Korg ESX-1 Electribe SX

It took me an evening of becoming familiar with the interface and now it feels quite comfortable, consistent and easy. Just about everything can be tweaked while a sequence is running, so it's really great for live. The use of the lights on the buttons really provides effective feedback once you get used to how they work. I gave it a quick sync test with Cakewalk and that works great as well, so as a studio add-on it's quite effective as well. I think I'm using a late version OS (haven't figured out how to check yet), as there was an addenda page to the manual describing a new play level feature (came out with 1.01). After an evenings getting familiar, I really feel I understand this product pretty well, unlike a lot of other gear I have that I've used for months or years and still feel I haven't much familiarity with it. On the other hand, I do like knowing there's power there that I can delve into when I need it, the reason I bought the SX-1 in the first place was for more instant-gratification with regards to getting some really good rhythm tracks down with ease.

Effects-- somewhat of a mixed bag. Quite a few are great, the delays, granulator, phaser, chorus/flanger, etc. are all fine. The reverb is the pits though-- it has some serious aliasing problems or something that causes significant undesirable effects when cranked up high enough to tell that it's on. It's unfortunate too, as reverb is a critically important effect (especially for me, as I do surf-jazz). At least you can send the voices to four separate outs and effect them externally. It would be nice if the aux outs could be used for effect sends, with the "dry" signal also going out the main stereo outs, but I'm not sure if you can send a voice to both 1 & 3 outs (for example), or have to pick just one. The three simultaneous effect layout is pretty flexible, though more than once now I've had to swap them around because I decided later I wanted to chain two and they were in the wrong slots for that. The main effects filters and EQ is a bit redundant however, as each voice has it's own filter-- while nice, I'd easily trade them all for a usable reverb. Also, it appears there's no sample data in/out via MIDI, you have to do it via smartmedia, which means you'll need a reader for your computer. Nowhere do they tell you how big a SM card you need to dump the whole machine-- they spec the storage in seconds of sample time not MB and I've never seen a SM card that is spec'ed in sample-seconds. And consequently, there'll be no such thing as integrated sample-editor software on the computer, as it won't be able to d/l the samples over MIDI. Further, SM cards currently max out at 128MB, so here we have a sampler box that has 128MB max online storage without swapping cards, since you can't hook up your 160GB PC to the box for direct sample storage. The "tube" effect seems to be pure gimmick, not unlike putting an 11 on volume controls on guitar amps. The heaters don't light, if they're wired in at all I'll bet they're probably using the filament connections as a resistor just so they can say they actually are connected to something. All I can tell really, is it gets quite a bit louder-- like a "gain" control, I don't notice the "tube warmth" that I am quite familiar with having restored several old tube radios, TVs and stereos. But I didn't buy it for that, and having some extra kickass gain ain't a bad thing. The arpeggiator is pretty weak as well, in my opinion-- though perhaps less so if I hook up an external keyboard. The operation of the ribbon controller and fader can be swapped, but either way trying to get good sounding things out of them, even with some of the more interesting arp scales is pretty tough as the control over timing is nonexistent-- one selects note and the other duration (or at least, seems to), the notes incessantly trigger at rapid fire intervals, so you have to dance on the ribbon to keep the firing from being way too mechanical. Despite all this criticism though, I do really like the machine and wouldn't part with it-- it's one hell of a powerful rhythm box which is just what I needed for my setup. I'm giving it 7 here, mainly due to the lack of decent reverb and direct-to-PC sample transfer.

Default drums are pretty nice, and there's a couple of interesting effects, but the vocals are throw-away (even if Hip-Hop is your game, you'll probably want to use your own and not these anyway), and it's a bit weak in the other instruments-- I don't even remember seeing a piano, and of the half-dozen basses all but two were pretty annoying. But what the hey, it's a sampler and I'll want to use my own anyway, though I *really* wish it was easier to get them from my PC to the box... The internal samples do show you that you can really get a boatload of samples in the thing though, and I checked the memory use and it said about 100s of sample space still available, so with some planning you can really fill this thing up with an impressive array of sounds. What kind of music? BEAT oriented, as what the thing is really, is a monster rhythm machine with melodic capabilities-- while you can use it as a sampler-sound-module, you only get polyphony by using separate voices-- just fine for a super rhythm box but not for a general purpose sampler. I was impressed by some of the "realtime" recording though, despite the fact that it appears to be totally "step" oriented, I was able to put it into record and "play" the keyboard buttons and see that it correctly would store arbitrary note-on/off positions so you can get mostly whatever note durations you need to get your sound. Sequencer programming is very easy, fun and powerful. Haven't tried the "motion" record yet, but I expect that should add significantly to it as well, I'm pretty sure you can multi-pass several motions over it so you can concentrate on getting just one effect or filter right, then go back and add adjustments on another, etc. up to something like 24 tracks worth. Sample fidelity sounds great--, except for reverb as I said, the effects are quite useful.

It runs REALLY hot. The powerpack is a 3000W low-voltage AC supply, so this thing really eats up the juice. And there's no fan, so it does worry me a bit (especially since a previous reviewer had problems with that). Since it's under a 1Y warranty, perhaps I should keep this thing turned on 24/7 and make sure it's REALLY burned in good-- solid state circuits rarely fail after they've had a good burning in, and there's no moving parts so it could last forever once it has had a good burning in. Mine's only a day old so it's too soon to tell really, but it's gonna get a lot of use in that 1yr warranty period both because it's a whole lot of fun, and because I want it to fail sooner rather than later if it's going to. Case is really sturdily built though, as long as you don't back your SUV over it it'll probably take a fair amount of abuse...

Dunno... I think this is the first Korg box I've had much to do with (though I drooled over a Triton for awhile)...

Well, there's nothing like it at the moment that's quite as easy to use for both designing and performing rhythm of a wide variety of styles-- while the demos show off the decidedly hip-hop, it is by no means limited to that. It probably doesn't have quite the oomph to do say, a complete Amon Tobin or Tipsy piece all by itself, but it'll get you most of the way there if you can shoehorn some of the elements in as drum samples. Fortunately, it's REAL good at switching from pattern to pattern in realtime, so you don't have to pick 12 samples for a whole song and stick with them, you only have to stick to 12 per pattern which could be as short as one measure. The "slice" part is a pretty interesting concept which I've played with a bit and expect will really help to layer sample perk-loops over the top of sequences and be able to selectively silence hits within that loop for nice variations. That you can do timing other than 4/4, such as 5/8 or 7/8 is a big plus for me, as I'm into jazz, and I think this and the blue "analog synth" version are the first that provide that capability (I was totally blown away when I found that so many of these things were stuck on 16-- did none of these guys ever take any music lessons?). All in all, a very powerful and flexible unit with lots of sample, pattern and song storage. You could probably do a whole dance gig just with this one box, but I'm looking forward to combining it with lots of things-- several synths and my guitar in particular.

I usually wouldnt do some review on something but this thing is so amazing I have to let any one out there wonderign if its worth getting that it is 100%. I've had about every kind of groove box, sequencer , work station what ever and never has one been more easy and fun to wrok with. Not to mention productive. Its insanly easy to use cause theres a button or knob for everything.

THe features couldnt be better. FX are awsome, LFOs, OSCs, everything is good enough. I went and got a 64 MB smart card and a cheap smartcard reader - writter right away and its awsome . I have a million sample cds ( email me at SHARADE@JUNO.COM if you need some new sounds for your ESX) and i'll throw in a cd, pull it up with CdXtract if its not in wav, save a sample drop it on the smart card , pop out the card pop it in the ESX and pull it up and go crazy with it. It can easy do the stretch function which i wondered how good it would do but its really simple and works dead on.

I've never been able to be so expresive with anything. And Ive got or had everything (not to sound stuck up but i have) After laying down a simple beat, loading some samples and starting to use the motion sequencer on the filters, LFOs and everything else, its amazing how expresive this thing can be. Ive never been so impressed with a little box that can make your head spin with a little creativity.

I have had it aobut 2 weeks and got 2 of the bestter songs ive ever produced coming out of it. Ive got the EM1 and EA1 sequencing a MicroQ, Nord Modular, JP8080 and a few others and the music is just pouring out of it. I always wanted something that could load a sample and do what it does with it and cant express how professional it does the job on this mission of mine....playin

So far so good.

NA

If it were stolen Id go get another one and beat the person dead with it and then go get another one... Been playing for over 10 years but doing the Dance stuff for about 5 years. Not gonna list everything I have cause whatsthe point this is on the ESX and its more fun and productive than Cubase SX with every freakin VSTi in the wprld loaded on it.

Fairly simple to use right out of the box. Dance oriented presets are somewhat complex, demonstrating a fraction of what it can do. Editing is a breeze once you know the knob functions. Keep in mind, always save your edits before changing to another pattern, or say goodbye to your work. Manual is in-depth, (maybe too much so), and helpful.

Mono polyphony, (12 part) Keyboard pads, (you can always midi up a controller keyboard if you want) are sufficient.
EFX are plentiful. Delays, (great BPM settings), Mods, (all nice but phaser is Rezzy at higher settings, Distortions, Decimator, Ring Mod, all work great for sound creation. Reverb has a kind of feedbacked delay at longest setting. Nicer if you back off the balance a bit. EQ's & filters also very handy.
Standard midi connections. Sequencer is fine and flexible enough. Simple to use.

Instruments sound good for a sampler this size. Anything that sounds bad, can be resampled until it sounds good. Or, simply make your own samples. I wish there was a users site, where we could DL & UL sounds created by other users. It works well in any type of music depending on your application. I play acid jazz, space rock, punk, acoustic classic rock, and ambient Improv, and use this suckah heavily. It reacts to my playing the way I want it to according to my programming. Velocity and aftertouch are not readily available but can be created through clever programming.

So far, so good. Korg products have always been well made.
Gig without backup? Well, I do, but I'd rather not. If the price drops significantly, I will get another.

Haven't dealt with either the company or problems at this time.

The price could be lower and will drop as the technology surges ahead. I'm playing now for 35 years and own a fairly extensive amount of gear, (GNX2, Gr-33, Pro-Mix01, Kaoss Pad, DR.770, Micro-Korg, Electrix Mo-FX and Warp Factory, Vintage Keys Module, Boomerang, Behringer Vintager Amp, Tech 21 Power Engines (2), LBL Eons, and various other items.
I love the ooomph!!! that the drums deliver on this unit, courtesy of the Tube feature. They stand out with any type of music I play. Nothing that I really hate, sorry.
I wish it had a lower price tag, but it's a trendy item right now and priced accordingly. It is totally a creation tool and very helpful in music making. Hear something in your head? This box will get it out. Creating drum sets from scratch can be a little time consuming, so one suggestion is use the preset kits, replace what you don't like and tweak them into personalized kits. This is a great live performance tool that I would replace quickly if stolen. Hopefully, that won't happen until the price goes down.

Great manual, simple machine, great presets but perhaps a couple more keyboard parts would be nice

No polyphony but the sampler lets you take a chord and play it up and down if you're really bothered about his sort of thing. The keyboard as others have said is a second function of the step keys which is not too bad to use after a bit of fiddling. Sometimes the pressure sensitivity is a bit hit and miss but then if you wanted a good keyboard you would have bought a keyboard, right? The effects are multitudinous and powerful - the mod delay is perfect for flipping your synth from left to right and make it sound like you've got more parts then you actually do! Plug in a mic through the line in (or your laptop/sampler/voice recorder/mic cable and brick or whatever) and use some of the mods (talking mod/pitch shifter eg) to mess up some vocals.

In regard to expansion the line in is potentially a lifesaver allowing your imagination to really go mad! When playing live I've switched between my laptop, a mic, an electric guitar and a bass to make plenty of mad sounds.

The sequencer is so simple to use and the realtime aspect allows you to make great rythms on the fly

Hell this doesn't sound realistic but then I didn't buy it for that! The modulation controls and the fact that you can record the knob twists allows expressiveness to the degree of insaniy - try whacking a fast and deep pitch modulation on part thats playing most of the time - e.g a keybord part and then use the arpeggiator to make some crazy scratching sounds.

You can do so much from driving industrial to squelchy organic infected mushrooms-esque noises - I got this primarily for trance but have since made all kinds of breakbeat/ downtempo ambient things as well.

As mentioned above the on the fly editing aspect makes it really fun to play and in this respect it becomes much more of an instrument than a tool. Changing a pattern as it plays, saving this (whilst still playing) seamlessly flipping to another pattern then flipping back to your newly saved pattern can make stuff seem really organic and constantly changing - which of course it is!

I'm using my ESX with an iMic, an iBook G3 600, a sony microphone and internet access for lots of samples! This more than makles up for it only having two keyboard parts.

The stretch parts I find a bit cumbersome and I am yet to find a decent use for the slice part - I personally would rather an extra keyboard part at the expense of one of the stretch parts but this is my preference - I'm sure lots of people think these are great!

I've been using my ESX solidly for about 2 months and have yet to suffer any issues. Sure I'd gig with it. Plus its built like a brick shithouse.

No need as of yet...

If it was lost or stolen I think I might for experiment's sake use the insurance money to buy an EMX (the non-samling sibling of the ESX) since I haven't really made too much use of the sampling features - again this is my preference rather than anything against the ESX which frankly kicks ass. I'm considering buying a Korg EA-Mk II to add a bit more synth to my set up - which I would argue is the ESX's single lacking feature.

This is my first tentative step into electronic music and I cannot put across how much FUN I've had with the ESX from remixing The Battle Hymn Of the Republic and God Save The Queen to Making lengthy ambient nonsense.

This is a fantastic thing that can twist the hell out of anything you choose to put through it producing powerful and complex sounds.

For an experiment try setting cho/flg to effect 1 and the send this effect to all of your drum parts (at least 4 is good). Then record motion sequence random or otherwise twists of the cho/flg effect edit knobs. You will be amazed at the sound that will emerge.

If you don't know much about making electronic music this is a great way to learn if you have 500 quid knocking around.

The presets - they are (for a machine of this price) quite excellent and much better than some other boxes I've heard recently. You can easily put your own sounds in (from a SmartMedia card or traditional sampling and once they are in there, there is a lot of editing and shaping that can be done to make the sound your own. The manual is quite a help too and you won't need to read it too many times before you're flying around this unit and hitting out some banging beats!

The polyphony is enough for this kind of machine (though it would have been nice to have a few more voices), but if your making any kind of urban music, you won't find it too much of a problem (just listen to the Kelis album "Tasty" and you'll know what I mean!). The SmartMedia card slot goes upto 128Mb, which (again) is enough for most users, but the best feature of this machine has to be the sequencer, which gets your ideas down fast and doesn't get in the way of the creative flow.

Unlike some other people who have posted a review on here, I think the preset samples and patterns that come with the machine are very good and much better than some othe "groove boxes" that come with naff sounds that don't cut it in a mix and patterns that would be more at home on a home keyboard than a professional dance product! The onboard effects are very creative when it comes to actually changing the sound of your samples and the results (rather than just being a gimick that will date rapidly) are actually usable, which is what matters. The arppegiator and ribon controller are great too.

The unit seems very solid and well made. I've never had much of a problem with Korg gear in the past (unlike some other companies I could mention, but won't!), so yes I would gig with it.

Having dealt with Korg many times, I would have no worries about customer support as they have always been great in the past.

I would buy it again if anything were to happen to it. Compared to the Roland SP-606 for example, it's a much more exciting machine to play with and (I feel) far more creative (okay, the 606 does have the advantage of USB, the D-Beam controller, a larger memory and graphic waveform editing too, but (to me), it feels a much less exciting machine to use and not quite as phat-sounding as the Korg when you start turning up the ESX's built-in tubes). I've been using kit like this since the late 80's, and it's by far one of the best of it's kind. It doesn't get in the way of what ideas you may have and it's just so hands on compared with similar products from other companies. If Korg ever made an "extreme" version (more polyphonic, built in synth from the EMX-1, USB, more outs and so on), I'd buy it without question. All in all, the ESX-1 is an excellent product from Korg.

so rad, so easy

sweet features

sounds great once you have deleted all of the lame korg preset sounds

soooooo pissed off with this thing. i got a floor model and it died within about 2 months. it seems to overheat or something, i worked on it one day for about 12 hours, turned it off when i went to bed, turned it on when i woke up and it didn't boot. korg gave me a refurbished one after 3 months (losing all of my work), wich just died from the same issue tonight. grrrrrr never use it for more than 4 hours at a time. never gig with it and don't trust it to boot up.

korg always seems fine, though it did take a long time for a repair.

still angry about the heat issue if that what it is.

If you're familiar with x0x style sequencing or have used the original electribes, the interface will be second nature. It's probably the most intuitive piece of gear I've ever owned.

Others have listed what it can do. Basically, if you take the ES-1, fix everything that was wrong with it, and add several new features that you wish had been on it to begin with, you have the ESX-1. Unlike most samplers, it's not an end-all/be-all solution, but it works great as a sample-based drum machine with 2 monophonic synth/texture/noise/whatever parts thrown in - I plan on using it as a compliment to a Nord Modular G2. It's also excellent as an effects unit, as you can run mono or stereo audio into it and process it with a filter/LFO and the effects send as well as gating it via the sequencer. Overall the feature set is excellent, especially if you use it primarily for rhythm programming and monophonic texture.

It's a sampler, so junk in = junk out. The processing sounds excellent, and they've upped the sample rate to 44kHz. Really it sounds as good as you want it to.

It seems a bit more fragile than the ES-1, especially considering the tubes, but it's still built like a truck. Obviously you don't want to throw it out of a 10th floor window, drive over it with a dump truck, or spill a 2-liter of soda on it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it survived all of those things either. I'd gig with it in a heartbeat. I've read stories of software failure in previous electribes, altho I've never experienced it myself.

Haven't had to deal with them, and I've owned 5 or 6 pieces of Korg gear.

For $675 you get an incredibly versatile sample-based drum machine, sample mangler, and effects unit. I've paid more for each of those individually. Another easy-to-use product from Korg, and unlike most of their other recent releases (ms-2000/micro/electribes) the feature set is pretty impressive. A very usable piece of gear at a good price.

I am using the first OS, tonight I intend to grab the latest OS form the mentioned japan site. The manual is usable. The preset sounds and preset tracks were pretty good.

The polyphony is previously mentioned. I midi either one or both keyboard tracks to my synth (Yamaha CS2x), then I stretch a break beat (Big Fish, Acid Loop, etc..) and slice a percussion sample. The other drum parts hold drum or synth hits and mic samples (voices, pans, etc...)

I works for House, Hip Hop, Drum&bass, R&B, etc... Again, there is no velocity sensitvity. I like the effects and the sequencer. It is just like Fruity Loops. I got it because I am not inclined to turning LFO knobs with a computer mouse. In fact, I sold my comuter and sound card (M-Audio 4x4)- too many parameters.

It has never failed me yet. It is very portable. One thing, my unit is very noisy- but is does fade in the mix (7). Also, use a XLR transfomer on the 3 and 4 aux channels.

Never called them.

If it was stloen I would try to get a unit just like it with balanced and less noisy outputs. It still ranks above the BOSS SP-505 unit- which is the only sampler in this pice range. But all and all it it has some great features for a small home studio.

using the newest version 1.1.0 i believe. i had to download the newest os from korg japan wich fixes a few problems with the original os. the preset sounds and patterns were actually alright they have all the basic samples and patterns for the modern dance hiphop scene. but i have cleared almost all the samples out to put in my own. i have only saved a few patterns to see how they were made. editing samples and patterns is a breeze using this thing is really great and easily laid out, very simple to use. the manual is alright it tells you the basics, it even gives you some educational info on sound and sampling.

the polyphony is mono with the ability to layer two keyboard 'parts'. the keypad is allright. not velocity sensitive or pressure sensitive the arpeggiator slider/ribbon controller is a nice touch that i hope gets updated with new os versions, ie being able to use both on the drum parts. the effect are incredible. they aren't the greatest but they sure are powerful and handy. the grain freeze is pretty cool. the distortiond and bit reduction rock and the compression is very usable. they are really simple to use and assign to the samples. it has a smartmedia drive for importing/exporting samples saving or loading patterns and songs wich works without a hitch and is much faster than the es-1. it has midi in/out/thru with a syncable clock wich i have not tried yet. the sequencer is dead easy but it is basically 4/4 16ths with the ability to place the ending step of the pattern and 128 steps. much has improved over the other electribes. great for live use and improv.

this is definitely a dance oriented machine. but it will do hiphop or other electronic production music. iam using it for some really noisy breaks/beats and heavy basses and it works great. the tubes really give my sound punch and depth. and the effects and filters/lfos twist the hell out of my samples. there are plenty of knobs to tweak and tons of things to do in a live situation. i think it sounds clean and can be pushed to the edge of noisy depending on the feel you are going for. it is a great improvement over the es-1 but i think a serious studio producer would not be too impressed. i don't mind. i think its great and have done some good sounding stuff after just a couple of weeks getting to know my way around it.

it has been reliable, no crashes or hiccups. no problems to speak of. the resampling feature has been improved with the new os. the body is all metal. seems like it could take some bumps.

never had to deal with korg. but i had to go to the japanese site to get the upgrade and i think the american site still doesn't have it.

if i lost it or it got stolen i would get another. it was definitely worth what i paid. i thought it would cost more actually. i really enjoy this machine even though it has limitations. i did not think i would buy another piece of gear after setting up my computer with music software. now i only use it to get synth sounds and clean up my samples to be exported to my sampler. i have been playing for 9 years and have owned plenty of sequencers, samplers, synths, and effects processors including tons of other 'groove' gear and all of the other electribes. not too long ago i opted to sell it all and setup a computer to replace it. i love the fact that every time i turn it on i come up with something. i like messing around on it and experimenting and i like sequencing with it and making new tracks to play along with. i hate the fact that you can only trigger the drums with the arpeggiator. you should be able to adjust the pitch and then you would be able to heve even more options to make sick sounds. i hate the fact that the indi outs cannot be put through the effects. it helps me make things easier for making music.

The whole point of this is ease of use! You can do all sorts of things on it that would take a great deal of time to do with a rack sampler or software. Editing is as easy as it gets. This encourages experimentation. Great for a beginner, a minimalist, or as a supplement to a larger hardware-based studio. You software folks will probably stick to Fruity Loops and plug-ins...

The preset samples (all eraseable) include some very useful drum samples and some not-so-useful voice and synth samples.

Polyphony is 12- 7 drum samples (one-shot), 1 slice part (ala wavesurgeon or reason), 2 stretch parts (that adjust to tempo via timestretching), and two keyboard parts that allow pitched playback from the buttons or via an external keyboard. These all do what they're supposed to do but the keyboard part is pretty limited (it's monophonic, has very limited looping facilities, and does odd things when you play it legato (envelopes won't retrigger)) and is intended for basslines and leads. There is also a accent part and an audio in part (for gating external audio, which can also be run through the effects) but those don't count as polyphony in my book.

The built in effects are pretty nice for this type of box. Editing of them is limited but they sound good and are easy to get useful results from. Motion sequences add a whole new dimension to these (see below).

Expansion is limited to smart media for storage (up to 128 mb, which is a big improvement over the es-1). It syncs to midi clock (not time code, unfortunately) and can trigger/be triggered over 3 midi channels (one for each kb part and one for everything else).

The sequencer is most of the reason for using this. It's XoX style, up to 128 steps (16 X 8 bars) per pattern. Incidently you can set a last step which allows odd time signatures unlike the earlier electribes (IIRC). There are also up to 24 motion sequences per pattern. Motion sequences are a way of recording knob tweaks, so you can change delay times, pitch etc. on the fly and record the changes into the pattern. These can also be edited in step mode. Swing and accent can be turned on/off for each part as well.

It's a sampler. Drums sound full and punchy and the bass end is there. Sampling rate is now 44.1 khz. instead of 32. No down-sampling to save space unfortunately, but there's 245 seconds mono and that's probably enough. (And you can resample through effects for lo-fi sounds and to save polyphony). Effects are not classy- in your face is a better description- but work very well for electronic music. The delays are smooth and the distortion goes from subtle to not. There is also an extra pair of stereo outs.

A word about the tubes- they do add a little something when used sparingly (mabye 9-10 O'clock on the knob), but don't get too excited.
There's a bit of hiss on the main outs too, but nothing you'd notice in a mix.

Seems well made for this sort of device- case is metal. Knob shafts are probably plastic. It's small- make yourself a case if you plan to gig with it. The es-1 has a good rep for reliability and I imagine this will as well. Same basic button and knob construction.

Would I buy this again? Sure.

I've been making electronic music for about 5 years now. One year seriously ;-). I;ve migrated away from software and towards the hands-on feel and reliability of hardware. Harware makes playing live and jamming more creative and interesting too. Samplers have always been a problem for me...a rack sampler is an invaluable tool (I have an A4000) but just isn't very inspiring. The es-1 concept of a tweakable sampler paired with a drum sequencer intrigued me but it just wasn't flexable or powerful enough. The esx1 fixes that. I do things on it that I would never be bothered to try with a sequencer and a rack. And it's way fun and cool to use live. You can get semi-improvisational with it and mess with the sounds. I'm giving it an 8 'cause it's not the most powerful sampler out there...in fact, in terms of specs (polyphony etc.) it's one of the LEAST powerful samplers on the market. But if you "get it", it's great.