KORG Opsix SE

The Ultimate Union of Power and Performance

opsix SE is a digital synth like no other. With a premium all-metal design, 61-keys, and aftertouch, it unlocks a new world of sonic capabilities. Building on the expansive sound engine in the original opsix, opsix SE enhances it with increased polyphony and voicing, resulting in a synthesizer created for superior performance and precise control.

The opsix Operator Mixer simplified FM synthesis for the first time, making it not just comprehensible but also controllable. With the addition of extra synthesis capabilities and programming, it offered a more efficient workflow and an even richer sound.

The opsix SE takes this even further. It is equipped with Korg's premium 61-key natural-touch keyboard, complete with aftertouch, delivering the exceptional tactile experience expected from Korg's flagship workstations. With a sleek, robust metal body, it's built for both the intensity of live gigs and the precision of studio sessions. The metallic knobs are optimally weighted for effortless adjustments. Underneath its exterior, the opsix SE boasts an incredible capacity of 80 stereo voices of polyphony.

The opsix SE arrives preloaded with hundreds of sounds enhanced for aftertouch control. Moreover, it is fully compatible with the sounds and samples from both the original opsix and the opsix Native software, including numerous high-quality libraries.

Build to play

opsix SE was born out of the desire to play this incredible synth with both hands. Equipped with KORG’s premium 61-note natural-touch keyboard, the opsix SE offers the same outstanding tactile response as KORG's top-tier workstations. Aftertouch puts unparalleled control of all the exceptional opsix sounds at your fingertips. Of course, we've modernized the factory Performances for aftertouch and introduced some fresh ones to the mix as well. In fact, most of the opsix SE programs have been revised to make full use of aftertouch, extended keyboard, and polyphony.

Premium metal design

The opsix SE showcases a notable upgrade in aesthetics. A slim body, specifically designed for this instrument, features a striking brown painted aluminum control panel, paying homage to vintage machines. Together with the vivid, illuminating LEDs, it brings a vibrant energy to any stage performance. The side panels, painted in a sleek black metal, amplify the overall aesthetics for a luxurious finish.

Exclusive hard case included

The opsix SE ships in a dedicated hard case, including space for cables and a sustain pedal. Your instrument can travel protected, whether you're carrying it to a rehearsal downtown or packing it up for a tour.

Get Illuminated with the Operator Mixer

At the heart of every sound is opsix SE’s Operator Mixer – a simple set of six faders and knobs that invite exploration. Each part lights up red to indicate carriers or blue for modulators. Manipulating them opens up new sound-shaping possibilities to breathe fresh life into your musical ideas. This straightforward, hands-on workflow is part of what makes opsix SE so unique, just like the sounds it offers.

Direct Hands-On Control

Whether you’re tweaking a preset or building a patch from the ground up, the six data entry knobs on the right give you quick access to the parameters you need and seamlessly sync with the large OLED display, giving you a clear, focused direction to your workflow. Coupled with the mixer, it makes creating fresh sounds super easy and, most importantly, fun!

Select from a full range of analog-style filters, from the radical Korg MS-20 low-pass/high-pass filter to the powerful yet smooth KORG Polysix low-pass filter that gives your sound a vintage feel. There are also two or four-pole low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and band-reject filters with resonance.

There’s even a built-in spectrum analyzer and oscilloscope that gives you visual feedback via the screen on the music you’re making.

Six in One Synthesis

The core of opsix is nothing short of exponential. Since waveforms can be arranged and modulated in nearly infinite ways, opsix can easily do the sonic work that is similar to numerous types of synthesis:

• Subtractive

Removing parts of the sound to get the sound you want; the most widely-used synthesis. opsix uses up to six envelopes and multi-modeled filters to achieve many cutting-edge and classical analog synthesis tones.

• Semi-Modular

Rerouting signal paths to change the sound. A spin through the Alogorithm section will dramatically reshape the sound by changing how the signal routing between the operators work together, and no patch cables are needed.

• Analog (Modeling)

Analog-style controls and plenty of stackable waveforms take you from digital to analog-sounding in no time. Enjoy deep basses, crisp leads, thick pad sounds, fuzzy brass tones, and so much more.

• Waveshaping

Adding intentional distortion to the waveforms to achieve aggressive overtones that are either harmonic or inharmonic. This will help you achieve gritty, bitey tones dripping with character.

• Additive

Stacking waveforms and blending their harmonics is key to an expansive range of harmonious, dissonant, and tension-driven sounds. With six operators available, the complete FM experience is possible, including the ability to go back in time for classic sounds you have heard throughout recording history.

• Classic FM

Last but certainly not least, opsix’s highly flexible and powerful architecture starts with true six-Operator FM. As a result, it easily delivers signature sounds you have surely heard on thousands of hits from the ‘80s on through today, and with far more polyphony than other standalone FM synths available today.

Altered Reality

opsix SE is FM-based, but the similarities to the classic synthesis end there. The Altered FM architecture delivers sounds across a vast spectrum, far wider than any single synthesis has been able to cover before, thanks to new sound components; new waveforms, filters, shaping, effects, LFOs, envelopes, modulations, and more, all translating to its broad assortment of sounds.

Powerful Effects Processing

opsix SE provides three blocks of 30 types of high-definition effects that you can use together to enhance your sounds even further. There’s everything from a great mix of usable standard effects like chorus, phaser, delay, and compressor to some world-class shimmering reverbs that will elevate your sound to the next level.

Automatable 16-step sequencer

opsix SE features an incredible step sequencer that rivals groove boxes for flexibility and power. Press the PLAY button on any sound and experience the complexity of the sequences! Every Program has its unique sequence stored with it, or create your very own.

You can record up to six notes per step and edit each note's velocity, gate time, and playback timing. Create long phrases or make subtle shifts in timing to emulate strums or drum rolls, something that’s not possible on a typical 16-step sequencer. The motion sequencer of the opsix SE also lets you record changes of up to six parameters, creating smooth motion changes in sound within a phrase or building rhythms that change dramatically with each step.

Monster Modulation Matrix

The opsix SE’s modulation possibilities are genuinely mind-blowing. With six operator modes and 40 preset algorithms, plus the ability to create your own, opsix SE offers you dynamic sonic options.

This synthesis is supercharged with the processors that come at the end of the signal chain. The MOD section works separately from the operators, with three EGs and three LFOs; and 12 virtual patches for a wide variety of routing possibilities. Use these features for a huge range of modulation to create swirling soundscapes or add rhythmic motion to your sounds.

Throw the Dice

Use the Randomize feature if you’re in the mood for unexpected sonic discoveries. Press the button marked with the die icon to completely scramble the synth’s parameters, generating a new, unique sound. You can use the Randomize feature for all parameters or just for the operators, the algorithm, or the sequences.

You might strike gold with your roll, but if not, just try again or use the result as a starting point for your next new sound.

Free Librarian Software

The opsix Sound Librarian lets you view and organize data on an opsix SE connected to a computer via USB, and transfer sound data back and forth between the opsix SE and the computer.