Korg Electribe Sampler Production Station – ESX Red

In a nod to legacy Electribe models, the latest Electribe Sampler is now available in ‘ESX Red!’

Korg’s Electribe series 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, Korg introduced the latest sampler in the Electribe series, one 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.

Electribe sampler featuring Korg’s latest technology
Electribe sampler has been reborn with cutting-edge technology inherited from popular Korg products such as KingKorg, Kaossilator, Kaoss Pad and Taktile. The internal memory lets you save 250 patterns, including preset patterns. There’s also support for polyphonic playback, indispensable for styles that include complex chord progressions.

An evolved step sequencer
Using the 16 pads 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 patterns 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.

Intuitive beat making with the trigger pads and touch pad
Familiar from Korg’s 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 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 sensitivity on or off.

A hybrid synth engine with sampling and modeling
Korg created a synth engine for 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.

Modulation can make sound creation more complicated, but Korg has 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.

Advanced use of samples with time slice and resampling functions
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.

Even deeper creative potential: effects and groove templates
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 among genres. The groove function can be specified for each part, letting you apply a groove to your phrase simply by selecting a template.

New functions for live performance: master effects, pattern sets, sync in/out
The master effects can be controlled from the touch pad just like on Kaoss Pad, and they include not only spatial-type effects that shape the overall acoustics but also 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 and out, sync in and 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.

A new workflow with Ableton Live
Transform inspiration into a creative production. Korg has collaborated with Ableton to offer a new music production workflow that combines the best of hardware and software. Electribe Sampler can internally save and export patterns in Ableton Live format. Individual patterns and parts are saved as scenes and clips in an Ableton Live Set. Use Live’s powerful session and arrangement workflows to edit and and refine your ideas, perform or record new parts, arrange your ideas and mix your song. Electribe Sampler includes Live Lite.

Version 2.0 features
Korg continues to develop the electribe software, and beyond its feature list at release has added many user-requested features in the Electribe 2.0 software:

• Pattern chaining: String patterns together to create full songs. Users can chain with nearly no limitation, which means you can create entire sets of music.
• One-level undo: Don’t like what you just recorded? You now have an undo available with the press of a couple of buttons.
• Original value indicator: Users can now see the original position of any knob on the panel for any part on screen.
• 400+ bonus patterns: With the release of the Electribe 2.0 software, Korg also made new patterns available for download from their website (optional SD card storage required).