So I got the new Electribe...now my thoughts on it.

Spheric El · Post by **Spheric El** » Tue Nov 25, 2014 8:20 pm

Nice one Glitchcraft.
I'd turn off the internet connection now for a few days and turn your speakers up..

jimmyfontana · Post by **jimmyfontana** » Tue Nov 25, 2014 8:38 pm

Thanks for the answers Glitchcraft!

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:39 am

Glitchcraft-

I hate to add another question or in this case a request on what is already a building to a long list of demands...but this is one I think everyone would like to see and you'd be the first on line to do it.

As you have answered before the Electribe can take midi note data separatly on all 16 channels. Can you post a Youtube video using an external keyboard or padcontrol doing just that? If you have a couple of Keyboard conrollers can you post a video showing one keyboard controlling on channel and another controlling a second channel?

Thanks!

Glitchcraft · Post by **Glitchcraft** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 7:29 am

So after having it a few weeks here are my feelings.
The 4 bar limitation just plain kills my creativity on this. It is not possible to have a long crazy evolving synth part unless you break it up and re trigger the part. That will work for some people but any real keyboard player worth their salt will find this frustrating and not being able to actually record what you are trying to play. It also sucks for the motion sequences as you are limited to a sequence that is half as long as what was allowed on the old tribes. And yes I know the age old trick of cutting the BPM in half but the problem is when you have a studio full of gear it causes issues. As much as I like the Kaoss pad I still cannot use this as my master and after 2 weeks now I am going back to the EMX again to sequence all my gear. This is so sad to me cause it would be the best sequencer ever for a studio if they fixed this! ARRGH!
Very little editing on the Synth parts and they have gotten old fast to me. I guess I am used to actual synth engines and never feel like I have edited a synth part that is vastly different from the preset it came from. And yes I know this is not a full synth but I feel like the synth engine was at least more tweakable on the old one even.
Drums are better sounding than on the EMX and I really see myself only using it as a drum machine as they are the highlight of the machine as it is to me. Some are good, a lot are crap useless noises, vocal ooos n ahhs and crap like that. I really think the Sampler version will be infinitely more useful to me at least.
IFX need some work all around. Not happy with the gap or whatever you want to call it. I found a workaround for me with it by motion sequencing the effect off carefully before the part ends but that is frustrating. Some of the effects do not sound that good either and only having 1 editable parameter for the effect is just silly. Really finding it hard to get the insert effects to sound right in the mix of things.
I am sure most of you will like it. The more complex composers will hit a wall quick with this I believe. The thing that has keep the old EMX around in my studio for a decade now was its awesome sequencing capabilities. I feel like the new one falls way short in this area. Locked midi channels, no midi thru, you cannot change the cc#s for the knobs WTF! I have templates saved on my old one to be able to control all my gear and that is not possible with the new one. I also miss being able to manually choose what notes are arpeggiated like on the old tribes also I thought that was very useful to me. Also the Arp is still locked to the BPM and that drives me crazy. The filters are a little strange too the part you run through gets quieter and almost silent when you increase the resonance. Not really feeling the filters especially with only 4 bars. Your long wobbly bass sequences just ain't happening like it is. I feel so let down after waiting so many years now for a new tribe. Reminds me of when I went and saw the Phantom Menace after waiting all those years for it.

DrHoo · Post by **DrHoo** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 8:50 am

I hear you mate. I still say that this is a different animal to the tribes we came to know , if you look at it like a mega-volca then it's the dogs nuts & there's no volca required any more but as a follow up to the last two models it is deffo missing a few knobs & buttons. You did well to keep the old blue monster.

With that said i am making sounds that i like & the mix is nice from the outputs. I'm gonna stick with it & get to know the beast, maybe add a sampler at a later date... There could still be hope.

L551 · Post by **L551** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 12:25 pm

People seem to be generally a bit disappointed with the new electribe. There are more and more units out there, but no new videos... Also no full reviews anywhere, just these forum posts. This release doesn't seem to be going all that well.

I'm happy I decided to wait for the sampler version.

Buska · Post by **Buska** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 12:57 pm

Aww f*ck, exactly what I was worried about regarding the synth engine. Too late it's already arrived at a friends house today.

Hopefully I can get some use from it.. Might go buy a original emx and link them up..

Spheric El · Post by **Spheric El** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 10:41 pm

Painful.Talk of goin after the old machines.
Phantom Menace..Damming.
I suppose a super Volca with a KO strapped to it..still worth the money? Could always get a TB3...and a volca.

roblabs · Post by **roblabs** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 10:44 pm

I think its still too early to tell.

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:33 am

Ditto, most of the complaints are about things we knew before they even started shipping

Erieshore · Post by **Erieshore** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:13 am

My interest comes from using a Dave Smith Instruments Tempest, which has become my main piece of music gear. I was hoping for something like a digital Tempest. Of course they are different (especially price tag-wise) but if the interaction is similar I'll be satisfied. There have been many Tempest OS updates addressing some user requests but still there are issues. Even with the issues it's a fun way to play/write & I'm using it often. I'm not sure if Korg does this kind of OS updating ... We can hope. Currently the Tempest has only one external midi track, which makes it fall way short of being the "centerpiece" many people want it to be. I hope the Electribe comes through, or at least is a nice supporting piece to fill in some holes

Olivander12 · Post by **Olivander12** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 4:41 pm

What about the actual sound?! I do not understand why people are critizising the 4 bar limits and midi sequencing, but the most important thing, the music coming out of the device, barely matters.

Re-Member · Post by **Re-Member** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:12 pm

Olivander12 wrote:What about the actual sound?! I do not understand why people are critizising the 4 bar limits and midi sequencing, but the most important thing, the music coming out of the device, barely matters.

Everyone is going to have a different opinion about how the machine sounds. Not everyone here has the same tastes, nor makes the same kind of music, so it's a moot discussion. This is why knowing how the machine operates is more important to a lot of, especially since the manual is lacking a lot of technical information.

Olivander12 · Post by **Olivander12** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:17 pm

Re-Member wrote:
Olivander12 wrote:What about the actual sound?! I do not understand why people are critizising the 4 bar limits and midi sequencing, but the most important thing, the music coming out of the device, barely matters.
Everyone is going to have a different opinion about how the machine sounds. Not everyone here has the same tastes, nor makes the same kind of music, so it's a moot discussion. This is why knowing how the machine operates is more important to a lot of, especially since the manual is lacking a lot of technical information.

I do not think so. A flat sounding snare sounds flat, a a synth patch can sound full and broad. Look at the EMX. I doubt that there are many people who would say, that the EMX pcm samples were great, or that the reverb sounded good. What about, for example, piano samples? Or band hits? You can describe those by objective criteria. Describing the sounds is usefull and possible.

DrHoo · Post by **DrHoo** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:43 pm

Olivander12 wrote:
Re-Member wrote:
Olivander12 wrote:What about the actual sound?! I do not understand why people are critizising the 4 bar limits and midi sequencing, but the most important thing, the music coming out of the device, barely matters.
Everyone is going to have a different opinion about how the machine sounds. Not everyone here has the same tastes, nor makes the same kind of music, so it's a moot discussion. This is why knowing how the machine operates is more important to a lot of, especially since the manual is lacking a lot of technical information.
I do not think so. A flat sounding snare sounds flat, a a synth patch can sound full and broad. Look at the EMX. I doubt that there are many people who would say, that the EMX pcm samples were great, or that the reverb sounded good. What about, for example, piano samples? Or band hits? You can describe those by objective criteria. Describing the sounds is usefull and possible.

I'll give you my view. The output of the new tribe sounds pretty well levelled & rounded to me, it has a quality not before heard in previous tribes & even without the master fx it still sounds pretty damn pleasing on my ears, not harsh or sharp, more like a pleasing mix where you can hear things in there without sounds all killing each other.
As for the individual sound catagories in there, i like the drum selection & editing makes them even more useful & diverse but it's still short of a few things. I like the synth waves too but editing is limited. The instrument section ! Well, not much to say there really, nothing new or inspiring...... But the overall sound is good.