Korg Opsix SE & Wavestate SE
What do these 61-key versions of the Opsix and Wavestate offer that their little brothers don’t? Dave Clews finds out
CONTACT WHO: Korg WEB: korg.com
KEY FEATURES I/O: Audio outputs: L/mono, R (6.3mm TRS phone jack, balanced), 5-pin MIDI in/out, USB Type B
Keys: 61-key synth action velocity-sensitive keybed with channel aftertouch
Weight: 8.4kg
Dimensions: 1014 x 344 x 110 mm
First teased in 2021, Korg’s premium versions of their 37-key Wavestate and Opsix synths have finally debuted in two new, 61-key ‘SE’ (Special Edition) versions. Eschewing the predominantly plastic build of their lightweight predecessors, both SE synths feel incredibly solid and well put together. From their aluminium casings to the screwed-on steel endplates, these are clearly instruments built for serious touring. As if to encourage this idea, Korg has taken the somewhat unique step of shipping the SE versions in a classy leatherette-bound hard case.
Much more physically imposing than the smaller versions, the SE keybeds also feel nicer, with channel aftertouch that can be used as a modulation source. Key travel is fairly shallow, with a premiumfeeling, lightly-sprung synth action. It’s easy to play, and you don’t have to lean into the aftertouch too hard to produce an effect.
Both SE synths have increased their voice count up to 120 voices, which makes sense as you can now use both hands at once to play them. However, Korg seems to have merely transplanted the control layout directly across from the smaller synths, and with all that empty space on the dash, some might see this as a wasted opportunity, particularly in terms of screen size.
FM made easy?
Opsix SE is a six-operator digital FM synth that, in a nod to the erstwhile king of FM synths – 1983’s Yamaha DX7 – has been given a striking dark metallic brown paint job with green accents, right down to the algorithm diagrams screen-printed on the front.
FM synthesis in a nutshell is a way of using one oscillator – or operator in FM-speak – to modulate the frequency of another. The modulating operator is known – shockingly – as the modulator, while the operator being modulated is known as the carrier. The Opsix, like the DX7 before it, has six operators, which is where the synth gets its name. The six operators are arranged in pre-configured layouts called algorithms, of which there are 40 to choose from. Each algorithm dictates how the operators are linked together and specifies wh
