Korg TR88 Synthesizer Workstation

Based on Korg's HI synth engine for robust, compelling sound.

The features and tones that professionals expect in a workstation at a sweet price. Order now.

TR88 Overview

Abundant 64 MB sample ROM provides articulate and compelling sounds
The newly sampled waveforms include stereo-sampled piano, electric piano, nylon-string guitar, acoustic guitar and strings. With multi-level dynamics and a natural sense of stereo, these waveforms deliver clear and spacious sounds. There's also a full complement of excellent drum sounds and patterns covering a broad range of styles for music production and performance. The TR Music Workstation provides 470 high-quality multisamples and 518 outstanding drum samples, giving you an excellent selection to work with.

Alternate Modulation drives distinctive sound creation
Modulation is what creates the motion, nuance and articulation that are such an important part of synthesizer artistry. The TR Music Workstation's Alternate Modulation provides a total of 42 types of AMS (Alternate Modulation Source) including EG, LFO, keyboard tracking, and joystick (as well as controllers such as knobs and pedals) to create extremely sophisticated sounds. These can be programmed in, or operated in realtime to give your sounds a high degree of expressive life.

High-quality effect section for even broader sound-creation potential
With development borrowed from Korg's acclaimed D-Series digital recorders and TRITON workstations, the TR offers a broad palette of 89 types of effects to enrich your sound creations. The effect section consists of two Master effects, one stereo Insert effect, and one Master EQ (stereo three-band) together with a sophisticated mixer section that lets you control the routing of these individual components. Effect settings can be made independently for each Program, Combination, and Song, helping you bring your overall sound to perfect completion. With the optional EXB-SMPL sampling upgrade board installed, you can even sample through the Insert effect for even more sonic possibilities.

A multitude of Programs and Combinations
The TR contains a wide range of high-quality Programs and Combinations created by Korg's renowned international voicing team. The newly sampled piano is velocity-switched between two levels, providing realistic response to your playing dynamics. New and even more realistic electric pianos, choirs, guitars, strings, and drums are also provided. There's also a rich collection of synth and sound-effect programs that are ideal for dance music. In addition to the 512 preloaded Programs, there are 128 GM-compatible programs and nine drum kits*. You can use up to eight Programs simultaneously in a Combination to create extremely rich and complex sounds. Combinations may contain "layers" that play multiple sounds simultaneously; "splits" that assign different sounds to different regions of the keyboard; "velocity layers" that dramatically change the sound or switch programs in response to your playing dynamics. Control assignments can give your sound and performance even greater impact. Up to 512 Programs, 384 combinations, and 24 drum kits that you create can be stored to internal rewritable memory locations. This data can also be stored or transferred to your computer via an SD card.

Full-fledged sequencer transforms the TR into a comprehensive music production system
The TR's 16-track sequencer provides a capacity of 200,000 notes and up to 200 songs, creating a comprehensive music production system offering superb functionality and excellent operability. The Cue List allows you to build your arrangement up in sections (up to 99), and then convert them into a single song for consecutive playback or to create new song structures. You can build songs using 150 preset drum patterns and 100 user patterns, as well as take advantage of the Track Loop function to loop specified regions of measures within each track. Setting up for a new song is easy. Choose a template song (16 preset, 16 user) that has sounds and effects already set up; or use the Auto Song Setup feature to instantly set up the Program or Combination you are currently playing into a new record-ready song, complete with all effect and arpeggiator settings. Either way, you can begin recording immediately, before you lose that flash of musical inspiration. Song data can be saved on an SD card in SMF (Standard MIDI File) format 0 or 1, letting you exchange data with most MIDI sequencers.

Ultra-powerful arpeggiator
The richly expressive dual arpeggiators generate powerful performances. You can use one arpeggiator in Program Mode, and both arpeggiators simultaneously in Combi mode, and even record their output directly into the internal sequencer. The possibilities are endless. For example, two different arpeggio patterns can be applied to two separate key-split sounds of a Combination, or you can use velocity to switch between two arpeggio patterns. In addition to five basic preset arpeggio patterns, the internal memory contains 200 patterns suitable for use with all different types of sounds, either fixed-note drum patterns or variable pitched parts. Together with original patterns that you yourself can create, a total of 216 different patterns can be stored in internal memory. Arpeggios can be synchronized with MIDI clock, so they run in time with the internal sequencer, BPM-based effects, and more.

RPPR (Realtime Pattern Play/Recording) function
The RPPR function lets you record a simple sequenced phrase or pattern, assign it to a key, and then play that pattern back in realtime simply by pressing the corresponding key. This gives you amazing possibilities for realtime performance; you can switch to different patterns with each key (and even use multiple keys to play different phrases simultaneously), or add additional patterns by pressing more keys. 150 preset drum patterns are built in, and 100 more can be created and stored for each Song.

Controllers maximize your performance potential
The TR Music Workstation's 4-way joystick lets you freely vary the pitch and apply modulation effects such as vibrato or wah. There are also four assignable knobs plus two assignable switches and foot pedal jacks that you can use for applying alternate modulation, providing you with a full range of control that is indispensable for burning up the stage or cutting sizzling tracks.