Korg Kaossilator K01

The manual is not much of a help - it doesn't explain anything about battery check and the special 4 bar mode. We do not need a manual for this anyway. Playing on the pad feels nice and tends to produce cool but somewhat random results. I cannot play this like e.g. a guitar or keyboard. Every time you turn this thing on you (have to) do something new.

Lets be honest - you cannot produce really interesting phrases with just 2 bars. This is ridiculous. The result is repetetive music. You can expand looping capacity to 4 bars in dly-mode which brings some strange side effects, e.g. you cannot stop and re-start the current loop. Another way to extend bar length would be to fake bpm, e.g. set bpm to 61 and pretend you do a 122 bpm pattern. This way most arp programs will become unusable but you can create a phrase with 8 bars. Up to 16 bars (64 measures) without having to do any sort of trickery would have been fair. Memory nowerdays costs almost nothing. I really love the size and battery operation. For the first time in history we can carry a synth in the pocket. Unfortunately kaossilator music is volatile. No storage at all must be some kind of design flaw. Yes I know, it is designed to be that minimalistic. If you like, you can accept this as a cool feature, too. No need to waste your time with sound programming and stuff. Just play as you go and feel the music.

Very good synth engine with pure crystal sound. I also like the selection of programs provided. Most of them at least. Korg did a good job in pre-cofiguring what happens on the y axis. More of these chorded patches and I would rate it 10. No question, the sound-price-ratio of the kaossilator is the the main reason for buying this. But the expressiveness suffers a lot from the repetitive character of 2 or 4 bar patterns. The output is noise-free and dynamic as if this was a piece of pro equipment.

Okay. The pad makes a creaking noise when rubbed hard. Besides that no reason to worry.

If it were lost or stolen I would buy a new one.
Great for inspiration. This is my favourite toy. Great sound.
Poor as a production tool because it suffers from Alzheimer disease. The phrase length is much too limited.
Good for live use? Probably yes. Addictive: Yes. It looks funny but I can hang this around my neck when playing the bass guitar and add some synth licks and effects to my performance. Or maybe do an intro. But first we have to set scale, key, arp no. to use and so forth. Of course it cannot do all the freaky stuff that my Alesis Micron can do and vice versa, so the two became friends.
The yellow thing sounds soooo fresh.

Presets are pretty nice sounding for a product under $200.
No editing allowed here but the nice thing they did is make the sound change or add an effect when moving your finger north on the pad.

Manual is one page and clear enough.

Looper is cool but I wish the button that you have to hold was in a different place(seams awkward for a right handed person) and that when you hit the button it would stay in loop mode rather than have to hold it.

But that is a minor complaint.

No MIDI, No Expansion but heck its killer without it all.
Looper rather than sequencer.

But it all can be usable especially if your inventive.

Realistic sounds are just kind of "Meh" but have their uses.

Sound wise I think its oriented to more of the electronic side or even hip-hop and DJ stuff. But its all in how you use it.
Could be cool to Velcro it to a guitar or bass as a stage thing.

Feels well built, And I would use it without backup but its not what I would call a "main synth" so if it failed it wouldn't ruin much.

Dealt with korg in the past via e-mail and called them both fast and curtious service.

I would buy two more if I was dumb enough to loose my Korg.
I have been a musician for 15 years and have pretty much owned every quality synth made in the last 10 years aside from the higher end stuff.

While not a center piece its definitely a great addition to my collection.

After getting it I made three songs in three days.
(To hear some examples go to my myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/idiomlull the first three songs with the KO picture are the ones)...

Get one if you wants some cool sounds to add to your library.

For someone that's not music oriented, I find this to be one of the easiest and most simple musical devices I have ever used. It's almost scary how good I play. Not to mention simplicity in buttons.

It has an X-Y Axis track pad, which is very accurate. 3 main buttons, used in different variations for different functions. It has tons of sounds and effects and musical patterns. Even has an arrpegicator, with 50 different options. Outputs are headphone jack (with volume control) and 1 set of RCA audio jacks. It runs on 4 AAs lasting 5 hours of "creation" time. All these things make it one simple yet featureful device. (is featurefull a word? probably not.)

The sounds on this synthesizer are amazing and realistic! All of them are easy and fun to use. This device is simple yet expansive. If that makes sense to you.

For something made of plastic, I got to say. "THIS THING IS STURDY"!! Definitely not cheaply made.

No reason to use it

Overall Thoughts: SIMPLE SIMPLE FUN CRAZY AWESOME EXPANSIVE "FEATUREFULL" STURDY AND DID I MENTION SIMPLE

What software version are you using? the yellow one (there is no "software version per se)
* How do the presets sound? good, a bit cheezy on the sides, drums are really weak but with layering you can manage to get decent kicks
* How hard is editing patches? there is only 1 parameter per patch+the note for 75% of the machine
* How is the manual (if there is one)? too short

the loop recording is he whole fun here, allowing thick layers

for a tiny box it packs a lot

2 big problems here tho, to "fix" the loop you must stop thus loosing any sync you could have had (and no midi means no clock)

the second one is that there is no volume for the patches when layering, so you can't, for example, record ha loud snare on the 2 and 4 in one layer and then have a quieter snare on the 16th before and after the, all snares are the same volume, same goes for 98% of the pitched sound where the y axis is mapped to something else than volume, it's minor as I use it with a kaoss pad 3 so I build the loops on the KP3 from the kaossilator

a master volume would have been nice too, and the phone jack is really badly placed(this should go at the top)

sounds are good, the "acoustic" section sucks a lot, piano is dark, trumpet is pathetic, sitar is unusable, jazz guitar is a joke and so on

the electronc sounds, from the radias IIRC, are really good, but pretty cheezy as mentioned, a bit retro(as in 1994, not 1972)

seems robust, i'll see fast enough as I carry it in my cargo pojets all the time, the knoc actually feels better than the KP3 fader can, less cheap

korg have always been ok to me
manuals are great (compared to roland) but still lack details

i really like the unit
see my videos from the 1st day, it shows how easy it s out of the box
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9B8B51AB15739DEB

This is a simple but deep box that couldn't be easier to use. The pad is very responsive and fun to play, and it's the perfect size to take anywhere. The sounds are great and even though you can only play one note at a time on the pad with your finger, you can layer track after track to create chords and complex compositions. The arpeggiator is also a really nice bonus and it offers 50 different patterns for adding rhythmic synth and drum tracks.

It's just incredible how easy and fun it is to create music with this pocket-sized workstation!

Even though the Kaossilator has only four buttons and a knob, and a simple 3-digit LCD display, it packs a lot of power. It seems like you can keep layering track after track without running out of polyphony and the ability to modulate the sounds using the Y-axis of the touch pad is brilliant. Even though it doesn't have MIDI capabilities, I'm not missing them. It is easy to set the tempo and key (and even the mode of the keypad scale), so synching with other instruments isn't a huge problem.

My favorite feature is also my least-favorite feature - the only reason for a "9" rating instead of a "10". I love the ability to fix tracks that have been recorded so that new tracks can be overdubbed and erased while playing without losing the fixed tracks. The bummer about this feature is that the rhythm must be stopped and re-started in order to fix the tracks. It's a minor issue, but it would make it easier to create compositions on the fly without having to stop the performance.

Other than that, this is the perfect $200 instrument. I hope they make them in several flavors with different sound sets. It would be awesome to rock multiple Kaossilators at once.

The sounds are incredible for such a small instrument. The synth sounds are excellent and very versatile, and the drum loops also offer a good variety of options depending on where you hit the pad. The selection is first-rate. My least favorite sounds are the acoustic sounds, but they can also be useful in the right track.

I'm not complaining, but my wish list would include having more sounds in each category, and a wider variety of drum patterns using different sounding kits.

This thing is built like a tank and it looks good too. All the knobs and buttons are rock solid and there's not a lot of stuff to break. I feel totally comfortable carrying this in my briefcase or suitcase when I'm on the road. (I just cover it with a sock.)

Never used. Hope I never will.

If it were stolen, I would definitely buy another. I've been playing synths for over 25 years and have a lot of classic analog synth gear as well as the new stuff in my studio gathering dust. They're all jealous of the Kaossilator. this little miracle is the most fun thing I've played in a really long time. Other than my blue SH-101, it's the best $200 I've ever spent.

The best thing about the Kaossilator is that it inspires creativity. I could definitely see using the patterns I create in recordings and I'm looking forward to experimenting more to see how this can be used in the studio and on the stage.

Anyone with any level of musical skills can have fun with this instrument and it is destined to be a classic. The Kaossilator K01 is a work of technical and musical genius, and I can see many more versions of this instrument coming from Korg in the future.

There's not a lot of things to learn ... and they are simple! Arpegiattors, scales, bpm and the loop function are the only ones.

Depending on the type of music you're oriented, this little box is surprising, it's really not a toy with cheap sounds. I'm really really impress.

This pad is magic!

Sell your psp and buy this, all your rides throught the city will be more creative!

Below is the review I posted at sweetwater.com from where I just got mine...Note immediately below is a tip I had in my review which they edited out for some reason,ha!

Tip:

Hurry! Order your Koassilator for yourself, then go to Amazon or ebay a belly dancing instructional DVD and finger cymbals (zills), a costume and jewelry as part of your valtentine day's gifts for your
wife/girl friend/partner, ha!
Then you both will enjoy many pleasant (hopefully erotic, I am not making this up,Ha!) evenings of yourself accompanying your partner as she dances for you on your Kaossilator via its several
raga, arabic and egyptian scales!

Here now is my review as posted on sweetwater.com

Definitely NOT a cheap sounding toy!
Many true analog classic synth sounds..such as authentic minimoog/taurus basses, leads and sweeps.
Even all the amazing actual Korg Triton pcm sounds
have via great korg analog modeling, analog richness!
Yes you can reliably hit the desired notes via easily
set dozens of scales in any key..Dial up the major blues or minor blues scale, set the key of choice and wow! Nice brushed aluminum faceplate, quality build! go to reverbnation.com (free legal music site)
look up 'The Yellow Album' by award winning film composer David Kibler..all tracks just Kaossilator recorded dry and be blown away! Listening to him and watching the over a dozen (more every day) youtube videos will convince you just how powerfull and usefull this wonder is! Some youtube vids show it in action coupled with a Korg Kaoss pad 3 or minipad.
Don't be put off by the only 2 measure loop memory..as you can easily build/edit full length songs by simply plugging it into your pc/mac and record with whatever software you already use..
Once again all the sounds are so fat and useable you won't be embarrased to use live on stage..Again the basses are so good you could easily fill in for one, ect..Finall tip..Manual states battery ( 4 AA) as 5
hours..Buy at walmart ect..the latest generation of rechargable nickel hydride batteries the Rayovac Hybrid AA's..rugged high capacity with the big advantage they hold full charge for months when not being used.(other brands will go dead in a couple weeks)..so you won't be caught with a dead Kaossilator when in a rush for a impromptu jam.
BTW if you have very thick fingers and have trouble hitting just one note..simply tap with your finger nail..in some youtube vids owners are using those fingernail style guitar/banjo picks..
I forgot to mention all the sounds have great Y axis
performance modulation of some sort..great LP filter cutoff sweep and or great analog delay/echo or phasing!! Best $200 ever spent! Well worth the price..
these are destined to be as beloved as vintage Minimoogs! and are far more powerfull and musical!
I am not making this up!

touch pad only, 100 sounds, 31 scales, 50 gate/arpeggiator patterns
2 measure loop recording..unlimited number of sounds/layers per loop
x axis pitch, y axis modulation (filter cutoff, stereo efx)
no midi.

0f the 100 sound programs ALL are cd quality and this little wonder has a true analog richness overall..The dozens of classic analog synth
sounds (leads, basses ect) are dead ringers for original minimoog ect
patches with the expected modulation wheel modulations (LPF, or stereo
delay/panning or phasing) via the Y axis!. The other sounds are PCM classics taken from Korg Tritons or M1's and are just as rich and lovly! Overall outstanding! The timpani is truly worthy of beethoven!
Overall any sound program is fine for any mix or live on stage, such as the basses..

Beautifull heavy gauge brushed aluminum face plate..the mellow yellow plastic body is not cheap at all..Battery life on 4 AA's is listed as 5 hours..will accept a 4.5v dc common walwart..simply purchase the latest generation nickel-hydride Rayovac hybrid batteries for it. (these hold full charge even after sitting unused for several months)
touch pad is glitch free..single rotary knob has nice solid feel..
Build quality excellent!

Have not needed it yet for this model..but I have owned a original Korg Karma WS for 5 years and got excellent phone (US based english speaking) phone support, and fast easy online ordering of lost knobs..
So I presume the same level of support will apply.