It is 2024 , I had Digitakt and MPC one. Now I'm back on Electribes (EMX, ESX). They are just unbeatable, no fukin menu diving. And they are right now 20years old. Incredible.
I sold mine. I immediately asked myself WTF was I thinking? Just bought another one for about 100 bucks more than what I sold mine for. If you have one and are thinking of selling it, stick your head in the toilet and flush. Then go sell your dog, or your car, or something you won't regret later. I accept paypal for counseling services.
hi jason (my real name is jason) can you tell me your personal thoughts on what the emx can do. i know they are pricey now but ive had my eyes on it for years and just don't know if the 300 or 400 pound is justifiable. cheers in advance
I sold mine five months after purchase back in 2005. It can sound decent but it takes a lot of work. It is quick to use, but I tend to feel the sounds are a bit toyish, whether the built-in samples or virtual synths. That said, I didn’t use it that long! Maybe if I got into the effects more or something, I would have tweaked it more to my liking. Just felt limited in a bad way I guess, rotating the dial to select, etc. funny thing is I can appreciate it more now than back then, lol.
I was talked into the Maschine. I traded mine in for NI maschine. I never got the software to run correctly. I deeply regret selling my Korg eletribe. The guy at guitar center eyes lit up when I traded it in.
Had mine for 10 years or more...its one of the best pieces of kit i'v ever owned. Fantastic on its own...or just good with other input with bpm counter... Still love playing it.
I sold mine years ago and I really really want to buy another one. I made dozens of tracks with it and it was just a treat to have. Creative bliss and so much fun!
The newer SD version you have came with ruby tubes instead of the original release EMX with smart media came with Elektro Hamonix tubes that were definitely harsher and more for guitar pre amps. I refitted both of my emx and esx with JJ ECC803S gold pin matched tubes. Completely changed the sound signature of this rig in a good way. These tubes actually sing and harmonize!
They need to start making the old esx/emx... I dont know what they were smoking when they made the electribe 2s... I have an esx and I want an emx sooo bad...
dead right. so may flaws in the new features of the new elecs. my main one is the absence of chaining loads of effects on top of each other in the order you want
This machine was the core of my entire album. The rhythm and the routine syth bits where covered by my emx1, and all the pads, partial bass and leads were done on a JP8k and an Alesis Ion
@@Fieldson1977 excellent thanks. Really enjoying it so far. Did you use the emx as the drum machine or to control other machines and use it as the brain.
Roy M - I used the emx as a stand alone instrument. All the drums, some bass, arpeggiator bits, simple chord stabs and sub melodies where all emx. I played the pads, some bass, and the lead riffs using the JP8k, Ion, and a Korg MS2000. Nothing was midi’d together. All recorded on an old school zoom digital multi tracker that can spit out a CD when you’re done
It is build like a tank..... I bought mine for $200 in 2012, the first version of it, the smart media card, and changed the tubes a year ago, the only bad thing is the slider and arpeggiator make the whole machine menu go nuts, and I've noticed it's because you apply pressure to the metal plate.... But still going to fix that, it had the potential, it's one of the best best machines I've ever owned.... I've produce a dope house track with those swing's the machine can make...m
Got one japanese EMX late last year.(in near mint condition) I'm using it as a soundgenerator for Renoise. Which I'm using to make music for my game. I've changed out the tubes to the JJ-electronics since I couldn't afford the Telefunken ones. It's pretty much perfect for making any types of sounds that I'd like. Easy to use hands-on with or without Renoise. And no eff-in menus to browse for changing waves or effects, making things quick and fun to work with. I do consider a memory card almost a must for the machine tho. And it's also fun to just download some emx files from others to check their stuff out.
@@mastaboog749 Yeah, but I had to manufacture the calibration cable. Since it's quite a while ago I don't know where the cable is. There are schematics online on how to make the cable. I remember that I didn't have to calibrate much tho.
The slider when running the arpegiator is one of the best i ever used, and it even throws the individual notes out as midi, tons of different scales to use as well, oh im watching u start to use the slider now in the video, haha best feature by far!!!
Best workflow ever accomplished in any machine, the only thing I'm missing is combinable grid scales like in the Roland MC boxes. To me this is a dnb tool but it can handle almost any genre easily... well except for electro swing maybe or some more sample based stuff. I totally agree with you on the (future) value of this thing and the fun it brings. Great video!
2003 was the release year..., I own one and I think rim shots and toms aren't the best around (you're gonna need a second drum machine) but the cowbell and latin sounds (727?) it packs are more than tasty for the kind of detroit techno I do... edited: if someone is gonna check my videos/channel, I forgot to change to my real account Dave M. Nada without the UN4UTHOR1Z3D thing..., sorry...
These sounds sort of good in a Chronic 2001 sort of way, but as far as dubstep is concerned, it seems like most dubstep in general, after it actually got really popular was cheesy as hell.
i have been around these machines 20 years ago but are they worth buyng them now? i am thinking of going back playing music but i can see its out of production now and what is on sale is all pre owned. do they last? do they break down? you think is still worth owning one of these? they are good fun i had them but is now stil worth it? thanks!
the knob jitter bothered me for years with 2 knobs having it frequently... then i finally realized it was the cable needed tightening (i also removed a kink in it which may have helped). i had tried the other fixes such as putting parchment paper between boards, that didn't work (and i don't think that fix would have helped anyone)
fixed mine couple days ago , the knob jittering can become seriously annoying , specially after long periods of time. tightened the end of the ribbon cable by running it under the clamp and then fitted it back in. tested it by jiggling the ribbon cable and no changes. so far its a definite fix.
@@FilipeSantos-kq8hm I procrastinate this fix about 4 year, I left pattern asignate to pan. This knob is a most problemátic in my emx1. I decide fix next week y maybe ill bypass the tubes. I real love my emx1
made lots of music , goa and acid and still do with this korg. since 2010. great workstation. also replaced the tubes with the jj ones (i think) so when cranked all the way up , no distortion whatsoever. sometimes the synth might have to be calibrated if you change the tubes , so make sure you the cable have one if you want to.
Get it! fruityloops in a box also good to know the 3/4 output dont go over the effects/tube part and replace the tubes for sure ^^korgforums hase some good tips and tricks
Seriously. It might be my own noobness (just got into synths/grooveboxen since a month or two), but practically all of the older electribes seem to sound so much better than the electribe 2. Thought the e2 would be a good next step after getting a monologue (really love that instrument though), but I'm not quite convinced yet. The e2 in the end may work well as a sequencer / "the brain" once I start expanding my rig. But at the moment I'm tempted to ditch the e2 and get an EMX, or even EA1 instead.
I had an emx years ago. Sold it and got the electribe 2 some years later. Thought the same, that it would be a great continuation of the series, but I was quite let down by it. Not nearly as intuitive as the emx and didn't sound as good to my ear. It wasn't a terrible piece of kit but after the emx it just didn't stack up. So I sold that one too. Now I regret selling my emx and am seriously considering buying another.
The best drum machine around. I will never sell mine. But beware of the knob jitter. Google search it.....get an sd card one they are the latest ones. But nothing on the market that comes close......or maybe TR8s is close..
I cannot tell you how profoundly I disagree with you on the 'real instruments don't take batteries' comment! You're missing out on a whole world of brilliant, complex 80s and 90s music machines that can achieve brilliant things. Anything can be a 'real' instrument if you have the imagination to create things with it.
Yeah. When he said that, I was really put off. Just pointlessly arrogant/elite statement in a field that should be centered all around creativity and whatnot. Make music on a graphing calculator for all I care!
The dreaded EMX / ESX knob jitter is not fixed by wax paper. It’s a symptom of a missing or erratic signal from the knob multiplexers on the panel board caused by a flaky ribbon cable. The ribbon cable needs to be fixed, re-terminated, or replaced.
Hey there... Do you have any info on this fix? I am gonna buy a used one for cheap. They are mentioning the arpeggiator bugs the menu and it's somewhat buggy but does work... Think it would be worth fixing? I replaced pads on a KP3+ and fixed it before
I want one because of Enter Shikari lol, Rou used to use one and always loved his use of Synths and their sounds. How complex is it to use? Looks a mystery to me.
When i saw enter shikari use this, i wanted to shoot myself in the face for selling it. Now, i bought one used for $446.00 and i'm not entirely sure if i wanna keep it or return it.
Hi mate! You are so positive about it. We know that each separate seq has to be recorded track by track on a daw. Please (maybe you' ve done it) make the same positive encouraging vid about the eSx1 !!! So im now checking..... make one esx1 video.
I've had a few ESX1 units and really like them. The hiss was terrible though. The last one I had I modified to bypass the tubes and the noise floor was very very low. I don't know how people can stand the hiss. I've heard it described as a wall of snakes. For the price they are starting to go for I think I would buy an MPC1000 over an esx now, but that's just me. Now the ES-1 on the other hand, that one I will never get rid of.
I've had my for 3 years until I heard a "pop" when I turned it on and it's not the power adapter. The thing is built like a tank. Yes, the data wheel jumps. I sent it out for repair because the Electribe is very cool. Paid 475 Euros for mine.
the only limitation of this machine is you can link 3 effects at same time. In the new electribe you can link effects with their own parameters to every chanel. new electribe have an issue with the arpegiator. I will never sell my electribes, its a unique machine, you need an entire life to discover how to use it. Mostly of my tracks i have release are made with this machine.
EMX-1 SM had stock Electro Harmonix 12AX7 tubes. EMX-1 SD swaps those for Ruby tubes. You've got SD, so if they are stock they are Rubies. For sure most people prefer the sound of the original Electro Harmonix. You can buy a pair of 12AX7EH for about $30 on ebay, but at that point, for the trouble, I'd upgrade to even better than the EH.
Many of my friends perform and records with those Electribes too,. I have enjoyed your circuit bent and electribe videos...... Side note: I am a real big fan of vintage stereos, radios, tape players, record players, 8 track players, boom boxes, vintage music hardware, computer systems and circuit bending. My channel has plenty of videos and playlists. I subscribed to your channel too.
Hey man can you please explain how you “isolate” sounds from the mix and process them individually? The fact that this only has 2 outputs (maybe 4 with panning) is my only concern for this seemingly incredible piece :) thanks dude
Yea i really ned and extra ouput. The reverb is terrible so i use externls fx to 3/4 ouput but i need another to send the kick to sidechain compressor.
i bought an esx1 in 2005 when they were still pretty new to the marketplace! i was blown away at the value for the 500$ price point. the store also had the blue emx on display & after i got pretty comfy on the red one , i used to go and build on a really slammin beat every time i would go in to the music store! korg really hit a homerun with both of those machines in my opinion! since u pretty much get the same machine , the best result for u would be to decide if u would like to be able to sample with it. the preloads in the emx are very sweet & any one who is in to gear will most certainly agree, but the wallet of your personal sounds will always make the esx a very unique sounding extension of your personality!. in conclusion it seems the best option for you is the save up a couple hundred more$ and become the proud owner of both& a little slice of dessert treat which would be the midi cable in between!!!! i love that electribe & always will u will too , i guarantee it
i use the emx as a sequencer for my setup. unfortunately the sequencer ist not polyphonic and therefore cannot sequence chords. i guess this is the biggest drawback for me.
I have three Electribes, but not this one. they are amazing for making unique sounds of your own. I recall seeing one of these secondhand. wish I'd bought it now. I think in the future, people will look back, and realize how good they were, and they will be much sort after., Great demo.
I bought mine in 2007, and have only used it a handful of times until recently. But I totally agree, this thing is a future classic, it was way ahead of it's time. I think it got lost as most EDM production was just heading into being more software based after it came out... now everyone is putting out hardware again and various "Grooveboxes" but I don't know if any truely stand up to what this can do! Check out my electronic music project here, the EMX-1 is all over it: tromborg.bandcamp.com/
Very underrated for drones! It is the emx-1 that has the particular creative potential I find the electribe 2 to be more bread and butter! I mean really for hip hop I think the new mpc’ s are way better with the new firmware! I disagree it will never reach a 1000! But I agree with pretty much most of what your saying!
I bought one used in 2009 & sold it a few years later just cause I didn't have room at the time & was going Ableton. Biggest regret of my life!! SO wish I had it now!! Thought "why don't I buy the new version?" I'll tell you why...my Electribe was one of the first synths I ever owned. it's the nostalgia factor. I love the cute interface & buttons. The new one's interface? "meh"
The knobs on the new ones are almost impossible to turn and the pads are not usable. That said, I really like the sound quality of the newer electribes way better. Cleaner, deeper and more tuneable.
I recently bought one for a low sum, it looked new...and then I discovered that the Phone Out jack was broken inside, had to pick out the plastic pieces from its case. The jack still works but it was a let down, I love my babies in good condition, lol. Poor stupid guy who immediately broke it after the original purchase, he apparently didn't play with it at all. It's a pity that it's relatively hard to fix that problem, it's soldered in hard and I didn't find a similar jack-out, lol. Now, back to the manual...
I have owned 3 different Emx over 7 years, used them almost everyday, and i still continue to find new sounds/textures to play around with. That machine is amazing. But to be completely fair some things are really bad about the Emx : -The reverb is TERRIBLY BAD. Like unusable in live conditions kind of bad. The sound of the reverb itself is ...hem... not great i'd say, and it cracks very loudly whenever there is too much gain coming in. The cool thing is that a good sounding reverb unit is kinda cheap nowadays. -The compressor sounds awful. There is a possibility to sidechain a synth part to a drum part but it's more of a tinkering than a feature (sounds awful too). -Some features like "clear part" cannot be done while the machine is playing. It might not be a problem in a studio environment but if you plan to live impro like i do, having to erase every single note from the pattern is time consuming. If you record an automation it's even worse since you have to step edit every single step in the pattern. -Time signature possibilities are very limited : 4/4 with the fastest rythm possible being a sixteenth note, 4/4 with the fastest rythm being a thirty-second note, allowing for more rythm precision but in half a pattern size, and the same for 6/8. The ability to skip beats would have opened the machine to a whole new world of sonic and rythmic exploration in unusual time signature. One thing that could be a turn off for some people : the filter behaves very strangely at low cutoff/high resonance. It screams and spits out the frequencies. Very digital sound. While it can sound awful to some people, it's my favorite thing on the machine. It opens so much sonic possibilities that i wish i could find a modular filter that behaves the same way. These are my biggest issues with the Emx, it is a wonderful machine otherwise. I have bought several effects/synths plus a modular system over the years but the Emx is still the masterpiece of my setup. I'm even considering buying another one to have more flexibility in live.
I love it when the filter starts having a shitfit.. lol.. Try a long reverb into the compressor then a delay on FX3 and tweak the filters on an M1 organ.. It seems to really go bananas with that setup.
You can edit last step to synthesize different time signatures. I regularly crack it down to 14 (7/8) or 10 (5/8) for off-time IDM / indie stuff. But no you can’t do 32nd notes
I want this emx so bad, the current gen dont have the same metallic look and feel and the colors are off, not to mention they put rgb lights all over it so it has a very gimmicky feeling when using it
If you can stomach the Off the shelf bran new unit prices for a used one? Sure. Be careful buying off of ebay. Ask TONS of questions, Knob jitters, blablabla. If you're at this video, chances are, you probably already had one and are considering another. My answer? Get it, but not without asking questions.
Noonswing The red one is the sampler version of the EMX-1. It works incredibly well with the EMX, both machines have the exact same sequencer and both work in basically the same way. A downside is it's very clunky, takes a long time to put the samples in place. Other samplers seem to have better control and offer more. Highly recommend the EMX-1, would also recommend the ESX-1 (The red version) but only if you're using the EMX-1.
I had both the red and the blue. Both are amazing units. If you can afford both, you won't regret it, if they are in PWO. The Sampler version would be great if it didn't have the stupidly small time limitation on sample storage length. Once you've got a library of over 30 seconds of stereo samples, you'll be irritated by the limitations on adding more samples. Why on earth Korg didn't allow its customers to use SD cards to store samples AND read from them in composing and playing patterns/songs is nonsensical. But in all other respects the ESXSD is great too. I just wish they'd age better, because the dreaded knob jitter is almost a certainty given enough time with all of these electribes. Alas...
I sold mine and believe me I regret it. BUT... I would have regretted it even more if I believed that these magnificent beauties age well. I'm sorry they just don't age well: 'knob jitter' is always a lingering likelihood (not just possibility - a likelihood!) with every one of this gen of both EMX and ESX's. That is, it works great today but five years down the road - you turn yours on and boom - suddenly menu items take on a life of their own, jumping all over the shop - due to dust and the effects of aging on the aging circuit and board connections. SO that was partly why I sadly sold mine while it still worked perfectly. I don't believe that it would continue to work greak indefinitely, and that is partly the reason why it had to go. Otherwise I'd have never sold mine either. Anyone whose got a sealed one sitting in an unopened box, might become very rich one day, but the rest of us with units which we regularly or even occasionally use, may not be anywhere near as lucky, I fear.
You use the SD card to load your own samples from your computer and have endless possibilities, and if you wanna dig deep into this machine check out LeonDustar on youtube he is a an absolute freak when it comes to programming these things, 1st Gen Electribes rule!
There is actually an additional DUB STEP sound pack that you can download free and load from SD card. The EMX is probably the best groovebox synth/drum machines/sequencer combination ever made.
The new ones look horrible, cheap plastic, ugly colors, I cant even watch them. The one in this video looks very very nice, solid. I wonder why I did not buy one of this when I had the chance. Now they dont sell this anymore...😭
Too bad it's badging doesn't hold value. If it were a Roland that'd be a different story. Kinda like Hyundai vs Toyota. Heck there's MC505's still fetching over $400 and that's total crap compared to the EMX.
Yet here's the thing - it's hard (read "nigh on impossible...") to find an MC303 or 505, right now, without at least some kind of fault on it, these days. Whereas the Korg units have stood the test of time far better! Value remains with the former units though. Now that really IS a 'go figure', if ever there was one!!
It's all Good I totally love both of these, the EMX and the MC-505 for many different reasons. The EMX probably has the best workflow concept ever but also some serious limitations. The 505 is far more complex with combinable scales, pattern length of up to 32 measures, two LFOs, proper ADSR envelopes for pitch, filter and amp and much more... If you're a beginner start out with the EMX first and when you feel ready for the next step, look into the MC-505. It's a steep learning curve but absolutely amazing what you can do with it. I made series of tutorials for both of these machines if you're interested to dig a little deeper into the subject. ;)
Its more a toy than a seriously good sounding drum machine. I owned both the red and this one and they sound shit. They are sampled based so just buy a good quality sample pack that have been processed through valves and make beats in your DAW. You could buy an true analogue drum machine like the jomox xbase for a reasonable price which has real character.
It is 2024 , I had Digitakt and MPC one. Now I'm back on Electribes (EMX, ESX). They are just unbeatable, no fukin menu diving. And they are right now 20years old. Incredible.
I sold mine. I immediately asked myself WTF was I thinking? Just bought another one for about 100 bucks more than what I sold mine for. If you have one and are thinking of selling it, stick your head in the toilet and flush. Then go sell your dog, or your car, or something you won't regret later. I accept paypal for counseling services.
Jason Arthur haha!
hi jason (my real name is jason) can you tell me your personal thoughts on what the emx can do. i know they are pricey now but ive had my eyes on it for years and just don't know if the 300 or 400 pound is justifiable. cheers in advance
I sold mine five months after purchase back in 2005. It can sound decent but it takes a lot of work. It is quick to use, but I tend to feel the sounds are a bit toyish, whether the built-in samples or virtual synths. That said, I didn’t use it that long! Maybe if I got into the effects more or something, I would have tweaked it more to my liking. Just felt limited in a bad way I guess, rotating the dial to select, etc. funny thing is I can appreciate it more now than back then, lol.
sold my grandmas implants still no regrets
I was talked into the Maschine. I traded mine in for NI maschine. I never got the software to run correctly. I deeply regret selling my Korg eletribe. The guy at guitar center eyes lit up when I traded it in.
Had mine for 10 years or more...its one of the best pieces of kit i'v ever owned. Fantastic on its own...or just good with other input with bpm counter...
Still love playing it.
I sold mine years ago and I really really want to buy another one. I made dozens of tracks with it and it was just a treat to have. Creative bliss and so much fun!
I have one of these and even when not using it they're worth the money as an ornament and conversation piece. Timeless!
Agreed. I have one - could stare at it for hours...
The newer SD version you have came with ruby tubes instead of the original release EMX with smart media came with Elektro Hamonix tubes that were definitely harsher and more for guitar pre amps. I refitted both of my emx and esx with JJ ECC803S gold pin matched tubes. Completely changed the sound signature of this rig in a good way. These tubes actually sing and harmonize!
They need to start making the old esx/emx... I dont know what they were smoking when they made the electribe 2s... I have an esx and I want an emx sooo bad...
dead right. so may flaws in the new features of the new elecs. my main one is the absence of chaining loads of effects on top of each other in the order you want
FREDDIE !!!! your channel is amazing dude !!!!@@jjlacey1970
i just got one of these, i also just got an MPC one. Adding them to my korg volcas and my korg SQ64. got it for 250 but i see these go over $500 now.
Nice. I liked it a million times better once I bypassed the tubes. Sounds almost too clean after, but those tubes are a wall of snakes.
This machine was the core of my entire album. The rhythm and the routine syth bits where covered by my emx1, and all the pads, partial bass and leads were done on a JP8k and an Alesis Ion
Can you link me some of the stuff you made on this?
Roy M - Of course:)
ruclips.net/channel/UCYKXVbHMfUKS1mt3_olM_2w
@@Fieldson1977 excellent thanks. Really enjoying it so far. Did you use the emx as the drum machine or to control other machines and use it as the brain.
Roy M - I used the emx as a stand alone instrument. All the drums, some bass, arpeggiator bits, simple chord stabs and sub melodies where all emx. I played the pads, some bass, and the lead riffs using the JP8k, Ion, and a Korg MS2000. Nothing was midi’d together. All recorded on an old school zoom digital multi tracker that can spit out a CD when you’re done
@@Fieldson1977 excellent work, really enjoyed the aesthetics of the tracks, such a retro vibe. The timbre of the vocalist is great
It is build like a tank..... I bought mine for $200 in 2012, the first version of it, the smart media card, and changed the tubes a year ago, the only bad thing is the slider and arpeggiator make the whole machine menu go nuts, and I've noticed it's because you apply pressure to the metal plate.... But still going to fix that, it had the potential, it's one of the best best machines I've ever owned.... I've produce a dope house track with those swing's the machine can make...m
Got one japanese EMX late last year.(in near mint condition)
I'm using it as a soundgenerator for Renoise. Which I'm using to make music for my game.
I've changed out the tubes to the JJ-electronics since I couldn't afford the Telefunken ones.
It's pretty much perfect for making any types of sounds that I'd like.
Easy to use hands-on with or without Renoise. And no eff-in menus to browse for
changing waves or effects, making things quick and fun to work with.
I do consider a memory card almost a must for the machine tho. And it's also fun to just
download some emx files from others to check their stuff out.
Did you calibrate your tubes after install or just buy matching tubes? i dont own the calibration cable
@@mastaboog749 Yeah, but I had to manufacture the calibration cable. Since it's quite a while ago I don't know where the cable is. There are schematics online on how to make the cable. I remember that I didn't have to calibrate much tho.
The slider when running the arpegiator is one of the best i ever used, and it even throws the individual notes out as midi, tons of different scales to use as well, oh im watching u start to use the slider now in the video, haha best feature by far!!!
Every video I see of EMX demos always slap hard.
This video was largely what pushed me to buy an EMX-1 for myself. Thanks for the video!
Best workflow ever accomplished in any machine, the only thing I'm missing is combinable grid scales like in the Roland MC boxes. To me this is a dnb tool but it can handle almost any genre easily... well except for electro swing maybe or some more sample based stuff. I totally agree with you on the (future) value of this thing and the fun it brings. Great video!
2003 was the release year..., I own one and I think rim shots and toms aren't the best around (you're gonna need a second drum machine) but the cowbell and latin sounds (727?) it packs are more than tasty for the kind of detroit techno I do...
edited: if someone is gonna check my videos/channel, I forgot to change to my real account Dave M. Nada without the UN4UTHOR1Z3D thing..., sorry...
Actually, he's not too wrong. Lol
The SD version he has was released in 2010. The SmartMedia one was in 2003, like you mentioned
Thanks for the good words... oh yes. Im an old Roland head. I have the esx1. Unique. Powerful. Thanxxx man.
Why did they release electribe 2 when they have a product like this?
I knew a guy who would get high and make cheesy dubstep on these, ive never taken this kit seriously because I always think of that dude
These sounds sort of good in a Chronic 2001 sort of way, but as far as dubstep is concerned, it seems like most dubstep in general, after it actually got really popular was cheesy as hell.
Most they make crap. Like on any mpc or daw.
We use tools that dont give us talent or some kind of.
i have been around these machines 20 years ago but are they worth buyng them now? i am thinking of going back playing music but i can see its out of production now and what is on sale is all pre owned. do they last? do they break down? you think is still worth owning one of these? they are good fun i had them but is now stil worth it? thanks!
I got mine back in 2012 for $250. Uses Smart Media cards but still love it.
I thought mine had died ( knob jitter) took it apart tightened up the holder on the ribbon connector and it's good as new
Nice.
the knob jitter bothered me for years with 2 knobs having it frequently... then i finally realized it was the cable needed tightening (i also removed a kink in it which may have helped).
i had tried the other fixes such as putting parchment paper between boards, that didn't work (and i don't think that fix would have helped anyone)
fixed mine couple days ago , the knob jittering can become seriously annoying , specially after long periods of time. tightened the end of the ribbon cable by running it under the clamp and then fitted it back in. tested it by jiggling the ribbon cable and no changes. so far its a definite fix.
@@FilipeSantos-kq8hm I procrastinate this fix about 4 year, I left pattern asignate to pan. This knob is a most problemátic in my emx1. I decide fix next week y maybe ill bypass the tubes. I real love my emx1
made lots of music , goa and acid and still do with this korg. since 2010. great workstation. also replaced the tubes with the jj ones (i think) so when cranked all the way up , no distortion whatsoever. sometimes the synth might have to be calibrated if you change the tubes , so make sure you the cable have one if you want to.
Get it! fruityloops in a box also good to know the 3/4 output dont go over the effects/tube part and replace the tubes for sure ^^korgforums hase some good tips and tricks
ESX was the sample based sequencer and the EMX was the oscillator based one, am I correct about this?
Yes
Seriously. It might be my own noobness (just got into synths/grooveboxen since a month or two), but practically all of the older electribes seem to sound so much better than the electribe 2. Thought the e2 would be a good next step after getting a monologue (really love that instrument though), but I'm not quite convinced yet. The e2 in the end may work well as a sequencer / "the brain" once I start expanding my rig. But at the moment I'm tempted to ditch the e2 and get an EMX, or even EA1 instead.
I had an emx years ago. Sold it and got the electribe 2 some years later. Thought the same, that it would be a great continuation of the series, but I was quite let down by it. Not nearly as intuitive as the emx and didn't sound as good to my ear. It wasn't a terrible piece of kit but after the emx it just didn't stack up. So I sold that one too. Now I regret selling my emx and am seriously considering buying another.
The best drum machine around.
I will never sell mine.
But beware of the knob jitter.
Google search it.....get an sd card one they are the latest ones.
But nothing on the market that comes close......or maybe TR8s is close..
I cannot tell you how profoundly I disagree with you on the 'real instruments don't take batteries' comment! You're missing out on a whole world of brilliant, complex 80s and 90s music machines that can achieve brilliant things. Anything can be a 'real' instrument if you have the imagination to create things with it.
Yeah. When he said that, I was really put off. Just pointlessly arrogant/elite statement in a field that should be centered all around creativity and whatnot. Make music on a graphing calculator for all I care!
@@JESSICA-qo7hz music on a calculator is the move! I'm sure Kraftwerk did that at least once.
Had that. 5 synths. Canned drums. Loved it. Stilll have the red one.
The dreaded EMX / ESX knob jitter is not fixed by wax paper. It’s a symptom of a missing or erratic signal from the knob multiplexers on the panel board caused by a flaky ribbon cable. The ribbon cable needs to be fixed, re-terminated, or replaced.
Hey there... Do you have any info on this fix? I am gonna buy a used one for cheap. They are mentioning the arpeggiator bugs the menu and it's somewhat buggy but does work... Think it would be worth fixing? I replaced pads on a KP3+ and fixed it before
10 years after my first EMX1., change to an EMX1SD...... I think I need another one.......
Yes. Especially with the tube bypass mod.
@@vintagestereos wheres that info dude?? Thanks
hi mate from Scotland how do you midi them to put the drum notes into daw
I want one because of Enter Shikari lol, Rou used to use one and always loved his use of Synths and their sounds. How complex is it to use? Looks a mystery to me.
When i saw enter shikari use this, i wanted to shoot myself in the face for selling it. Now, i bought one used for $446.00 and i'm not entirely sure if i wanna keep it or return it.
Hi mate! You are so positive about it.
We know that each separate seq has to be recorded track by track on a daw.
Please (maybe you' ve done it) make the same positive encouraging vid about the eSx1 !!! So im now checking..... make one esx1 video.
I've had a few ESX1 units and really like them. The hiss was terrible though. The last one I had I modified to bypass the tubes and the noise floor was very very low. I don't know how people can stand the hiss. I've heard it described as a wall of snakes. For the price they are starting to go for I think I would buy an MPC1000 over an esx now, but that's just me. Now the ES-1 on the other hand, that one I will never get rid of.
I've had my for 3 years until I heard a "pop" when I turned it on and it's not the power adapter. The thing is built like a tank. Yes, the data wheel jumps. I sent it out for repair because the Electribe is very cool. Paid 475 Euros for mine.
the only limitation of this machine is you can link 3 effects at same time. In the new electribe you can link effects with their own parameters to every chanel.
new electribe have an issue with the arpegiator. I will never sell my electribes, its a unique machine, you need an entire life to discover how to use it.
Mostly of my tracks i have release are made with this machine.
EMX-1 SM had stock Electro Harmonix 12AX7 tubes. EMX-1 SD swaps those for Ruby tubes. You've got SD, so if they are stock they are Rubies. For sure most people prefer the sound of the original Electro Harmonix. You can buy a pair of 12AX7EH for about $30 on ebay, but at that point, for the trouble, I'd upgrade to even better than the EH.
it is an quite special machine, not for lazy people or preset boys
Wait so you can or can’t load sounds from the computer to this?
no , you would have to get the SX one , the red one which is a sampler in order to do that.
This and the Digitakt is heaven!
I dig your Patrick nagal profile pic
Many of my friends perform and records with those Electribes too,.
I have enjoyed your circuit bent and electribe videos......
Side note: I am a real big fan of vintage stereos, radios, tape players, record players, 8 track players, boom boxes, vintage music hardware, computer systems and circuit bending. My channel has plenty of videos and playlists. I subscribed to your channel too.
Hey man can you please explain how you “isolate” sounds from the mix and process them individually? The fact that this only has 2 outputs (maybe 4 with panning) is my only concern for this seemingly incredible piece :) thanks dude
JX Side thanks mate. I bought one a couple of weeks ago. Probably my favourite piece of gear atm ;)
Hi mate!! U surely heard of "tracks".
So i record my mpc or esx1 on separate trax on my logic9
Yea i really ned and extra ouput. The reverb is terrible so i use externls fx to 3/4 ouput but i need another to send the kick to sidechain compressor.
I've been trying to decide between this and the ESX-1. I know the main difference is that the esx-1 is a sampler. Any thoughts?
ESX all the way. It is the EMX and so much more. With the tube bypass mod of course.
i bought an esx1 in 2005 when they were still pretty new to the marketplace! i was blown away at the value for the 500$ price point.
the store also had the blue emx on display & after i got pretty comfy on the red one , i used to go and build on a really slammin beat every time i would go in to the music store! korg really hit a homerun with both of those machines in my opinion!
since u pretty much get the same machine , the best result for u would be to decide if u would like to be able to sample with it.
the preloads in the emx are very sweet & any one who is in to gear
will most certainly agree, but the wallet of your personal sounds will always make the esx a very unique sounding extension of your personality!.
in conclusion it seems the best option for you is the save up a couple hundred more$ and become the proud owner of both& a little slice of dessert treat which would be the midi cable in between!!!!
i love that electribe & always will
u will too , i guarantee it
Great good positive reply.
1:42
op-1, entire roland Boutique series, sp-404mk2, mc-101, volca series....
That arpeggiator is similar to the Korg Kaossilator Pro+
My mistake, it's not. It's rather different now that I compare them
i use the emx as a sequencer for my setup. unfortunately the sequencer ist not polyphonic and therefore cannot sequence chords. i guess this is the biggest drawback for me.
I want one of these.. where did you find yours?
i HAVE ONE, ITS VERY GOOD YOU RIGHT BROTHER
I have three Electribes, but not this one. they are amazing for making unique sounds of your own. I recall seeing one of these secondhand. wish I'd bought it now. I think in the future, people will look back, and realize how good they were, and they will be much sort after., Great demo.
*sought
thank you sought.
Devo solo aspettare che mi arrivi Amazon Seller e mi compro la Emx
I bought mine in 2007, and have only used it a handful of times until recently. But I totally agree, this thing is a future classic, it was way ahead of it's time. I think it got lost as most EDM production was just heading into being more software based after it came out... now everyone is putting out hardware again and various "Grooveboxes" but I don't know if any truely stand up to what this can do! Check out my electronic music project here, the EMX-1 is all over it: tromborg.bandcamp.com/
I liked my esx way better when I bypassed the tubes. Got rid of the dreaded Wall Of Snakes. Would like to try it on a emx.
It has four out. You just run each sound you assigned to one or two or three or four actually have four output you just have to pan
😳👀😳👀😳👀
Very underrated for drones!
It is the emx-1 that has the particular creative potential I find the electribe 2 to be more bread and butter!
I mean really for hip hop I think the new mpc’ s are way better with the new firmware!
I disagree it will never reach a 1000!
But I agree with pretty much most of what your saying!
Active pickups are an exception Id imagine x'D
I bought one used in 2009 & sold it a few years later just cause I didn't have room at the time & was going Ableton.
Biggest regret of my life!! SO wish I had it now!!
Thought "why don't I buy the new version?" I'll tell you why...my Electribe was one of the first synths I ever owned. it's the nostalgia factor. I love the cute interface & buttons. The new one's interface? "meh"
The knobs on the new ones are almost impossible to turn and the pads are not usable. That said, I really like the sound quality of the newer electribes way better. Cleaner, deeper and more tuneable.
I recently bought one for a low sum, it looked new...and then I discovered that the Phone Out jack was broken inside, had to pick out the plastic pieces from its case. The jack still works but it was a let down, I love my babies in good condition, lol. Poor stupid guy who immediately broke it after the original purchase, he apparently didn't play with it at all. It's a pity that it's relatively hard to fix that problem, it's soldered in hard and I didn't find a similar jack-out, lol. Now, back to the manual...
Damn. I like stuff mint too.
can you load samples from the SD card on the mx?>
No. You can only save and load your programs on the SD card. The MX is not a sampler. The SX is a sampler.
I create my drum patterns on this but midi link my DR202 for old skool beats ...awesome..
I have owned 3 different Emx over 7 years, used them almost everyday, and i still continue to find new sounds/textures to play around with. That machine is amazing.
But to be completely fair some things are really bad about the Emx :
-The reverb is TERRIBLY BAD. Like unusable in live conditions kind of bad. The sound of the reverb itself is ...hem... not great i'd say, and it cracks very loudly whenever there is too much gain coming in. The cool thing is that a good sounding reverb unit is kinda cheap nowadays.
-The compressor sounds awful. There is a possibility to sidechain a synth part to a drum part but it's more of a tinkering than a feature (sounds awful too).
-Some features like "clear part" cannot be done while the machine is playing. It might not be a problem in a studio environment but if you plan to live impro like i do, having to erase every single note from the pattern is time consuming. If you record an automation it's even worse since you have to step edit every single step in the pattern.
-Time signature possibilities are very limited : 4/4 with the fastest rythm possible being a sixteenth note, 4/4 with the fastest rythm being a thirty-second note, allowing for more rythm precision but in half a pattern size, and the same for 6/8. The ability to skip beats would have opened the machine to a whole new world of sonic and rythmic exploration in unusual time signature.
One thing that could be a turn off for some people : the filter behaves very strangely at low cutoff/high resonance. It screams and spits out the frequencies. Very digital sound. While it can sound awful to some people, it's my favorite thing on the machine. It opens so much sonic possibilities that i wish i could find a modular filter that behaves the same way.
These are my biggest issues with the Emx, it is a wonderful machine otherwise. I have bought several effects/synths plus a modular system over the years but the Emx is still the masterpiece of my setup. I'm even considering buying another one to have more flexibility in live.
So its 2019 and is still this a good buy? Better than blue electribe? I found one for 300 bucks
I love it when the filter starts having a shitfit.. lol..
Try a long reverb into the compressor then a delay on FX3 and tweak the filters on an M1 organ.. It seems to really go bananas with that setup.
Ohhhhhh
You can edit last step to synthesize different time signatures. I regularly crack it down to 14 (7/8) or 10 (5/8) for off-time IDM / indie stuff. But no you can’t do 32nd notes
I want this emx so bad, the current gen dont have the same metallic look and feel and the colors are off, not to mention they put rgb lights all over it so it has a very gimmicky feeling when using it
If you can stomach the Off the shelf bran new unit prices for a used one? Sure. Be careful buying off of ebay. Ask TONS of questions, Knob jitters, blablabla. If you're at this video, chances are, you probably already had one and are considering another. My answer? Get it, but not without asking questions.
how about red one? Is it worth?
I haven't tried it yet, but I'm guessing it's the best out of all the Electribes.
Noonswing The red one is the sampler version of the EMX-1.
It works incredibly well with the EMX, both machines have the exact same sequencer and both work in basically the same way.
A downside is it's very clunky, takes a long time to put the samples in place. Other samplers seem to have better control and offer more.
Highly recommend the EMX-1, would also recommend the ESX-1 (The red version) but only if you're using the EMX-1.
I have the red one.... uploading samples is terrible you're right.
Я. B yep but it is not satysfying me
I had both the red and the blue. Both are amazing units. If you can afford both, you won't regret it, if they are in PWO. The Sampler version would be great if it didn't have the stupidly small time limitation on sample storage length. Once you've got a library of over 30 seconds of stereo samples, you'll be irritated by the limitations on adding more samples. Why on earth Korg didn't allow its customers to use SD cards to store samples AND read from them in composing and playing patterns/songs is nonsensical. But in all other respects the ESXSD is great too. I just wish they'd age better, because the dreaded knob jitter is almost a certainty given enough time with all of these electribes. Alas...
i hear these are really noisy ?
They are unbearably noisy. I found midi error's tube bypass and it made it WAY better.
Do something same about esx1. ::::::::please::::::::
No ,because u sound real positive.
I will never ever sell mine!!!
DITTO!!!
I sold mine and believe me I regret it. BUT... I would have regretted it even more if I believed that these magnificent beauties age well. I'm sorry they just don't age well: 'knob jitter' is always a lingering likelihood (not just possibility - a likelihood!) with every one of this gen of both EMX and ESX's. That is, it works great today but five years down the road - you turn yours on and boom - suddenly menu items take on a life of their own, jumping all over the shop - due to dust and the effects of aging on the aging circuit and board connections. SO that was partly why I sadly sold mine while it still worked perfectly. I don't believe that it would continue to work greak indefinitely, and that is partly the reason why it had to go. Otherwise I'd have never sold mine either. Anyone whose got a sealed one sitting in an unopened box, might become very rich one day, but the rest of us with units which we regularly or even occasionally use, may not be anywhere near as lucky, I fear.
It would be awesome if they combines the emx and esx into one machine
I dont agree:
Hi mate... (first )
No i think they should have put some quartz and increase memory.
There's plenty of real instruments that take batteries.
Tb303
Cz101
Dx100
Monologue
Even the new Electribe 2
They've been used on a couple tracks...
Well said and I have to agree. Maybe I was shooting my mouth off a little. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Vintage stereos!!!➡you were so rihght because you were speaking of modern electr o nic machines.
I found one in a thrift store an picked it up for 10 buck's
Get out of here!
Listening again . I would be K0RG: i call ye.
You use the SD card to load your own samples from your computer and have endless possibilities, and if you wanna dig deep into this machine check out LeonDustar on youtube he is a an absolute freak when it comes to programming these things, 1st Gen Electribes rule!
no you can't load samples...you are thinking of the red one ...the ESX-1 which is the sampler. Looks almost the same.
There is actually an additional DUB STEP sound pack that you can download free and load from SD card. The EMX is probably the best groovebox synth/drum machines/sequencer combination ever made.
The new ones look horrible, cheap plastic, ugly colors, I cant even watch them. The one in this video looks very very nice, solid. I wonder why I did not buy one of this when I had the chance.
Now they dont sell this anymore...😭
Sounds Horrible in live acts, you need more processors; I only like one thing, USB connection....less time for interaction. more time fore action....
Industrial especially.
Too bad it's badging doesn't hold value. If it were a Roland that'd be a different story. Kinda like Hyundai vs Toyota. Heck there's MC505's still fetching over $400 and that's total crap compared to the EMX.
i love my mc 505, and my emx. both are diferent animals, a good combo.
People
Yet here's the thing - it's hard (read "nigh on impossible...") to find an MC303 or 505, right now, without at least some kind of fault on it, these days. Whereas the Korg units have stood the test of time far better! Value remains with the former units though. Now that really IS a 'go figure', if ever there was one!!
It's all Good I totally love both of these, the EMX and the MC-505 for many different reasons. The EMX probably has the best workflow concept ever but also some serious limitations. The 505 is far more complex with combinable scales, pattern length of up to 32 measures, two LFOs, proper ADSR envelopes for pitch, filter and amp and much more... If you're a beginner start out with the EMX first and when you feel ready for the next step, look into the MC-505. It's a steep learning curve but absolutely amazing what you can do with it. I made series of tutorials for both of these machines if you're interested to dig a little deeper into the subject. ;)
@@LousyFacelift MC505 is all a rompler , despite not having two lfos and adsr , the emx-1 is analogue modelled.
I have one for sell if anyone is interested
Its more a toy than a seriously good sounding drum machine. I owned both the red and this one and they sound shit. They are sampled based so just buy a good quality sample pack that have been processed through valves and make beats in your DAW. You could buy an true analogue drum machine like the jomox xbase for a reasonable price which has real character.
Which one do you mean?