Build Quality

The Minilogue Xd is made in Vietnam, while the Prologue is made in Japan. The Minilogue Xd feels solid and well built. It features a metal front panel, with a solid-feeling plastic enclosure on all other sides except for the rear, which is made of wood. It isn't any type of luxury wood, just a cheap wood rear panel. I don't know why Korg used wood on the rear, since most won't see it. They should have saved it for the sides instead...

The plastic knobs are rubberized and have a good fluid feel to them when turned. It looks like each pot is reinforced with a nut- a good sign.

The flip switch covers seem to be plastic, with the actual switch appearing to be metal. Korg has provided dust shields on the flip switches, to keep the contacts cleaner.

I don't see any reinforcing nuts or screws on the rear panel connections, so you might want to be gentle with the jacks.

The keyboard, while a mini-keyboard, is velocity sensitive, but has no aftertouch. The keyboard keys are quiet, compared to other keyboards. There is no loud clunk when the keys spring back to the original position.

I don't like how the button covers are hinged with the hinge facing towards the user. It just feels so awkward to press.

User Interface

This synth has almost all the controls for everything on the front panel. You will need to go through some menus, to change some hidden settings there, but it is mostly minimal. The layout is simple and easy to use, even for a beginner. Due to the simplified interface, you don't need to twist many knobs to dramatically alter the sound. Patch creation feels simple and more immediate than some other synths. It can be a fun interface to use.

Korg chose to use an encoder for data entry, and you will have to scroll through stuff with it. While you can hold shift and scroll through presets quicker, there is no such feature during patch naming. For naming patches, you'll have to click through every single letter.

One of the most frustrating things about the Minilogue Xd is the inability to see the program name while finding a program slot to save to. You can only see the program slot number, and there is no way to tell what patch is sitting there, before you overwrite it. It's easy to overwrite your favorite patches! To overcome this, you'll need to reserve a slot for temporary storage, like #500,  so you can find an empty slot, where you can copy the temp slot's contents to later.

To use motion sequences, you'll have to press "play" every time you switch programs. There is no way to play just motion or just note sequences separately. 

The sequencer is very basic, and is only 16 steps long. I don't find the sequencer very useful.

The flexible hybrid analog/digital engine makes this synth stick out from other synths. You can even import custom oscillators and effects!

The EG envelope is not a full ADSR envelope, it is a AD type, with no sustain or release.

I wish the keyboard had an extra octave, so you could play bass with your other hand, or a split keyboard mode, like in the Sequential Take 5.

Sound

This isn't a 1000USD+ synth, so it's not going to sound like one. If you put some effort into it, you can still make lots of great patches with a Minilogue Xd.

I find the sound to be neither aggressive nor airy/dreamy. The sound is kind of "in the middle", and smooth. Other synths can sound more "buzzy" or "bold" than the Minilogue Xd. The filters/reasonace and general sound remind me of putting your ear next to a seashell, for some reason.

You only have 4 voices, so you can't do long pads with it well.

You can make this specific synth sound sharper and more brilliant, by adding some high end EQ, I recommend trying it out.

The effects are plentiful on this synth. Unlike the Prologue, a Minilogue Xd can have delay and reverb running at the same time.

You get a generous amount of program slots.

It's not a 1400USD synth, so it's not going to sound like one. However, it is a good-sounding multi-purpose synth for the money. Remember to add some high-end EQ, if needed.

Conclusion

The Minilogue Xd is a practical multi-purpose hybrid analog/digital synth, that isn't super expensive, and doesn't take up too much desktop space. Korg tries to give you many features, for the cost of this synth. You get onboard effects, and a multi-engine digital oscillator. Being able to add custom oscillators and effects off the internet is huge. 

PROS

• Multi engine expands the sounds that you can create

• Ability to load custom oscillators and effects off the internet

• Simple, direct and immediate interface, for most settings

• Compact size, while having many sound possibilities

CONS

• No way to see previous patch name before overwriting a slot

• Buttons can feel awkward to press

• No split keyboard mode for playing bass with left hand

• Limited sequencer