The Unperson vs. MicroKorg: Plastic Legend or Bedroom Beast?

Let’s get one thing straight: the MicroKorg’s been selling like dodgy rave tickets for over two decades, but plenty of synth snobs still write it off as a toy. The Unperson isn’t having any of it. Snagging one off eBay, he’s instantly struck by how balanced and deep this little box actually is. Under the hood, you get four voices, two oscillators per voice, two LFOs, two envelopes, and a smattering of effects—all packed into a chassis that looks like it should come with a free packet of crisps.

What’s surprising is just how flexible the sound engine is. Sure, you can whip up classic synth tones in seconds, but there’s enough weirdness and depth here to keep even the most jaded sound designer entertained. The Unperson’s approach is direct: initialise, tweak, and get stuck in. The edit section might look intimidating, but once you’re in the flow, it’s a breeze. Don’t let the size fool you—this thing’s got more tricks than a dodgy magician at a warehouse party.

The Unperson gets right into the meat: oscillator one is stacked with waveforms—saw, square, triangle, sine, plus digital and noise options. There’s real depth here, with control parameters that let you mangle things far beyond basic bread-and-butter sounds. Oscillator two is simpler but brings ring mod and sync to the party, letting you cook up everything from classic leads to outright chaos.

But the real sauce is in the modulation and performance features. The arpeggiator is tight and latches for instant groove. The mod matrix gives you four slots to route LFOs, envelopes, velocity, and more to almost anything you fancy. The Unperson shows how easy it is to get evolving, animated sounds—syncing LFOs, stacking modulations, and generally making the MicroKorg punch way above its weight. And then there’s the vocoder: surprisingly articulate, sci-fi as you like, and a proper wildcard for anyone wanting Daft Punk vibes or just to weird out their mates.

Let’s talk effects. The MicroKorg’s got delay, flanger, chorus, phaser, and a distortion tucked away in the amp section. The Unperson rates the delay—especially the ping pong—for adding stereo width and rhythmic spice. The flanger and phaser can get wild, perfect for when you want your patch to sound like it’s melting.

But it’s not all roses. The chorus is, frankly, a bit pants—thin and underwhelming compared to the rest. The distortion’s all-or-nothing, no blend, but at least it’s there for when you need to rough things up. Overall, the sound design potential is massive, but don’t expect every effect to slap. Still, for a synth in this price range, the MicroKorg holds its own and then some.

Presets on the MicroKorg aren’t just filler—they’re a showcase of what this synth can really do. The Unperson runs through a stack of his own creations, covering everything from lush pads and biting leads to full-on experimental textures. It’s a proper demo reel, showing off the synth’s range and flexibility.

If you’re after instant gratification, the factory and custom presets are a goldmine. But the real fun is in tweaking and warping them into your own monsters. The video’s sound examples do a better job than any written review could—so if you want to hear this thing scream, you’ll need to watch and listen for yourself. Trust us, it’s worth it.