A sprung octave transpose switch further expands the range. But if you can adapt to this, you have three full octaves in a package just 55cm long. The keyboard action is very light - far lighter than the mini keys of my Yamaha CS01 synth, for example. Its 37 miniature keys are chunky and square, with the black notes squeezed in slightly, donating a fraction of the available width to their white brethren. With any instrument of this size, producing a playable keyboard is going to be a challenge, and I was intrigued to see how the new 'Natural Touch' version performed. Generally, I felt the moulded black-plastic body looked more classy on the screen or page than it does up close. I'm not confident the knobs - especially those big, wobbly ones for Genre and Category selection - would long endure rough treatment. However, be careful when tossing it into your rucksack. An external PSU is provided, but the XL can run quite happily from six AA batteries, further boosting its 'take me out' credentials. If the goal was to make the smallest self‑contained synth around, Korg have planted one firmly in the net. Weighing in at a mere 2kg, this is a keyboard to secure firmly when playing outdoors. (See /sos/sep07/articles/korgr3.htm and /sos/apr06/articles/korgradias.htm for more on the Radias and the R3). The resulting Microkorg XL, with its minimal, retro style resembles a scaled‑down model of a classic electric piano - but its sound engine is firmly rooted in the tradition of the Radias. With keen Japanese ingenuity, a generous portion of the R3, Korg's vocoder‑equipped, portable synth derived from the powerful Radias 'module plus keyboard' package, has been shoe‑horned into petite, Microkorg dimensions. The latest keyboard from Korg is a fine example of a mysterious Eastern art‑form known as 'extracting maximum return from R&D”. Will it repeat the success of its sibling? The hugely popular Microkorg - the world's best‑selling synth for the past few years, according to its makers - has gained what Korg describe as a 'big brother'.

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