This video is a quick demo of the new Korg Electribe Music Production Station.
The new Electribe features sixteen back-lit Trigger pads, an X/Y Touch pad, and is more mobile than ever, because it can run on battery power (an optional AC adapter is available).
The Korg Electribe has a street price of about $400. See the Korg site for details.
Are there blinking leds on the bottom-front panel? What!? They’re purely cosmetic and can be turned off, I hope.
I’ve read somewhere before that they can indeed be turned off.
Those light are, for the lack of a better term, neat. They pulse in time with the music and change color based on frequency content. Visual feedback. Style. Panache.
Panache is code for fisting, isn’t it?
I have one and I really really love, but Korg need to sort out a few bugs, even with the latest os the little lag when switching patterns is still noticeable, so this can’t be used live at this stage.
But for studio use is just incredibly fun and inspiring.
I have no issue changing patterns. The previous OS had a obvious silent gap as the pattern changed. The new OS’s pattern change is totally acceptable. If if improves again? Great. Shouldn’t stop anyone from stage use.
I’m on 1.03 and the gap is still there, better than the previous version but annoyingly noticeable nonetheless.
It didn’t stop me from recommending the Electribe to a few friends and I might still end up getting the sampler too once it’s out in Europe, but I really hope Korg will fix this properly.
Wow, seriously? That’s kind of a downer. Does this get worse with increasing pattern complexity? What happens if it’s running as a MIDI slave?
By the way is there any way to switch patterns ‘instantly’ while keeping the same pattern position, rather than lining up a ‘next’ pattern to switch at the end of the current one?
what i understood from the reviews and the videos in YT there first was a gap, but after firmware update problem was solved. though the gap between patterns is gone there is still cases when you might get sudden drops when changing from one pattern to another. this has to do with effects on the tracks and sudden changes on their parameters. would still like to know is this really the case so if someone would run it as a slave and come back here with the results that would be much appreciated By me
Update to 1.10! Delicious improvement, however, still no [RETURN ORIGINAL VALUE]
Sorry, double post.
need a review on sampler, why lack of info?
Not sure if the sampler model is fully out yet – I heard on 18th dec that the EMX2 was out and getting reviews, stating that the ESX2 (the sampler model) is coming later – these are nice products but I think Korg has made a mess on making these look too similar and confusing on spec, it is all a bit fudged.
Can these new tribes do polyphonic sequencing, with CCs, of external gear? In other words, is it a budget octatrack? Cheers!
Yes.
no
electribe 2 motion sequences send no cc to externel gear or software.
sorry
Yes, you can send polyphonic sequences from each of the 16 channels. I successfully sequenced my virus snow (poly) and my eurorack (mono). Though there doesn’t seem to be a way to assign the electribe to only go midi out (that I’m aware of) so the channels I used for midi just had the volumes turned to zero. I also haven’t figured out how to assign a midi channel to a specific pad. Pad 1 is ch 1, pad 2 is ch2 etc. I’d love to be able to assign any midi out channel to any pad.
You can’t change the MIDI channels. Channel 1 is for part one, etc.
Been hard to find this info, so thanks.
As for sound quality. I’m having some issues with a digital click or pop sound at the beginning of the sounds (synths and samples) when they are played too close together. I’ve contacted support about this as its no bueno for live gigs yet. Curious if anyone else has had this issue as well.
If you are playing mono lines with the voice set as Poly 1 or Poly 2, you will get clicking. It has to do with the amp envelope. Set the voice to the appropriate type for the part.
I’m playing chords. Tried poly 1 and 2. This is definitely a bug. It also shouldn’t ever click like that no matter which setting poly setting I choose. Especially on the drum sounds. I hope this is at the top of their list of bug fixes since I won’t be using it live or for any recordings in the studio. Otherwise I’m super happy with it, it’s a ton of fun.
glad you voiced this. it bothers the hell out of me. the envelopes do click. returning it if possible.
Is there still no song mode?
There IS the EVENT MODE which is this version’s song mode
EVENT RECORD
Sounds crap so far….nothing that my iPad can’t do…
Yea… not impressed at all… from what I’m seeing on other forums, this new electribe is a step down from the previous EMX.
Still excited to see what the new Electribe Sampler will offer though. Should be more versatile either way.
There are some streamlined-out features, like 8 bars. But here’s a list of things that are better on the new electribe:
1. Drums. Drums are way better right out of the box, really fantastic. If that wasn’t enough: Each drum PCM you assign to a pad has it’s own edit knob (does different things to different drum sounds), pitch knob, envelopes, filter (one of the many models) modulation Tons of sources and destinations) and independent insert effect, plus the part can have swing applied to it, or a groove template. Choke groups, or not. There’s more, they’re better, you can take up all 16 tracks with drums if you want. Blows the EMX away.
2. Synthesis. A ton of waveforms – PCM samples, multisamples, analog modeling, VPM, chiptune, noise, rings and syncs – there’s no shortage of oscillator sources.
3. Filters – models like TB-303, Prophet, Moog and MS-20 taken from the King Korg, most available in low, band, highpass modes.
4. Built-in Kaoss pad
5. USB, Battery Power
6. Big backlit color changing pads
7. Ton of effects – way more than EMX.
8. Dead quiet – no loud background hiss like the EMX.
Still think it’s a step down because it does not have 8 bars and song mode? Then cut the tempo in half and double the steps from 16-per-bar to 32. And have fun with the Ableton Export, event recorder, and deep motion sequencing.
Oh yeah, plus 4-voice paraphonic mode.
Ya say that, but I can’t see an iPad winning a live jam face-off against an Electribe 2 – and I am fairly sure with the right interfaces and hardware controllers someone could do a fair job at live jamming an iPad. I see the Electribe 2 as a box that can complement many a live setup, taking the strain off the main machine, doing a micro-mix between setups, and then hands on physical control of sounds filters and FX, And a couple of the Electribe sample boxes could do a more than convincing live set on their own. I see them as a good addition for both presentation and performance. I see adding a $400 Electribe to a iPad as an exciting prospect for many. It is all to easy to say, with the right hardware and software I could do that on a computer (iPad), as we can really say that about any hardware in the world today, The whole point of it is the fact that it is a dedicated hardware sound module with physical controllers, and not another bit of code eating finite resources.
Last time I looked, the iPad was not velocity sensitive. The real killer though is the integration with Ableton, where you can directly export your loops into it. Kong Gadget does that but its a really clunky app.
How will the killer integration with Ableton be more impressive with the electribe?
Im waiting for some reviews for the new electric before judging, but it does seem like Gadget has a lot of these bases covered.
I sold my EMX1sd in advance warning of this release. When I saw the limitations(no song mode/4 bars etc.) it kind of ruined the party before it arrived & I wished that I had held onto big blue. However, when I had a chance to look past the specs: It’s REALLY FUN to play. EXAMPLE: You can use the trigger pads while using KAOSS arpeggiator/touchscale to create polyphonic duels.
Does anyone know if you can connect a usb midi controller to the new electric.It would be great if I could connect a micro key and play the Electribe.
The really annoying thing is that Korg tried to slim down the interface for osc editing and modulation in the WORST way possible. Since there is only one knob for the osc, you have no control over tuning of the second osc (for example), so you have to scroll through multiple tunings for the second osc in a crossmodulation setting that will never be as accurate or as fun as just having the second knob. The same logic is applied to the modulation. It is basically the same setup, but instead of choosing the type/shape and the destination with a few buttons (as in previous electribes), you have to scroll through every possibility (envelope to osc, etc…). Also since the second osc knob is not there, you can not modulate it with an LFO/Env.
Besides song mode, individual outs, and the second osc button, roll is also missing 🙁 Also, the interface for editing details is more of a pain (clicking through menus instead of holding shit and hitting a key with a label). There are some cool things, like groove templates, a sort of momentary active step function (you have to hold down the active steps), and FX per part (although you only get one parameter knob). Maybe it will grow on me by time the sampler hits, I just hope the sampler still has a way to automate sample start!
Shift and the trigger keys give you shortcuts to the edit parameters.
A few things annoy me.
8 bars would be great
Pitch bend.
Portamento.
I’m enjoying it though, as the central controller of my hardware synths it’s more fun than a laptop and Ableton.
5 limitations bring the e2 not goodness for song productiuon
1 no song mode
2 no save all included -pattern must solo importet or exportet
3 pattern chain not inmediality or legato- its play complet from start to end .
4.no control change automation in motion sequences is sending to externel gear
5.only 4 bars lenght- no 8bars automations available
i wish this will be fixed at next time
Hello, guys. I have three questions, but still can’t find answers in the product description. Maybe someone of you could help me to find out these things:
1. What bit depth/sample rate is used to play back samples.
2. Can I play melodies with my own sampled sounds? At least one sound playback by resample method?
3. Can I use Korg Microkey with this sampler? Microkey has MIDI only via USB.
Thank you.
2) electribe music statiion can not use your own samples, but electribe sampler does it
you can trigger extern software and gear with 16 different channels,but the gear must receive these channels.
3) micro key must have 16 channels.
you can only trigger the same channells.
Just got my Emx2 not really scratched the surface but initial impressions aren’t good. First of all noticeable noise from the samples that tail off to a digital hiss, clicky samples/envelope so a nice deep sine wave bass is impossible, it just clicks and farts all over the place!! I mean if you’re going to test something then you go straight for the sine wave, surely this shouldn’t happen. I now wonder whether they are going to fix this or should I send it back. You can go on and on about all the features but I think sound quality is paramount, if I can’t make a simple bassline without it popping and clicking then there is something seriously wrong with korg that they think this is acceptable.