Korg KP3 Kaoss Pad

128 effect programs. 16-bit/48kHz sampling.

Item: KORKP3

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customer reviews

Rate and Review This Product:

30 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10

3 People wrote reviews

* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

"Awesome effects PAD!!"

Feature:
The features is great with the varity of effects presets to match just about anything you are doing. I really like the control of how much each effect is used on your music. The materials are solid and strong.

Quality:
Excellant quality, the only thing I would change is the plastic knobs.

Value:
The selling price is fine.

Desirability:
The lights on this pad are really cool and fun to interact with.

Sound:
I just bought the Korg KP3 recently, this is an amazing sound effects module. I have used many effects equipment in the past, but nothing compares to the KP3. The most flexible and fun effects unit on the market! The sound is really good, and expressive for whatever kind of electronic music you are producing. This product is great for both studio work and live music productions. I am using this with the Korg EMX-1 drum machine. They work great together for some great dance beats.

Ease of Use:
The interface is very simple on this device, barely needed the manual to operate and the manual is written very good.

Support:
Have not had to use tech support yet, but I have heard that it is good.

Overall:
I am very satified with everything on this product.

Submitted: 5/12/2008

Style of Music: Techno

* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

"Little box from another planet....."

Feature:
Came out of the box with a 2 GB SD card, dont think it originally comes with it but it sure is helpful for saving. I got the Editor running on my macbook pro in no time. transfered loops and that was the most painful part...very slow.

Quality:
Made decently well. I wanted this more than the others (kaooss pads)` cause it didnt look like a DJ toy but more a studio tool. Not cheaply made like the other kaoss pads felt in the past. Would give a 10 if the pad wasnt going to go out and i could bang on it like my mpc...

Value:
10 because nothing on or planet can do what this can,

Desirability:
its pretty. no need to go into this too much. Their designers know what they are doing. Like nameing their korg ESX-1....rearrange the letters and you'll get SEX, talk about marketing and sex sells...sheesh...just name the next electribe OrgasmX

Sound:
Well 1st off i wouldnt even do a review unlsss i was truely impressed. The last thing 4 years ago i did a review on was the ESX1 from korg. So i am very impressed with sound and sound quality of this thing, Have a little problems keeping the loudness and clearness whne resampling but theres probably a trick to it. I love FX and do a fair amount of processing everything. Its never been a very fun process untill now. I can get studders and sweeps and fills that would take a good amount of time editing in Loic-Protools etc Completely fun and addicting to mess with. I got mine 4 days ago, pluged a mac and an mpc2000xl into in and in minutes had a very complex and banging loop coming out of it. It has some synths in it but they dont seem to be able to be controlled by a midi keyboard which is a let down unless im missing someitnhg. Never Seen something so expressive. If you take time and get good with this thing, it can become a real art and tool. I do a break beatish tech housey trance style of music. I guess im hearing what ive always wondered in those latest tracks with crazy fx on them came from. Get tricky with this thing and it adds a whoel new favor to your stuff. I have a mpc2000xl, esx1,emx1,jp8080,xp80, rs50, waldorf q, rm1x. Running any of them thru and getting some flavor out of it that i wouldnt have ever got out of anything else. even my electrix mo fx. I dont do live but its obviously ideal for that. studio, unbelievable.

Ease of Use:
24 hours after having it i was making some of the most creative loops ive ever made in 7 years. Using with anything like i said is a breeze. getting a loop in time with it was a tricky. The only way i found to get it in time was to trigger the drums in it and start from there so at least the tempos correct. The looping was strange at 1st cause it never stops looping. it just keeps on going and theres no start/stop button. if you stop the recording before it loops over you hve control over when it starts-stops, but it shoulda had a start button on it. Also , still trying to get it to START when i hit PLAY on my MPC. not sure if it will or not but it should and hopefully future OS updates will provide this. It does sync to the mpc's tempo and midi set up was easy. Id do wish i could play the 9 synths in it with a midi controller.

Support:
10 because ive owned korg stuff since i got a cheap guitar pedal when i was 13 and never have had their stuff die on me.

Overall:
100% sure this will help me do the music ive been wanting to do and it will give me more than enough effects to use for a long time. theres no comparing it to anything right now. Im sure i will wear this thing out and squeeze every ouch of musical creativeness possible out of it. 100% love it

Submitted: 12/9/2007

Style of Music: electronic, rock, pop

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About This Product!
Description
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From Our Catalog
Powerful Sampling Tools and Performance Effects at Your Fingertip
Korg's KAOSS technology has been embraced by DJs, musicians and producers alike. No other interface is as intuitive, immediate or just plain fun to use. By simply touching, tapping or sliding your finger over the touchpad, the all-new KP3 allows you to control multiple effects parameters and manipulate samples in real time. On stage or in the studio, these gestures and moves can become powerful and expressive performance elements. More than a processor, the KP3 is a complete instrument allowing you to manage, recall, and play back samples; sample on the fly; and add dynamic processing to any audio signal or to the samples themselves.

This latest KAOSS incarnation has been completely overhauled to enhance your creativity, with significant advances in every area. New effects algorithms, synth sounds derived from their RADIAS engine, bigger and better sampling plus computer connectivity all point to the fact that the KP3 is an entirely new KAOSS instrument. A new pad lighting system places 64 individual LEDs in an 8x8 grid under the pad, providing visual cues as to the current program, held position, etc. -- it can even scroll a custom message across the pad!

Killer Effects come to Life
The KP3 comes equipped with 128 great-sounding effect programs Sure, the traditional essential effects are there -- delays, flangers, etc., and they sound amazing. But using newly developed algorithms, the KP3 also provides fresh, exciting effects such as a grain shifter, decimator, a vintage analog style filter with a tone-bending drive circuit, and expanded EQs that are controlled directly from the pad. And moving beyond effects, there are also drum grooves and even RADIAS-inspired vocoder and synthesizer sounds that can be played free-form on the X/Y pad.

As you move your finger across the touchpad and find that 'sweet spot', pressing the Hold button will lock the settings, so you can take your hand away to do other things. The LED grid on the touchpad will show the held location, so you can pick up where you left off without any 'jumps'. Better yet, Pad Motion can memorize and repeat a fluid or complex gesture played on the pad. Once again, the new pad lighting system enhancements can actually display the Pad Motion pattern as it plays.

A separate FX Depth knob sets the overall balance between the original signal and the effect, so you can add just the right amount of processing. The eight Program Memory buttons allow you to store all of this information -- Program Number, Hold button On/Off status (and coordinates), Pad Motion, and the FX depth setting -- to a single button for instant access during performance.

Another new innovation in the KP3 is called FX Release. Basically, FX Release adds an adjustable delay tail when you remove your finger from the pad. In addition to being a creative performance tool, FX Release also prevents the abrupt dropping out of the effect as you transition from one setting to another, providing a smoother and more musical performance. The FX Release delay effect is automatically set to the current tempo -- whether manual, MIDI, auto BPM or Tap Tempo -- and the amount of the FX Release and can be set and saved individually with each program.

Superior Sampling
Four Sample Bank buttons on the front panel allow you to create, play and save both looped and one-shot samples on the fly. All samples are recorded using high resolution 24-bit converters, and are stored in 16-bit/48 kHz format. Samples can be saved on a Secure Digital (SD) card or transferred to computer via USB. With both mic and line inputs, the KP3 allows you to sample from a wide variety of sources.

The KP3's sampling system thinks and speaks in the language of music, hiding incredible technology below the surface. When creating loop samples, for example, sample length is set in terms of beats, not seconds. You can generally set the sample length up to 16 beats long (extremely slow tempos capture fewer beats). When sampling is finished, the sample will immediately start playing in sync with the sample source. As the sample plays you can adjust the start time of the sample to 'fine-tune' it to the original tempo, or to dial-in time shifted playback.

Time-Slicing chops a sample into separate parts. You can use the Program Memory buttons to turn these individual slices on or off in real time, creating new rhythmic patterns from the original sample as part of your performance. Sampling and effects are totally integrated in the KP3, so you can sample through the effects, and even resample the entire output to create powerful, multi element samples.

Stay in Sync
Tempo is an integral element of the KP3. Sampling times are set in terms of tempo, and many effects are also tempo-based. All tempo-related functions are accurate to .1 (one-tenth) of a BPM for more precise matching to external devices. To keep everything sync'd up, the KP3 features auto-BPM detection from the audio input; Tap-Tempo entry, as well as a manual tempo setting. The KP3 can also send and receive tempo information via MIDI clock. This extra versatility allows the KP3 to detect BPM info from a turntable, and in turn provide MIDI clock to other devices down the line, keeping everything moving together.

Take Control
The KP3 is also a MIDI controller, sending out three controller numbers from the touchpad, and additional messages from the slider. The Sample Bank buttons send and receive note messages. Program Change commands and clock information can also be sent or received. The inclusion of MIDI IN and OUT allows even the most daring and complex KP3 moves to be recorded and played back by an external sequencer or software sequencing program.

Part of the Team
A single USB connection allows the KP3 to share sample data with a computer. An editor / librarian program is included so you can build libraries of samples, and edit them using your computer. The software also allows WAV and AIFF files to be loaded into the KP3, and includes pitch correction for samples not created at 48 kHz. This graphic software is valuable not only for editing samples, but also for creating, editing and saving programs and global data. The stereo inputs and outputs can be set so the KP3 can run in-line to an amplification system, or hooked to the effect loop jacks of an audio mixer.

Technical Info

Effects:
Filter (Low-pass / High-pass / Band-pass / 72dB/oct.
and Low-pass)
Isolator & Distortion
Talk-Filter
Flanger
8-band EQ
Mid Pitch Shifter
Broken Modulation
Phaser
Ring Modulator & High-pass Filter
Decimator
Low Compressor
Auto-Pan
Slicer
Delay (Ping-Pong, Multi-tap, Reverse & High-pass Filter)
Tape Echo
Reverb
Gate Reverb
Grain Shifter
Vinyl Looper
Looper Forward / Reverse
Four-Sample-Bank Cross Fader Roll
Pad Drum1 / 2
Unison Saw Bass
Noise Synthesizer & Looper
Vocoder
Vocoder M7

Programs: 128

Program Categories:
Filter (16 types)
EQ (2 types)
Modulation (12 types)
Compressor (2 types)
LFO (25 types)
Delay (16 types)
Reverb (6 types)
Grain Shifter (5 types)
Looper (13 types)
Sample Effect (7 types)
Sample Bank Crossfade (4 types)
Drums (6 types)
Synthesizer (10 types)
Vocoder (4 types)

Sampler:
Sample Memory: 100 samples (maximum)
Sampling: 16 bit, 48 kHz
Convertors: 24-bit A/D, D/A

Inputs:
Mic (1/4 in.) with trim knob
Line In L,R (RCA)

Outputs:
Headphone (1/4 in. Stereo) with volume
Line Out L,R (RCA)

USB: Type B

MIDI: IN/OUT

Data Storage: SD Card

Power Supply: DC 12V; 700mA

Dimensions: 8.27 in. x 8.9 in. x 1.93 in. (W x D x H)

Weight: 2.87 lbs

Accessories:
CD-ROM (Editor/Librarian)
Power supply
Touchpad protective sheet

Specifications subject to change without notice
Overhauled with new effects, new sounds, beefed-up sampling, and USB connection, plus backlit, 64-LED pad! Over 125 effects include analog-style filters and more. Synth, drum, and vocoder sounds. Store 16-bit, 48kHz samples on SD cards, transfer via USB. Beat-sync and time-slice samples. RCA line and 1/4" mic inputs, headphone and line outputs. MIDI and USB I/O.

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