Korg KO1 Kaossilator Dynamic Phrase Synthesizer

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Take this pocket-sized powerhouse synthesizer with you everywhere for composing, looping and exploring the sonic landscape.

The Kaossilator is a new pocket sized instrument that packs Korg's world renowned synth sound along with innovative performance features into an ultra-compact unit. Anyone can instantly play musical phrases by simply tapping or sliding their finger across the Kaossilator's touch pad - no previous skills required! The Kaossilator is a portable, travel friendly device that runs on batteries, so you can have fun creating music anywhere your life takes you, with seemingly endless possibilities.

Main Features

A portable synthesizer delivering maximum flexibility in an ultra-compact body, with battery operation that allows you to jam anywhere.

- Synth, sound-effects, and drum sounds, for a total of 100 powerful sound programs.
- 31 scale patterns let you easily play a wide variety of "always perfect" phrases.
- 50 types of gate arpeggiation help you perform complex rhythmic patterns.
- Loop Recording allows multiple phrase overdubbing to create complete grooves.

The Kaossilator is a new instrument that liberates synthesizer sounds from the keyboard. It gives keyboardists, guitarists, and DJs a convenient way to add fresh new elements to a band performance or to a DJ set, while allowing untrained musical enthusiasts to enjoy an entirely new level of musical involvement and expression.

Thanks to its ultra-compact size, battery operation and hooks for attaching a strap, the Kaossilator makes it easy for you to start creating music whenever and wherever inspiration strikes you. read more

Powerful Sounds, Effects, and Drums

Kaossilator comes packed with one hundred powerful sound programs that combine Korg's legendary modeling synthesizer engine with the effects from the Kaoss Pad series, perfect for any musical genre. The horizontal axis is assigned to note/pitch, while the vertical axis is assigned to parameters such as: cutoff, feedback, or modulation depth*, giving you a wide range of performance possibilities. In addition to classic synthesizer sounds like leads, basses and sound effects, there are sounds that faithfully simulate piano, guitar, and trumpet as well as looped and one-shot drum sounds, making the Kaossilator a never-ending source of inspiration to stimulate your creativity.

Scale/Key Settings

The Kaossilator has a scale function that makes it simple to produce accurate pitches that match any musical context. You can choose from 31 different scales, including chromatic, diminished, as well as major and minor blues and pentatonic scales. The scale function can be used in conjunction with the key setting function, allowing you to perform in any key. Unusual scales such as Spanish, Ryukyu, and Raga are also provided, letting you create distinctive phrases with an exotic flavor.

Gate Arpeggiator

The Gate Arpeggiator lets you produce specific patterns of notes in sync with the user specified tempo, greatly expanding your performance options. Simply choose one of the fifty patterns to specify the timing of the notes, and you'll be creating phrases that you've never dreamed of in a flash.

Loop Recording

Loop Recording allows you to record a phrase with a specified number of beats (maximum 8 beats = 2 measures), and play it back endlessly. For example you can record a phrase using a synth-lead sound, and then layer (overdub) bass or drum sounds onto it. You can build up layers of cool phrases by simply repeating this cycle of selecting, playing, and recording sounds. Building a groove was never so easy!

Power Supply:4 Alkaline AA Batteries (Included) or AC Adapter (Not Included)

* The Kaoss pads assignment will differ depending on the sound.
** Specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice for improvement.
*** All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
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Programs: 100

Program Categories:
- "NOTE" Sound = LEAD: 20, ACOUSTIC: 10, BASS: 20, CHORD: 10
- "SE" Sound = SE: 20
- "DRUM" Sound = DRUM: 10, DRUM PATTERN: 10

Musical Scale Patterns: 31

Key Range: +/-12

Types of Gate Arpeggiator: 50

Connectors: LINE OUT jacks (RCA phono jacks), PHONES jack (Stereo mini phone jacks)

Sampling Frequency: 48kHz

DA Conversion: 24-bit Linear

Power Supply: four alkaline AA (LR6) batteries (6 V) / AC Adaptor (Sold Separately)

Battery Life: approximately five hours (with alkaline batteries)

Included Items: Owner's Manual, parameter sheet, four AA "test" batteries

Dimensions: 106 (W) x 129 (D) x 29 mm (H) / 4.17 (W) x 5.08 (D) x 1.14 in. (H)

Weight: 154 g / 5.43 oz. (without batteries)

Power Supply:4 Alkaline AA (LR6) Batteries (Included) or AC Adapter (Not Included)

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 631-390-6800
Web: https://www.korgusa.com/support

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. (16 ratings)
Submitted January 23, 2008 by a customer from pcpix.com

"Awesome toy, limited instrument"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I'd like it a LOT more if there was an onboard way to save and load loops you make. At that point, for some kinds of music at least, it could actually be a creative tool you'd use to lay down tracks. I hope in their next version they revisit the button placements as well. A small display could possibly show patch names, arp patterns and full scale names. Allowing sound design on a PC would be awesome. Finally, it would be nice if you could control the balance of new sound to previously recorded sound when you "fix" your latest gesture.

Sound
It's expressive but with no presets or effects, it doesn't afford much on-box tweaking. It's a good match to a KP3, where you can save and independently control and balance multiple samples, and apply effects.

Features
Included a set of batteries and the manuals. Given its market, should perhaps come with a carrying case, or AC adaptor, or both.

Ease of Use
Erase-loop recording is a good functionality, but it's awkward. First, it's hard to get a seamless loop. Second, the hand position required to depress both buttons at once is awkward, and essentially impossible if you put the unit down on a table. The manual covers the bases but could be clearer. As to playing riffs and hooks, the XY pad is just large enough to be fairly accurate, it's fun to play with. I'd just say the button placement isn't well optimized for either handheld or flat read more playing.

Quality
It feels very sturdy, but I've had it only a couple weeks. Korg has been making these XY pads for a while, and the KP mini has given them experience in this for factor.

Value
A lot of fun for the money.

Manufacturer Support
The manuals are available online, which is good. However the scale list and arpeggio list is not available online, and if you lose that packed-in plastic card you're going to find using those features much more difficult. No need for service or upgrades.

The Wow Factor
Yep. Everyone I show it to think it's a cool toy. Fewer are convinced it's a practical instrument for laying down tracks or gigging. I use it like kids use Game Boys -- before, my best portable musical toy good for long exploration was the QY 70. Honestly, this is displacing my Game Boy, on which I used Electroplankton a lot.

Musical Background:
Hobby recordist, previously gigging musician

Musical Style:
techno with this thing, folk/Celtic/bluegrass generally
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