, and neither is this. Yet the price is reflected in the astonishing quality on display. In an industry that’s currently flooded with cheap, plastic playthings, the 2600 is a reminder that synthesisers can be lovingly crafted and built to offer not moments of distraction, but decades of enjoyment and inspiration.
You know, like the ones that ARP used to build.