#1

Has anyone got any experience of using the Korg Odyssey Rev 3 desktop module? One has popped up locally for a great price, and i absolutely adore the original Arp Odyssey. Is this comparable?

#2

I’ve got a Korg Odyssey Rev 1 desktop module. Pretty sure the only difference between Rev 1 and Rev 3 for the Korg reissue is the color of the synth. The filter comes with a switch that changes between three different versions of the Odyssey filter.

I’ve never played an original Odyssey so can’t make that comparison from personal experience but the Karp sounds great to my ears. Midi/USB implementation is basic but works for my needs.

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#3

It sounds great and is fun to play. I would say the originals have a little more instability and depth to vcos, but character and overall sound is almost identical. Also the line amp components are probably shittier on the old ones, which makes them saturate more easily.
It is similar to SEM modern vs vintage, but filter character is closer.

I prefer the new ones because of filter options and module format.

The pressure buttons suck though.

Get it. It sounds like an Odyssey.

#4

it sounds really good. it does not sound like vintage arp but i couldn’t say what our old friends would sound like fresh off shelf. there is fuzziness and slightest of instabilities that my old arp and friends had. i hated the minikeys of the karp i had but the sound is very good. the calibration of the ppc controller was so far off as to be unusable to me on new one. hopefully they fixed that in rev 3. if you seek vintage sound there is only one answer but if crisp new good sound is your bag then i’d be surprised if this doesn’t tick boxen.

#5

FWIW the PPC is pretty bad on the vintage Odysseys, too :upside_down_face:

I haven’t played the Korg version but I was always struck at how loud the filter’s self oscillation is compared to the oscillator volume on the original. Can anyone comment if this is the same in the Korg version?

#6

the ppc i was used to was on a vintage axxe and it is my benchmark to this day for pleasurable modulation added. just my preference. it is the most subtle and musical of implementations. i really wonder if they had calibration issues back then and to this day.

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#7

There actually isn’t a calibration procedure for the PPC, though I suppose one could mod the circuit for their response preference.

EDIT: Actually come to think of it my coworker has done just that by installing new force sensing resistors in an Odyssey and she said it was an improvement. By “bad” I guess I meant the original PPC’s I’ve played haven’t modulated with significant depth without having to press harder than is reasonable while actually using the synth.

#8

Thanks for the input. I waited too long and the Odyssey sold :frowning:

#9

It sounds thinner than the original, but nothing that some good eq can’t sort out