Korg Electribe ESX2 Sampling Music Production Station

Korg Electribe ESX2 Sampling Music Production Station lets you play back your carefully constructed patterns while using intuitive operations to add spice and reveal new sonic possibilities.

Approximately ten years after the Electribe SX first went on sale, there's now a new sampler in the electribe series that's designed to be simple and easy for the beginner to understand, and even more enjoyable for previous electribe users.

The electribe perfectly fulfills two tasks that both demand speed: live performance and music production

The electribe sampler has been reborn with cutting-edge technology inherited from popular KORG products such as the KingKORG, kaossilator, kaoss pad, and taktile. The internal memory lets you save 250 patterns, including preset patterns which are perfect for today's dance music scene. There's also support for the polyphonic playback that's indispensable for styles that include complex chord progressions, such as House music.

Using the 16 pads placed on the front of the unit, you can create patterns intuitively while actually hearing and seeing the sounds. You can use the pads as a keyboard to realtime-record phrases, and also perform step recording by entering the pitch and rhythmic value one note at a time. The patterns you create can be used in alternate forms as you perform by taking advantage of the "step jump" feature inherited from the volca series, or by changing the "last step" to vary the length of each part.

There's also a "motion sequence" function that lets you record knob and button operations and use them in the pattern that you create.

Either drums or synths can now be assigned to each of the 16 parts (i.e., the 16 pads). For example you could create complex rhythms by assigning drums to all of the 16 parts.

Familiar from the kaossilator is the "touch scale" function that lets anyone perform without wrong notes, just by moving a finger across the touch pad. The trigger pads that were popular on the taktile are also provided, making it easy for anyone to create phrases intuitively. The trigger pads can also be used for drum input. Settings allow you to switch velocity on/off.

KORG created a synth engine for the electribe sampler that's perfectly designed to maximize your creativity.

In addition to a sampler sound engine that lets you use your own unique and original sounds (samples), there are also several types of analog modeling sound engines that are great for creating synth basses and pad sounds. There can be up to a total of 999 preset and user samples, and a maximum of 270 seconds of sampling time (calculated as monaural) can be used. The unit is shipped with numerous drum, rhythm/phrase loops, and hit samples included. (collaborations with Sample Magic, Loopmasters, Prime Loops are included)

Modulation can make sound-creation more complicated, but we've made it easy by condensing it down to three parameters: simply select a template that specifies an effect and its target, and then adjust the speed and depth of the effect to suit your taste.

The "Time Slice" function detects attacks within the phrase and slices it appropriately, allowing you to play the phrase at the desired tempo without significantly affecting the sound. Sounds within a sliced part can also be used separately by assigning them to steps or parts. You can even apply an effect to a sample, and then resample it while using the knobs to vary the pitch or modulation.

The new electribe sampler provides effects such as compression and overdrive for each part, giving you uncompromising control over the nuances of individual sounds that differ subtly between genres. The groove function can be specified for each part, letting you apply a groove to your phrase simply by selecting a template.

The master effects can be controlled from the touch pad just like on the Kaoss pad, and they include not only spatial-type effects that shape the overall acoustics but they also include effects that apply aggressively musical transformations such as the "Vinyl Break" effect inherited from the Kaoss pad series, and the newly developed "Seq Reverse" and "Odd Stepper" that change the playback order of the sequencer. These are also extremely effective for live performance. Insert effects can be assigned for individual parts, opening up even more complex sound-design possibilities.

There's also a "pattern set" function which lets you switch patterns by pressing trigger pads, and an "event recording" function that records that performance. In addition to MIDI IN/OUT, "Sync IN/OUT" is also provided, allowing synchronized performances with the volca series, monotribe, or MS-20 mini. The unit can run on six AA batteries, so you can easily take it along with you and perform anywhere, providing on-the-go inspiration to your musical ideas.