Korg Synthesizer roundup
The Best Korg Synthesizers for the Money
Korg's range covers every budget tier. Here are the specific models that offer the best value at each price point, and what makes each one worth the money.
The best Korg synthesizers aren't just the most expensive — they're the ones that offer the most value for the type of music you want to make and the budget you're working with. These picks cover every tier from the most affordable to professional level, with an honest account of what each one actually delivers.
Best Under £200: Korg Volca FM
The Volca FM is the most musically interesting of the Volca series — a three-operator FM synthesiser with sixteen-step sequencer, battery power and Sync compatibility. FM synthesis is famously hard to programme intuitively, but the Volca FM's limited controls actually help: fewer parameters means less to get lost in. The sounds it produces — metallic textures, bells, electric pianos, evolving pads — are genuinely useful in electronic production and not achievable on simple analog instruments. At roughly £120 new, it's a better value proposition than many instruments at double the price.
Best Korg Synthesizer Under £500: Minilogue XD
The Minilogue XD adds a digital multi-engine oscillator to the original Minilogue's analog architecture. This gives access to a third oscillator that can produce a wide range of waveforms, noise types and user-loadable oscillator algorithms, while the core analog circuitry handles the warmth and character that makes the Minilogue range compelling. It's a more versatile instrument than the original Minilogue without significantly increasing the complexity. For most players looking for their first serious keyboard, the Minilogue XD sits in the best position in the entire Korg synthesizer lineup.
Best Polyphonic Analog: Korg Prologue 16
The Prologue 16 offers sixteen voices of true analog synthesis — which means you can play complex chords and arpeggios without the voice stealing that plagues smaller instruments. It has a per-voice digital effects layer and the same multi-engine digital oscillator as the Minilogue XD, giving it substantial programming depth. For players who want the warmth of analog synthesis alongside the polyphony to play it like a conventional keyboard, the Prologue 16 is the most direct answer available in Korg's catalogue. It's expensive, but it's built to professional quality and priced accordingly.
Best for Sound Design: Korg Wavestate
If you want sounds that don't sound like anything else on the market, the Wavestate is the most interesting instrument Korg currently makes. Wave sequencing produces textures that evolve and shift in ways that static synthesis cannot match — rhythmically complex, spectrally shifting sounds that are particularly valuable in ambient, electronic and film score contexts. The programming learning curve is real, but the results are unlike what any other Korg synthesizer in the range can produce. The SE version offers the same engine at a slightly lower price in a more compact format.
Best Workstation: Korg Nautilus
For a professional who needs one instrument to handle everything — synthesis, sampling, sequencing, live performance — the Nautilus is the most comprehensive option Korg currently makes. Nine synthesis engines (including the full SGX-2 piano, the EP-1 electric piano, HD-1 samples and the Wavestate engine) give it genuine versatility. The 16-track sequencer covers both MIDI and audio. It's the correct choice for the professional player who works across multiple styles and needs one instrument to cover everything, and it's priced accordingly. See the buyer's guide for full context on the range.
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