In addition to sounding great, Korg’s new TR is one of the most “results-oriented” workstations out there. But let’s start with the sound.
While Korg has consistently dished up some of the juiciest synth sounds around, the acoustic instruments in this new sound set are no less spectacular. Based on the HI (Hyper Integrated) engine that made TRITON a household word, the TR comes crammed with 64 MB of sampled data – double that of the original TRITON. New for the TR are samples that capture multiple dynamic levels, natural articulation or even stereo imaging. The results? The new acoustic piano is responsive and expressive. Solo woodwinds are detailed and realistic. You can feel the strings on the nylon and steel-string acoustic guitars. And the string, brass, and voices are simply stellar. But the icing on the cake is the new electric pianos. From sweet bells to biting tines, it’s all there.

Individual sounds are called Programs, and there are 512 of them in the TR. Up to 8 Programs can be split, layered and velocity zoned across the keyboard in a Combination – and there are 384 of these “Combis”. Plus there’s a full GM soundset with an additional 128 programs and 9 drumkits.

Add it all up and there are over 1,000 sounds in the new TR. Sure, that’s a lot. But Korg makes it easy to find the sound you want by grouping them together by category. Programs, Combis, PCM waves, even effect algorithms are grouped by category – a great aid when editing or creating your own sounds. While the TR comes fully loaded with sounds, Korg lets you edit and save your own sounds in every location.

To put the final shine on your sound, the TR provides not one but two master effects, a master EQ, and an insert effect. There are 89 different effect algorithms to choose from. And of course, they are all fully editable. Tempo-based BPM effects can sync to the two on-board arpeggiators, the internal sequencer, or to an external MIDI clock.
The heart of every workstation is its sequencer, and the TR’s is loaded with tools and shortcuts that will have your songs nearly writing themselves. Auto-Song Setup instantly takes your sound and pops it into the sequencer with all its settings intact, so you can start recording whenever an idea hits you. Alternately, the TR’s sequencer contains templates to get you started. Each template assigns commonly-used sounds to the sequencer tracks, routes appropriate effects, and can even lay down some drum patterns to get things started. There are 16 templates provided, plus 16 you can create yourself. If you like to work on your songs in sections, you’ll appreciate the Cue List function. Using it, you can make individual sequences for each part of your song - verse, chorus, bridge, solo, etc. – and then arrange them into a finished production. The sequencer is also home to the RPPR section, where you can assign mini-sequences or patterns to individual keys on the keyboard - a great performance tool!