Korg Forums

[thehighesttree]

I've tried the sampler before and it was okay, but spent about an hour yesterday coming up with patterns on the blue-edition synth model and was quite impressed by the features and sound, and the workflow didn't bother me too much. Only thing I wasn't able to do as easily/intuitively as I'd like is transposing the "keyboard" as I was playing a part and/or doing this to a part that's already sequenced. I thought the lack of a category encoder for Oscillators would be annoying, but the shift-function to select by category makes this easier, only a little ROMpler-esque.

The sound quality is definitely superior to the X-series: it lacks that hollow digital character and sounds more hi-fi, with greater "apparent bandwidth" for squeezing more sound through without disintegrating. I also like the feel and size of the pads, and a built-in Kaoss pad that can control various parameters is a logical progression. The filters sound nice too: the standard MFX LPF seems to surpass my KP3 at about halfway up the pad to sound way more wet and less digital. For a solid 2nd-and unit, $400 CDN used, I'm actually pretty tempted considering its portability and sound quality. But it's the same price as the Monologue and my rig could use a good analog mono with key tracking on the filter...

[sl23]

Wow great patterns from mistabishi! If I want cheese I go to my fridge!
Isn't he a korg employee? He's well known for making factory patterns! So it wouldn't surprise me if he's been drafted by korg to help promote a great machine screwed up by crap firmware!

[1_inch_punch]

The first step to recovery is acceptance.

[WestLondoner]

Re "Glitches and noise issues"

If all electribes are affected by 'glitches and noise issues' then how is it that artists such as Mistabishi seem to be completely unaffected by these when he's performing with his electribes? Secondly, I could add that mine too works without any glitches or noise issues on pattern changes. So, surely.... it's (or should be) up to each buyer to send their electribes back shortly after purchasing *if* their machines are found to be affected in this way. The qtn frankly remains - what use is it to suffer a defective machine for months and years, when it could have been replaced for being defective just after buying it!? Sure it would seem that a number were affected, this poster doesn't doubt that from some of the comments here, but that's no reason to tolerate a lame machine - when it could have been replaced, on first discovering these issues, for either a full refund or a fully working one, is it? Or, are the folks who are suffering from glitches and noises claiming that their electribes used to work perfectly, but all eventually developed such issues over time? I have to wonder what happened...
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Sep 2016: just opened a soundcloud a/c: https://soundcloud.com/user-793524974/

[thehighesttree]

What issues in particular are chapping your ass so hard you need to hate on people and their work with the machine? I mean yeah I get it, the workflow is missing a good number of things from the last generation--no time stretch in particular on the sampler is totally regressive, and overall I'm disappointed with some of the losses--but it's still a capable machine with some new goodies. That said, it must've been pretty crappy before pattern chaining was a thing.

I don't know of many devices which don't have an abrupt finish when switching patterns containing different internal FX...it's honestly not even reasonable (AFAIK) to ask this without expecting the manufacturer to sink $$$ into some kind of dedicated buffer, which would skyrocket the price out of budget land. I think all of us legacy electribe users are a little let down, but other options exist and I don't think it's all worth the vitriol.

[roblabs]

Im sorry, but I've had my electribe 2 since January 2015 and I absolutely love it. I even went and got a second one. For the price, its an amazing machine. There is no way that it will satisfy everyone, that's just a given. But to rag on it, and complain that its unusable? That's just some BS right there. Its up to YOU to make the most of the instrument. Take the time to learn it and figure things out. If not, just say its not for you and move on.
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www.soundcloud.com/rob-labs

[grandmasterbird]

Hi all,

I had never used an Electribe prior to my wife buying me the ES2 for christmas, and personally I love mine.

The way I use it is mostly as a sketchpad for getting ideas down, I then export to a Live file via mem card and finish off the projects in Ableton.

I find it fun to use and very quick and easy to get ideas down, for this it is unparalleled compared to anything I have used before.

However, mine suffers with the electrical whine that is well documented from other users online, some call it the 13k whine. I sent the unit back for repair to Korg via my local dealer, and the unit came back with Korg basically saying, no, nothing wrong with it, be on your way, kind of thing.

This is disappointing given that all they did was turn off the 'audio in thru' option in the menu which does lower the level of the noise, but its still present.

I also hear what people are saying about patterns cutting short on the end of the 4 bars- the FX stopping abruptly etc. (If anyone has work-arounds for this I'd love to hear them!)

It's highly frustrating that Korg seem to be ignoring these issues, and to be honest I'm unsure that I'll be buying from Korg again because of it.

But all that said, for all its faults I still love the ES2! Which is a contradiction in itself I know but honestly, its so much fun.

So I guess the moral is, this is a great (but far from perfect) bit of kit that could be of great use depending on how you intend to use it. In fairness you should be able to use it however you want without worrying about issues, but it is what it is.

[Headphones73]

I'm on the fence on getting the new tribes, and it somewhat makes sense to for slaving all of my Volcas to them, but I'm unsure if I want to do all the menu diving, and not all that much is telling you what does what just by looking at it. Might just keep waiting tbh.

[ok reza]

for the amount of music i make and how fast i can explore new ideas, i can't complain. sorry u allow the restrictions to eat away at you instead of working alongside them.

69 tracks all on the electribe, arranged live:

[sl23]

Limitations are one thing, seriously poor firmware is entirely different

[jreign]

I find that using the e2 along with Gadget and the plugkey ios interface to be an excellent combo and great workflow. I'd make 4 bar loops then record the midi into Gadget. and make the edits there. Most of the parameters are already mapped for the e2.
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Korg Gear: Electribe Sampler, Volca FM/Sample/Bass/Keys/Beats, Monotribe

Non-Korg: OP-1, PO-12/20/28

[Steeplemouth]

[bladuck]

Somehow I partially agree with this thread. I got the deluge (NZ) recently. I used it for a few weeks now. So for fun, I dusted out the E2 and was really interested what a shock would be from almost perfect workflow on DELUGE to a crippled workflow on E2. Kong really needs to realize that some small company in NZ was able to implement most of the issues on the E2 wish list plus have a really, and I mean really fast workflow built in. Boots in 1 second ?!@#$, runs 6 hours on 1 lithium battery. I know the DELUGE is twice expensive than E2 but really light years ahead. Somehow I think that the korg/roland marketing teams smoke some weird weed when they give us these underpowered, crippled boxes.

Don’t get me wrong, My youtube journey started with E2 two years back. I do appreciate the unit (E2) and I think I can manage to get pretty good pieces out of it... But boy-o-boy I really feel that even though I have 5 fingers available per-hand then the E2 let me use only "3 fingers" no matter what I do. (A crippled connection between instrument and hands of musician in other words ...)

I have a grey E2 and dullness of that color presents the same way to me as the dullness of most of the knobs and their reactions to my turns. Turning one knob pushes you to turn a few others b/c the satisfaction is NOT there after you turn only one. I guess I’m talking about oberheim, or moog (and old rolands too) machines where knobs turns and work like butter. Yes there is not enough bottom end, echo effects are really really weak (oh stop man)

The most dis-sastifying piece in E2 is the built-in editor .. For FCK Sake...! really ....a machine released in 2014 after we’ve used iPads interfaces for a few years cannot get EASY-TO-USE editor ? I guess I have more “butter knob satisfaction” from volca sample even though there is only one pattern to work with.

I complete my rant with two “things" that E2 can do but no many other machines cannot do:

1. 16 tracks and motion recording give you an UNBELIEVABLE versatility and creativity

2. The groove settings, touch pad and batteries are the most unique pieces added to the electribe line over past 10 years

So sorry that i ended up this rant on a positive note but yes that is the E2.
And sorry again that I don’t talk about features and or tech specs related to pops and click in this post. I know you can remove those and/or overcome most of the shortcomings but that goes against the creativity.

My rant about E2 is clearly from an instrument point of view. Even if it is called a groove box.
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FunkTree https://www.youtube.com/c/FunkTree

[Z7A]

There are two bugs on the e2s that are quite serious.
#1 Sometimes when I have played a pattern for a while it starts stuttering, the drum rhythms goes out of control with notes that does not exist. It goes away by changing pattern.
#2 Sometimes it refuses to start playing when pushing the play button. It may not always be fixed by changing pattern!

It is a regular thing that has happened to me, and it would be totally unacceptable in a live situation. Doesn't really matter at home though.

I bought the Squarp Pyramid over a year ago, but I think it is easier to use the e2s. I have looked at MPC Live, but there seems to be a lot of menu diving on the touch screen. And I don't think the Circuit is deep enough.

[sl23]