Electribe Sampler 2 - review (of sorts)

disconnector · Post by **disconnector** » Sat May 30, 2015 2:02 am

Got my hands on the Electribe Sampler today. This isn't a full review, but more of a "things to be aware of" kind of post. Feel free to ask any questions. I'll have this thing until Tuesday, when I return it (yeah, it's that bad).

1. I'd give the pads a 7/10. If you've used a Maschine, or older MPC, then you'll be disappointed.

2. There's a lot of menu diving. The matrix-style buttons on the previous versions sped things up considerably.

3. Oddly, the per-part filter, while resonant, is pretty lifeless. When you do crank the resonance, it just sounds annoying. I don't know what it was modeled after, but it's not great. In use, it's relegated more as an EQ.

4. Even stranger, the insert FX filter sounds great. So, why, Korg?

5. EDIT: Removed. I've figured out how to delete the default samples. It's not as Korg describes it in the manual, and it's a one at a time affair.

6. Which brings me to the dealbreaker: Importing your own (WAV only) samples is done ONE. AT. A. TIME. Korg, it's 2015. You have a cheaper product, the Volca Sample, that can do more and better than this, albeit with a slower interface and third party hardware.

There were many things I loved about the ESX, and even the ES1. None of this has carried over to the Electribe Sampler. Your mileage may vary, but if you own and love your ESX, I'd hang on to it.

22tape · Post by **22tape** » Sat May 30, 2015 4:01 am

hey if you get a chance can you confirm whether or not samples are cut on a pattern change? thanks!

disconnector · Post by **disconnector** » Sat May 30, 2015 4:54 am

22tape wrote:hey if you get a chance can you confirm whether or not samples are cut on a pattern change? thanks!

Everything cuts off when you move from one pattern to the next. Sounds, effects - nothing carries over.

Which I suspect is (one reason) why there's no real song mode. OTOH, there's also no easy way to mute/unmute & solo parts, so you can't just jam in one pattern very easily, either.

SOME OTHER THINGS:

Looking at the addendum to the Electribe 2 manual, it looks like roughly half the PCM samples are carried over to the Sampler. Along with that, only the most boring of "Analogue" OSC's are provided as well. Given that the sampling capabilities are so ham-fisted, and you only get the "electribe" style filters, the Sampler version of this feels like a cut-down version of the Electribe, in practice.

EDIT: While there is the Part Mute mode, it's not intuitive as to what's on each pad. There are no numbers next to each pad, and since each pad can be whatever (synth/melody, or drums), there's no mental map you can develop for it.

22tape · Post by **22tape** » Sat May 30, 2015 5:37 am

disconnector wrote:
22tape wrote:hey if you get a chance can you confirm whether or not samples are cut on a pattern change? thanks!
Everything cuts off when you move from one pattern to the next. Sounds, effects - nothing carries over.

Which I suspect is (one reason) why there's no real song mode. OTOH, there's also no easy way to mute/unmute & solo parts, so you can't just jam in one pattern very easily, either.

SOME OTHER THINGS:

Looking at the addendum to the Electribe 2 manual, it looks like roughly half the PCM samples are carried over to the Sampler. Along with that, only the most boring of "Analogue" OSC's are provided as well. Given that the sampling capabilities are so ham-fisted, and you only get the "electribe" style filters, the Sampler version of this feels like a cut-down version of the Electribe, in practice.

EDIT: While there is the Part Mute mode, it's not intuitive as to what's on each pad. There are no numbers next to each pad, and since each pad can be whatever (synth/melody, or drums), there's no mental map you can develop for it.

yikes.

thanks for the info!

Frenzies · Post by **Frenzies** » Sat May 30, 2015 6:12 am

All of these are valid gripes, but I would say that if you press shift when selecting the oscillator it should jump from type to type, making navigation much easier.

disconnector · Post by **disconnector** » Sat May 30, 2015 7:36 am

Frenzies wrote:All of these are valid gripes, but I would say that if you press shift when selecting the oscillator it should jump from type to type, making navigation much easier.

Yes, that it does. But you cannot select a "type" for your own samples. They're all lumped into one group at the end.

dutchcow · Post by **dutchcow** » Sat May 30, 2015 8:54 am

After reading this I feel like James Pullen was pulling one on us. He claimed all note decays would sound on, FX tails would not be cut and the OS would be swappable.

All in all Korg would've been better of finishing the product before release and hire someone else to do promotion. Someone that doesn't make statements and claims that turn out to be false.

So they bumped the price and didn't fix a single thing. Wonder what Korg thinks to justify the price bump.

jbl · Post by **jbl** » Sat May 30, 2015 9:20 am

Thanks for the honest review.
I can't believe that 1. They don't have sample folders and 2. That we can't delete 500 factory samples.
On the microsampler, there is one bank like that but it's only one of nine banks so no biggie.
And one sample at a time, wtf?

Ted3000 · Post by **Ted3000** » Sat May 30, 2015 11:34 am

"What's the difference between the e2 and the es2, daddy?"

"Well, son, they're similar. The e2 has synthesis, the es2 has sampling. But the sampler has analog modeling synthesis, and the e2 has PCM waves."

"What's a PCM wave, daddy?"

"A PCM is like a factory sample you can't delete."

"Can you delete the factory samples on the sampler?"

"Only the ones you put on there. The factory samples can't be deleted."

"What do the es2 factory samples sound like, daddy?"

"Well, about half of them are samples of the PCM from the e2."

"So... what's the difference between a PCM and a non-deletable sample?"

"Ask your mother."

dschroeter · Post by **dschroeter** » Sat May 30, 2015 12:58 pm

Of course you can delete their samples - did you read the manual or try it before posting? See ya later, saxophones!

"To increase the available sampling time, delete unwanted preset samples to free up more sampling area, and execute EXPORT ALL SAMPLE while in this state; then load this data when restarting."

jbl · Post by **jbl** » Sat May 30, 2015 2:06 pm

hope that's true.
so is that when you get 270 sec. mono or is more available then?

dschroeter · Post by **dschroeter** » Sat May 30, 2015 3:05 pm

You don't have to hope - it's true. Yes, the 270 is total (in mono).

The user folder idea is a great one, and I'm praying someone (probably won't be korg) makes a desktop sd card sample editor. Single Cell Software, care to work your magic again?

dschroeter · Post by **dschroeter** » Sat May 30, 2015 3:10 pm

Also, am I missing something or is there no way to play a sliced sample with the keyboard mode? All I can manage is loading a slice as a single sample on a pad.

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Sat May 30, 2015 3:25 pm

I was wondering how deep the slicing would go on the new sampler, surprised it can't do that at least though.

disconnector · Post by **disconnector** » Sat May 30, 2015 4:05 pm

UPDATE: Ok, I figured out how to delete samples as well. Again, it's a one at a time affair. There was a glitch in how the "Sample Edit" menu was working for me. Upgrading to the latest OS seems to have fixed it.

I'll create files to load up that will completely init the unit - blank patterns, no samples.