Korg Electribe S Rhythm Production Sampler
The tribe is now complete with the addition of this killer budget sampler.
by Markkus Rovito
August 24, 2000
Summing it Up
By virtue of its 12-track, 64-step sequencer and sophisticated motion sequence recording features, the Electribe S is the most powerful sampler in its price range (US $599). The hands-on interface is supreme for live performance. Factor in a healthy effects section, resampling features, and virtually unlimited storage (via SmartMedia cards), and the Electribe S just may take your beats to another dimension.
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The ES-1 Rhythm Production Sampler. |
Though it's billed as a "Rhythm Production Sampler," the Korg Electribe S, a.k.a. the ES-1, could simply be called a drum machine. It's not such an insult, really. It wouldn't be the first drum machine to offer a step sequencer, effects, and audio inputs. And while you can sample a note and change its pitch within a sequence -- great for creating bass lines or simple melodies -- building beats is what the ES-1 does best. But if you call it a drum machine, you'd better believe it's one of the best ever made for $599.
Furthermore, since (no matter what else you name it) it's also a sampler, the ES-1 will never run out of fresh sounds for beat-making -- the chief limitation of most drum machines (including its predecessor, the Electribe R). Plus, it offers some features that seem to inspire some utterly wicked originality, such as motion sequencing (which records changes of pitch, level, panning, and effects parameters for each part within a pattern), resampling, and the ReCylce-like Time Slice, which lets you hack, deconstruct, and reconstruct your samples with impressive ease. Maybe it's time to convert all those drum loop CDs to Christmas tree ornaments.
But before I gush out a lung, I should point out some of the ES-1's annoyances. Many of these seem to be a function of the unit's low cost, such as fixed sample-rate, limited number of motion sequences per part, and only one insert effect per pattern. I can only dream of a pro-level "ES-2" somewhere down the line that remedies these concerns and throws in some extra outputs, more sample memory, and greater polyphony. Such a box could really knock the dance-music world on its ass.
Next Page: Inside the Tribe; Sampling; Effects; Sequencer....
Markkus Rovito is an assistant editor for Harmony Central. He was formerly assistant editor at Keyboard
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