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Okay, so a while back I was thinking about getting something synthy and/or a drum machine. I was somewhat interested in the kaossilator because I thought the interface seemed really cool, and I liked how it had synth and drum machine sounds. I also liked how the kaossilator could loop and layer sounds on the fly. I ended up getting a microkorg because my friend offered his to me for $220, and I couldn't pass it up . I like the microkorg, but now I'm wondering if I would be happier with the kaossilator. Kaossilators seem to go on ebay for not much over $100, and it seems like they can do everything that I would want a synth to do, including some things that my microkorg cannot. For those of you who have had more experience with either or both of these synths: would it be a mistake for me to sell the microkorg to get a kaossilator? Does the microkorg really do anything that would be worth keeping it around for if I bought a kaossilator?

*edit* also, if I get rid of the Microkorg, should I just go for the full-blown Kaoss Pad? Is it significantly better than the kaossilator?


Thanks again for your help!

Well kaoss Pad is more of effects and looping and things of that I think. While the kaossilator is straight synths with drums and drum patters. I have a microkorg and the mini kaoss pad and love both of them. I love the wide array of things you can do with settings on the microkorg. I just tried the kaossilator a few days ago at guitar center and it was fun to play around with but didnt have much time with it. If you could i would say keep the microkorg and pick up the kaossilator if you can get a good deal on it or try it out first because i just feel more comfortable with actually playing the keys and not just hoping i hit the same spot on the touch pad.

i've never used the microkorg but i own the korg kaossilator (KK). it was a random acquisition but i'm glad it happened.

the kk is a fun toy and i'm not sure what your application of it will be but the main drawbacks of the kk, as i see it,are as follows:

- cannot save loops: it has a volatile memory system, so when you turn the KK off, everything that you've just built is lost.
- max 8 bar loops: this is the maximum bar length, but there's a way to double it to 16. The problem with doing that, is that you can no longer "fix" your loops, meaning to temporarily save them to give you freedom to play with other loops on top of the original.
- next to impossible to synch to anything: the tap tempo button is handy - it'll get you close to your desired tempo but you'll never get it dead on
- RCA/headphone out only: since you can't mess with any of the built-in sounds (there are no filter options or anything like that), the KK is best used alongside something like the mini kp or the full blown kaoss pad. in this way, it can be used to sample from and then the fun REALLY starts.

If you're thinking of performing with one of the two (mini kp/kk or kaoss pad), my suggestion would be to go with the kaoss pad. Tons of bands use it already with awesome results, most notably, Radiohead. If you just want something fun to play with, the KK is great, especially when used in tandem with the mini kp. I often carry it around instead of an mp3 player. Who doesn't prefer their own music to that of others?

The microkorg has vocoder, midi, sampling, arpeggiator and many other features... what exactly are you looking for?

Humandrivein wrote: i just feel more comfortable with actually playing the keys and not just hoping i hit the same spot on the touch pad.

Here's a simple mod that you can do on the kaossilator and the mini-kp that makes guessing where the notes are a little easier:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d5QrCCxc_Y[/youtube]

elbandito wrote: The microkorg has vocoder, midi, sampling, arpeggiator and many other features... what exactly are you looking for?

I'll admit that I have not yet fully explored all of the capabilities of the microkorg, but part of my thinking is that the kaossilator or kaoss pad would just be easier to use. Also, I'm really interested in being able to make drum loops. In some ways I feel like the microkorg is more synth than what I need, so but in other areas, like producing drum sounds and layering sounds, the kaossilator seems to do some things that the microkorg cannot. I don't mind the kaossilator being a downgrade if I can make some decent drum loops with it and also be able to get some crazy synth sounds out of it.

ifeellikeatourist wrote:In some ways I feel like the microkorg is more synth than what I need, so but in other areas, like producing drum sounds and layering sounds, the kaossilator seems to do some things that the microkorg cannot. I don't mind the kaossilator being a downgrade if I can make some decent drum loops with it and also be able to get some crazy synth sounds out of it.

It sounds like you need something more like the Korg Electribe MX: http://www.korg.co.uk/products/dance_dj/mx1/dj_mx1.asp
It allows sampling, it's pretty kick ass drum machine... i don't know about preset synth sounds though, as I've never actually used one. A guy that I ja with has one and I've heard some of the tunes he's made with it and it sounds really great!

funny thing you should mention the electribe. I saw that one in the b/s/t thread earlier today and began wondering about it. Before today I had never heard of the electribe, but now I am quite curious. I'm interested in getting more into sampling, so something like this might be better. I have a boss rc-2 and an ehx smmh that I use right now for doing some loops and stuff, but I was wondering if a more sophisticated sampler would be better for this than trying to use the rc-2. I'm still kind of confused about what all the electribe can do and how it works, but I'd definitely like to check it out.

Here's a video of some guy making a beat on the MX. He doesn't say anything about its features or anything, but you get an idea of what it's like to use the machine:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLR63XKBuOU[/youtube]

Not to sink the other dude's fs thread...but I was looking into the electribes and wouldn't the sx be better? It has a sampler. With the mx you are limited to the preprogrammed beats and sounds.

I've been looking into more beat oriented devices, thinking of something like the NI maschine or just the old standby akai mpc.

I suggested the MX because ifeellikeatourist said that he liked to produce drum sounds and layer things... apparently, the MX is more drum/beat-focused as opposed to the ESX but as I've said, I haven't used these bad boys yet.

I own an old MPC2000 (with a floppy disk drive!) and although it is seriously awesome, my biggest beef is that it's all menu-oriented. Personally, I'd go for something like the Electribe - whichever model suits me best - because it looks much more hands on, which I prefer. Being able to conveniently change things in real-time and not have to spin thru menus is a major benefit for someone like me, that's more about performing than recording.

What's the NI machine?

the only thing the Kaossilator, the Microkorg and the KP3 have in common is that they are made by Kaoss. i think that is where the broad similarities end.

-if you want to want just have a cheap synth-y noise maker w/ a fun interface, which is what i suspect you want in the first place, then get the Kaossilator.

-if you want a Multi-FX, get a KP3. (it is not a synth.)

-if you want a budget synth w/ lots of features and cool sounds, keep the Microkorg.

i own the KM2 & i want the KP3 to be my next gear purchase after i buy a Cathedral. w/ the KP3 you get a 30 sec sampler, a midi controller and a bunch of effects. people basically get it for the effects. a lot of the effects are cool & a lot of the effects are useless. there are just a bunch of (functional, subjective) pluses & minuses w/ a Kaoss Pad. really too many to mention. lots of people HATE Kaoss pads.

i really would LOVE to have a Microkorg. i think the sounds are cool and it could also serve as a Midi Controller. to me, getting a Kaossilator & ditching a Microkorg would be a major step down. again. lots of HATE on the Microkorg and lots of people say the Alesis Micron is better, but pretty much every farward-thinking artist or band i like uses one (Indian Jewelry, Black Milk, Matrix Infinity et cetera...). i really want to get an Evolver, a Microkorg and a Roland synth. then i think i would be str8 but i like weird digital synth sounds & i think the Microkorg has some really awesome patches.

sell the Microkorg & get the Kaossilator & the Mini-Kaoss Pad.

[youtube]http://steelberryclones.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/korg-action-electribe-mx-vs-kaoss-pad/[/youtube]

The Kaosillator is a really fun toy to mess around with. But after a few weeks, you'll really begin to feel it's limitations.
If you want it for beat making and setting up drum sounds, keep in mind that it only has 10 patches of preprogrammed beats. All them change a bit when you mess with the touch pad, but still, there is only so much you can do with them.
It has another 10 patches with individual drum sounds. Not the best either.
As mentioned below, the 8 bar loop really limits you if you want build a song around them. And yes, having a Mini Kaoss pad would help extend the possibilities.

I still love mine, but I don't do any serious song writing or performing with it. If you can get a good deal on one, definitely buy it. I wouldn't sell the other synth just to buy this one though.

Hey, thanks everyone for your input. Its really nice to have a whole community of people to run something by whenever I have a question about something. At this point, I feel like you're probably right about the kaossilator being a little too limited and not quite what I'm looking for. Next chance I get to take a trip to guitar center (yes, it's that far away from where I live) I'll definitely be checking out the electribes, I think that they might be what I'm looking for. Until then, I'll be holding onto the microkorg.