Welcome to this week's episode of TDL Synth Chat! In this show, I'm joined by Luke Edwards from Korg UK — product specialist, demonstrator, sound designer, and the face behind many of Korg's official synth demos.

Luke shares his journey into music, his background in classical training, his early sequencing days with the Atari ST, and how he eventually joined Roland and later Korg. We also dive into his experiences working with R&D, creating presets, demoing new synths, programming techniques, favourite Korg instruments, and what it's like to work behind the scenes on new products.

Whether you're into Korg workstations, Wave State, Modwave, Multi/Poly, analogue classics, or just love hearing inside stories from a synth pro — this one's packed with great insight.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction 00:05 – Luke Edwards from Korg UK joins the show 00:12 – Luke's role as Korg product ambassador 00:18 – Getting into music and early influences 01:05 – Discovering the Modwave and starting sound design 01:30 – Atari ST sequencing days & first Korg module 02:28 – Classical training, orchestras & music college 03:43 – Early gear, learning without YouTube, and Sound On Sound 04:55 – Exploring MIDI sequencing and layering sounds 06:02 – Working within limitations and learning sound design 07:10 – Studying at the Royal College of Music 08:03 – Luke's first job at Harrods piano department 08:22 – Joining Roland and early demo work 09:46 – Learning synthesis, VSynth, and the steep learning curve 10:52 – Moving to Korg & demoing the Kronos 12:05 – How Luke approaches learning a new synth 13:23 – Deconstructing patches and finding "the DNA" of an instrument 14:10 – Building balanced demos for broad audiences 15:52 – Tailoring demonstrations & knowing your audience 16:37 – The breadth of Korg products & switching between engines 17:49 – Revisiting FM synthesis for the Opsix 18:18 – Working with Korg R&D ahead of product launches 19:03 – Timelines for new products & early prototypes 20:06 – Using software/plug-in dev versions during development 21:02 – Vintage gear testing (PS-3300 sessions) 21:55 – Korg Museum and analog reissues 22:15 – Thoughts on classic Korg instruments 23:20 – DW-8000 terminology and vintage quirks 24:01 – Modern focus vs vintage gear support 25:01 – Workstations vs smaller dedicated synths 26:05 – Why physical controls still matter 27:02 – Multiple versions of Korg digital synths (SE, desktop, native) 28:04 – Using hardware + native plug-ins in production 29:03 – Exporting bundles & cross-device workflow 30:02 – Favourite Korg products: Kronos & Wave State 31:06 – Wave sequencing & Wave Station legacy 32:44 – Making wave sequencing accessible 33:23 – Demonstrating programming vs presets 34:16 – Five-minute tutorials & famous sound recreations 35:07 – Why recognisable patches matter 36:13 – Workshops, training days & meeting different user needs 37:02 – On-the-road demos and tailoring to different skill levels 38:03 – Working with dealers & different video styles 39:02 – Favourite classic Korg synths (01/W, Wave Station, M1 era) 40:12 – Triton/Karma memories & Moss board discussion 41:27 – Z1, Prophecy, and potential future reissues 42:03 – Programming Moss and limitations of older interfaces 43:22 – Karma GE programming—powerful but complex 44:10 – Workstation combi mode vs personal creativity 45:21 – Feeding market feedback back to R&D 46:07 – Why Korg caters to all types of musicians 47:03 – Sound quality, factory presets & Korg's reputation 47:52 – Where to find Luke online 48:29 – Evolution of demos, dealer videos & YouTube styles 49:02 – The state of music shops today 50:07 – Hardware vs software and why instruments matter 51:05 – The value of in-person synth shows 51:34 – Wrapping up – future appearances & thanks to Luke