All Hail the Mighty Trident!
In 1981, Korg quietly dropped a monster on the synth world: the Trident. An eight-voice, 16-VCO,16-memory-slot beast that was equal parts orchestra-in-a-box, multi-timbral wall of sound, and swiss army synth rolled into one. It was a glorious slab of knobs, wood, and analog circuitry that bundled three powerhouse instruments into one: a fat polysynth, a silky string machine, and a brass section that could rattle arena walls. Together, they formed a one-stop symphonic arsenal that was lush, commanding, and unmistakably alive.
When an improved (and more expensive) Mk II version of the synth arrived in 1982, it doubled the number of memories, added independent envelopes for VCF and VCA, and made a few other useful tweaks such as programmable volume parameters and improved program editing.
Though the Korg Trident never dominated the charts in the same way that the Prophet-5 or Jupiter-8 did, it left its fingerprints on some remarkable music. Paul Humphreys of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark wove it into OMD’s early-’80s soundscapes. Rick Wakeman of YES put a Trident Mk II to work on albums like Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. French rockers Phoenix relied on it for the main synth hook in their hit “1901.” And in the ’90s, Pulp gave the Trident a spotlight on their album More.
So why isn’t the Trident spoken of in the same hushed tones as the Prophet-5 or Jupiter-8? Blame a few unlucky breaks. First off, it had big ambitions and a bigger price tag. With three discrete sections, dedicated filters, and a front panel bristling with controls, the Trident was a marvel of engineering. But it wasn’t cheap, light, or simple. In an era where affordability and portability were becoming the new normal, its grandeur ironically kept it out of more studios than it entered.
Second, it suffered from bad timing and worse luck. Just as the Trident was finding its stride, Yamaha detonated the market with the DX7. Digital FM synthesis arrived with sparkling pianos, glassy basses, and mass-produced affordability. Within a few years, it was everywhere, and on nearly half the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986 alone. Against that tidal wave, the Trident’s warm, analog soul seemed like yesterday’s news.
And finally, it got lost in the digital stampede. By the mid-’80s, the floodgates were wide open. Workstations like the Korg M1 and Roland D-50 promised PCM (aka sample-based) realism, with effects and workflows that drew the spotlight further away from analog giants like the Trident.
But here’s the thing: those very circumstances are what make the Trident so special now. It never got overplayed. It never became cliché. Instead, it became a rare, coveted voice and an underdog classic waiting for rediscovery.
Why Trident Still Matters
It’s lavish and cinematic. Pads feel infinite, strings sparkle with organic depth, and brass can cut through like a laser. It’s the kind of instrument players still call “majestic” because no other word quite fits.
It’s rare in the wild. Original units often suffered battery leaks, failing chips, and other analog aging ailments. Keeping one alive today is as much a restoration project as an instrument. Cherry Audio’s Trident saves you the heartbreak: all the sound, none of the soldering iron.
It’s an analog sanctuary. In our era of touchscreens and menus, the Trident reminds you how liberating it feels to just sit down, twist a knob, and immerse yourself in a wall of sound.
The Trident Reborn
Four decades later, Cherry Audio has resurrected this overlooked gem with the same warmth, depth, and character as the original, minus the back-breaking weight, maintenance nightmares, and second-mortgage price tag. And here’s where Trident Mk III truly flexes: each section now boasts 16 voices of polyphony. That means you can stack 16 notes of Brass, 16 notes of Strings, and 16 notes of Synthesizer all at once. The Synthesizer is fully polyphonic, with a filter per voice for independent shaping, while the Brass and Strings preserve the original character of their hardware counterparts. The Brass section runs through a single paraphonic filter and envelope for its ensemble punch, while the Strings section uses per-note attack/release envelopes and its own non-resonant filter ("Kbd Balance") for rolling off the brightness.
This hybrid design is what gives Trident Mk III its unique personality: the synth side offers pristine note-by-note articulation, while the strings and brass deliver sweeping, unified textures. Put them together, and you’ve got a sound that’s bigger than any single synth voice has a right to be.
The lower panels for Keyboard, Motion (a new feature), and Effects have been significantly expanded to include a virtual studio of tools that enhance this "orchestra-in-a-box" experience like never before. These features include drag-and-drop zones and quick templates for splits and layers, a DAW-friendly 16x2 polyphonic step sequencer, and dual arpeggiators. Trident also features 17 studio-quality effects that can now be arranged and reused within its four effects chains. These effects include the original BBD flanger, a compressor, a lo-fi effect, a phaser, a ring modulator, a 7-band EQ, and various delays and reverbs, including the new Lushverb.
Like all Cherry Audio instruments, Trident Mk III is built to welcome both first-time explorers and seasoned synth nerds. Beginners will find it approachable and instantly rewarding. Power users will discover layers of evolving timbres that the 1981 hardware could only dream about.
Whether you’re after cathedral-sized pads, brass stabs ripped from a vintage power ballad, or strings so lush they practically drip chorus, Trident is your ticket.
So go ahead. Fire it up, grab a knob, and step into a sound world that’s equal parts nostalgia trip and bold new frontier.
Polyphonic vs. Paraphonic. What’s the Difference?
Polyphonic means every note you play gets its own full signal chain: oscillator, filter, envelope, the works. Play a C major chord on the Synthesizer section, and each note has its own filter opening and closing independently. It’s like every singer in the choir having their own microphone and EQ.
Paraphonic means you can play multiple notes at once, but the filtering and/or envelope behavior is shared rather than fully independent. In Trident, the Brass section uses a single paraphonic filter and envelope, so chords swell and fade as one unified block of sound. It’s more like the whole choir singing into a single mic: rich and powerful, but moving together as one. The Strings section behaves differently: each note has its own attack and release envelope, but they share a simple tone-shaping filter (rather than a resonant filter) for overall brightness control.
Why it matters:
Polyphonic - more precision and articulation (perfect for synth leads, pads, or anything where you want notes to breathe independently).
Paraphonic - big, unified sweeps and ensemble character (great for Brass stabs or the organic shimmer of Strings where that “moving as one” vibe just feels right).
This hybrid approach is part of Trident’s charm: polyphonic freedom where it counts, paraphonic glue where it delivers vintage vibe.
Aftertouch for Expressive Control
Trident doesn’t stop at polyphony and paraphony. It also responds beautifully to aftertouch. The Synthesizer section supports full polyphonic aftertouch, allowing every finger to add its own independent expression for vibrato, filter sweeps, and more. The Brass and Strings sections implement a modified form of poly aftertouch for volume and modulation, and because they’re paraphonic, they also respond to mono (channel) aftertouch for filter control. The result is a responsive, performance-friendly instrument that responds organically to your touch and that feels alive under your fingertips.
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