大收藏家馮夢波之二百八十五:Korg M1

按：1993年秋天的一個下午，藏家去中關村買了自己第一臺電腦（「創易」，即Macintosh LC II，參見第一百零一期），然後去位於東四十字路口西北角的一個樂器行，買了自己的第一臺電子合成器Korg M1（剛才和王迪微信，他說那個店叫「北京樂器店」，就在北京第一家加州牛肉麵大王對面，他自己的第一把Fender電吉他就是在那買的）。這是難以忘懷的一天，藏家一下子實現了自己多年來夢想。

黑膠唱片內頁，《Jean-Michel Jarre: The Concerts in China》, Polydor, 1982；藏家攝影

藏家最早知道電子合成器這個詞，是通過1981年讓-米歇爾·雅爾在北京和上海舉辦的兩場音樂會（參見第三十八期）的啟蒙。當時藏家正在北京市工藝美校上一年級，在電視上看到雅爾在舞臺上鼓搗成排的帶無數旋鈕和開關的機器，聽說叫電子合成器，發出極為科幻的聲音，十分入迷。當年一個普通職工的基本工資只有幾十元，一般人喜歡音樂，家裡最多能買把木吉他，後來的了不起能買一臺家用卡西歐或山葉電子琴，個人擁有合成器是難以想像的。

1993年時，合成器遠沒有今天流行，國內的選擇更少，藏家記得當時只有Korg M1、Roland D50和Yamaha DX7等。當時藏家對合成器的知識為零，選擇M1完全是因為這臺更新更貴，外觀看起來更高科技（笑）。店裡只有一臺現貨陳列著，裹著一層塑料薄膜。藏家交了13000元現金，店員把琴收回紙箱裡，藏家攔了一輛面的，帶著新買的電腦和M1回到位於東直門外大街加拿大使館對面的的住所兼工作室。

藏家在位於東直門外大街的家庭工作室，1994年，刊於《Esquire》（日文版）1994年1月號

音樂工作站

出品：Korg（日本）

型號：M1

產地：日本

入手：1993年

來源：店購

擁有：27年

藏家當年買M1時是當合成器買的，回來看到琴身上赫然印著「音樂工作站」（Music Workstation）的字樣，一頭霧水，不明白工作站和合成器的區別。後來明白，這個工作站的名稱並不是噱頭，因為當年的合成器沒有音序功能，而M1屬於全功能一體化音樂設備，自帶音序器，可以獨立完成從演奏到編曲的全部工作，叫工作站名副其實。現在想起來，當年的電腦也有一個類型叫工作站；一般的個人電腦（PC）都是扁平的臺式機，工作站要大一號，可以算是高檔PC，多為塔式，以容納更多的板卡和接口；有些工作站有自己獨特的作業系統和硬體，運行特定的專業軟體，一般的PC上不能用，所以價格非常高昂。

電腦和M1到家以後，藏家如獲至寶，沒日沒夜地玩。

藏家的第一臺蘋果電腦 Mcintosh 「創易」，1993年

藏家的朋友賈佩琳（Linda Jaivin，著名澳大利亞作家和翻譯家）在藏家的電腦前看他的新作品，1994年

電腦還好，因為有中文說明書，操作界面還算容易理解。藏家之前用打字機苦練過打字（參見第二百六十一期），文字輸入沒問題；就是用滑鼠繪圖特別不習慣，像是拿著一塊巨大的木炭，卻要眼睛盯著屏幕畫，手眼不協調，十分彆扭，不過一會兒就適應了，頭一天就畫出點兒樣來了。

藏家和Korg M1在他的家庭工作室，1993年11月26日，北京

學習M1則完全不同。藏家從未受過音樂訓練，也從沒擁有過任何樂器。插上耳機開機後，第一個就是鋼琴，彈彈出聲沒問題，下一步就完全不知道怎麼玩，只好一邊看說明書一邊摸索。

Korg M1英文說明書影印件，來自網絡；

這臺機器附帶了兩本說明書，一本英文原版，一本中文的，看樣子是從臺灣行貨翻印的，印刷和裝訂都很粗糙。對於藏家這樣的外行來說，每行都像天書，中文英文都看不太懂，難以理解。好在藏家非常有興趣，就一邊玩電腦，一邊鼓搗M1，很快可以帶上內置效果器耍耍當時最感興趣的電吉他和薩克斯風了，也練著用鍵盤打鼓。

M1的MIDI設定和參數表佔了說明書很大部分，後來發現這是連接和控制外部設備用的，反正自己就一個設備，暫時不用學了。藏家沒有合成器的經驗，編輯音色這部分不好懂，合成方式不用提了，即使是濾波、包絡和效果部分理解起來也很頭疼。請看下面這段藏家剛找到的關於M1的扼要介紹：

At the heart of the synth, pulse-code modulation (PCM) — sampled and synthesized waveforms can be shaped using conventional analog-style editing techniques. As many as eight Programs on the same or different MIDI channels can be linked into a Combination. Throw in a sequencer and a decent pair of digital signal processing (DSP) chips for good onboard effects, and there you have it: the Korg M1.

（摘自https://web.archive.org/web/20040923104413/http://emusician.com/elecinstruments/emusic_korg/index.html）

英文水平有限、也沒有合成器經驗的讀者們，也許可以藉此想像藏家在1993年的情境，讀到這種文字能理解多少（吐）。

聊到合成器，還是先看看維基百科上的條目吧：

A synthesizer (UK: synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers generate audio through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis, and frequency modulation synthesis. These sounds may be shaped and modulated by components such as filters, envelopes, and low-frequency oscillators. Synthesizers are typically sequenced, controlled by software or instruments via MIDI, or played with keyboards or other controllers.

Synthesizer-like instruments emerged in the United States in the mid-20th century with instruments such as the RCA Mark II, which was controlled with punch cards and composed of hundreds of vacuum tubes. The Moog synthesizer, developed by Robert Moog and first sold in 1964, is credited for pioneering analog synthesis concepts such as the voltage-controlled oscillator, envelopes, noise generators, filters, and sequencers. In 1970, the cheaper, smaller Minimoog standardized synthesizers as self-contained instruments with built-in keyboards, compared to the larger modular synthesizers before it. The first mass-produced synthesizer, the Yamaha DX7, was launched in 1983, popularizing digital synthesis. Software synthesizers now can be embedded on single microchips in any electronic device.

Synthesizers were initially viewed as avant-garde, valued by the 1960s psychedelic and counter-cultural scenes. Switched-On Bach (1968), a bestselling album of Bach compositions arranged for synthesizer by Wendy Carlos, took synthesizers to the mainstream. They were adopted by electronic acts and pop and rock groups in the 1960s and 1970s, and widely used in 1980s pop. Sampling, introduced with the Fairlight synthesizer in 1979, has influenced all genres of music and had a major influence on the development of electronic and hip hop music. Today, the synthesizer is used in every genre of music, and is considered one of the most important instruments in the music industry. According to Fact in 2016, "The synthesizer is as important, and as ubiquitous, in modern music today as the human voice.

現在機翻的質量不錯，藏家校對後如下：

合成器是一種產生音頻信號的電子樂器。合成器通過減法合成、加法合成和調頻合成等方法生成音頻。這些聲音可以由諸如濾波器、包絡線和低頻振蕩器之類的元件來塑造和調製。合成器通常通過由MIDI軟體或樂器控制的音序器，或者用鍵盤或其他控制器播放。

類似合成器的樂器出現在20世紀中葉的美國，當時的樂器有RCA Mark II等，RCA Mark II是用打孔卡片控制的，由數百個電子管組成。Moog合成器由Robert Moog開發，於1964年首次銷售，它被認為是一種開創性的模擬合成概念，如壓控振蕩器、包絡、噪聲發生器、濾波器和音序器等。1970年，與之前更大的模塊化合成器相比，更便宜、更小的Minimoog標準化合成器作為內置鍵盤的獨立樂器。第一臺量產合成器山葉DX7於1983年推出，推廣了數字合成技術。軟體合成器現在可以嵌入在任何電子設備的單個微晶片上。

合成器最初被認為是前衛的，受到20世紀60年代迷幻和反文化場景的重視。Switched-On Bach（1968），一張由溫迪·卡洛斯為合成器編排的巴赫作品暢銷專輯，將合成器推向了主流。它們在20世紀60年代和70年代被電子藝界、流行音樂和搖滾樂團採用，並在80年代流行音樂中得到廣泛應用。1979年，隨著Fairlight合成器的推出，採樣已經影響了所有音樂流派，並對電子音樂和嘻哈音樂的發展產生了重大影響。今天，合成器被應用於每一種音樂流派，被認為是音樂行業最重要的樂器之一。根據2016年的事實，「在現代音樂中，合成器和人聲一樣重要，而且無處不在。

Korg M1的音色合成是純數位化的，叫「PCM sampled and synthesized waveforms」，核心是波形（Waveforms）。不同於早期的模擬合成器（analog），M1的先進波形合成技術號稱AI（人工智慧），加上可選的採樣卡，可以產生相當擬真或有未來感的音色，十分強大，音色預製也很出色，抬手就用。M1被公認為歷史上銷量第一的合成器（25萬臺，1988-1995年），稱得上是瑞士軍刀般的生產工具，不但經常能在上世紀八九十年代的流行和搖滾樂中聽到，在早期的Techno音樂中也很突出。

M1和同代的電子設備（包括電子遊戲）一樣，存儲空間有限，額外的音色需要用另售的音色卡（ROM）調用，有些用到PCM採樣的卡，更是需要抹掉一部分內置音色騰地兒才能用。這些卡都很昂貴，不像現在網上有很多音色，包括很多卡的檔案，下載了通過MIDI導入就可以了，當時都要真金白銀地買。還有一種需要安裝紐扣電池的記憶卡，專門用來備份音色和保存音序的，容量為256K，一千多元一塊，藏家也買過。

學了音色部分以後，藏家最頭疼的是音序器，難以理解MIDI頻道（MIDI Channel）分配、歌曲（song）和段落（Patterns）的關係、音符實時量化（quantification）等，還有與電腦類似的拷貝、粘貼、分割與合併等，這些在只有兩行參數的液晶屏上都很難操作，而且因為字符限制，永遠是天書般的縮寫；藏家不會彈琴，分步錄音的鼓軌道還好辦，實時錄音的主奏旋律就更難了，要無數遍地抹掉重彈（吐）。

藏家用了小半年才掌握了M1的基本功能，這時也用電腦軟體（Aldus Persuasion）完成了自己最早的電子幻燈片，存在一張張高密度軟盤上。他開始給幻燈片配樂和音效，先使用Korg M1演奏和編曲，記錄在M1的內置音序器裡，播放音序時把聲音轉錄到四軌錄音機的磁帶上（參見第二百四十期）；再從電子遊戲或唱片、收音機等播放自己想要的聲音，加上自己用錄音機去戶外的錄音，分次錄到另外幾軌，合併後轉錄到MD磁碟上（參見第二十一期），和電腦幻燈片一起展覽。

藏家的四軌磁帶錄音機，Fostex X-28H，1993年

藏家於1991年從中央美院畢業後，適逢改革，國家不再包分配工作了。一般工作藏家看不上，在家宅了半年，每天做模型玩，後來突然開竅，開始畫自己心目中的電子遊戲，十分成功；這些畫1993年就參加了威尼斯雙年展，前途一片光明；但從義大利回來後，鬼使神差地買了電腦和合成器，這一入坑，至今都沒能出來。這臺Korg M1實在是害人不淺（笑）。

Korg M1在藏家的工作室，2006年；攝影：郭航

維基百科上有一段關於Korg M1預製音色開發的理念和趣事：

Whereas previous synthesizers had shipped with sounds chosen for different markets, Korg chairman Tsutomu Kato and his son Seiki decided that their synthesizers should use the same sounds internationally. Korg assembled an international team to develop the sounds for the M1. To create a deep blown bottle sound, the team played a pan flute over a large sake bottle.

權威音樂雜誌《Sound on Sound》有兩段中肯的評語：

None of the M1's features were unique at the time of release, but were implemented and combined in a new way.

…

The Korg M1 is the bestselling synthesizer in history. It was released in 1988 and manufactured until 1995, selling an estimated 250,000 units. It can rightly be called the most popular synth of all time.

下面是Korg M1的規格表（來自維基百科）：

M1

The Korg M1

Manufacturer

Korg

Dates

1988–1995

Price

$2,166 US 

£1,499 GBP 

¥248,000 JPY

Technical specifications

Polyphony

16 voices

Timbrality

8 part

Oscillator

16 bit 2MWord (4MB) PCM waveform ROM (100 multisounds + 44 drum sounds)[1]

Synthesis type

Digital sample-based subtractive

Filter

VDF (Variable Digital Filter), low-pass velocity sensitive (non-resonant)

Attenuator

3 independent AADBSSRR[2] envelope generators

Aftertouch expression

Yes

Velocity expression

Yes

Storage memory

100 programs / 100 combinations / 4400 sequencer notes or 50 programs / 50 combinations / 7700 sequencer notes depending on global settings, and 10 songs + 100 patterns[3]

Effects

Reverb, delay, phaser, tremolo, exciter, ensemble, overdrive, EQ, chorus, flanger, rotary speaker

Input/output

Keyboard

61 keys

Left-hand control

Spring-return joystick (pitch and modulation)

External control

MIDI IN/OUT/THRU

Korg M1於1988年發售；13年後，《Electronic Musician》發表了一篇Julian Colbeck撰寫的文章。原文不太好找，這從網上找的存檔 （

https://web.archive.org/web/20040923104413/http://emusician.com/elecinstruments/emusic_korg/index.html

）：

When the Korg M1 was previewed at the 1988 winter NAMM show, no one predicted that it would become the world's best-selling synthesizer workstation. Subdued and unassuming with a rounded casing, small display (by today's standards), and paucity of front-panel hardware, the M1 offers less than heart-stopping visuals. Fortunately, its layout is simple, and most operations are easy to understand and execute. The onboard sounds are catchy, direct, and versatile. (If you're a product designer, reread the two previous sentences. In fact, cut them out and tape them to your CAD system. They reveal the blueprint for a best-selling synth, then and now.)

At the heart of the synth, pulse-code modulation (PCM) — sampled and synthesized waveforms can be shaped using conventional analog-style editing techniques. As many as eight Programs on the same or different MIDI channels can be linked into a Combination. Throw in a sequencer and a decent pair of digital signal processing (DSP) chips for good onboard effects, and there you have it: the Korg M1.

In 1988 the M1's factory programs — acoustic guitars that actually sound like acoustic guitars; haunting oboes; melting strings; sonorous basses; and fierce, chunky pianos — took the world by storm. Even today M1 sounds are pleasantly direct yet full of character. You can always count on an M1 to get you out of trouble.

Programs use one or two oscillators generating sounds plucked from the M1's 4 MB pool of waveforms. Single-oscillator Programs are 16-note polyphonic, and double-oscillator Programs are 8-note. Sounds range from full multisampled pianos to bells and pan flutes; snippets of recorded audio such as Koto Trem, Pole, and Lore (a sample of a jack-in-the-box being wound up, courtesy of Steve Winwood's keyboard technician); and synth waveforms from the Korg DSS-1 and DSM-1.

Three independent four-stage envelope generators (EGs), each controllable with Velocity and Aftertouch, modulate the filter, amplifier, and pitch. The pitch envelope is great for adding interest to the beginning of each note. You can apply the amplifier envelope to cut off all but the beginning of a ROM waveform and then use the truncated waveform as the front end of a double-oscillator Program; the koto multisample's initial tip is a good example of that technique.

The Velocity-sensitive lowpass filter offers keyboard tracking but no resonance. Korg labored over the M1's filter; in the original design, the filter's EG had no Intensity parameter. By the time it was redesigned, it featured positive and negative Intensity.

The M1 was one of the first synths to offer a serious collection of premapped drum kits. For its vintage, the drum samples are first-class. They can even be remapped, which is handy because the M1's kits don't adhere to what has become standard General MIDI (GM) mapping. You can also apply Pitch Bend to drum sounds.

Perhaps the M1's most confusing aspect is its flexible effects routing, because the effects and the overall output routing are inextricably bound. You have a huge variety of choices, including routing the effects in series or parallel and sending each Program to a separate output.

A pair of digital multi-effects processors provide reverb, delay, overdrive, EQ, chorus, rotary speaker, and other effects. Effects can be applied to specific Programs within a Combination. The M1's effects are remarkable for their high quality and real-time controllability; they're clean, powerful, and completely editable. You can assign a footswitch to change an organ Program's rotary-speaker effect from slow to fast in real time.

You can adjust many of the M1's basic parameters — such as filter cutoff, envelope release, and effects level — by choosing the parameter onscreen and moving the Edit slider or a footpedal, also in real time. Eight primary parameters are on the main Program page; you gain access to them by pressing one of the round function buttons beneath the display.

It seems that only die-hards still use the M1's sequencer. It offers eight tracks, full quantizing and editing, and the option to store phrase patterns that can be inserted into a sequence. But when compared with a modern workstation-based sequencer, the M1's number-based user interface is hardly inviting.

The range and quality of its building blocks give the M1 character, which, in its time, resulted in substantial success for Korg. That success might be surprising when you consider that the filter has neither resonance nor modes other than lowpass, the low-frequency oscillator is basic, and no sync or cross-modulation exists between the oscillators. Fortunately, you can find PCM expansion cards with more complex types of synth sounds.

When the M1 was au courant, Korg and an army of third-party developers gave it royal support. Instructional materials supplemented new collections of PCM samples and Programs, such as Korg's MSC-1S-16S cards, which contained raw PCM data and Program/Combi data. Frontal Lobe produced the PCM Channel SysEx kit, which let users load their samples into an M1. InVision introduced the M1 Plus One expansion board, which had 4 MB of sparkling new samples such as organs, guitars, and flutes; those samples are preinstalled on the M1 Plus One. Some bloke named Julian Colbeck even made a fine video called Getting the Most out of the Korg M1.

The M1R is an otherwise identical rack-mount version. It was upgraded to the M1REX (commonly called Mirex), and its ROM waveform capacity doubled, with 275 multisampled sounds instead of the M1 keyboard's 144. Korg implemented an overflow mode, providing twice the polyphony by linking two instruments. The M1 can be upgraded to Mirex status, giving it the same waveform ROM as Korg's T-series.

In 2001 Korg's support for the M1 is limited to repairs and replacement of the original patch data. Unfortunately, the M1's annoying battery-changing routine wipes your Programs and Combis from its memory. If you externally back up your internal data through SysEx, though, you shouldn't have a problem. Luckily, the M1 is a reliable beast, with only the occasional sticky button to beware of.

If you're ever stuck, the M1's Internet presence is massive, with endless newsgroups and Web sites devoted to it. Many of the sites are tiresomely fan based, but a few offer reprints of manuals, helpful tips, and downloadable Programs. I particularly like Terry Little's Web site (www.geocities.com/tlittle72), which is succinct, relevant, and helpful.

Although other Korg instruments have superseded the M1, it still holds its own on a dance track. The reggae fraternity would, no doubt even today, be lost without the M1's skanking-friendly pianos and bubbling organ sounds. An M1 revival seems unlikely, though, because the instrument never went away.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korg_M1

http://www.vintagesynth.com/korg/m1.php

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/korg-m1-retrozone

https://web.archive.org/web/20040923104413/http://emusician.com/elecinstruments/emusic_korg/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthesizer

https://baike.baidu.com/item/電子音樂合成器