Looking at the layout, features, and the people behind it, I’m very, very interested. So you get the MW2408 (24-channel) and MW160 (16-bit) – analog mixers with digital control and DSP from KORG. They’ve got nice, compact form factors that are nonetheless packed with features. The KORG SoundLink comes in very reasonable looking 24- and 16-channel models. But at least on paper, this looks like promising stuff. I don’t want to get too excited too fast – especially not knowing the street price. That means bringing in Greg Mackie and Peter Watts. KORG have gone back to the mixer design team that made a lot of stuff that producers and live performers really love as much as mix engineers. Those you can afford, which is a good thing, but there’s not much to be passionate about. And then at the entry level, there’s been the race to the bottom that sees armies of clones and dropping quality without much innovation. So there are some excellent high-end analog boutique and live-oriented digital mixers that you can’t afford. Let’s face it – it hasn’t been a great time for mixers. Their new mixer looks like the one we’ve been waiting for. Surprise – the best product news from KORG this year might not be a synth.
