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Korg TR Rack Introduction
Overview
Expanded Access Synth Module E ects
First Sight
Synthesizers > Sound Modules Synthesis And Sounds
By Simon Trask Published February 1998 Conclusion
Speci cations
Sound Categories

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Korg have traditionally augmented their synth workstation ranges with a rackmount model,
allowing musicians to buy the workstation's synthesis technology without having to buy into On the same subject
the workstation concept or pay workstation prices. However, since its introduction two years ALM/Busy Circuits Pamela’s Pro Workout
ago, Korg's agship Trinity range has been without a rackmount alternative, leaving musicians March 2023
with the stark choice of going without or coughing up the readies for a workstation model. With 2HP Slice
the base model costing almost two and a half grand on release (now down to £1799) this has March 2023
S-CAT Bass‑Synth
hardly been a cheap way to get the Trinity's underlying ACCESS (Advanced Control Combined March 2023
Synthesis System) synthesis and multi‑e ects technology. Modular Pro le: Matthew Allum
March 2023
However, at last the company have come up with a rackmount model, the TR‑Rack. Not only Modular Pro le: Jan Willem Hagenbeek
does it make the Trinity's ACCESS technology available at the more, er, accessible price of £999, February 2023
it also has 32Mb of sound ROM — that's 8Mb more than the Trinity — and provides twice as
many built‑in Programs, Combis and Drumkits as the workstation. Presumably this is why Korg From the same manufacturer
describe it as Expanded, because the only expansion option retained from the several
workstation models is the DR‑TRI digital audio output board. But despite its extra sonic Spike Edney
January 2023
capabilities, is the new module a case of too little, too late?
Sync Outside The Box
January 2023
Overview Korg miniKORG 700FS
August 2022
The TR‑Rack is an all‑rounder, sample‑based subtractive synthesis module in traditional vein, ARP 2600 M
neither making GM/GS/XG compatibility its mission in life (unlike Roland's SC and Yamaha's MU April 2022
modules) nor focusing on a particular musical niche (unlike Emu's Orbit and Planet Phatt Korg Collection 3
February 2022
modules). In this respect, it's more closely aligned to Alesis' QSR and Roland's JV2080 synth
modules, which it sits between price‑wise. However, like the Trinity it o ers only 32‑voice
polyphony — half that of the Alesis and Roland modules. SIGN UP TO
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Korg's new module imports the Trinity's synthesis and multi‑e ects capabilities wholesale,
while providing an additional 40 Multisamples and 200 drum samples, together with additional
patch memories to take advantage of them. Program and Combi banks A and B, which are the
same as those on the Trinity, are augmented by new Banks C and D, while the Trinity's 11
Drumkits have been augmented by a further 11 new pre‑programmed kits and a user kit
memory.

Seasoned Korg users will feel at home with the TR‑Rack's Program and Combi architectures.
Like the Trinity and earlier Korg synths, the TR‑Rack has three performance modes:

Program (single part/channel)

Combination (up to eight Timbres/channels)
Multi (16 Tracks/channels, for use with MIDI sequencing)

For those new to the Korg architecture, a Combination (usually referred to simply as a Combi)
allows up to eight Programs to be used together in a composite key and velocity split/layer
texture. With their budget NS5R GM/GS/XG module, introduced since the Trinity's release, Korg Latest SOS Videos
enabled Combis to be assigned to Multi‑mode Tracks for the rst time, providing a convenient
way to integrate pre‑de ned split/layer textures into a MIDI multitimbral context. However,
disappointingly, they haven't taken the opportunity to add this capability to the TR‑Rack
(though you can, as always, use Combis MIDI‑multitimbrally by assigning some or all of the
Timbres to di erent MIDI channels).

E ects
The TR‑Rack employs a versatile multi‑e ects architecture, rst introduced on the Trinity, which
is built around a mixing desk‑style arrangement of Master (ie. send/return) and Insert e ects, AKG C414 The Ultimate Comparison: XLS vs XLII vs B-ULS
with 14 Master and 100 Insert e ects to choose from. The Master e ects section consists of vs EB
reverb/delay and modulation e ect processors, which are common to individual Programs and 1 month 2 weeks ago.
to all eight Combi Timbres and all 16 Multi Tracks. Each Program/Timbre/Track has two e ect
sends per oscillator routed to the Master e ects. Returns from these e ects are then mixed in
with the output from the Insert‑e ected signal and routed through master low and high EQ
before being sent to the stereo outs. An individual Program, Timbre or Track can have up to
three or four Insert e ects, depending on whether the selected Program is in single/double or
drum mode. These e ects are con gured in series, with the output from e ect 3 routed direct
to the main stereo outs and also sendable to the Master e ects via two e ect sends.

The quality of the e ects is everything we've come to expect from Korg, while the
sheer number and variety of Insert e ects is nothing short of amazing. Inside RAK Studios
2 months 14 hours ago.
Things start to get more complicated when it comes to assigning Insert e ects — especially in
Combi and Multi modes. Depending, essentially, on their mono/stereo con guration, individual
Insert e ects are classi ed as either size 1, size 2 or size 4. Insert e ects for each Program,
Combi or Multi can't exceed a total combined size of eight, which leaves you trading o number
of e ects per Timbre/Part against number of Timbres/Parts e ected. At one extreme, you
could have eight Timbres/Tracks, each with a single size 1 e ect, while at the other a single
Timbre/Track could use two size 2 e ects and one size 4 e ect.

First Sight Bob Clearmountain - Engineer | Podcast

Korg's TR‑Rack is a standard 1U‑high, 19‑inch rackmount module in a not‑so‑standard silver 2 days 12 hours ago.
casing, giving it an appearance that is both stylish and functional. Gone, inevitably, is the large
graphical touch‑sensitive screen of the Trinity workstation models. However, in its place a
sizable 2x 20‑character backlit LCD provides unusually, yet satisfyingly, large lettering, making it
easy to read even from several feet away; not only is this an obvious advantage for a
rackmountable module, it also makes the TR‑Rack more readily accessible to partially sighted
musicians. The Rack's front‑panel buttons, on the other hand, are of the ddly ngertip‑sized
variety, as favoured more usually by Yamaha — not the most comfortable in use. The volume
knob, power on/o switch and stereo headphones socket are all conveniently located on the
front panel, leaving a minimalist collection of buttons to the right of the LCD for mode
selection, LCD page and parameter selection and editing, and compare, write, reset and
note‑play functions. The A4 button simply plays the currently‑selected sound at pitch A4 when
pressed — a handy function to have for trying out sounds when you don't have a connected
keyboard to hand. A red pinpoint LED above the button acts as a MIDI indicator, ashing on
and o when MIDI data is received.

Each Program and Combi on the TR‑Rack is assigned to one of 16 sound categories, indicated in
the lower line of the LCD in Play mode. The Rack's front‑panel Cursor left/right buttons double
as category‑select buttons in Play mode, while its Page +/‑ buttons let you scroll through
Programs or Combis in the current category — making it easy to try out, say, all the keyboard
or all the bass sounds. The Yes/No buttons, meanwhile, allow you to step sequentially through
all the available patches.To edit Programs or Combis you just press the Edit button and use the
Page +/‑ button to scroll through the LCD edit pages. There's no shortage of these — Combi
Edit mode has 47 of them! Bizarrely, holding down the page, cursor or yes/no buttons doesn't
have a repeater e ect, so you have to press the relevant button once for each page or value
change. Fortunately, combination button‑presses allow you to 'jump' values in steps of 10 or
128, but overall there's still an unnecessary amount of button‑pressing involved.

Despite the large, clear display, then, front‑panel editing on the TR‑Rack is a bit ddly, so it's
good news that the module comes supplied with two oppy disks containing Emagic's
SoundDiver Trinity editor/librarian software and Korg MIDI driver software, both available for
Mac and PC. It turns out that the SoundDiver software is essential if you're serious about
Program editing, as the module itself doesn't provide full synthesis or e ect parameter editing
from its front panel; instead, this is left to the editing software and MIDI SysEx. Quite why this is
the case isn't clear, as full editing would have entailed only some additional LCD pages. As it is,
you're limited to adjusting the overall sound of existing patches (you can't, for instance, assign
di erent Multisamples or drum samples to the oscillators).

Incidentally, while we're on the subject of computer linkups it's worth mentioning that the
TR‑Rack's rear panel augments the standard MIDI sockets with a To Host serial port for MIDI
communication. Using this port and a standard computer serial cable, you can connect the
module to a PC or Mac without the need for an intervening MIDI interface.

The TR‑Rack's rear panel.

Synthesis And Sounds

With the TR‑Rack, Korg have eschewed the multi‑synthesis approach of their Prophecy
monosynth and Z1 polysynth, in favour of more traditional sample‑based subtractive synthesis.
It's worth remembering that the company helped pioneer the sample‑based approach a
decade ago with the M1. Over the years they've steadily improved and ne‑tuned it, and the
ACCESS synthesis technology of the Trinity, and now the TR‑Rack, represents the most highly
developed version. The Trinity has acquired a reputation for superior sonic quality, clarity and
presence, thanks not least to its use of 48kHz samples; the desire to maximise signal quality
was apparently also the reason why Korg stuck with 32‑voice polyphony.

The TR‑Rack's Program architecture provides two oscillators, each of which is routed through
its own lter and ampli er sections with associated ve‑stage pitch, lter and amplitude
envelopes and pitch and lter LFOs. For each Program you can choose between single/double
and drum oscillator modes; the latter allows you to assign any of the Rack's Drumkits to a
Program. Korg introduced a number of new developments with their ACCESS technology, to
enhance the Trinity's sonic exibility (all now found also on the TR‑Rack). For instance, you can
assign two Multisamples to each oscillator and velocity‑switch between them, with
user‑de nable switch points. Drumkit programming has been similarly enhanced, with
user‑de nable velocity switching between two drum sounds on each key; other parameters you
can set per individual key include lter on/o (but not individual settings), pan position, master
e ects send levels, and Insert e ect routing (o , 1‑4). A Start O set parameter allows playback
of Multisamples and drum samples to begin from within the sample. This is typically used to
soften the attack characteristic of a sample, and can be particularly useful on drum and
percussion sounds.

Korg's ACCESS technology brought up to date the ltering on their sample‑based synths, with a
multi‑mode resonant lter that the company rst introduced on the Prophecy. Two lters per
oscillator, a choice of low‑pass, high‑pass, band‑pass and band‑reject lter types, lter
resonance, and the ability to modulate resonance from velocity are all features of the Trinity
(and now the TR‑Rack) lter section. Also introduced by the ACCESS technology was a
sophisticated matrix modulation system which Korg called AMS — Alternate Modulation
Source. This provides 26 control sources, routable to 27 destinations, with the ability to assign
the same source to more than one destination.

The TR‑Rack will delight anyone who has been waiting for Korg to make the
Trinity's impressive sounds and e ects available in a more a ordable rackmount
form.

I've already described the TR‑Rack's sophisticated Master/Insert multi‑e ects architecture. The
quality of the e ects is everything we've come to expect from Korg, while the sheer number
and variety of Insert e ects is nothing short of amazing. Probably just about every e ect you
can think of has been included — and remember that you can mix and match e ects in series,
within the limits imposed by the e ect size system. If you love working with e ects and
exploring e ect combinations, the TR‑Rack will keep you happy. Dynamic modulation of e ect
parameters is also provided, with a choice of 26 modulation sources, so you can do clever tricks
like controlling Doppler e ect pan depth from aftertouch. Insert e ects typically have two or
three parameters that can be modulated dynamically, though some have four or even ve, so
there's plenty of scope for live (and also MIDI sequenceable) e ects control. Also controllable
live via MIDI are Program, Timbre and Track e ect‑send levels for the Master reverb/delay and
modulation e ects, as well as selected Master e ect parameters.

The 40 new Multisamples in the TR‑Rack provide a mixture of keyboard, bass, brass, guitar, hit
and and noise sounds, and include a stereo‑sampled acoustic piano which improves on the
existing o erings. However, the bulk of the new samples contained in the extra 8Mb of sample
ROM are drum samples, and around half of these are new bass and snare drums. Korg have
always been both generous and adventurous with their drum and percussion samples, and the
TR‑Rack continues satisfyingly in this tradition.

The new samples are put to good use in the new Drumkits, which extend the Trinity's range
impressively. The new Programs and Combis, meanwhile, maintain the high standards of
programming we've come to expect from Korg, and provide plenty more of the sorts of sounds
that Korg fans have come to know and love — not the least of which are rich strings,
shimmering pads, punchy basses, crisp keyboards and evocative atmospheres. Check out
Program D03: Bells in Motion, and the charmingly titled D83: Chasing Comets, for some classic
smooth, shimmering, tinkling pads. Program C23: Old/Dark EP is a lovely swirling old mellow
Rhodes sound which makes good use of the Phaser + Tremolo Insert e ect (and remember
that this e ect can be retained in Combi and Multi modes), while C16: Vintage Grand is a
'70s‑style electric grand with a very appealing warmth to it. Program D13: Double Strings and
D06: Dance Piano provide classic Korg smooth strings and bright, percussive piano respectively,
while D01: SinisterDrug@3AM and D21: Drub Square are good examples of the sort of deeply
atmospheric sounds that Korg synths do so well.

Conclusion
Unlike the MOSS multi‑synthesis technology of the Prophecy and Z1, the TR‑Rack's ACCESS
technology makes no attempt to move beyond the familiar territory of sample‑based
subtractive synthesis. At the same time, while the Trinity range can be expanded with an
attractively‑priced Prophecy Solo board to complement the sample‑based sounds, the TR‑Rack
has no such provision — a fact which will no doubt disappoint some prospective Rack
purchasers. According to Korg UK, accommodating a Solo board option in the TR‑Rack would
have meant turning the module into a more expensive 2U unit, and they decided instead to
keep the price as attractive and the size as compact as possible. Still, the TR‑Rack's generous
32Mb of PCM sample ROM, 512 Programs, 512 Combis and 24 Drumkits — 8Mb more ROM
than the Trinity, and double the number of patches and drumkits — mean that you're hardly
being short‑changed in the sounds department.

Not being able to assign Combis to Tracks in Multi mode is disappointing, while some users
might wish for more than the Rack's two separate outs for external e ects processing. The
absence of full front‑panel editing is also a little disconcerting, though the included PC/Mac
editing software does at least provide computer users with the means to get at every
parameter. On a more positive note, the module does retain the Trinity's DI‑TRI board option,
allowing its four audio output signals to be transmitted in the digital domain using Alesis'
multitrack digital audio format.

The TR‑Rack will delight anyone who has been waiting for Korg to make the Trinity's impressive
sounds and e ects available in a more a ordable rackmount form, and will also, no doubt,
re‑establish the company as a major presence in the professional synth module market.

Speci cations
32 oscillators (single‑oscillator Program: 32‑voice polyphony;
Polyphony:
double‑oscillator Program: 16‑voice polyphony)
Multitimbrality: 16 parts (in Multi mode); 8 parts (in Combi mode)
Sound ROM: 32Mb
Synthesis
ACCESS sample‑based subtractive synthesis
method:
Programs: 512 (128 x 4 banks)
Combis: 512 (128 x 4 banks)
E ects: 100 insert e ects, 14 master e ects
Display: 2 x 20‑character backlit LCD
L/Mono and Right stereo audio jack outs; two separate audio jack
outs; stereo headphones jack; MIDI (In, Out, Thru); To Host PC/Mac
Connections:
serial interface; digital audio out and 48kHz wordclock in (require
optional board); AC power input socket
Option: DI‑TRI digital audio interface board
Weight: 2.8kg

Sound Categories
PROGRAMS

Keyboard
Organ
Mallet
Bell
Strings
Vocal/Airy
Brass
Woodwind/Reeds
Guitar
Bass
Plucked Synth
Synth Lead
Motion Synth
Sound E ect
Drums/Percussion

COMBIS

Pad & Lead

Bass
Splits
Breathy/Airy
Bell & Mallet
Motion Synth
Keyboard Synth
Strings
Orchestral
Horn Section
Guitar
Bass
Ethnic/Trad
Organ
Complex
Drums/Special FX

DRUMKITS

Standard
Processed
Jazz/Brush
Analog/Club (Mega‑Mix)!
Psycho
BassDrum&Snares
Toms&Cymbals
Percussion
Orchestra&Ethnic
01/W Total
01/W Producer's
Vintage Kit
Ezer Goodie
WellArrrd
Hip‑Hop/Rap
Pop/R&B
Jazz/Funk/Reggae
House/Techno
Industry/Analog
Funk Drummin'
Aggressiv Vox

Pros Cons
Characteristic rich, full, dynamic Korg Full parameter editing only available via
sound. MIDI.
Large PCM ROM. Can't use Combis in Multi mode.
Generous number of Programs and Holding down front‑panel buttons
Combis. doesn't scroll through values or pages.
Large lettering used in the LCD.
Trinity editor/librarian software included
as standard (for PC/Mac).
ADAT digital interfacing option (DI‑TRI
board).

Summary
An impressive module which will bring the top‑quality, professional sounds of the Trinity
workstation to a wider range of synthesists.

Information
www.korg.com

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