Is the Kaossilator 2 really that bad?

MisterP · Post by **MisterP** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 4:19 am

No, never used the KO1. I guess I shouldn't complain about file management when that thing had no file saving at all, right? Still, if you are going to let someone save files at LEAST include some reasonable way to delete or rename them (or, in a fantasy world, overwrite a track that you have already saved).

Anyway, I am lucky enough to have a KP3, and the combination makes up for the shortcomings of the KO2 (since the KP3 records longer loops and can resample, effectively allowing the track bouncing, resampling, and "undo" that the KO2 is missing). I wish there was some portable equivalent for the sampling, resampling, etc... of the KP3

drpunk · Post by **drpunk** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 8:31 am

MisterP wrote:The serious problems are few, but to me include the fact that you cannot overwrite or delete saved loops using the KO2.

You can delete stuff using the Audio Player.

Start the Audio Player and browse to the data folder (KO2\DATA), select one of the banks to play and there's the option to delete it.

I don't know the exact ins and outs of what it does with filenames because I haven't played around with it a great deal but if I save a bank then it creates some K02D00 stuff. If I delete both files for the bank, turn the device off and on again and then save some banks again I get K02D00 stuff again, not K02D01.

But beyond that, I'm not sure. Whether it will fill gaps (i.e. have K02D00, K02D01 and K02D02. Delete K02D01 files. Turn off, turn on. Save bank, does it create K02D01? Dunno).

But I think that's the method to delete banks.

necroscope · Post by **necroscope** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 2:14 am

Thanks again to everyone that responded.

I've decided to go with the K2 and get an extended warranty in case it breaks.

2 more quick questions if anybody could help me out:

What kind of ac adaptor do I need for this? It sounds like the batteries run out really fast and I'm not going to be using it out and about anyway.

What kind of cord do I need to attach this to my old style 4-track (non-digital). That's how I run my instruments into my computer. It has standard guitar cord inputs on it.

kvnvk · Post by **kvnvk** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:01 pm

a stereo 1/8" to dual 1/4" mono cable is your best bet. something like this...

http://cachepe.zzounds.com/media/qualit ... acaec2.jpg

I see that the KO2 only has a headphone out and no rca phono jacks.

necroscope · Post by **necroscope** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 6:15 pm

kvnvk wrote:a stereo 1/8" to dual 1/4" mono cable is your best bet. something like this...

http://cachepe.zzounds.com/media/qualit ... acaec2.jpg

I see that the KO2 only has a headphone out and no rca phono jacks.

So it's the same size output as the monotron then?

MarcusCarab · Post by **MarcusCarab** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:48 pm

necroscope · Post by **necroscope** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 5:11 am

Just wanted to say thanks again to everyone for all the info.

I got the K2 in the mail today and absolutely love it. No issues with mine so far, knock wood.

It's a blast by itself, but I've found that using it with my multitrack recorder and doing 1 track at a time so I can control the levels of each effect really makes a huge difference.

This was my 1st serious attempt at a song, after a few hours of messing around and learning the basics. I'm working on a tribute to late 70s/early 80s horror movie music like Goblin, John Carpenter, etc.. and the KO2 is just what I needed.

So this one is dedicated to all of you for the help!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMaeI18LsJI

Rottun · Post by **Rottun** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 2:48 pm

kaossilator 2 bad? i got this thing for 3 days now and absolutely love it, so many possibilities, endless fun! only negative thing is there are some sounds i think i will never use because i just don't like them

axd · Post by **axd** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:21 am

drpunk wrote:I never found the undo on the kaossilator that convenient cos it didn't run in real time. You'd have to stop what you're doing, fix the bank, then if you wanted to undo you'd have to stop what you're doing and revert back. With rather clumsy button combinations too.

That just ruins my flow, man.

And it should be noted that with the memory card support then it's perfectly possible to repeat those steps above with the Kaossilator 2. You want to fix your banks? You save them to the memory card. You want to undo a mistake? You revert back to the banks you just saved.

It ruins the flow just like the original Kaossilator too, man. But my flow loves that the Kaossilator 2 will delete a bank while still playing the other without stopping.

To crave an undo and also want 16 beat is kinda counterintuitive too. The two didn't work together. I would much rather they do what they've done in the Kaossilator 2 with the two banks than what they did in the Kaossilator 1 with the two banks.

The main difference between the 2, for me, is build quality. The Kaossilator 1 feels like a tank in comparison to the Kaossilator 2. But then the 2's much handier for out and about twiddling. The 1 feels much more like something you'd use live.

Both of them are FUN. Haters always gonna hate.

You sound like you don't know much about the KO1/2. The KO1 doesn't have two banks. And I don't see what is counterintuitive between having 16 beat and undo.
The KO2 software is not that well written, for example the yes/no buttons are not always at the same place.

axd · Post by **axd** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:22 am

Bowmoney wrote:i think they are all great machines for what they are, and anyone who does not like them probably did not understand their limitations before purchasing...i thrive on working under limitations, so they work great for me...i have never used undo on the ko1, so i wouldn't expect to need it on the ko2

Then you don't know the power of undo.

axd · Post by **axd** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:25 am

necroscope wrote:Last question, how flimsy is the K2? I've heard some stories about them breaking very quickly. I'm not going to be gigging with it, but I do intend to give it a lot of use and I want something I can use for a few years without breaking.

I don't expect it to be indestructable or anything, but I'd like a little more info on that. That's the last issue I have before deciding between K1 & K2.

This yellow shell is badly attached to the body; it has little dents that keep it fit to the body, and those dents will break if you drop the KO2. Not that you would want to, but it WILL happen. The shell design looks cool, but is a bad design choice (maybe it has other advantages I'm not aware of). Just a simple battery cover as for the KO1 would have been simple and perfect. And strong.

drpunk · Post by **drpunk** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:31 am

axd wrote:You sound like you don't know much about the KO1/2. The KO1 doesn't have two banks. And I don't see what is counterintuitive between having 16 beat and undo.

The KO2 software is not that well written, for example the yes/no buttons are not always at the same place.

Well that's rather offensive.

Maybe I know more than you do.

Of course the KO1 had two banks. That's how it made the undo function work, and how it did the 16 beat hack and why the undo function wasn't available for the 16 beat hack, because the bank that was used to fix the bank to gets used up as the second 4 beats.

Where do you think your bank went to when you fixed it? Where do you think the bank came from when you undid it?

No, not thin air. A second bank.

silvercue · Post by **silvercue** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 4:04 pm

I think it is outstanding - love it .

Only small gripes are:

No undo.

I can't figure a way to turn of the banks whilst using the pad for other sounds.

Can't use headphones to listen to cue a loop for mixing with MiniKpad2

TheoW593 · Post by **TheoW593** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:00 pm

silvercue wrote:I think it is outstanding - love it .

Only small gripes are:

No undo.

I can't figure a way to turn of the banks whilst using the pad for other sounds.

Can't use headphones to listen to cue a loop for mixing with MiniKpad2

To turn off a bank just press it once

silvercue · Post by **silvercue** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:47 am

TheoW593 wrote:
silvercue wrote:I think it is outstanding - love it .

Only small gripes are:

No undo.

I can't figure a way to turn of the banks whilst using the pad for other sounds.

Can't use headphones to listen to cue a loop for mixing with MiniKpad2

To turn off a bank just press it once

If I do that whilst using a continuous sound on the pad - it starts to record that sound over the loop in the bank I press , unless i take my finger off, but that ruins the effect sometimes.

I am using the fader or deleting the loop to get around this.