KORG

The Company Korg (company KORG spelling ) is a manufacturer of electronic musical instruments and musical accessories.

History

Korg was founded in 1962 in Japan by Tsutomu Kato and Tadashi Osanai as Keio Electronic Laboratories. Kato ran a nightclub before the founding of the company. Osanai was a graduate of the University of Tokyo and accordion player. He regularly performed in Kato's club accompanied by a Wurlitzer and used for rhythm machine. Dissatisfied with this device, he convinced Kato to finance the development of a better device.

The company's first product, an electro-mechanical rhythm generator with name Disc Rotary Electric Auto Rhythm Machine Donca matic DA -20, in 1963 came on the market. Due to the success of the DA-20 published in 1966 another version, the Donca matic DE- 20th

1967 Kato was approached by Fumio Mieda engineer, who wanted to build keyboards. Kato Fumio asked whether this could actually build a prototype. 18 months later Fumio returned with a programmable organ, which was marketed under the name Korg Keio organ. Various organs of KEIOS be sold in the late 1960s and early 1970s very well. Driven by the strong competition in the organ market, Kato was looking for alternatives. 1973 came with the Mini - Korg KEIOS first synthesizer on the market. In the following years, the name KORG established as a brand on the synthesizer market. Especially the models MS -20, Polysix and Mono / Poly are now counted among the classics of synthesizer history.

In 1988 with the Korg M1 of the company's greatest success and established a new type of synthesizer, the music workstation. The M1 united a multi-timbral digital synthesizer with a multi-track sequencer and so made ​​possible the realization of complete multitrack productions in a single device. Even today, a similar device, the Korg Triton, one of the most successful products by Korg.

After the great success of the M1 it was initially difficult for Korg to tie it. In this situation, a close cooperation with the competitor Yamaha Corporation offered to develop new technologies together. A key phrase here is "virtual analog synthesis " (Yamaha VL1/VL7 etc. and Korg Prophecy and Z1, etc.). The basis of this cooperation, Yamaha bought shares of Korg, but without acquiring majority. After a few years, the cooperation exhibited Korg view more and more as an obstacle out. For Kato, the already mentioned founder and owner of Korg, gradually buy back the shares in order to plan and act independently again, then what was the case from about 1997. Began Today, Yamaha has only a minimal amount of Korg to have more tactical reasons, and for access to the financial position of the competitor. A major success of the company Korg was the Hammond organ simulation " Korg CX -3", which has now been reissued.

From the company Korg effect and multi- effect units for electric guitars and basses are also produced, currently the AX 3000th Even under the brand Vox effects units are now sold after Korg had acquired the naming rights to Vox Amplification Ltd. in 1992 through the acquisition of Vox sales.

Timeline of major products

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