The Korg DS-8 is four-oscillator digital
FM synthesizer
Frequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of sound synthesis whereby the frequency of a waveform is changed by modulating its frequency with a modulator. The frequency of an oscillator is altered "in accordance with the amplitude ...
released by
Korg in 1987 which used the
Yamaha FB-01 Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...
FM synthesis engine.
Features
The DS-8 is 61 Keys in length, is velocity sensitive with
aftertouch and stores up to 100 programs and 10 combinations in its internal memory. By using one of the optional non-volatile (but battery-powered) Korg RAM cards MCR-01, MCR-02, or MCR-03 this program memory can be expanded by extra programs and combinations: 100/10 for the MCR-01, 200/20 for the MCR-02, or 400/40 for the MCR-03. Programs can be backed up and received via standard MIDI dumps.
It features one joystick controller for bending pitch, timbre and modulation speed, one card slot for the aforementioned Korg RAM Cards,
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...
IN/OUT/THRU jacks, a damper pedal, assignable pedal, assignable switch, program up pedal, one balance slider, four keyboard modes (Single, Layer, Double and Multi) and two slider controls which indicate the ability to edit the two
oscillators
Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum ...
from fast to slow.
The three editable banks shown on the right side of the board (Function, Voice Parameter and Combi Parameter) provide multiple ways in which the user can edit the programs, banks and patches.
At $1400 RRP the DS-8 was a revolutionary, cheap and affordable product for its time.
Notable users
*
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s.
Born and raised ...
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Korg DS-8 Manual
DS-8
Polyphonic synthesizers
Digital synthesizers
Musical instruments invented in the 1980s
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