Korg EAmkII Electribe A mkII

This is its main strength. You create a nice loop within seconds! Most of the presets weren't that good according to me, but you're supposed to make your own! The manual is very good and fits everybody since it's both in-depth (for the experienced user) and easy to understand (for the beginner). I think you'll understand all of its functions very quickly even though you're a beginner.

It doesn't feature that much but heck - what it can do sounds really good! Still, the limitations are sometimes a plus. It's very useful because of its simplicity (that's one of the main reasons you can create a cool pattern in no time). 2 synth parts with 2 oscillators (including cross mod, sync and ring mod), 1 filter, 1 amplifier, distortion, 1 tempo delay and 1 chorus/flanger each.


It does feature MIDI (for synchronizing with other gear and direct-synching with other electribes), motion sequencer (for recording knob tweaks), individual outputs/one mix output for the both synth parts, a tempo synched delay effect, a flanger/chorus effect and a super-duper-mega-dega-oh-my-god-this-thing-rocks-sequencer.

I would describe the sound as quite soft (maybe because of its filter), but if you turn the distortion on it's rather 303ish and with some cross mod it's very noisy (in a positive way, since the noises are really cool!).

This machine is definately not created for classical music. This is an electronica/techno/electro/synthpop/trance/dance/you-name-the-electronic-genre machine. I use it in electropop/synthpop with a dance floor touch and it fits perfectly in the mix. If your genre is mentioned above you should at least try one of these little boxes.

I've only had it for a few days, but it seems very sturdy both in hardware and software. The metal casing not just looks cool, it's very strong too.

I would definately use it in a gig situation without a backup. It seems more reliable than a PC. But still, I've only had it for a couple of days so I'm not 100% sure yet.

I haven't dealt with them even though I've had alot of Korg gear and I don't think I will have to deal with them either. They basically only make some fully functional amazing machines!

I was very lucky to find this machine at a clearance sale for 1100 SEK (approx. 140 bucks).

I'm a Korg fan and Korg hasn't dissapointed me this time either. This box is quite limited, but it sound very good and is the best of its kind for sure. I think it's supposed to be limited and I actually prefer it to be that way. Its simplicity is its strength.

I got this about a year ago and figured I'd write a review. It's easy to use. I'm not a fan of KORG's manuals, something about their writing style and organization makes things harder than they ought to be, and the continous-column layout is crude and clunky. That said, the manual here is surprisingly extensive and the machine itself is very, very accessible. With (most) all the features on the front panel and clearly labeled, you could probably wing it without a manual at all.

I've had other, older Korg products in which even BASIC actions required senseless menu navigation, and this is NOT one of those types. Good job, Korg!

The most basic, monophonic synth available, as far as I can tell. Its simplicity really appeals to someone like me though. The only effects are delay and chorus/flange, but they go a long way, and having worked with them I can't imagine using this synth without them now. I can live without reverb onboard, but a panner would've been a great addition, though no such luck. The sequencer and motion sequence features really make the box more fun and addictive.

The "Audio In" feature was a big selling point for me as well, glad they included that!

I'm not giving this a number rating. In concept, it is purposely limited. However korg has been somewhat generous. A very humble wishlist would include adding (at least) a 3rd Part to the sequencer, adding a panner, and little more control over the envelope.

It sounds pretty digital to me. Other than the stylistic layout alluding to a simple module synth, I don't get how it's "virtually analog" or what that means. Perhaps the aim was to emulate analog, but it's not really analog-synth-sounding to me. Given that, I wasn't 'blown away' but I did imediately appreciate it for what it is, which is a really cool little digital synth with a slick and super easy design.

The effects are limited but, like I said, they go a surprisingly long way, especially the delay, which is very musical, and both beat the pants off the usual groove/DJ machine delay/flange.

Because of its simplicity, the tonal range is limited, but I rarely get bored, so what can I say. You're NOT going to get the 600 orchestral tones of, say, a digital keyboard at the same price range, but you should know that anyway. Again, I won't give this a number rating. It's kind of like diner food, of course there's better, so if you don't like it, then eat somewhere else.

My only gripe is with the plastic knobs and with the fact that they 'wobble' with pressure. Used with a loving touch, they feel stiff and secure, but it's undeniable that they're not as "industrial-strength" as they appear to the eye. I can live with the plastic (though metal would be better, obviously), but I MUCH prefer they were more taught and secured to the metal faceplate, a la rack gear.

The OS is glitch free so far, a good sign.

It's well built. Even the knob complaint isn't much of a concern, I see it lasting a long time with basic care.

Way back I bought one of the first digital multi-track recording boxes Korg came out with and it went glitchy, and eventually froze solid. It was sent back to Korg through the vendor I bought it from, which took a while, around 5 weeks I recall, but that could've have been the vendor's doing (they gave me a 'loaner' in the meantime, so I didn't much care how long they took). Either way, when I got it back Korg had replaced and upgraded the hard drive and the OS, and I never had another problem after that. I chalk it up to the infancy of the product concept and design.

That gives me little reason to doubt that they are there if I should need them.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd definitely miss it, but rather than replace it I'd probably go for the EMX-1, which is similar in concept but more lavish and involved (and, well, expensive). I love its protable size and ease of use, I can kick back anywhere with headphones and play away. Nothing to "hate about it." There aren't many comparable products on the market (which is a shame), though I initially was going to get a MiniKorg, which I thought I'd like but when I played it at the store it just didn't do it for me. I did like the Alesis Micron, and almost got that as well (and still may one day), but when I tried the EA-1, and saw I could get it for cheaper, I was sold.

Very, very easy. Most of the stuff I was able to figure out on my own, a handful of things required reference to the manual, which gave very clear instructions on how to do things- manual references are the only thing holding back a 10.

Presets sound ok I guess, but I'm not planning on using them, ever.

Manual is excellent. Gives clear and complete instructions without being excessively verbose, or expecting extensive knowledge of synth operation.

No polyphony per se, but it does have two "parts" which are essentially seperate synths that can play at the same time. These can be completely independent parts, or you could use it as a pseudo-polyphony, albeit only two note.

Midi setup is easy, the only difficulty I had was with my soft sequencer.

An interesting feature is you can replace the first oscillator with an external audio source, and use the filter, effects, and the second oscillator to modulate things. That could be interesting, though I haven't played iwth that feature.

Not terribly realistic- but for EDM production, thats not a fault. Don't expect to use it to replace live, traditional instruments however. It might make a serviceable(if not great) substitute for a bass.

Effects are basic, but work. The distortion is not so hot though... its a good sounding effect, but you have *no* control over how much distortion it uses.

Have not used it long enough to form an opinion.

Not dealt with them yet.

I love this thing. Just simple sequences I throw at it via MIDI sound much better than interesting sequences I throw at software synths. It is a very basic synth- experienced producers will probably want something more advanced, but this serves very well as an entry level device.

The distortion is nearly useless- I like the way it makes things sound, but without control over the amount of distortion, it is severely limited. Other than that, it suits me very well and the price is quite decent.

this thing is almost too easy to use. literally all of the features of the synth engine are on the front panel in logical positions; no digital interface nonsense when it comes to patch programming. mostly knobs and a few pushbuttons.

the sequencer is simple as well. it's essentially equivalent to step sequencing, and note pitches can be entered via the digital interface. it's not that hard to get used to. you can also record patterns by playing the 'keys' but the keys are just little cubes of rubber; not exactly the best action.

its monophonic but is essentially two synths with identical engines. each engine has two oscillators (OSC 2 is detunable from -1 oct to +4 oct.), a howly resonant lowpass filter with simple bipolar envelope (decay only), distortion, chorus/flanger and tempo-synced delay. unfortunately the distortion drive amount has no control; its either on or off (button). i found this rather frustrating, especially if i just wanted to add a small amount of soft clipping. it gets muddy sometimes.

the ability to record knob movements definitely boosts the rep of this machine.

OSC modulations include ring, sync, and FM (cross modulation) this is pretty valueable too; good for creating new waveforms. also, there's an audio input jack which can be switched to replace OSC 1. this is very useful for making a cheap synth sound amazing.

i think the dual voice functionality gives it good value.

this might be considered an analog emulator, but don't be fooled. this is a digital synth and it sounds like a digital synth. don't expect much great filter emulation. it's got a good filter that is useable but it's got its own sound.
it can sound really wacky and wild at times. the overall impression is that this is a small box with a fairly small sound. i don't think that its fit to be the centerpeice of a mix, but it works rather well for bass, accompaniment, and FX. i most often use this for basslines and FX, and leave the leads to my K-Station.

seems pretty reliable. hasn't failed me yet. the only flaw i've found is that the counter knob sometimes skips, which is frustrating when you're trying to save a pattern and it skips to the wrong one, overwriting a previously saved pattern. or if this happens while its playing, you'll go to the wrong pattern. could be catastrophic in a gig environment, so i'd be sure to use song mode instead (assemble a set of patterns ahead of time)

i haven't needed any support yet.

if i ever lost it, i would probably get something different. i remember thinking that the price was a little steep for the features. it would be nice if it have an LFO for each voice, or maybe if it had 3 voices instead of 2. control over distortion drive would be nice also. more sophisticated envelope would be nice.