A combination of both, according to Korg.
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Been keeping this mum since the end of November, when I had the pleasure of giving it a home next to my original for a week or so. It was quite lovely while it lasted…
You can read my thoughts on it here:
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two totally different synths though. east vs west coast. best to have both! 
the problem with the easel (at least while Buchla was still BEMI) was the build quality sucked. but I digress…
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great writeup Scot! I didn’t see this anywhere yet and I’m guessing it’s not the case… but is the gate level still 10+ volts or is there an option for 5+? I’m curious how well it’d interact with gates coming from a euro module, without having to use the voltage processor.
and are you going to get one? I’ve got a mk1 unit that’s been heavily modified by CMS (including osc sync, 1/4" outputs, extra envelope scaling, etc…) but I’m still considering it… 
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Thanks. Yeah, it’s exactly like the original in behavior, meaning that it wants to see those higher gate levels. If you have to use a processor on your original, you’ll have to use it on this one.
No, I don’t think I’m going to buy one. I have owned a Mk1 and now own my much-modified MkIII. If I didn’t have the latter, I’d be all over this. however, I don’t have the space for two of them. I have to say, the Korg is so good, I momentarily considered selling my MkIII, getting this one, and spending the leftovers. However, I am afraid I’d not be able to repair a modern unit with SMT components in years to come, whereas my MkIII is the last of the line, with un-potted modules and therefore easy to service and modify.
Oh, and though I couldn’t get a definitve answer from Korg at the time of the review, they later confirmed that the Type II filter had addressed the notorious high-frequency rolloff of the originals. I suspected as much when I compared them, but couldn’t be certain due to the age of my MkIII.
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The build quality’s is much better now
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excellent points Scot. I’ve been considering all of the same really!
yep, that’s what I hear too. new ones have a couple minor improvements from the BEMI version as well. worth mentioning though, as there’s a lot of used BEMI versions that pop up. and I’m sure some have no issues, but I’ve also read a lot of horror stories.
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What does “better” instrument even mean? I don’t think there is anything retro about easel really, except easel soft vst clone by arturia.
Retro is a term i associate with how people use this tools, or dress like 80s, or wanna have vst pultec and ssl channel strip in their daws and so on.
btw, being discussed over on GS… apparently Guitar Center’s order page had a different rendering of what they were selling, which is giving rise to speculation that there’s a mini version forthcoming (also note that the announced version has FS in the name). this is clearly a rendering. what’s not known is if it’s an early prototype or they just posted the wrong images…
see pics of it here: https://imgur.com/gallery/5gYIubq
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I saw that. What a weird looking image. I asked Korg if there was to be a mini version (or any other version besides this behemoth) and they told me it wasn’t planned. Of course, they might deny it if they want to keep that info quiet.
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Excellent review. A lot of money but it seems you get what you pay for.
THAT is interesting. If they sold a scaled down version (ala Odyssey) for under $1500 it would be a no-brainer for a lot of people.
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Like I said, it’s good enough that I considered selling my MkIII to get one of these. It was so nice to play a new 2600!
(also, that review is significantly pared down from the version that will appear in print in the next issue of Future Music)
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Summer madness, how could I forget that!! I got it mixed up with everybody loves the sunshine, which also sounds like it could be a 2600.
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I agree, 4k full sized mono, keybed and flight case will be a smaller market item in my opinion. $1500 Odyssey size would be an instant preorder for me. Fingers crossed for some type of desktop version without keys. Man I wanted this but I don’t think I can swing that price and square footage…
I have literally had my finger on the trigger to build a small modular box with the tonestar 2600 but was waiting for this news. Guess I’m back to plan B
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It is massive, especially in the flight case. I had to enlist my son to help me get it downstairs to the studio in order to prevent wrecking my 53-year-old spine.
This feels like a prestige product, really. The whole presentation is one of sparing no expense. From the case to the little chromium embellishments on the corners of the (actual) Tolex-covered cabinet, it feels as ’significant’ as it’s price would suggest. However, the price of such luxury is always going to be high. I suspect this is why it is a limited edition. Hopefully there will be enough interest in a smaller, cheaper version to coax Korg to bring a less elaborate one out.
(again, I have no inside knowledge of such a plan, but I hope for one, too!)
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you know, It is vertical… So I guess it’s not THAT massive. prolly no more than say a Matriarch? I just know that something of this stature will bring some serious questions from the wife. Guess I will order up that Tonestar and get one of those funny boxes with cables. That will be way less money?.. err yea.
Oh well, Will be fun to watch people get them and post stuff up. Like you say, Korg may see value in making a lite version.
I meant the whole thing was massive in the case. For the actual 2600+3620, you’d want to allocate roughly 3 feet x 2 feet of table-top space.
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B for Behringer? 
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Welp, there may be another option?
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