I appreciate how you do the talking with the instrument rather than as so many on RUclips just with their mouths :) - great overview of what this device can do. I've been Electribe's long time fan (since EA-1), but only recently purchased the latest E2 and E2S - and clearly i am highly biased but very happy to own them. I also find Electribes are like Volcas - together they are even better and compliment each other in a set 😀
I love it, I can't recommend it enough. I have the sampler version, which is opens up all kinds of other possibilities, but this video made me realize, I haven't even gotten THAT deep in the electribe 2, with the gate arp, touch scale, you can get real ACID. looking forward to pullin' it out again and messin' around. Honestly I'm a huge Korg fanboy. The first piece of gear I ever got was a kaoss pad 3 and I still use it all the time. Korg does a phenomenal job of packing a ton of power into a cheap list price and on top of it all, I think they spend a lot of time making their production gear very playable. They put the right parameters and effects on the right knobs to make it easy and a blast to just jam around. KORG please give me free goodies!
The Electribe 2 is a great piece of hardware that had a terrible launch! Initially it looked a lot worse than the EMX, due to a scaled-down physical interface, fewer bars of sequencing and a few omissions like the lack of a dedicated Roll button. I'd like to talk about why I feel it's actually gotten BETTER than the EMX. -Patches that have been released since launch gave us Pattern Chaining, which lets you select the next pattern to play off the current one, and even lets you decide how many times to loop the current one before changing. Sure, it lacks the immediacy of 8 bars, but it's actually a lot more flexible to play back once you get your sequence down. I'd call this a worthy replacement for Song Mode (Which I never used anyway). -It has a built-in Kaoss Pad: while I personally love jamming out on the EMX by selecting a lead part and using the reversed-function arpeggiator, going back it feels a little stiff being stuck in 16th-notes. Using the pad in arp/note entry mode is much better overall and it makes a good master FX controller too! It's almost like having an EMX and a KP3 in one box! -One awesome feature is being able to set a groove AND its strength PER-PART! Sure you've got a standard Swing control that affects the whole pattern, but users like ALMANACS pining about it being hard-quantized might change tune if they looked at applying this to tweak certain drum parts. Rapid-fire stuff like shakers and hats make great groove-experiment fodder and it doesn't eat up polyphony, so go nuts! -Battery-powered! This is a huge deal for something with a quick workflow: I've started some of my favourite beats on the bus going to work, and finished them up later that day! -IT SOUNDS AMAZING! Everything coming out of this box sounds ready-to-go without additional compression or EQing, and the filter models on the synth version are an excellent sound design tool, even though things like drums are usually ready-to-use with zero tweaks needed. Additional synth oscillator types catering to chiptunes are a welcome addition, and it's nice having a selection of usable reverbs for a change...EMX had a garbage reverb that made it sound like your music was sliding down a metal roof, and its sound quality would crumble in general when pushed. Even stuff like the E2's saxophone oscillator, which SOS picked on in their review, actually sounds really nice when you play with the Edit function like its being played harder: these aren't just PCM samples, they often have meaningful changes when tweaked with the sole Edit knob. I slagged this device when it came out, but Korg's patches have vastly improved it into a portable juggernaut that can hold its own against bigboy toys costing $$$$ like Pioneer's recent offerings and even some of the old "workstation"-style grooveboxes due to its immediacy. Thanks for a great review of this slept-on machine!
I've had my Electribe 2 for about 6 years. It's been outstanding for writing and performing live! Such a versatile piece of kit and good opportunity to get off the laptop!
Great video! I love my electribe... have had mine for two years- it basically taught me about synthesis. Workflow, sounds and tweakability are all great... you can get really far out with sounds if you just spend a some time learning the interface. Best $350 i’ve ever spent
def the best demo of an electribe ive ever seen!! i love that you r playing gorgeous and cool sounds and beats instead of just edm blastoise. i used to have one and replaced it for an mpc 1000 which is a more powerful sequence player and sampler, but the electribe is an instument unto its own! it wouldbe sweet with the mpc. i seriosuly love and miss the chord and scale function it made for such intuitive song writing and learning! also miss having a pad lit 16/64 step sequencer with mutable steps and other awesome features like xy pad for whatever! i got into house music since then and wish i had this for my new housey sounds. excited to have one again some day!
Thank you very much! I really appreciate it! 😊 Yeah, the Electribe is awesome... it certainly has its limitations... but awesome nonetheless. 😉 The E2 would certainly do house music well I'm sure... might be time to pick one up again! Lol 😃
I have the Korg Electrlbe II Sampler as of this Comment. MPC 1000 definitely has a better sampler engine. More polyphony and more robust Sequencer. www.akaipro.com/products/legacy/mpc-1000 Still, Electribe II Sampler on its own is a good way to scratch down some ideas and get away from the DAW for a few. Between the Electribe II - I'd get the Sampler version. More open-ended and can use your own sounds.
Personally, I love my electribe 2. I feel bad for those who get hung up on it's limitations (i.e. voice stealing). I've never let that get in the way of a good jam. This thing is powerful.
@@EspenFrafalne It is a DSP limit. You cannot generate unlimited voices/ sounds/ effects. If you start using too many resources certain parts will not play. You can set a high priority to some parts that you don't want to drop. There are also ways to free up resources like disabling filters on parts that don't use them and choosing more basic oscillator types.
awesome demo thanks, i was about to sell my electribe 2 sampler because i was having trouble figuring out how to use it, seems complicated, you just showed me some cool tips to get it working and now i cant wait to get started on it again - my main synth is an ms-20 mini/sq-1 sequencer with a kp3+ kaoss pad (i love korg mini synths, easy to learn and play), want to use the electribe to make backing tracks - so thanks for getting me to keep the electribe and try to learn it
Thank you very much! 🙂 Glad I helped you consider using your E2 again. It certainly has its limitations, but overall it is a wonderful piece of hardware. Great idea. Make some cool backing tracks so you can noodle over them using your MS-20 mini. 😎👍🏻 I've always wanted one of those ms20s. Worth the money in your opinion?
Wow! You sure can program some sweet sounds. I’m an Electribe lover as well, and I splurged and got both the synth and sampler versions. I don’t regret it in the slightest. The best part of the video is watching you dial in your patches. Keep up the good work.
Finally, somebody who knows what they're doing with this machine!! That was awesome!! I had and lost the ESX-1 which I liked better than the MPC 1000 for chopping up samples and making beats. It was very underrated and I see the ES2 is too. My next purchase. Thanks...
A really superb demo. Before now I had always seen this as a grove box with PCM samples and a limited sound shaping engine. This demo show cased it as a useful synth / fx unit. I think I'll dig a little deeper into this unit before seeking another synth. The addition of the Keystep also adds to its usefulness.
I'm just a guy having fun with music gears. I've got a love/hate relationship with the Electribe 2. I love it for most of the reasons that you said. It's the core of my tracks (here on YT and SoundCloud) and sometimes even the only hardware used because you can really make full tracks on it. But you need to be ready to work around its many quirks and flaws. The cut/gap between patterns is maybe the most annoying one to me. I remember that while recording one of my first tracks, although I could play it all at once, I had to split it in three sections to work around this issue. I hate the lack of 8 bars (pattern chaining is not enough for me) and firmware is not rock solid too and sometimes suddenly stucks (eg: you can't record to a track anymore or the pattern doesn't play at all). I've never been able to use it as an FX unit due to its very noisy input. But, I have to say that I've got a Digitakt too and even if I only love it, the truth is that I'm not getting anything out of it yet. That's why I haven't sold the Electribe and probably I'll never do. The E2 is powerful, immediate, almost complete and fun to use. It's an awesome sketchbook and great in conjunction with other gears.
Hey guy,great demo! No doubt!! You definitely convinced me about this nice piece of music machine. Tomorrow I will acquire one for sure!! Thanks a lot .And let’go on guy.Great job
I use mine as a sketch pad to start ideas. Once there is the start of something i'll export it all to ableton then either carry on working on bits or replace it all - but its a great way (for me) of getting over that 'blank page' at the start of the creative process.
Based on watching your vids and others on here I have just bought a secondhand blue Electribe and looking forward to playing with it. Thanks for the inspiration and please keep up the good work. AND Emma is lovely!
Thank you! 🙂 Awesome! Congrats! Hope you enjoy it. It does take some patience when it comes to the workflow, but overall it is a really handy device. 👍
@@littleBIGsynths After a few weeks I decided I had bought the wrong Electribe (!) SO I returned the blue synth model and bought the red sample model instead, which is far more suitable for me. I don't need all of the synth engines and multiple filters of the blue one, just the basic versions as are on the red Sample. BUT, I do like the loading and manipulating of the samples, which , of course, the blue version does not do. SO, a wise change of choice for me. Many thanks again.
Dude that is the best review I've seen in a long time! I just bought one of these on eBay and I have quite a few of the same synths you have, really looking forwards to using it as my master sequencer for jams with my friend. Are most of the synth parts just one oscillator? I know twin saw waves are available, but can you stack single oscillators per part?
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it. 😁 I believe that all of the synth parts are technically 1 oscillator. There are some oscillator types that have octave/detuned settings which can achieve a dual oscillator type sound though. Not quite as rich as the real thing, but still pretty nice. 👍 lol I guess you could always use multiple parts, each with it's own oscillator/tuning, which share the same sequence... you may get the effect you are looking for... but not ideal of course. Lol Thanks again for watching. 🙂
Really cool vid. I've had my two electribes for a couple of years now and love them (I have they Synth and the Sampler and they complement each other beautifully). There are some limitations and frustrations when using them but the overall quality of the sound more than compensates. I really enjoyed watching you make sounds. as you did a few things I'd never thought of such as motion sequencing the pitch to make octave jumps... Obvious when you think about it but the thought just never occurred to me til now! Great job and thanks for re-inspiring me about these great boxes.
Andrew Brooks I'm curious how do you find that they compliment each other? I have the synth version and am thinking of getting the sampler version as well, but thought it might be redundant.
@@cougarman8 I used to run out of polyphony on the Synth and having both machines means that I can use the Sampler for drums and percussion, freeing up voices for the synth. The workflow of the sequencer on the Sampler is the same as the synth and its synthesis engine is similar if a bit simpler (not as many filters). Being able to throw in some of my own samples - bits of speech, noises, ambiences, whatever... - has also added a dimension. When performing, if you have the Sampler MIDI'd to the Synth they sync up easily and change to the same pattern number automatically which is great. I can fully recommend getting the Sampler if you already have the synth. You'll feel right at home with it. It certainly won't be redundant!
Cheers, enjoyed the vid. Love mine, immediate and fun music creation, with a USB power bank and converter, anywhere anytime. Also as a looping guitarist I can put it on my pedal board and operate the channel mutes with my feet (socks only tho...) any other way of doing this would be expensive large and complex. Wish Korg would have supported it more with updates rather than develop the IOS version but hey ho, not the end of the world. Can't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon, might get a second hand synth version at some point tho..... :)
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Yeah, it is an excellent piece of gear for sure. I love using it with other hardware... so fun! Happy music making! 👊
I LOVE your video so much! Thank you very much. I can barely reproduce the half of your synths. One thing that always bothered me about my electribe was, that almost every wavesynth sounds ..."chiptuny". If you know what I mean. But you obviously showed that this isn't necessarily the case and that warm and deeper synth sounds are possible. Thanks!
Never even considered an Electribe before but that sounds so good. I already have a sequencer /sampler that I love so don't really need one, but if my set up starts getting daft, I could always link one up to my main sequencer and then in turn run more stuff from that. It certainly seems like an impressive piece of kit.
Love it so much. It´s a really powerful machine. My only complain is that sometimes, when you change patterns, there´s a little gap between them. Anyway, there are a couple of ways to get rid of that microcut (not always and not in every instrument). Thanks for your review! It would have been an easier decision if I had saw it before! Cheers from Argentina!
I bought electribe sampler in 2016. But recently I knew it can sequence other instruments as you told, so I’m having fun electribe and minilogue (an analog synth from KORG). I’ve been unsatisfied with electribe is difficult to input sequence. But you have Arturia Keystep, right? I surprised at it has arpeggiator and polyphonic sequencer... It must make fun to playing synths. Also I attracted synth part of electribe. Thanks for introducing them.
Yeah, the E2s workflow can be a bit clunky at times... but overall, it's a powerful tool. The Keystep is awesome. I totally reccomend it. It is also useful to use with the Electribe and can make creating sequences and patterns much easier. Thanks for watching! 🙂
Really nice video! I‘m very close to regretting that i bought the Novation Circuit instead. This One is way more straight forward and less „experimental“ than the Circuit...damn, i Love it!
Thank you very much! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the video. Yeah, I personally have never been interested in the Circuit. I am sure it has its unique features and characteristics... but just not appealing to me. 🤔 However, the Circuit Mono Station does look a bit more interesting to me. I like the fact that it has all of the controls and parameters one would expect out of a synth, plus the groove box aspect of the circuit.
Thank you for this great review! Could you do a short video that explains how to control Roland Boutique series with the Elecribe? I think it should easy and straight using midi ...
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 I have been meaning to make a video just like that, but just havent had the time.... but it is definitely on the top of my list. Hopefully, I should be able to get around to it this upcoming month. Please stick around and stay tuned. 😉👍
Yeah! Wholeheartedly agree. The Electribe is also my 'to go' machine. Sketchbook, experimental lab, performance tool. When it's about having as much stuff as possible in a portable format, there is little that beats this. I think the only thing close enough but totally different is the Novation Circuit. Although, as I'm avoiding the computer for music making, I do prefer the Electribe. Also because of the 16 parts. :) Cheers! Keep up the good vibe!
I try some tricks these days paring it to a Roland SPD-30 drumpad, which has an nonquantizable sequencer onboard, which I feel kind of completes the possibilities of the Electribe.
Sorry bro, but circuit is a bit like a toy in comparison to electribe. It does has quite powerful synth engine but to do something new with it you need to connect it to a computer. And only 6 channels... Got rid of mine after 2 days of playing around. Electribe all way around!
@@izraelservantofalmightygod they both have ups and downs. The sequencer of circuit is way more flexible, also step editing and nudging of patterns. And yeah, the depths of synthesis. Electribe on the other hand serves wonderfully as the brains for a larger setup of gear, and yeah, I never have to use a computer with it.
Heyy i love all the sounds that you make with it, I just got mine, I was wondering if you could make some videos for beginners, step by step ? 😁 it would be amazing
Awesome vid! I already have a bunch of Korg products and I really like them. Not that familiar with this one and you probably convinced me to buy it. Thanks!! Good music too 😎🙏🏻 Ueberdandy
Awesome video, just bought one from ebay. I have the a minikaocillator 2 and korg beats that this thing will replace. Great vid marvelous talent you have and really enjoyed your analysis of the machine. Keep up the good work mate. Jim
Kewl vid. I've never really played with one of the E2's. IDK though ya know? Just makes me regret my missing EMX. Looks like alot of fun menu diving. Oh, boy.
Yeah. It really is a great piece of hardware... even more so if you can find one at a used price. 😉 Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for subscribing. 👊🙂
Great review and feel inspired to try one as i'm a noob kid on the block and this looks like a lot of fun. Hopefully it's got a 'Doomph Doomph ' button that i can press and just sit back and be Doomph Doomphed to my hearts content without having to have a PhD in synthesizer programming and another in music theory.I've got a certificate for 100 mtrs freestyle swimming if that helps ? Cheers,all the best from the UK.
I am still a happy man with my Electribe, I also own the EMX (Electribe 1) and they both complement each other very well. The E2 sure has it's flaws, but for the money (2nd hand €250,-) it is a bargain. I also use it as a sequencer for my Neutron and other gear, it does a good job right there, but as I said it has its downsides. Step edit sucks but as I am used to it now it can be done quite fast, the 4 pattern max length sucks but can be by passed by using chain mode (would have been better if there were more patterns)voice stealingling above 8-10 pads occupied sucks, but hey it is a €250,- machine!! Great piece for making my techno songs...
@9:06😮 so crazy to see how well it plays with so many others....and to see how much this can do on its own is pretty dope too. I usually see the electribe with another device or two. This can also provide send effects to a Volca Mix while also playing its own music, right??
I have the 2s I am gonna pickup the blue one at some point I had a grey one but needed the samples more now I would like to have both. I really like the work flow for early in the creation process.
Let me know about these limitations. I am honestly, curious as to why people dislike this machine so much. 🤔I have been using mine for over 2 years now and I have not once considered selling it. 😉
@@littleBIGsynths It's not like as "dislike" it. Very low polyphony - when I'm finally trying to do something on it I'm running quickly of voices. Korg claim there are number of insert fx, but maybe ... 5 is useful. MIDI channels ... you can't change midi channel per track.
I have the EMX and ESX. My primary goal with these machines was not to jam, but to make songs. Song mode was integral to me and a definite dealbreaker when the E2's released. On top of that, horror stories about infinite menu diving were another consideration. Regardless, it's 2020 and my only hang up right now would be buying one (probably grab the E2S first) and then Korg releasing a new Electribe. lol. Song mode as pattern chain and how it is implemented completely works for me (a BILLION times better than the horrible pattern chain on the Novation Circuit), and I've heard of ways around constant menu diving. SO. Have you heard any rumors about a new Electribe before I go and pull the trigger on this?
hey man, thanks for the video. nice tune as well. i am trying to rediscover my love for the electribe and making it in the center sounds appealing. how did you do the midi routings? do you use a midi box? i dont see a laptop in your setup which is very tempting but am not sure if it makes it easier or harder....
Thanks for the video, man. I’m learning a lot with your content. About the Electribe, do you experience any voice stealing issues when sequencing external gear? How’s your experience with this issue so far? Thanks again!
Yo, you've are the only person who has inspired me like this for a long time. Are all of these sounds coming from this without a pedal or other machine though is what I need to know. If not, I am sold for sure times 100.
Thank you very much! 😊 Yes. All of the sounds are coming from the Electribe including the FX. There is no external audio processor or post processing. 😎👍 The E2 is really great, no doubt.
Thanks man, where can I get one for the cheapest brand new, do you know? Another thing...can you put the scale setting to 1/12 or 1/24 for each part, or the whole pattern itself? Or is there only 1/16, 1/8, and 1/32? It's like swing, but with the scale or step setting, if you know what I mean. It seems like you only make 1/16 note beats though? Your best info would really help...thanks alot.
receive my E2 friday, spend 3h on it on saturday, damn time fly so fast lol, great groovebox, i find it really easy to use i just dont like some knob that are not "infini turn" (like Pitch/Glide), i find that weird, because if on the instrument 1 you set it to +67 and have the instrument 2 with the value 10, the knob will turned all to the right and when you move it you will change the value..... (sorry bad english) but want i'm trying to say is "they should have made all the knob able to turn in 360°
Its the best thing I ever bought, the brain of my set up. Once you pair it with a couple of other synths the voice stealing issue goes. However the hum off the main outs is super annoying.
Awesome to hear! 😁 Yeah, it's an awesome device and I totally agree... I usually sketch out my ideas on the E2 first, and then throw in some synths to free up voices. No biggie. 😉👍
thanks for the tutorial! what functionalities were you routing to/from the keystep pro? also, curious if you can offer any comparison between this electribe and the ESX.
Cons and Pros, at least from my perspective. Cons 1. It's completely counterintuitive (unlike Circuit Trax for example) so it's a steep learning curve. 2. No velocity sensitivity to pads 3. Voice stealing issue 4. No reverb per part and even as a master effect a) it's a crappy reverb and b) it's either on or off. 5. The sound is a bit LOFI (although it's fine if this is what you enjoy working with) 6. - Really crappy power plug which is very loose so you need to always keep batteries in it in case you accidentally touch the power cable (yes, it's not just my Electribe, both of my friends' units have exactly the same issue both sampler and synth kind). 7. Will not remember settings without batteries 8. No Gate/CV connection 9. 3.5 inch MIDI port that needs a specific (rather expensive these days) Korg adapter. 10. No MIDI through port. 11. Not a sampler (and its sampler counterpart is severely limited as synth) The pros: 1. Incredibly versatile machine which is rather unique in its price range even in 2021 2. The XY (Kaos) pad allowing for real time control of cutoff/resonance, flanger, phaser, delay and other effects. 3. Extremely portable, more so that Circuit Trax 4. Very sturdy, metal construction. 5. Albeit small - a very comprehensive LCD screen (Circuit Trax can't boast any) 6. External sound can be passed through its oscillator filters (and it's in stereo too) although personally I found it cumbersome to turn this on and I wasn't impressed with how it processes external audio). 7. A rather large library of per-part FX (even though it lacks reverb). 8. Good selection of filters (including Acid, which to me makes a lot of difference, since I love writing in this genre) 9. Large selection of oscillators (even though I found many to sound rather bland and boring TBH). 10. One of the cheapest if not the cheapest desktop synth capable of polyphony (although there are a lot of "ifs" and "buts" here, such as for example the fact that you need to "cheat" to get its full capabilities, such as playing with pitch of each pad, and there are great video tutorials for unlocking its full potential. 11. (And this is definitely not the most important thing for music production but great for live play) It has its own colour visualisation, even though the full potential of it is kind of wasted by bottom placement, so I made a special transparent acrylic stand for it with polarised light filter film, so that a MIDI keyboard could be placed right under it and illuminated by its multicoloured dancing LEDs as you play, which makes your DJ desk really come to live. In all this is Korg's rather interesting take on modernizing something that was best of both worlds, - part groovebox, part synthesizer, and what I found to be a real pity: that it couldn't have sampler capabilities as well. There are tutorials on re-programming it to add that capability, but I would be to worried about bricking it to try.
Great review! I looked for a year before deciding on the Electribe2 (blue one). As a pro keyboardist I MIDI in a keyboard to play in notes. It is sad this great beat box comes just a little short of pro. The lack of multiple outputs and a marginal reverb makes this difficult to use for professional applications without sequencing external synths. I plan on adding external gear such as; Volca Bass - MIcroBrut - Volca Kick and now most likely a Arturia DrumBrut Impact. Sounds extensive but should produce professional results by mixing the separate outputs of all the gear with my own effects independently.
#1 reason (for me). It's fun. I've loads of other gear, but is a hassle to set it up and get it all working together, that 9/10 I just switch the electribe on and am up and running right away
Hi, thanks for cool video! Thinking about purchasing the little thing. Two questions: 1. Can it be a MIDI controller too? 2. Can I export the sounds as wav files into separate tracks in my DAW?
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 Yes. The Electribe definitely sends MIDI note data. So if you want to sequence other gear, or simply use the pads as a keyboard... it can definitely do that. As far as Midi CC and othe MIDI implementations, I'm not quite sure. Yes. The E2 allows you to export patterns as wave files; 1 file per part. So then you can take those seperate files/tracks and edit them further within your DAW of choice. If you are an ableton user, it also can export files specifically for that DAW. Hope these answers help. It's a great all in one music station. Totally worth checking out. 😉👍
Your patches are brilliant man! Do you need to know a lot about sound design to get the most out of the E2, or is a lot of it experimentation and happy accidents?
Thank you for this review. I was thinking of getting this to be the DAWLESS command centre of my simple setup. Midi sync is my main problem because the midi merge/splitter box I got doesn't seem to work well with my 2 controllers, the keystep and the beatstep pro. What midi hub are you using ?
Hi Littlebig, the ability to build verse bridge and chorus which you highlight at at 13.54 is a deal-breaker for me as most of my songs require that. Do u have any idea whether the novation circuit can do the same? In one of Deerful's songs she seemed to be able to switch between a distinct verse and chorus. Yet I've seen no written confirmation about this ability and whether it can build many parts or limited to 2.
Question. How did you sync the keystep with the electribe?, i just got the keystep but it's not letting me use the seq./arp. Mode, time Div or rate when i use the midi cable, just the keys.
Hi, very good presentation. How would you consider Electribe 2 Vs Arturia Spark Le in terms of workflow and sounds ? I'm really hesitating btw these two devices.
Thank you very much! 🙂 I dont have any experience with the Spark LE, but based off what I know... I would totally go with the Electribe 2 based solely on the fact that the E2 is standalone, whereas the Spark requires a computer or tablet. In addition, the Electribe 2 offers plenty of drum sounds, great synth engine, fx, powerful sequencer, and much more. If you can find a used one... it will make it that much more worth it for sure. The Electribe is a great music machine and totally worth checking out. 👍
Would I be correct in thinking that without an SD card, you cannot event record and layer over those realtime recordings? After using this machine for a few days I am wondering how people have resulted with different reverb FX in different parts of their songs with only one master FX reverb. The Electribe 2 (blue) seems to have a unique workflow and many deep hidden features only found on youtube, and the manual is less than basic at best. Thanks for making these demos! 👍
I love this thing too, but I have noticed that the sounds can switch up on their own when they are not on poly 1 or 2. Keep that in mind if your sounds keep changing on their own. It's really weird, and I don't know how I did it, but did anyone ever touch a high hat or something else and when you press it down it plays the sound, and when you let it go it plays the end of the sound? Kind of like hit, sound, release, sound? I wish I could figure out what I did. Oh yeah, like a pen that clicks when you push it in and then clicks again when you let it go. Like that.
I appreciate how you do the talking with the instrument rather than as so many on RUclips just with their mouths :) - great overview of what this device can do. I've been Electribe's long time fan (since EA-1), but only recently purchased the latest E2 and E2S - and clearly i am highly biased but very happy to own them. I also find Electribes are like Volcas - together they are even better and compliment each other in a set 😀
What do you guys think about the Electribe 2? Love it? Hate it? Both? Let me know! ...Hope you enjoyed the video though. Lol 😉
Dude that is a freakin awesome bit of kit. You can sculpt some serious sounds .
i have this unit and haven’t fiddled it around enough. great examples
Damned auto quantize. Except that, it’s a really cool groovebox.
I wish I could get on with the workflow.... I think DAW has me spoiled...
I love it, I can't recommend it enough. I have the sampler version, which is opens up all kinds of other possibilities, but this video made me realize, I haven't even gotten THAT deep in the electribe 2, with the gate arp, touch scale, you can get real ACID. looking forward to pullin' it out again and messin' around.
Honestly I'm a huge Korg fanboy. The first piece of gear I ever got was a kaoss pad 3 and I still use it all the time. Korg does a phenomenal job of packing a ton of power into a cheap list price and on top of it all, I think they spend a lot of time making their production gear very playable. They put the right parameters and effects on the right knobs to make it easy and a blast to just jam around. KORG please give me free goodies!
The Electribe 2 is a great piece of hardware that had a terrible launch! Initially it looked a lot worse than the EMX, due to a scaled-down physical interface, fewer bars of sequencing and a few omissions like the lack of a dedicated Roll button. I'd like to talk about why I feel it's actually gotten BETTER than the EMX.
-Patches that have been released since launch gave us Pattern Chaining, which lets you select the next pattern to play off the current one, and even lets you decide how many times to loop the current one before changing. Sure, it lacks the immediacy of 8 bars, but it's actually a lot more flexible to play back once you get your sequence down. I'd call this a worthy replacement for Song Mode (Which I never used anyway).
-It has a built-in Kaoss Pad: while I personally love jamming out on the EMX by selecting a lead part and using the reversed-function arpeggiator, going back it feels a little stiff being stuck in 16th-notes. Using the pad in arp/note entry mode is much better overall and it makes a good master FX controller too! It's almost like having an EMX and a KP3 in one box!
-One awesome feature is being able to set a groove AND its strength PER-PART! Sure you've got a standard Swing control that affects the whole pattern, but users like ALMANACS pining about it being hard-quantized might change tune if they looked at applying this to tweak certain drum parts. Rapid-fire stuff like shakers and hats make great groove-experiment fodder and it doesn't eat up polyphony, so go nuts!
-Battery-powered! This is a huge deal for something with a quick workflow: I've started some of my favourite beats on the bus going to work, and finished them up later that day!
-IT SOUNDS AMAZING! Everything coming out of this box sounds ready-to-go without additional compression or EQing, and the filter models on the synth version are an excellent sound design tool, even though things like drums are usually ready-to-use with zero tweaks needed. Additional synth oscillator types catering to chiptunes are a welcome addition, and it's nice having a selection of usable reverbs for a change...EMX had a garbage reverb that made it sound like your music was sliding down a metal roof, and its sound quality would crumble in general when pushed. Even stuff like the E2's saxophone oscillator, which SOS picked on in their review, actually sounds really nice when you play with the Edit function like its being played harder: these aren't just PCM samples, they often have meaningful changes when tweaked with the sole Edit knob.
I slagged this device when it came out, but Korg's patches have vastly improved it into a portable juggernaut that can hold its own against bigboy toys costing $$$$ like Pioneer's recent offerings and even some of the old "workstation"-style grooveboxes due to its immediacy. Thanks for a great review of this slept-on machine!
VJ Spe
VJ Spectron great comment!
in my opinion, EMX1 have better dynamics, good control, warmer tones and delay goes much further :) other the rest better at Korg Electribe 2.
it is a step back compared to the EMX1.
Use the pad for rolls.
I've had my Electribe 2 for about 6 years. It's been outstanding for writing and performing live! Such a versatile piece of kit and good opportunity to get off the laptop!
Your assistant is adorable. I was waving "hi" like an idiot.
Hahaha Thank you very much! 😊 Yeah, she is quite the character.
You certainly know your way round the Electribe what you are doing with this sounds bloody fantastic
Great video! I love my electribe... have had mine for two years- it basically taught me about synthesis. Workflow, sounds and tweakability are all great... you can get really far out with sounds if you just spend a some time learning the interface. Best $350 i’ve ever spent
This is definitively the review I am going to show anyone who asks if the Electribe is any good 👌
def the best demo of an electribe ive ever seen!! i love that you r playing gorgeous and cool sounds and beats instead of just edm blastoise. i used to have one and replaced it for an mpc 1000 which is a more powerful sequence player and sampler, but the electribe is an instument unto its own! it wouldbe sweet with the mpc. i seriosuly love and miss the chord and scale function it made for such intuitive song writing and learning! also miss having a pad lit 16/64 step sequencer with mutable steps and other awesome features like xy pad for whatever! i got into house music since then and wish i had this for my new housey sounds. excited to have one again some day!
also sick to modulate an lfo with an lfo!
Thank you very much! I really appreciate it! 😊 Yeah, the Electribe is awesome... it certainly has its limitations... but awesome nonetheless. 😉 The E2 would certainly do house music well I'm sure... might be time to pick one up again! Lol 😃
I have the Korg Electrlbe II Sampler as of this Comment.
MPC 1000 definitely has a better sampler engine. More polyphony and more robust Sequencer.
www.akaipro.com/products/legacy/mpc-1000
Still, Electribe II Sampler on its own is a good way to scratch down some ideas and get away from the DAW for a few.
Between the Electribe II - I'd get the Sampler version. More open-ended and can use your own sounds.
Personally, I love my electribe 2. I feel bad for those who get hung up on it's limitations (i.e. voice stealing). I've never let that get in the way of a good jam. This thing is powerful.
This "voice stealing"... Is that the envelope issue, where one envelope gets "cancelled" when you play a new note on that same track???
@@EspenFrafalne It is a DSP limit. You cannot generate unlimited voices/ sounds/ effects. If you start using too many resources certain parts will not play. You can set a high priority to some parts that you don't want to drop. There are also ways to free up resources like disabling filters on parts that don't use them and choosing more basic oscillator types.
awesome demo thanks, i was about to sell my electribe 2 sampler because i was having trouble figuring out how to use it, seems complicated, you just showed me some cool tips to get it working and now i cant wait to get started on it again - my main synth is an ms-20 mini/sq-1 sequencer with a kp3+ kaoss pad (i love korg mini synths, easy to learn and play), want to use the electribe to make backing tracks - so thanks for getting me to keep the electribe and try to learn it
Thank you very much! 🙂 Glad I helped you consider using your E2 again. It certainly has its limitations, but overall it is a wonderful piece of hardware.
Great idea. Make some cool backing tracks so you can noodle over them using your MS-20 mini. 😎👍🏻 I've always wanted one of those ms20s. Worth the money in your opinion?
Wow! You sure can program some sweet sounds. I’m an Electribe lover as well, and I splurged and got both the synth and sampler versions. I don’t regret it in the slightest. The best part of the video is watching you dial in your patches. Keep up the good work.
Finally, somebody who knows what they're doing with this machine!! That was awesome!! I had and lost the ESX-1 which I liked better than the MPC 1000 for chopping up samples and making beats. It was very underrated and I see the ES2 is too. My next purchase. Thanks...
A really superb demo. Before now I had always seen this as a grove box with PCM samples and a limited sound shaping engine. This demo show cased it as a useful synth / fx unit. I think I'll dig a little deeper into this unit before seeking another synth. The addition of the Keystep also adds to its usefulness.
This is why I love your channel...you make music I like so know something will work to help make what I want to be my sound.
Thank you very much! 😊 Glad you enjoy the channel.
One of the best electribe videos. Thanks
I purchased the red(pink) sampler version for a super great deal. Need to load it up. Gonna turn my Moog Grandmother to a poly with it.
Oh man that's handy. Prolly won't replace my 404 as my main centerpiece for production and DJing but it'll definitely be up there lmao.
I'm just a guy having fun with music gears. I've got a love/hate relationship with the Electribe 2. I love it for most of the reasons that you said. It's the core of my tracks (here on YT and SoundCloud) and sometimes even the only hardware used because you can really make full tracks on it. But you need to be ready to work around its many quirks and flaws. The cut/gap between patterns is maybe the most annoying one to me. I remember that while recording one of my first tracks, although I could play it all at once, I had to split it in three sections to work around this issue. I hate the lack of 8 bars (pattern chaining is not enough for me) and firmware is not rock solid too and sometimes suddenly stucks (eg: you can't record to a track anymore or the pattern doesn't play at all). I've never been able to use it as an FX unit due to its very noisy input. But, I have to say that I've got a Digitakt too and even if I only love it, the truth is that I'm not getting anything out of it yet. That's why I haven't sold the Electribe and probably I'll never do. The E2 is powerful, immediate, almost complete and fun to use. It's an awesome sketchbook and great in conjunction with other gears.
I missed out on these things when they were big. Had no idea how cool they could sound. Nice vid!
Hey guy,great demo! No doubt!!
You definitely convinced me about this nice piece of music machine.
Tomorrow I will acquire one for sure!!
Thanks a lot .And let’go on guy.Great job
I have an electribe sampler which I absolutely LOVE, but I'm thinking of buying the synth/groovebox version to form the tag team. Very nice video.
Best demo of this machine in my opinion. Well played. Great sounds and music.
I use mine as a sketch pad to start ideas. Once there is the start of something i'll export it all to ableton then either carry on working on bits or replace it all - but its a great way (for me) of getting over that 'blank page' at the start of the creative process.
Based on watching your vids and others on here I have just bought a secondhand blue Electribe and looking forward to playing with it. Thanks for the inspiration and please keep up the good work. AND Emma is lovely!
Thank you! 🙂
Awesome! Congrats! Hope you enjoy it. It does take some patience when it comes to the workflow, but overall it is a really handy device. 👍
@@littleBIGsynths After a few weeks I decided I had bought the wrong Electribe (!) SO I returned the blue synth model and bought the red sample model instead, which is far more suitable for me. I don't need all of the synth engines and multiple filters of the blue one, just the basic versions as are on the red Sample. BUT, I do like the loading and manipulating of the samples, which , of course, the blue version does not do. SO, a wise change of choice for me. Many thanks again.
Dude that is the best review I've seen in a long time! I just bought one of these on eBay and I have quite a few of the same synths you have, really looking forwards to using it as my master sequencer for jams with my friend. Are most of the synth parts just one oscillator? I know twin saw waves are available, but can you stack single oscillators per part?
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it. 😁
I believe that all of the synth parts are technically 1 oscillator. There are some oscillator types that have octave/detuned settings which can achieve a dual oscillator type sound though. Not quite as rich as the real thing, but still pretty nice. 👍 lol I guess you could always use multiple parts, each with it's own oscillator/tuning, which share the same sequence... you may get the effect you are looking for... but not ideal of course. Lol
Thanks again for watching. 🙂
@@littleBIGsynths thanks for the input man.
Really cool vid. I've had my two electribes for a couple of years now and love them (I have they Synth and the Sampler and they complement each other beautifully). There are some limitations and frustrations when using them but the overall quality of the sound more than compensates. I really enjoyed watching you make sounds. as you did a few things I'd never thought of such as motion sequencing the pitch to make octave jumps... Obvious when you think about it but the thought just never occurred to me til now! Great job and thanks for re-inspiring me about these great boxes.
Andrew Brooks I'm curious how do you find that they compliment each other? I have the synth version and am thinking of getting the sampler version as well, but thought it might be redundant.
@@cougarman8 I used to run out of polyphony on the Synth and having both machines means that I can use the Sampler for drums and percussion, freeing up voices for the synth. The workflow of the sequencer on the Sampler is the same as the synth and its synthesis engine is similar if a bit simpler (not as many filters). Being able to throw in some of my own samples - bits of speech, noises, ambiences, whatever... - has also added a dimension. When performing, if you have the Sampler MIDI'd to the Synth they sync up easily and change to the same pattern number automatically which is great. I can fully recommend getting the Sampler if you already have the synth. You'll feel right at home with it. It certainly won't be redundant!
Andrew Brooks thank you for the awesome thorough response! You sold me:)
I get excited Everytime I see a new vid from you! Love my E2. So underrated. Super cute kid!!
Wow, best demo of it I've seen!
Thank you very much! I really appreciate it. 🙂
I was about to sell mine but after this I'll keep it for definite. 😁
Oh man! Solid demo! I was sold around 4 minutes. I just turned it off and went "Yep, that's happening". Thanks for the video.
Cheers, enjoyed the vid. Love mine, immediate and fun music creation, with a USB power bank and converter, anywhere anytime. Also as a looping guitarist I can put it on my pedal board and operate the channel mutes with my feet (socks only tho...) any other way of doing this would be expensive large and complex. Wish Korg would have supported it more with updates rather than develop the IOS version but hey ho, not the end of the world. Can't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon, might get a second hand synth version at some point tho..... :)
Wow thanks for that demo! Now i know i've found the right piece of equipment!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Yeah, it is an excellent piece of gear for sure. I love using it with other hardware... so fun! Happy music making! 👊
man, you nail the thing. congrats!
I LOVE your video so much! Thank you very much. I can barely reproduce the half of your synths. One thing that always bothered me about my electribe was, that almost every wavesynth sounds ..."chiptuny". If you know what I mean. But you obviously showed that this isn't necessarily the case and that warm and deeper synth sounds are possible. Thanks!
Never even considered an Electribe before but that sounds so good. I already have a sequencer /sampler that I love so don't really need one, but if my set up starts getting daft, I could always link one up to my main sequencer and then in turn run more stuff from that. It certainly seems like an impressive piece of kit.
Love it so much. It´s a really powerful machine. My only complain is that sometimes, when you change patterns, there´s a little gap between them. Anyway, there are a couple of ways to get rid of that microcut (not always and not in every instrument). Thanks for your review! It would have been an easier decision if I had saw it before! Cheers from Argentina!
I bought electribe sampler in 2016. But recently I knew it can sequence other instruments as you told, so I’m having fun electribe and minilogue (an analog synth from KORG).
I’ve been unsatisfied with electribe is difficult to input sequence. But you have Arturia Keystep, right? I surprised at it has arpeggiator and polyphonic sequencer... It must make fun to playing synths. Also I attracted synth part of electribe. Thanks for introducing them.
Yeah, the E2s workflow can be a bit clunky at times... but overall, it's a powerful tool.
The Keystep is awesome. I totally reccomend it. It is also useful to use with the Electribe and can make creating sequences and patterns much easier.
Thanks for watching! 🙂
Really nice video! I‘m very close to regretting that i bought the Novation Circuit instead. This One is way more straight forward and less „experimental“ than the Circuit...damn, i Love it!
Thank you very much! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the video.
Yeah, I personally have never been interested in the Circuit. I am sure it has its unique features and characteristics... but just not appealing to me. 🤔 However, the Circuit Mono Station does look a bit more interesting to me. I like the fact that it has all of the controls and parameters one would expect out of a synth, plus the groove box aspect of the circuit.
Thank you for this great review! Could you do a short video that explains how to control Roland Boutique series with the Elecribe? I think it should easy and straight using midi ...
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I have been meaning to make a video just like that, but just havent had the time.... but it is definitely on the top of my list. Hopefully, I should be able to get around to it this upcoming month. Please stick around and stay tuned. 😉👍
Yeah! Wholeheartedly agree. The Electribe is also my 'to go' machine. Sketchbook, experimental lab, performance tool.
When it's about having as much stuff as possible in a portable format, there is little that beats this.
I think the only thing close enough but totally different is the Novation Circuit.
Although, as I'm avoiding the computer for music making, I do prefer the Electribe. Also because of the 16 parts. :)
Cheers! Keep up the good vibe!
I try some tricks these days paring it to a Roland SPD-30 drumpad, which has an nonquantizable sequencer onboard, which I feel kind of completes the possibilities of the Electribe.
Sorry bro, but circuit is a bit like a toy in comparison to electribe. It does has quite powerful synth engine but to do something new with it you need to connect it to a computer. And only 6 channels... Got rid of mine after 2 days of playing around. Electribe all way around!
@@izraelservantofalmightygod they both have ups and downs. The sequencer of circuit is way more flexible, also step editing and nudging of patterns. And yeah, the depths of synthesis. Electribe on the other hand serves wonderfully as the brains for a larger setup of gear, and yeah, I never have to use a computer with it.
This presentation is fantastic! I wan to get this now
I will be getting it tomorrow.
Great video. I just impulse bought one as my local music instrument shop is doing a great deal. Then watched this video.... No regrets.
One of the best view I've seen on the topic!
Thank you very much! 😀👍
Heyy i love all the sounds that you make with it, I just got mine, I was wondering if you could make some videos for beginners, step by step ? 😁 it would be amazing
Thanks for taking the time to create this!
Awesome vid! I already have a bunch of Korg products and I really like them. Not that familiar with this one and you probably convinced me to buy it. Thanks!! Good music too 😎🙏🏻 Ueberdandy
Awesome video, just bought one from ebay. I have the a minikaocillator 2 and korg beats that this thing will replace. Great vid marvelous talent you have and really enjoyed your analysis of the machine. Keep up the good work mate. Jim
I like your style man. Really cool demo tracks :)
I watched this a few times now. Great stuff.
Kewl vid. I've never really played with one of the E2's. IDK though ya know? Just makes me regret my missing EMX. Looks like alot of fun menu diving. Oh, boy.
Nice video Man, appreciate the demo, Thanks.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
@@littleBIGsynths based on your video, I'm buying it, great functionality and sounds. Man, Korg need to pay you!
Wow I miss my Electribe, it was great sonically, portable and fun to play...😪 loved the vid tho, subbed!
Yeah. It really is a great piece of hardware... even more so if you can find one at a used price. 😉
Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for subscribing. 👊🙂
littleBIGsynths absolutely!! Will keep an eye out in the new year, all the best and keep it up!
Nice.. thanks!
Great review and feel inspired to try one as i'm a noob kid on the block and this looks like a lot of fun. Hopefully it's got a 'Doomph Doomph ' button that i can press and just sit back and be Doomph Doomphed to my hearts content without having to have a PhD in synthesizer programming and another in music theory.I've got a certificate for 100 mtrs freestyle swimming if that helps ? Cheers,all the best from the UK.
I am still a happy man with my Electribe, I also own the EMX (Electribe 1) and they both complement each other very well. The E2 sure has it's flaws, but for the money (2nd hand €250,-) it is a bargain. I also use it as a sequencer for my Neutron and other gear, it does a good job right there, but as I said it has its downsides. Step edit sucks but as I am used to it now it can be done quite fast, the 4 pattern max length sucks but can be by passed by using chain mode (would have been better if there were more patterns)voice stealingling above 8-10 pads occupied sucks, but hey it is a €250,- machine!! Great piece for making my techno songs...
@9:06😮 so crazy to see how well it plays with so many others....and to see how much this can do on its own is pretty dope too. I usually see the electribe with another device or two. This can also provide send effects to a Volca Mix while also playing its own music, right??
I have the 2s I am gonna pickup the blue one at some point I had a grey one but needed the samples more now I would like to have both. I really like the work flow for early in the creation process.
How do You think bout a Top 3 Reasons... Korg Volca Bass? Would love to see that one
Definitely! I have recently moved that one up higher in my video list... so hopefully I can get around to it real soon. 🙂👍
4:20 reminds me of the MGS 2 title theme. Sick video bro, thanks.
Very Nice video, awsome groovebox
Thank you! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it! ... and yes! The E2 is awesome. 😉👍
I have both the synth and sampler, endless fun, infinite combinations I sync them both together to make a 32 padded monstertribe
Well done, well explained, congratulations! 🎛🎛👍
I'd packed up my Electribe2. This video made me pull it out again.
don't worry - after running again into the it's limitations you'll pack it up again.
Let me know about these limitations. I am honestly, curious as to why people dislike this machine so much. 🤔I have been using mine for over 2 years now and I have not once considered selling it. 😉
@@littleBIGsynths It's not like as "dislike" it. Very low polyphony - when I'm finally trying to do something on it I'm running quickly of voices. Korg claim there are number of insert fx, but maybe ... 5 is useful. MIDI channels ... you can't change midi channel per track.
Great video, you know that device inside out!
Thank You for making this video! 😎
Thank YOU for watching it! 😊👍
I have the EMX and ESX. My primary goal with these machines was not to jam, but to make songs. Song mode was integral to me and a definite dealbreaker when the E2's released. On top of that, horror stories about infinite menu diving were another consideration. Regardless, it's 2020 and my only hang up right now would be buying one (probably grab the E2S first) and then Korg releasing a new Electribe. lol. Song mode as pattern chain and how it is implemented completely works for me (a BILLION times better than the horrible pattern chain on the Novation Circuit), and I've heard of ways around constant menu diving. SO. Have you heard any rumors about a new Electribe before I go and pull the trigger on this?
why can't I double-like!
hey man, thanks for the video. nice tune as well. i am trying to rediscover my love for the electribe and making it in the center sounds appealing. how did you do the midi routings? do you use a midi box? i dont see a laptop in your setup which is very tempting but am not sure if it makes it easier or harder....
Thanks for the video, man. I’m learning a lot with your content. About the Electribe, do you experience any voice stealing issues when sequencing external gear? How’s your experience with this issue so far? Thanks again!
9:06 if you release it, I will buy it👍
Hey thanks! 🙂 I havent really released any music yet, but that is definitely one of my big goals for next year.... so stick around! 😉👍
Yo, you've are the only person who has inspired me like this for a long time. Are all of these sounds coming from this without a pedal or other machine though is what I need to know. If not, I am sold for sure times 100.
Thank you very much! 😊
Yes. All of the sounds are coming from the Electribe including the FX. There is no external audio processor or post processing. 😎👍 The E2 is really great, no doubt.
Thanks man, where can I get one for the cheapest brand new, do you know? Another thing...can you put the scale setting to 1/12 or 1/24 for each part, or the whole pattern itself? Or is there only 1/16, 1/8, and 1/32? It's like swing, but with the scale or step setting, if you know what I mean. It seems like you only make 1/16 note beats though? Your best info would really help...thanks alot.
receive my E2 friday, spend 3h on it on saturday, damn time fly so fast lol,
great groovebox, i find it really easy to use
i just dont like some knob that are not "infini turn" (like Pitch/Glide), i find that weird, because if on the instrument 1 you set it to +67 and have the instrument 2 with the value 10, the knob will turned all to the right and when you move it you will change the value.....
(sorry bad english) but want i'm trying to say is "they should have made all the knob able to turn in 360°
i liked your video. You reminded me of the all the great features. I have a Sampler model with volca fm and volca sample. Unlimited creations...
it´s look very good the electribe 2, excelent video
It's a great piece of hardware. 🙂👍 Thank you for watching
Thank you bro!!! You are my new boss jaja. Diego from Chile.
That was a great presentation!
Its the best thing I ever bought, the brain of my set up. Once you pair it with a couple of other synths the voice stealing issue goes. However the hum off the main outs is super annoying.
Awesome to hear! 😁 Yeah, it's an awesome device and I totally agree... I usually sketch out my ideas on the E2 first, and then throw in some synths to free up voices. No biggie. 😉👍
Get a power supply conditioner with isolated adapter
thanks for the tutorial! what functionalities were you routing to/from the keystep pro? also, curious if you can offer any comparison between this electribe and the ESX.
Cons and Pros, at least from my perspective.
Cons 1. It's completely counterintuitive (unlike Circuit Trax for example) so it's a steep learning curve. 2. No velocity sensitivity to pads 3. Voice stealing issue 4. No reverb per part and even as a master effect a) it's a crappy reverb and b) it's either on or off. 5. The sound is a bit LOFI (although it's fine if this is what you enjoy working with) 6. - Really crappy power plug which is very loose so you need to always keep batteries in it in case you accidentally touch the power cable (yes, it's not just my Electribe, both of my friends' units have exactly the same issue both sampler and synth kind). 7. Will not remember settings without batteries 8. No Gate/CV connection 9. 3.5 inch MIDI port that needs a specific (rather expensive these days) Korg adapter. 10. No MIDI through port. 11. Not a sampler (and its sampler counterpart is severely limited as synth)
The pros: 1. Incredibly versatile machine which is rather unique in its price range even in 2021 2. The XY (Kaos) pad allowing for real time control of cutoff/resonance, flanger, phaser, delay and other effects. 3. Extremely portable, more so that Circuit Trax 4. Very sturdy, metal construction. 5. Albeit small - a very comprehensive LCD screen (Circuit Trax can't boast any) 6. External sound can be passed through its oscillator filters (and it's in stereo too) although personally I found it cumbersome to turn this on and I wasn't impressed with how it processes external audio). 7. A rather large library of per-part FX (even though it lacks reverb). 8. Good selection of filters (including Acid, which to me makes a lot of difference, since I love writing in this genre) 9. Large selection of oscillators (even though I found many to sound rather bland and boring TBH). 10. One of the cheapest if not the cheapest desktop synth capable of polyphony (although there are a lot of "ifs" and "buts" here, such as for example the fact that you need to "cheat" to get its full capabilities, such as playing with pitch of each pad, and there are great video tutorials for unlocking its full potential. 11. (And this is definitely not the most important thing for music production but great for live play) It has its own colour visualisation, even though the full potential of it is kind of wasted by bottom placement, so I made a special transparent acrylic stand for it with polarised light filter film, so that a MIDI keyboard could be placed right under it and illuminated by its multicoloured dancing LEDs as you play, which makes your DJ desk really come to live.
In all this is Korg's rather interesting take on modernizing something that was best of both worlds, - part groovebox, part synthesizer, and what I found to be a real pity: that it couldn't have sampler capabilities as well. There are tutorials on re-programming it to add that capability, but I would be to worried about bricking it to try.
Great review! I looked for a year before deciding on the Electribe2 (blue one). As a pro keyboardist I MIDI in a keyboard to play in notes. It is sad this great beat box comes just a little short of pro. The lack of multiple outputs and a marginal reverb makes this difficult to use for professional applications without sequencing external synths. I plan on adding external gear such as; Volca Bass - MIcroBrut - Volca Kick and now most likely a Arturia DrumBrut Impact. Sounds extensive but should produce professional results by mixing the separate outputs of all the gear with my own effects independently.
You can put your own sounds, for example, from ableton and play with them ????
Is it possible to modulate the start point of a sampler with a random LFO for example ?
This box has all to start getting Creative. Impressive demo
👍🤖🖐
#1 reason (for me). It's fun. I've loads of other gear, but is a hassle to set it up and get it all working together, that 9/10 I just switch the electribe on and am up and running right away
Niceee!👍 That is a great reason to love it.. just power it on and start creating. 😉 Totally!
Thanks for watching. 🙂
Hi, thanks for cool video! Thinking about purchasing the little thing. Two questions:
1. Can it be a MIDI controller too?
2. Can I export the sounds as wav files into separate tracks in my DAW?
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Yes. The Electribe definitely sends MIDI note data. So if you want to sequence other gear, or simply use the pads as a keyboard... it can definitely do that. As far as Midi CC and othe MIDI implementations, I'm not quite sure.
Yes. The E2 allows you to export patterns as wave files; 1 file per part. So then you can take those seperate files/tracks and edit them further within your DAW of choice. If you are an ableton user, it also can export files specifically for that DAW.
Hope these answers help. It's a great all in one music station. Totally worth checking out. 😉👍
@@littleBIGsynths thank you! It helps a lot indeed!
Your patches are brilliant man! Do you need to know a lot about sound design to get the most out of the E2, or is a lot of it experimentation and happy accidents?
Thank you for this review. I was thinking of getting this to be the DAWLESS command centre of my simple setup. Midi sync is my main problem because the midi merge/splitter box I got doesn't seem to work well with my 2 controllers, the keystep and the beatstep pro. What midi hub are you using ?
Excellent explanation!!!
15:22 Amazing job.
Hi Littlebig, the ability to build verse bridge and chorus which you highlight at at 13.54 is a deal-breaker for me as most of my songs require that. Do u have any idea whether the novation circuit can do the same? In one of Deerful's songs she seemed to be able to switch between a distinct verse and chorus. Yet I've seen no written confirmation about this ability and whether it can build many parts or limited to 2.
This is superb drum machine
Fantastic machine....just give it a few weeks to understand it properly...nearly sold mine a few days after buying it.
Question. How did you sync the keystep with the electribe?, i just got the keystep but it's not letting me use the seq./arp. Mode, time Div or rate when i use the midi cable, just the keys.
I love the box but hate stiff pads. Apparently Ive got the first release with collapsed pads. Otherwise its a great mobile grey monsta'
I really like your music !
Thank you! 🙂
Hi, very good presentation. How would you consider Electribe 2 Vs Arturia Spark Le in terms of workflow and sounds ? I'm really hesitating btw these two devices.
Thank you very much! 🙂 I dont have any experience with the Spark LE, but based off what I know... I would totally go with the Electribe 2 based solely on the fact that the E2 is standalone, whereas the Spark requires a computer or tablet. In addition, the Electribe 2 offers plenty of drum sounds, great synth engine, fx, powerful sequencer, and much more. If you can find a used one... it will make it that much more worth it for sure. The Electribe is a great music machine and totally worth checking out. 👍
Love the video and sounds very usefull
Thank you very much! 😁
Would I be correct in thinking that without an SD card, you cannot event record and layer over those realtime recordings? After using this machine for a few days I am wondering how people have resulted with different reverb FX in different parts of their songs with only one master FX reverb. The Electribe 2 (blue) seems to have a unique workflow and many deep hidden features only found on youtube, and the manual is less than basic at best. Thanks for making these demos! 👍
Nice video! ( Chained patterns are trouble to update though... )
Thank you! 🙂
I updated the E2 awhile back... and don't really remember the process. Lol New features were totally worth it though. 👍
I love this thing too, but I have noticed that the sounds can switch up on their own when they are not on poly 1 or 2. Keep that in mind if your sounds keep changing on their own. It's really weird, and I don't know how I did it, but did anyone ever touch a high hat or something else and when you press it down it plays the sound, and when you let it go it plays the end of the sound? Kind of like hit, sound, release, sound? I wish I could figure out what I did. Oh yeah, like a pen that clicks when you push it in and then clicks again when you let it go. Like that.