The New Electribes

Ted3000 · Post by **Ted3000** » Sun Nov 02, 2014 5:53 pm

DrHoo wrote:I see them as a new product based on the electribe concept. It's only fair to point out that these are just my thoughts on them & at this stage nothing i think is conclusive, i havn't laid hands on one yet. When i get one i'll decide for myself weather or not they're a next step. Right now they look like something else.

What is the electribe concept? I think it's pretty clear that it's Korg's answer to the Roland MC Groovebox series. A concept that Korg improved, and that Roland abandoned.

Grooveboxes were looked down upon for several reasons, but the big one was the "all in one" approach. Serious musicians had lots of diverse specialized gear and would not settle for presets and one-stop-shopping.

Times have changed, and having an all-in-one box is no longer seen as slumming it. The EMX and ESX are seen as legit, knob-laden badass hardware tools in an age of iPad DAWs and laptop DJs and softsynths.

The Electribe series gives you this:

1. Step and real-time multitrack sequencing via 16 buttons/pads
2. Analog-modeling and PCM synth engine with realtime control
3. Motion sequencing of parameters
4. Onboard effects such as delays, filters, and distortions
5. The ability to create/sample your own sounds and save your patterns
6. Looping pattern structure aimed at electronic or dance music
7. All inside a nice portable box with blinky LEDs and a little LCD screen.

I think anything Korg makes that says electribe and has these basic fuctions is an electribe, and any electribe that adds more filter types, paraphonic keying, and upgraded effects is in fact a evolutionary step forward. If a few functions have been trimmed or changed, that's not regressing, that's getting mean and lean.

DrHoo · Post by **DrHoo** » Sun Nov 02, 2014 6:38 pm

I had a roland MC909 once. It did my head in with all the menu pages, damn nightmare i thought. The emx1 & esx1 on the other hand, limited but accessable & lets us get stuff down quick.

.... Yeah OK, they are Electribes.

Ted3000 · Post by **Ted3000** » Sun Nov 02, 2014 6:50 pm

DrHoo wrote:I had a roland MC909 once. It did my head in with all the menu pages, damn nightmare i thought. The emx1 & esx1 on the other hand, limited but accessable & lets us get stuff down quick.

.... Yeah OK, they are Electribes.

I know what you mean - Roland keep adding features and menu items. Korg kept it simple.

I bought the MC-303 when it came out, then sold it for an MC-307. I'm sure the MC series improved - but the 303-505-307 era stuff had a horrible sounding, screechy, low-resolution filter. I could never get it to behave.

DrHoo · Post by **DrHoo** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 12:29 am

Ted3000 wrote:
DrHoo wrote:I had a roland MC909 once. It did my head in with all the menu pages, damn nightmare i thought. The emx1 & esx1 on the other hand, limited but accessable & lets us get stuff down quick.

.... Yeah OK, they are Electribes.
I know what you mean - Roland keep adding features and menu items. Korg kept it simple.

I bought the MC-303 when it came out, then sold it for an MC-307. I'm sure the MC series improved - but the 303-505-307 era stuff had a horrible sounding, screechy, low-resolution filter. I could never get it to behave.

When i first got the MC909 i thought i had the ultimate groove box & then i went on a journey into total frustration. No matter what i did with it, it sounded harsh. I'm always inclined to learn & never to blame the gear but i swear the damn thing drove me nuts. I percivered for months but then i went back to my esx1 & within minutes i was enjoying the experience & getting some decent beats down.
The new electribes sound like they are going to be good straight from the master outs, just that will do it for me because i used so much stuff in the signal path from my esx1 when i recorded stuff & i longed for some compression or smooth reverb to iron out the mix straight from the box. I always found it needed that external processing to cut out the unwanted frequencies. The new boxes, they might eliminate that extra rack gear for me... Unless it's just me wearing rose tinted glasses !
That's what i want from an electribe really, some kind of mastered out. I know it'll only be basic but if it can go live over a PA in a club (Which Misterbishi claims) then it must be right..... I suppose.

Blue Monster 65 · Post by **Blue Monster 65** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 1:13 am

I felt the same way about my MC-909, Dr. There are lots of people who do well with it, but I just could not get into it. The EMX, on the other hand, does it for me quite well.

I tried the DSI Tempest, too (amongst others) and liked the layout of the pads. I'm curious to see how that layout on the new Electribe functions.

Edit: fixed iPad spelling

roblabs · Post by **roblabs** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 1:22 am

DrHoo,

Plenty of people already feel this way, that this new electribe might eliminate a lot of extra gear n cables. I think it will...though to what extent remains to be seen. Right now, the only thing holding me back from pre-ordering it is the pause/fadeout/gap (whatever you want to call it) when switching patterns. Its prevalent in all of the videos so far (at least with Mistabishi - therein lies a possibility that he is working with a demo unit that still has a few bugs in it).

My opinion on it is that it won't be in the final product (at least not so blatantly obvious). I cannot see Korg making such a great piece of gear, throwing in all of these new features and an awesome library of sounds....and then knocking down the entire house of cards with horrendous pattern switching. That would basically render the whole thing useless.

DrHoo · Post by **DrHoo** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 10:22 am

roblabs wrote:DrHoo,

Plenty of people already feel this way, that this new electribe might eliminate a lot of extra gear n cables. I think it will...though to what extent remains to be seen. Right now, the only thing holding me back from pre-ordering it is the pause/fadeout/gap (whatever you want to call it) when switching patterns. Its prevalent in all of the videos so far (at least with Mistabishi - therein lies a possibility that he is working with a demo unit that still has a few bugs in it).

My opinion on it is that it won't be in the final product (at least not so blatantly obvious). I cannot see Korg making such a great piece of gear, throwing in all of these new features and an awesome library of sounds....and then knocking down the entire house of cards with horrendous pattern switching. That would basically render the whole thing useless.

I see quite a few people are concerned about that little glitch. This is just my opinion but i quite like it. It doesn't bother me weather it's there or if they come up with a fix.
It's probably inherrent in the digital system & can't be fixed unless an extra chip was added or something. Does seem odd though that we might lose the classic seemless loop in this age.
I just a new animal & i'm excited about it enough to just get one.... December they're saying isn't it ?

robosardine · Post by **robosardine** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 2:22 pm

roblabs wrote:
My opinion on it is that it won't be in the final product (at least not so blatantly obvious). I cannot see Korg making such a great piece of gear, throwing in all of these new features and an awesome library of sounds....and then knocking down the entire house of cards with horrendous pattern switching. That would basically render the whole thing useless.

Couldn't agree more- surely this would be too bizarre to actually happen?

I just spoke to my dealer- and he is thinking the same thing- that the model that Mistabishi was using would be some kind of prototype. He is going to be speaking to the Korg people this week so I have asked him to mention it. I will of course post it up straight away should he then relay a response to me.

As if you didn't know already- delivery is now expected for mid- end Nov

meatballfulton · Post by **meatballfulton** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 3:00 pm

Just heard from my Korg dealer that the new Electribes are delayed because they must be screened for ebola. There was also a QC issue with some early models off the production line being unable to hold a dance floor.

Rumors posted yesterday at MuffWigglers that the designers accidentally implemented Locrian Mode rather than Song Mode.

Buska · Post by **Buska** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 3:23 pm

meatballfulton wrote:Just heard from my Korg dealer that the new Electribes are delayed because they must be screened for ebola. There was also a QC issue with some early models off the production line being unable to hold a dance floor.

Rumors posted yesterday at MuffWigglers that the designers accidentally implemented Locrian Mode rather than Song Mode.

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 3:33 pm

You know...I am sitting here on pins and needles waiting for korg to get these things to us asap.

It's like they can't get here soon enough.

But now that I think about it, this is really the first piece of gear I have actually watched like a HAWK!

Normally I never give a crap and when it get's here it gets here it gets here.

I guess I just cant wait till I can set up one piece of gear and my pad kontrol and I am ready for showtime.

"Oh please Korg no more delays...hell if there is any more fixing to do, just do it in firmware updates."

Anyhow, question, when was the last time you guys watched a korg product with great anticipation?

hoolak · Post by **hoolak** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 3:55 pm

Kinda my first time waiting on new Korg hardware. I'm not really counting the Kaossilator. I'm so excited for this.

I just want to be blown away and for the first time really, to be inspired to make full tracks using this box. I hope to get balls deep and learn it inside out. We'll see.

So much gear lust within me at the moment lol. I want the Volca Sample and weirdly, an MC-505. It would be triple trouble for the listener, but in a good way.

Buska · Post by **Buska** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 3:59 pm

SMK wrote:You know...I am sitting here on pins and needles waiting for korg to get these things to us asap.

It's like they can't get here soon enough.

But now that I think about it, this is really the first piece of gear I have actually watched like a HAWK!

Normally I never give a crap and when it get's here it gets here it gets here.

I guess I just cant wait till I can set up one piece of gear and my pad kontrol and I am ready for showtime.

"Oh please Korg no more delays...hell if there is any more fixing to do, just do it in firmware updates."

Anyhow, question, when was the last time you guys watched a korg product with great anticipation?

Not ever I don't think. I've sold my mpc2500 which gives me enough to buy both electribes with a bit leftover.

I own Reason and love it when I'm in the mood to sit at the computer, but more and more I just enjoy jamming on my iPad. I look forward to just kicking back in bed and making beats on my headphones with the electribe. I also find jamming a lot more enjoyable these days as opposed to programming notes in a midi sequencer, part of the reason I left Ableton and went to Reason (all that awesome cv madness). Got my rechargable batteries charged and waiting

DrHoo · Post by **DrHoo** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 5:49 pm

I was buzzed about the MS20 mini at the time. Still got mine & it's a keeper. I got excited about the Kaossilator pro in 2010 too but after getting one i disliked it & sold it.
I was all ESX1 until about 8 months ago & i got rid of it thinking that Korg had deserted the tribes. Now though i'm buzzed again, looking forward to the emx2.

roblabs · Post by **roblabs** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 6:10 pm

This is straight up the first piece of korg gear that I've been this psyched about. The last thing I was this excited about was the minibrute, but even then I did not follow news and info this religiously and fanatically.

I have the EA1, ES1, and the ielectribe, but whats funny is I've mainly used the ea and es for sequencing other gear only. But something about the redesigned work flow on this new tribe has me very interested in it.

(Also, what a shame for the first time they removed the MIDI THRU, but at least they compensated somewhat with the sync jacks)