Phase8 from Korg Berlin is a unique electro-acoustic instrument – its core sound is created by resonators: thin sheets of metal excited by an electromagnetic driver. These drivers can pluck the resonators at various velocities, kind of like you would a kalimba, but also create sounds with a gentle attack, or sustain a resonator sound for as long as you like.
Since the resonators are mechanical moving parts, you can also interact with them with various materials as they play, to change their sound.
Then, down the signal path, it’s got distortion and modulation to further shape the sound. Phase8 has 8 of these resonators, and a motion sequencer to trigger them either standalone or in sync with other gear.
In this video, I take a look at it in detail, explore some pairing ideas with effects, and talk about its pros and cons.
TIMELINE:
0:00 Intro
1:45 Overview
3:15 Vel & env
3:55 Buttons
5:30 Air fader
6:00 Shift
6:20 Pluck
6:50 Drones
7:20 Drone jam
7:50 Build & IO
8:15 In the box
8:35 Mod left
8:55 Mod right
10:25 Mod center
10:50 Settings
11:25 Center #2
11:45 Step seq
12:35 Live seq
13:55 Automation
15:25 MIDI
15:45 Pros & cons
19:00 Three jams