Korg ESX-1 Electribe SX

The ESX has a very intuitive and easy to learn interface. To do basic functions you will be up and running in no time. For more advanced functions, full integration (MIDI-wise) with other stuff expect to spend a few good days going through everything.
The presets are fairly acceptable suprisingly. Almost every piece of equipment (samplers/synths/etc.) I have ever owned has come with some real junk loaded in their memory. There are some presets I will keep, and others (mostly the voices, and some of the synth sounds) I will erase to free up space.
Editing is pretty darn easy, especially once you familiarize yourself with the machine. Very good setup for live editing/performance, maybe not as extensive as one would like for a studio, but I bought mine for live use anyways.
Once again, Korg has made a very intuitive piece of equipment.

This thing is primarily useful as a rhythm sequencer (sampler of course), and for sequencing basic synth parts. The 16 pad step editor is pretty basic, although it has many options that can add more complexity. I personally like working via this interface for most applications, so no complaints. The step pads also double as a keyboard that is somewhat useful. I use it to program note patterns to send to other synths (mostly my dave smith instruments mono evolver desktop). I also use the keyboard for playing some things live, although I will admit that it is not as sensitive/responsive in that sort of situation, and using an actual keyboard/controller is better.
The appregiator is kind of fun (in reverse mode) for live jamming and improv. I have put mine through hell, and although it has lost some sensitivity it still works pretty decently.
Memory-wise this thing stinks. BUT, for the price one can't ask for too much. I think it has adequate memory to play a set for a live performance, as I haven't hit a wall yet with it. If I were to hit the wall I can say that loading time from the flash card leaves something to be desired. Speaking of that, flash card? Good/Bad idea Korg. I wish it just had USB 2.0 capabilities for transfering samples and a little more memory up front.
MIDI-wise this thing is pretty standard, i.e. nothing out of the ordinary. I like using it to control simple parts on other things. I don't use an external/software sequencer for it obviously b/c it is good at that job.
The effects on this are pretty decent for an All-In-One box setup. The are digital, and the proce3ssor is a little limited. I.E. if you run multiple sounds through an effect sometimes they do volume things you may not expect which just shows that the processor is not handling each sound + effect separately. It is nice that they let you use three, and chain them different ways. The only improvement I could wish for is that they let you have multiple sets of three/pattern (sometimes you need two or three for one sound and two different for something else at the same moment; so it can't be dealt with via motion seq).
The main thing I have been enjoying are the tubes. Tube preamp pedals alone sell for upwards of $200. Run a line into this thing voila! Add some nice warm fuzz/distortion. Heck, I even run my bass guitar into this and jam with some down tempo trippy beats and it really sounds great. Same for synths. My live setup on occasion is just the ESX and my Evolver Desktop run into the ESX. One line out to an amp, simple.

No aftertouch or anything expensive lie that, velocity/gate work. Some of the samples (this is a sampler, people forget that) are good, some bad. Korg seemed to actually try some in putting together the default bank, which I can respect (considering not everyone will be satisfied by every sound).

For me, this works well pretty much any genre of dance that I aspire to work on (lo-fi detroit'y, jazzy stuff, tech-house, minimal tech, speed garage, and of course breakbeat material of ANY speed). I also like using it in a live dark trip hop set with others. It actually sounds pretty good with live instruments. It is also nice because I can do a lot of good motion programming at home to keep the song/beat patterns sounding fresh and non-overly repetitive, while I play a live intstrument as well as jam a little on it live.

The effects are what I would consider very good for the price range this is in, and that it is bundled in one unit. For example, the delay/reverb are definitely not a substitute for a tape echo and spring reverb tank, but considering using those in a live setup is a little bit of a pain unless the reverb is built into an amp (plus tape echos are getting too expensive to use outside of a home/studio). Surprisingly even though I have noticed some little things I dislike about some of the effects, in a live setting they do the job, and sound pretty good. One of the first things that I noticed, is that if you just plug this up to a big professional sound system and play one of the preset songs (which I recommend taking the time to go through to find the ones you like and to see different ways to use the effects etc., then take the time to erase all of them) cranked up nice and loud it will sound seriously good. Maintaining this quality is reliant on you being able to obtain high quality samples.

Overall I think in terms of expressivity, Korg has made a pretty useful tool for live performance. Some of the effects are not perfect, and the processing of the line in signal (as well as getting a clean signal [this is one of the only pieces of equipment I get line noise probs on]) could be a little better.

Overall, I will say that this thing is built pretty well. The case is metal and tough, and looks nice to boot. The knobs are cheap, one of mine is loose (like a tooth) and another one must already be wearing out because it gets drift constantly (switching me from one section to that one all the time....drives me f'ing nuts; need to hit it with some cleaner). I have dropped this, and nothing broke (the knobs were already messed up), not even the tubes.

I have gigged without a backup. Having a backup would be a waste, because for that much money (over $1000 for two new) you could have some other expensive piece of equipment that does backflips. This thing has most of the functions of some really expensive stuff for half the price, treat it as such, make better music through machine abuse. Pick up the pieces later.

I have not dealt with Korg. We will see about that drifting knob.

I see it kind of as a blend between an MPC, which I have owned, (minus the awesome drum pads...) and a software like Ableton (the effects versatility, tweakability, good for live use), minus being an Apple nerd (or an MPC'asaurus rex). MPCs are becoming seriously outdated feature/price-wise; AKAI IF YOU READ THIS: TIME TO GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER (sorry for the rant). The ESX may be slighty limited compared to these memory-wise more powerful distant relatives, but the ESX is fun and combines a lot of positive elements into one unit.It is totally worth the $350 I paid.
If it were stolen I would be mad, violent, in denial, but then via 12 steps I think I would come around and buy another (used).

its actually alot more powerfull than people would give it credit for....its not in the same category as say a mpc or roland mc groovebox, but it has its own sound which is great!!, the valves are great!!, the timeslice is great, effects are all great....abit more options with eq would of been good as well as more memory!!, and more keyboard parts...though if you get the emx as well then thats that problem solved, i think if they build another one they should address the memory issue, as well as some type of usb connectivity with companion software

lots of them, i would like to upgrade memory but dunno if u can...?

not really something that will give realistic results with all instruments....but depends what your after

solid as a rock

was good for me

its been a while since i 1st got this thing and wrote a little review. Since then i actually traded my esx1 (and $200) for a mpc2000xl wit all the extras) but i missed my ESX and HAD to get another one (and the EMX NOW (-:

I would say the patches in it are decent enough considering they are presets and for some reason companies dont do their best at them, but the drums are all great, the synths are usable and the vocal samples are gay, but hey i actually reversed one and had it in a beat and it sounded cool with delay all over it and auto panning...So its as usable as you are creative. You CAN delete all the sounds in it if you wanted to and make room for your own. I got one of those little USB smartcard reader-writters and loaded up my ESX with some great samples off some sample cds (email me at sharade@juno.com if you need any sample cds, I have over 1900 titles) and after loading some good drums in it ive made some of the most lively beatas ive ever made. i do breaks and rock and it does some crazy stuff with loops that ive never seen any sampler be able to do so easy and stay in time.

manuals good enough.

the FX in this thing are awesome. i even ran my acoustic guitar thru it to get some awesome tracks out of it. and with the motion sequencing, it plays back all your knob movements which is neat and once again never seen something do it so easily and not mess up on play back...like it recorded the audio and not the movements,,,

the sequencer is a sequencer...not like i d use it for everything but i dont use nothing for everything. But i tell you that mixing this, an EMX, and RM1X, and XP80, a JP8080, a Waldorf Q, and an mpc2000 and youll find out whats been making the hits and club bangers for the last few years,

Just being able to do so much motion sequencing to me makes it very expressive. Not very realistic sounding until you get the feel of it...you can do some nice real sounding bass lines in it after you get used to those knobs and motion recording...again

works great for the rock and breaks i do,,,

well the 1st one i had that i traded for an mpc went out on the dude 2 weeks after he traded me, it NEVER acted crazy with me but it did go out for some reason...then again hes a major drunk and probably spilt beer on it or something, so dependable to me. i dont gig cause im too A.D.D to really finish any music...

na

yeah i did get another one so i love it. been doing electronic for almost 10 years (OMG!!) and i ve used or owned everything under the sun and think this thing is highly under rated. It has so much potential in it it is insane, a for sure club bangin beat machine...but off course it isnt good for everything.

i wish it loaded sampleds faster , thats the only thing id make better

it helps me make music some times. i use it for arpeggiator and getting simple beats going fast.

Using Version 1.02 (I think). Preset sounds: I have both praise and criticism: I like all of the drum sounds and most of the one shot samples. Some of the voice and SFX samples are pretty lame. However you can always delete what you don't like and create your own samples. Here's the funny part... I deleted all the samples I thought were boring, cliche, etc. only to discover that I was using some of them in the patterns I had already composed! This means that there is enough sample editing capability to mangle cheesy samples into something rather interesting. The manual is very well written and easy to access.

9 tracks for one-shot samples, 2 monophonic synth tracks, 2 stretch tracks, 1 slice track, 1 accent track, one audio in track which basicly mutes and unmutes the input signal (and applied effects). Keyboard action is nonexistant but that isn't how I use it anyway. Buit-in effects: some have criticized certain effects (reverb, etc.). Some of these effects are a little cheesy but I like them anyway. Stereo delays are great. I'd like for there to be more sampling memory. I ran out quite quickly, thus explaining the need to delete some preset sounds. It has MIDI ins and outs. The sequencer is very easy to use and is quite reliable. In terms of usage, it has the vibe of the old-school drum machines from the early 80's. I would have thought the lack of polyphony would be a limitation but that doesn't bug me.

The best feature on this machine: You can edit the preset patterns! It has always bugged me when some of the older groove box machines maxed out your memory with presets that you can't even change. (Way to think Korg!)

This machine can sound as good or as bad as you want it to. I love the tube drive feature. I have worked with both preset sound and sounds I have sampled from the input jack and they all work well for what I need. They call it "Electribe" for a reason. It sounds modern yet tribal. Probably because it best suited for complex layered rhythm a monophonic melodic elements (very African).

My only complaint here is that sometimes my effect settings change inexplicably. I just have to reset them but it's a little annoying.

Never contacted them.

I really like it. It isn't useful for all applications but nothing is. I also own a Yamaha Rm1x. This unit serves a completely different function from the Yamaha in that the Korg is sort of like composing via sound collage vs. the traditional compositional method of note and rhythm placement in a timeline. The harmoinic limitations are obvious but, again, that doesn't bother me since I have other devices suited for that.

I would be extremely depressed if it were lost or stolen and I would purchase it again.

I really like mangling the cliche presets into something weird and great. I can make music that sounds totally original with ease. Overall a fine product.

Using the 1.0 o/s which works fine but can be a bit slow when doing some functions such as deleting samples or saving samples. But I dont have a problem with it.
The presets showcase the range of styles that can be produced on this unit very well some of them are worth saving to study and break down how certain fx were achieved.
The editing is the best Ive seen its like using a hands on synth but instead your manipulating samples.
There are a few good bass sounds and some clean one shot instrument sounds. The manual is excellent and very easy to follow, so you can reference certain functions as and when you need them.

This has eveything you need feature-wise maybe they could of included a wave edit screen but due to the fact there is a knob for every feature including the start point of the sample its really easy to manipulate this by ear.
A usb port would have been an excellent addition and perhaps digi I/O but aside from this the unit gets the thumbs up. The fx are quality not exactly rack-mount but they sound good, and they really add to the overall production quality.
The main downside is that in real-time recording quantisise cannot be turned of to the highest resolution for entering notes is 1/32.

This unit sounds excellent it has a clear,warm and thick tone.
I use this unit for hip hop beats and this unit serves me well, the filters are smooth and warm.
But as it is a sampler obviously if u put in good sounds then ur half way there but the fx and sound manipulation on this unit are such that you can take almost any sound and make it into something usable.
The good thing about this unit is that due to all the real time recording features such as motion sequence you can play the unit and make things more expressive, and program in changes and progressions that bring the music to life.

This unit is built with a solid metal case the only weakness may be the tubes, but the machine seems solid as far as timing of the sequencer.
Ive had this unit for a month and no problems or crashes so seems very dependable but it does get hot after about 20 mins of use but this has not yet interefered with the operation of the unit.
I have not yet left the unit on for hours on end and prefer not to but i'll see how it goes.

I called korg once with a query and they neva got back to me, lol but i figured out the answer myself but I have not really dealt with them in any great depth and hopefully wont need to.

At least they answered the phone.

This is a very inspirational unit for a sample-based producer this is the ideal bit of hardware, I hope korg release an o/s update to make saving and deleting a bit quicker.
They also need to allow the quantise to be turned off so you can put notes wherever you want.
If it were lost I would be pissed but would get another one as I paid ??300 which is a good deal for this unit.
The only major weakness is the real-time recording issue but there things you can do to offset this weakness.
This unit has put the fun back into music-making it allows u to create alot of tracks quickly with professional results.

easy as turning a knob. really if you've worked with this style of sequencer / groovebox before, you know how it works. if you haven't, well it doesn't take long to figure it out.
that's one of the main reasons i purchased it, because it's suited for improv / experimenting.
i've kept the manual around for times when i need to access one of the machines more "esoteric" functions. but once i figured out how to do something the first time, it's so easy that i didn't need to reference the manual for that function again.

the two "keyboard" parts are monophonic, which is obviously the biggest drawback. the esx-1 is geared more towards being a rhythm sampler.
a good number of effects, all of varying sound quality. personally, i'm not looking for silky-pristine quality sounds all the time. i like the dirt, and the grit... so all of the effects are fine to me. the delays / ring mod / decimator are the best of the lot in my opinion.

it's a sampler. the quality of sounds depends upon the user.
some of the pre-loaded samples are nice... kicks, snares, some of the tribal drum loops.
this machine is quite expressive however. almost every parameter of the sound/sample is controled by the onboard buttons and knobs.
24 tracks of motion sequence recordings... basically meaning that for any given pattern, you can have the motion of up to 24 knobs recorded and automated.
as for the filter... i don't really know much about how it compares with older synths' filters (moog, oberheim, etc.) but i do know that it sounds quite expressive to my ears. if resonance is 100%, you will definately get some thick, self-resonating frequencies shooting out at you!

i've only had it for 2 months, so we shall see...

I use this with an E-mu XK-6, Korg MS2000, and my PC. This machine has opened a wealth of possability and expression for me. i am a "hands on" kind of person, so this suits me well. i've been creating some great psychedelic / ambient / glitchy music in one of my projects and this thing aids immensely... especially in a live setting.
I like to try out equipment in the store as much as possible before purchasing. I played the sampler for about an hour on 5 seperate occasions before buying it. each time i did, i kept creating new sounds/textures and my interest never began to wane... that's my ultimate gear test and it passed with flying colors.

this machine will probably not do everything that you want it to by itself. (although if you were limited to just this, with some creativity, it certainly could be) - but as a rhythmic-oriented sampler... it is awesome.

A monkey could figure out the basics of this thing, but the more you do with it, the more you discover the capability of the machine and the endless possibilities. This thing is crying out for experimental techniques. The ribbon control and arpeggio slider are SO much fun to use! Killer for on the fly, improvised drum work. The manual is pretty straightforward. If you've used samplers/drum machine's in the past then this is a piece of cake with a really fun interface. The knobs are fairly sturdy, but I found the slide controller and frequency cutoff knob getting a little loose since they are used more frequently.

Plenty of FX, but only some are good. It's an awesome MIDI controller, especially if you utilize the ribbon and slider controls. The smart media format is fine for a sampler in this price range. The sequencer is very easy to use, but you have to have your samples just right or they may click between patterns. It's lacking a fade in control/button, and you have to fade in samples with a frequency sweep or a motion sequence, which is kind of a hassle. Of course, there's a fade out but you can't really control the shape of the fade, so I guess this thing has issues with fading samples in general. No expansion options and the memory is pretty feeble. You can use up the memory quick if you like long samples. If you go with stereo samples, forget about it. It takes up TWICE as much space. You will not have enough room to do more than two projects at a time, maybe one.

Great dance music tool i'd imagine. House, trance, all that 4/4 stuff. I'm sure you can use it for anything though. I've made some interesting stuff with it and I don't even like dance music. The effects are just ok. The BPM delay is great. The decimator, grain shifter, and ring mod are pretty cool. But the flange/chorus, reverb, and distortion are lackluster. I was hurting for a nice lush reverb. I've heard much better from other hardware and my PC. The "keyboard" buttons aren't all that playable but they get the job done. Works great with an external midi keyboard. The motion sequence function for recording on the fly FX and EQ tweeks is killer and easy to use.

As mentioned, some of the more frequently used controls were getting a bit loose. My AC adapter burned out after 6 months. A new one from KORG was $40 plus shipping. Then, 10 months after the warranty expired, it glitched out and never returned. The electronics shop in my town said the only thing they could do for it would be to replace the motherboard. I took great care of this thing, it died. Will go with AKAI next time and cannot recommend this sampler if you're looking for reliability.

The website is pretty. The AC adapter I ordered from them was overpriced. They have a list of authorized service shops on the site, but no direct contact for equipment malfuctions or warranty claims. The shop they listed is the one I went to.

Get an AKAI or keyboard workstation. For the price, it's not bad. But spend a little more and you can get something much better. That said, this is a lot of fun to use and sounds pretty good. I used it a lot when I had it. I do wish it hadn't died.

The ESX-1 is quite simple to use. The presets give a basic idea of what can be done with this piece of equipment, and they sound pretty good. The sequencer is very simple to use, but due to the fact that on this piece of hardware, you can only break a measure up into 16th notes with a swing algorithm applied to it, I find it very limited. The manual is very well written and explains all of the functions in good detail. It is very easy to use but I feel that Korg has made it just a tad too "dumbed down" to make professional music with as a standalone device.

I believe the ESX-1 has 12 part polyphony. The 16 pads are used to play back the samples at different pitches in keyboard mode, which unfortunately can only be used as 2 of the 12 parts. Then there are 2 'stretch' parts, which play back loops to match the BPM of the pattern or song being worked on. There is a 'slice' part which can play back a part 'sliced' up by the device, such as a drum pattern sample in memory. The other 7 parts are all one shot 'drum' parts.

My major problem with the ESX-1 is that 2 parts to play pitches back at is very limiting. The product can resample a loop, so that it will free more memory up in a pattern for keyboard parts again, but it is really difficult to make something sound very musically rich on this device due to this limitation, in my opinion.

There are many onboard effects that are interesting and useful - Lo-fi distortion, band pass filters, oscillators, a grain shifter function, a compression filter, just to name a few. They are very easy to use. I have to mention that the reverb function does not produce a great effect, which was disappointing for me.

The ESX-1 can use SmartMedia cards to store and load samples, patterns, and songs. Transferring samples to memory by smartmedia is a slow process but it gets the job done. Plus there is a normalize function on the device , so if the samples are too quiet it will bring them up to levels consistent with others on memory(nice function!). The device has MIDI in, out, and thru, you can assign any of 16 MIDI channels to any or all of the 12 parts, and the ESX-1 even receives pitch bend messages! The major gripe I have is that, unlike a professional sampler, samples played back at various pitches while the ESX-1 is in 'keyboard' mode can not be played simultaneously. For instance, if I MIDI my keyboard to the ESX-1, and use the external keyboard to play back samples that are stored on the ESX-1 at differing pitches, I can only play one note at a time. While this isn't absolutely horrible, it definitely limits an artist!

The sequencer isn't bad, but it is so rigid that I don't even use it. I tend to use the ESX-1 now for playing samples back at different pitches and recording them into a more advanced sequencing program such as Sony Acid Pro. Possibly for a sloppy dance track it would be OK, but for professional music tracks this device's sequencer is unacceptable. The reason being that there is only 16th note quantization, and although a 'swing' function can switch where the note lands in the measure, there is no real fine-tune control of what is being recorded or played back with this sequencer. The sequencer may be easy to use, but for someone who is trying to make music that will sound professional solely with this device, forget it.

The sampler isn't bad on the ESX-1. It does a pretty good job of playing back samples accurately and true to their original form. Good enough to use the samples on a professional song. However, it isn't a perfect sampler, and some of the qualities of sound are lost in the process of transferring the samples to the ESX-1, normalizing, and playing them back. It isn't enough to make me give up on it, though. You can really make some neat sounding instruments using the ESX-1, which is what I love about it. I've found that it can really express a full and dynamic range of sound depending on what onboard effects and samples are used, and it doesn't take all that long to work out an instrument that sounds great using this device. The ESX-1 is very nice in this area.

I'd say you could use the ESX-1 for any genre of music if you are creative with it. I personally use the device for hip hop, drum and bass, break beat, and dance music, and it works out great for these genres if I use it for it's strengths. The onboard effects contribute greatly to the power of the sound coming out of the box. There are so many effects that can be combined and tweaked together to make a completely new effect that it is mind boggling. And they can sound very nice if used carefully.

Another great thing about this hardware is that when a keyboard is MIDI'd up to it, the samples will play back at different velocities depending on how you perform on the external keyboard! This is one of the most useful features of this device. When MIDI'd to an external keyboard, it's pretty close to doing what a much higher priced sampling keyboard can do.

This hardware is solid, I would only worry if I dropped it in a puddle or spilled a glass of milk in the vent holes near the top. Very reliable, I would take it anywhere without a backup.

I've never had a problem with this device, but there is a lot of support as far as information and such on Korg's website. I can't really comment on Korg's customer support, since I've never used it. (I still have a Korg DS-8 keyboard that works perfectly, Korg's stuff has always been very well made in my opinion).

I have to admit, if the device was stolen I'd be upset, but I wouldn't be another one. I'd go for an Akai MPC sampler, or even a Fantom or Triton sampling keyboard. It's barely worth what I paid, but I am getting good use out of it. I've been making dance-oriented music since 1999. I also own a Korg DS-8, a Boss Sp-505, an MC-303 and 09, a couple other cheap samplers, of course a computer with Acid Pro, Cubase, various VSTs like Halion.
I love the fact that I can use it as a powerful sampling sound module when MIDI'd with a keyboard. I hate the fact that the sequencer is so limited that I can't make professional music on this device by itself.
A friend of mine was selling it because he's getting out of the music making game, so I bought it hoping it could fill in for something like an MPC, but I regret it a little bit now. Although it is a useful device.
I really wish you could sequence without quantization on this device, and also play up to 12 keyboard parts, not just 2 out of the 12. If it had those 2 features I believe it could stand on its own as a powerful sampler sequencer.
It helps to make music if I use its strength - playing samples back as instruments using an external MIDI keyboard. If I try to do anything else with the ESX-1, it gets in the way of making a professional sound.
I am grateful that I found this used at a cheap price, and that it does have some pro functionality.

It's a pleasure to use...eventually. The set up time for pro use is long. It took days to delete all the preset patterns and sounds. Loading samples in one at a time off your Smartcard takes forever too. Once you're set up though, it's easy as pie. Envelopes and filters are tricky to control sometimes. Not that they're poor quality, it's that the sweet spots are very small.

I got this unit to fill it with realistic drums, not dance stuff. Love some of what it does, but other things lack. First off, the drum pads are way too small to play comfortably, then the "keyboard" is even worse. You eventually get used to it though. The sequencer is solid meat/potato. Good timing if a little rigid. Auto-quantize needs to have an OFF setting. Playback should be what I played. No append feature sucks but you can cheat around this in the lovely, beautiful song mode. The song mode allows you to add so many unique nuances to the tracks that it really brings the production
level up. This is a feature I always wanted and am happy to have finally. Arpeggiator is a strange set up. It's alright and occasionally useful. I wish however, that the slider and touchstrip were assignable to other functions. Extra outputs are nice to have.
Metronome clicks are the loudest, earsplitting cracks you have ever heared with no adjustment besides routing them out the individual outs. The monophonic keyboard parts are lame and poorly triggered for some reason. The stretch parts for loops are fabulous and time out wonderfully.

The tone overall is warm and powerful in the midrange.
It's great for Electro-rock. It can be too warm though. It's really hard to get any cool digital sounds out of it. The effects are for the most part terrible. If you have a bunch of stuff going on, a little of the effects is alright, and I like that you can configure them in multiple ways. But the algorithms themselves are bad. The EQ which should be the cleanest and simplest has some sort of constant hiss built into it. The compressor has a volume problem and the distortion is some other effect altogether. The tubes lend a nice sound though. I would like to experiment with replacement tubes for richer sound. The Modulation bank is excellent and gives you a lot of options. Filter bank is basic but quite respectable. I should mention that transitions between parts are exceptionally smooth as others have stated. This counts for a lot and gives it that extra sheen.

Body is very strong. Knobs are pretty decent, though I worry about the main alpha-dial encoder wearing over time. Tubes will probably need maintanance. Software seems stable, with no lock ups. I plan on playing out with it.

OS upgrade available from Korg website. Please make another update that fixes the FX!

It probably seems like I'm being hard on this machine. In reality I love it. It's hands down the best groovebox type item I've used due to the high capacity sampling, friendly sequencer and unique sound. I got it to be a drum machine with loop player, and that's what it is. It's not quite a workstation because you will want to layer better synth sounds over it. Also the sound spectrum it outputs, while pleasant, is too limited to use by itself. For those of us not blessed with the parents to buy us Alesis Fusions it's as good a sampling beat machine as you can get for the price. I considered the E-Mu PX-7 because I wanted the realistic drum sounds, but since this can hold my own sounds I can use it for more than one record. ASR-X may sound cleaner but no Ensoniq software is stable. It's a nice simple, up to date sampler with a few quirks that you can work with depending on your goals. It's fun and kind of more than the sum of it's parts.

Ease of use- it's an Electribe; it's a textbook example of easy use. The manual is quite thorough, not nearly as condescending as the manuals for the Yamaha AN200 and DX200. Feature-wise, it's a grand improvement on the Korg EM-1, and just as easy to use if not easier.

Il n'y-a pas Polyphony. The button action was stiffer than the Korg EM-1 types- the more plastic Electribes. Not as cuddly, but it'll hold up more over time. The knobs are fine, nicely waited; you can almost forget they're plastic.

The effects are easy enough to use, but more later on that.

The cards work fine, like MUCH FASTER than Korg ES-1 or Zoom ST-224, but there could be more saving options. I mean there's ENOUGH, but more would make certain decisions easier. It's erasing sounds that takes too long.

And of course the sequencing is the soul of ease. Actually, the "last step" option is the most flexible thing you can use, especially if you dig nontraditional measure-lengths.

As with any sampler, it's what you put in that makes it sing. The only sonic parameters to criticize are the filters, modulation and effect.

A full ADSR section wouldn't have killed anyone. The filters aren't as rich as Roland's, but much more precise. You can get some of those trendy car commercial and Stereolab results.

The effects: most are good but that reverb... geh! Whomever allowed that should be deported to Singapore and caned.

The valvetronix tubes do give some warmth and a nice effects boost. That's not just a light-up item.

Very dependable, but you've got to respect the tubes. Leave it on too long, under clumsy conditions, and it could overheat.

My experiences with Korg tech support were brief and dealt with the Korg Kaoss Pad 2 (just some questions), but they seemed pretty swell actually.

Were it lost or stolen: Very probably. I might trade it in for a Roland Fantom S, or a Roland Sp-404, then I'd know for certain. It's a definite boost to my music-making capacity.

My current synth rig is simply the Korg ESX-1, an Alesis Micron, and a Roland PCR-50 midi controller. If you know where to get your samples, that's all you need for analog work.