Korg ElecTribe Em-1

If you are a newbie to the world of music production, this product will suit you great. It's only just come out on the market and the price no doubt will drop soon. It has loads of memory storage but the main limit on this product is that it can only cope with 4 bars per memory store where as most trance producers work with 8 bars of music in each pattern. It also only features 2 synths, but for the size that it is it's pretty impressive.

Price paid

£350

UTILIZATION

I've rated the usability quite high as if this product was being used live in a club, the ability to swap from one pattern to another is great. Changing the sounds and knocking in and out parts live works a treat. The interface is very flashy with all the soft rubber 'press' buttons lighting up. The unit is very easy to hook up to midi aswell.

I managed to blow the power supply that ships with the em-1 on the first day i got it, due to the power supply 'supplying' not enough current for what the em-1 needs. This was due to me having the em-1 switched on when i plugged my power supply in, although the unit should be able to deal with that without a problem anyway. If you're going to take this unit out to a club i'd suggest getting a padded bag for it, although my unit has survived quite a few drops on the floor so far.

SOUNDS

The sound on the korg is slightly limited, it has 50 synth-waveforms, which sound very similar to one another which was quite disappointing, these sounds though can be altered using the effects and other sound controls. The biggest problem is that the sound is only capable of playing one note at a time, making chords an imposibility unless using the 2 synths at the same time, but still only having 2 notes at a time. The sound waves on the em-1 sound very digital and there is nothing near a string like noise.

OVERALL OPINION

I wouldn't suggest this unit if you're building on a pro studio, or if you've been in the production side for a long time. I was disappointed by the limit on the variety of sounds. I want to produce more trance than anything else, korg were meant to make this product in mind of producing a variety of styles although i think it concentrates on a lot of drum and bass. I'd definately advise it as a first unit. The korg travels everywhere with me though as it is so light.

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: Unknown ( 4-, 2002)

I liked alot of the effects available to me.The step sequencer wasn't new to me after using Korg's EA-1.I was wanting something more out of the little black box but could never figure out what it was until the EMX-1 came out.Overall the features are average for the price paid,think of it as a very basic production station to get an idea out on.

Price paid:$350 USD

UTILIZATION

I never really had a problem with the EM-1,it's very quite simple to use and the matrix is a smooth flow compared to the microKorg.Everything on this unit is laid out before your eyes and all you have to do is press a key or tweak a knob and watch the sounds sculpt right before you.

SOUNDS

I was quite shocked at the time when I had heard this thing.Although there was alot of mixed opinion about it's sounds,some felt it was bad because it's monophonic while others felt it lacked the sound more costly units had.For the price paid you can tweak the sounds enough to get something other than the factory sounds and still have a great idea come out of it.

OVERALL OPINION

Like my EA-1,this is very durable.Although my black paint is starting to chip off in some parts of the unit,it's still very durable and has not broken on me yet.

I can't say I was truly in love,but I was happy with the purchase of this.It gave me a hands on approach,and as I grew to learn this unit every time I used it I also discovered more and more of what I was looking for in a hardware production station.

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: TheOracle ( 6-, 2005)

The connectors for audio: three headphone jack output an L R, no entry ...
No buzzing, noise or ground, the sound is pretty clean.
MIDI connectors are in, out, thru.

An effect pattern to enable or disable on each hand!
rev, flg, phaser, ring mod, pitch shifter, comp, distortion, deci, resonator, filster delay mode, and a delay per unit.

The machine is more oriented drum n bass, bare naked scool break, hip hop, garage, and of course "hardtek tribe" which is recognized on the grain of the old vinyl kind fky capsule corp etc ...
A drum machine for grain are!

There is a free utility for easy editing pattern.

4 measure sequencer (64 steps) to enable focus on each hand, roll x2 mode, glisendo, swing.
As well as options to offset, copy, share share ..

UTILIZATION

The general configuration is it simple?
Very simple, electribe or fisher price? No, it's very intuitive, a 5 year old would be used.

The manual is complete, everything is until proven otherwise!

All the usual functions are before your eyes: o

SOUNDS

The sounds they suit your style of music?
That this particular and rather old scool grain in terms of electronic music that I like.
But the raw sound does not break bricks.
Once passed in software and treated as it should be I think we can get very good results.
The bass were once crushed something terrifying, like a little neurofunk,
and after a session of resampling I think there fast way to make HEAVY!

Against effects are "boundary limit" but like they traded their old school.

What are the sounds you prefer, you hate? ...
Défire be hard to grind, as I said I love the bass, the sub is also terrible and synth short I would say that the drums (integrated PCM) are seen again and again, like some ca interest

OVERALL OPINION

I've had two weeks, but it's been a while I know this bekane ...

I was es1x, em1x, er, ea 2 on i-pad ...

What is the particular feature you like best and least?
I love his oriented drum and bass sounds, naked skool, garage, and the heat that I find really different em1x his successor.

This machine is no longer manufactured since 2002 and argus to stagnated at around 130, 150.
I think in light of "rarity".
Maybe one of these machines will become personal collector AC helped my decision on this purchase because I do not really useful at least for the moment ......
I also taken by nostalgia and because I love these electribe that are a breeze to tamper ...
In fact I have to keep my kids

Stereo Headphone output.
2 stereo output jack (L / mono)
Midi in - out - thru.
4 steps sequencer - 16 steps per bar - 256 Patterns, 16 Songs - 35 700 events per song.
10 parts / tracks percussion / drum tracks with 2 coupled to the effects such charlet.
PCM sounds: Drums-144, 50 Synth PCM waveform.
2 parts / synth tracks.
Focus on the drum part and separate synth.
Effects: 11 types (Reverb, Flanger / Chorus, Phaser, Ring Modulator, Pitch Shifter, Compressor, Distortion, Decimator, Resonator, Filter, Modulation Delay).
Part filter with cutoff, resonance, envelope times and drive on the filter (kind of distortion of the filter).
Common part time with the envelope, pitch for drum which serves to glide synth. the track volume and balance (pan).

UTILIZATION

This is a drum therefore improved usage is very simple.
All parameters are readable on the front of the machine.
Opportunities to cut own tracks to allow a highly reactive electribe live.
What I appreciate in these machines is that they play more (see as an instrument) that was programmed to look or sounds.

SOUNDS

The sounds are all usable. But the failure of my point of view is that there is too little.
The filter is unique, and the effects allow you to add audio capabilities to the machine but actually quite fast round.

OVERALL OPINION

Electric 4 of this first series is the one that has the least liked.
It allows you to create pieces that hold the road but the sound palette is too low for my taste, I got quickly tired of this machine. Few waveform, too few parameters for the synth part., Not enough synth track. pattern too short for a synth.
It is far from the capacity of its big sister the emx I found most successful with "a lot" more opportunity.