Korg Polyphonic Ensemble P

The Korg PE-1000 (Polyphonic Ensemble) is a preset-based polyphonic analog synthesizer released by Korg in 1976. It was Korg's first polyphonic synthesizer and was marketed in the US as the Univox K4.

Background
In the mid-1970s, polyphonic synthesizers had started to emerge, with the releases of the Yamaha GX-1, Oberheim 4-Voice, and Polymoog signalling a new direction in synthesis technology. Korg aiming to produced a synthesizer capable of producing true polyphonic chords, as all of their previous synthesizers had been monophonic.

Constructing a polyphonic synth was prohibitively expensive at the time. Although string synthesizers had been available for a few years, they didn't offer the articulation of a true synthesizer. Korg's innovation involved integrating the basic features of a monosynth with the polyphonic sound generation system of string synthesizers, resulting in the release of two Polyphonic Ensemble keyboards. These instruments, the PE-1000 followed by the PE-2000, offered limited controls and primarily relied on preset sounds.

PE-1000
The PE-1000 generates electric piano sounds through seven distinct presets, each defined by settings of the 'Traveler' filter first featured on the miniKORG 700 as well as an envelope generator. Although some control over the sound is possible, it operates with a single filter and envelope across all voices and lacks touch sensitivity.

PE-2000
The PE-2000 (Polyphonic Ensemble S) is a string synthesizer, creating a richer sound than the PE-1000 through the use of three oscillators per note, possibly employing delayed and detuned variations of a single oscillator, and a built-in phaser effect. It includes eight presets, such as organ, brass, chorus, and string sounds, and was utilized by notable artists like Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Hawkwind.