Korg ESX1 Electribe SX Music Production Sampler Review

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(More customer reviews)The user interface on this beast is stellar. Easiest to use and most interactive. Nice sounds, features, flexibility.
However, I have both an EMX-1 and ESX-1 and both relatively quickly developed data-knob jitter. Try to turn it up or down and it'll bounce the other direction intermittently. From some of the forums I find this is not uncommon. It's extremely frustrating and annoying. Korg will fix but they just replace the knob with another which will develop the same problem again. This is a serious flaw because it makes it unreliable for live performance. I do love this box but you'll have to hook up an external MIDI device to substitute for the data knob if you want to depend on it live. If it wasn't for that I'd give it a solid 5...

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Korg nanoKEY 25 Key USB Controller Keyboard, White Review

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(More customer reviews)The Korg Nano Series is, quite simply, among the most useful sets of tools ever produced for the COMPUTER... Let me say that word again: "COMPUTER."
I write, arrange and orchestrate music for a living. The nanoKey, in particular, is a lifesaver! It's portable, so I can stuff it into my laptop bag when I'm on the road. It works seamlessly with Finale, Encore and - my personal favorite - Sibelius (the "Big 3" of notation programs). It isn't as convenient for real-time sequencing, unless you've developed "the touch." It took me a while to get used to that, but I do play scratch tracks in Logic and Sonar, on occasion.
Anyone considering the purchase of this device should realize up front that it isn't really designed for stage performance, etc. It's best suited for computer entry. In fact, it's PERFECTLY suited for computer entry.
...and for fifty bucks it's WAY ahead of anything else!

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The nanoKEY is an ultra-compact keyboard controller, featuring a great-feeling 25-key velocity-sensitive keyboard that's ideal for song production. Each key on this USB-MIDI controller can also be set to send MIDI control data, further expanding its power.

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Boss DB-60 Dr. Beat Metronome Review

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(More customer reviews)If you are looking for a cut-down version of the Boss DB 90 Dr. Beat Metronome that is easier to take with you in a pocket, then this is for you. It keeps many of the most essential features that made Dr. Beat metronomes the best on the market years ago, and is much smaller and more portable.
However, there are compromises: the volume controls for the beat divisions, bar line accents and overall volume control are very limited four-step controls (off, quiet, medium, and loud) controlled by successive presses of a button. This is not nearly as flexible or convenient as the sliders on the DB-90. Moreso, the tempo is controlled by a button, which must be pressed once for EACH beat per minute (bpm) of tempo change, which makes any significant change of tempo laborious. You can use the tap function to get an approximate tempo, and then dial it in one bpm at a time after that, but that is still frustrating compared to the wheel on the DB-90. Also, the maximum volume, though reasonable for a small metronome, is still limited compared to its big brother.
Overall, I'd say this is one of the best small metronomes on the market, but if the size isn't an issue, the DB-90 is well worth the extra money for flexibility, ease of use, and the many additional features. For the serious musician looking for a serious metronome, I recommend Boss DB 90 Dr. Beat Metronome. For those who already have a DB-90 and are looking for a more portable version of it, this DB-60 is a great choice.

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Korg nanoPAD USB Drum Controller, White Review

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(More customer reviews)I had really looked into the other reviews before buying this. I use Toontrack EZDrummer with various EZX's in Cubase and FruityLoops.
First off, the design is fantastic. The size is great not only for little studio spaces but also stages but also just makes it fun and inviting to play with. The touch pad is a great idea too and with all the midi mapping possibilities you can't really feel limited by having "only 12" pads.
The pads, as other reviews should note, are responsive all around and offer pretty good velocity detection, plus they have customizable velocity curves. The problem is that they are not made to last, not in the slightest! I ignored this when other reviews noted dead pads, and even getting dead pads after exchanging their unit for new ones. Don't make my mistake. I have two absolutely unforgivably sticky pads on mine that refuse to play two notes in a row. Dreadful. While I'm glad mine aren't dead per se, try playing for more than a minute without being able to play two kicks or high hats in a row. They may as well be.
I would recommend this to anyone willing to take a chance on it because it's a Korg. (I did... oh well.) If yours is flawless, sell it to me! This thing is really fun and the Korg Kontrol software is great too. If you have trouble with installation/detection you may need to run midifix which erases bogus midi connections from your registry. Hope this helps someone.

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Pyle-Pro PKST50 Round Padded Keyboard Bench (Double Braced, Folding) Review

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(More customer reviews)We bought this stool along with a Casio digital piano. It is well made, love the round shape instead of a square as you can really turn around with it in the room. No nonse, does the work and pretty stable.
How ever, I just want to warn you that even so it looks dark grey on the picture, it is in fact black.


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Korg EMX1SD Electribe Music Production Station Review

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(More customer reviews)To understand what this is, you have to understand what it is not. It's not simply a drum machine or rhythm box to be used by instrumentalists looking for accompaniment nor is it really meant for people looking for a midi-sequencer for composition. This machine tends to push you away from more traditional chords and melody and more towards playing w/ sonic textures and rhythms. In some ways, it's limitations are what's great about it.
As far as the sounds, they are as good as the time you put into them. You start w/ a simple, cheesy (cool cheesy but cheesy) sounding waveform and sculpt it into whatever you want. There are some really great analogue synth sounds from bubbly baselines to whiny leads to be had from this unit but you aren't necessarily going to find them right away. The sculpt-ability of the sounds is almost to the degree where it's a weakness because it's sometimes more fun to play w/ the settings than to write songs. There are included effects which add even more things to play w/. Not all of them sound spectacular in a traditional sense (I would not, for example, rout my guitar through this thing to use the reverb) but each can add it's own particular something to any given part, which is really all you need anyway. (Yet to find a use for the compressor though. Who needs a compressor on something that's not touch sensitive?). You get eight decent sounding drum tracks and five synth tracks. The synth tracks are not polyphonic so a standard piano part is not feasible but since there are five of them, there is really no trouble getting your tracks sounding thick and full. (You can have the thing play chords but it is one chord per part so they have to all major chords or all add7 chords or whatever.) The filters provide means of getting sonic separation between different interlocking parts and I've found I can have all five sounding clearly and distinctly in the mix which really gives you a lot to work w/ sonically--more than I need almost always.
My major complaint as far as sound quality is the limited sample library. It seems like w/ very little effort, Korg could have expanded this to be a lot more useful for more traditional instrument sounds. Still, w/o polyphony there will not be too much you can do w/ them. I do find myself missing to ability to get bass-guitar-like and piano like sounds sounds out of this though. It is just not really wired to do that so trying it just leads to frustration mostly.
What is really great about this box is how much fun it is to play w/ patterns. I find myself endlessly tweaking sounds and retweeking not because I don't like how it is but just because it's so easy to do. W/o polyphony, I tend towards manipulating the arpegiator and getting textures as much as I come up w/ ordinary melodies or basslines. Again, this box is more about texture and pure sound than anything else. It does odd time signatures (though it is naturally in 4/4) and you can set it either to use a pattern tempo when composing songs so tempo changes are super easy and natural. Speaking of song mode, it's decent, simple step-based sequencing but you can do a lot of tweaks to get what you want and I believe you can program it to save mutes and tweaks based on what you want but I think most people will find themselves wanting to put their hands on it and manipulate it live as it plays. It is just too much fun not too.
I would recommend this as a path of least resistance to great analogue-like synth textures and rhythmic accompaniment. If you want to compose symphonies, you will need a more serious midi-sequencer and synths that can do polyphony. If you want something that sounds like a real drummer, there are better boxes for that though this could do in a pinch. Software does better at either of these things these days anyway. What this is is a hands on instrument for creating music through sonic textures. You can use it on it's own or in the context of a band or a more advanced recording/sequencing setup. It has limitless possibilities but it can't do everything.

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Korg nanoKONTROL USB Controller, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a laptop musician and I've gotten extremely tired of staring at the screen, twiddling virtual knobs one at a time with my mouse. When Korg introduced the nano line, I practically ran to the store to check them out. The nanoKONTROL is almost perfect for my setup, and for under sixty bucks I couldn't walk out without one.
First off, this is definitely NOT plug-n-play, but it's a breeze to setup. I use Ableton Live and it immediately recognized the nanoKONTROL and let me assign functions to each button, knob, and slider with no issues at all. It revolutionized my live show because I can suddenly operate multiple faders and trigger multiple audio loops at once, all in a unit that's smaller than a carton of cigarettes. There are only nine fader/knob sets, but you can change 'scenes,' which essentially transposes the controls up to the next bank of nine, effectively giving you 36 fader sets. It even has lights so you can see what's triggered on a dark stage. I've had this for a good four or five months now and have never had any problems- after setting it up, simply plug it in and you're good to go.
The nanoKONTROL also ships with a copy of the Korg Kontrol Editor, which is a little program you can use to alter the firmware of the device. The Editor allows you to change the parameters of your nano- what kind of midi signal is being sent, the channel, the toggle, the high and low values, et cetera. You can even save multiple editor files, so you can switch between settings depending on what program you're using. Absolutely brilliant.
There is one con to this unit, and I'm not gonna lie: it feels chintzy. When I first picked it up, I had to laugh because it's such a lightweight piece of plastic that it feels more like a child's toy than a piece of equipment. I feel like one little drop and this thing will shatter into bits. The knobs and faders are cheap as hell and before you plug it in, you will feel a little ripped off. BUT AFTER YOU PLUG IT IN, you will realize that those tacky knobs and faders are extremely responsive and you just got a great controller for the price of a decent dinner for two.
I've heard mixed reviews of the other nano products, especially the keyboard (seriously, you can buy an old Oxygen 8 for almost the same price, so get some real midi keys), but I HIGHLY recommend the nanoKONTROL. You'll love it.

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Part of the super-compact nanoSERIES, Korg's nanoKONTROL offers nine faders, nine knobs, 18 switches, plus a full transport section for expansive control; even a flexible note input mode to help you lay down your next big groove.

The Korg nanoSERIES The Korg nanoSERIES provide a keyboard controller, a pad controller, and a studio controller with dedicated transport controls. Each of these USB-powered, slim-line controllers is designed to make the most of your valuable studio space, and is small enough to take with you on any musical journey. Place one of our keyboard controllers in front of your laptop, rest a pad controller on your music workstation, park a studio controller on your recording console--or anywhere else you need versatile control over your DAW, virtual instrument, effect or DJ software. Although small in size, all three nanoSERIES controllers go HUGE when it comes to functionality, yet their intuitive layouts provide extremely easy operation for any user.
nanoKONTROL--The Most Expansive Array of Controls For Its Size--Period The nanoKONTROL features a plethora of controllers to help you get the most control out of your software for the size and money. nanoKONTROL offers nine faders, nine knobs, 18 switches and a full transport section. For each of the four programmable scenes the nanoKONTROL offers, you can set the controllers any way you need them. That means that you can transmit a total of 168 different MIDI CC (Control Change) messages, as well as MIDI notes with the switches. The six transport buttons can each transmit either MIDI CC messages or MMC messages to control functions such as: start, stop, loop, or record on your DAW software.
Imagine taking full control of your software--transport, a full track's worth of faders, pans and mutes--or how about precise dedicated control over the many parameters of software synths, samplers or virtual drum machines. It's all possible with the nanoKONTROL.
To add to the nanoKONTROL's flexibility, an attack and decay time can be specified for the eighteen switches. This allows you to smoothly feed controller messages into parameters such as wet/dry levels for an effect, a filter for a synth, or a volume fader for that perfect fade.
What's in the Box Korg nanoKONTROL, USB cable, Owner's Manual

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Korg PadKontrol USB Drum Pad Studio Controller, White Review

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(More customer reviews)The KORG padKontrol has only one purpose and that is to make the use of its input pads easy, flexible and reliable. The included manual is very thorough and explains every aspect well. The included editor software called Librarian, lets you program the entire pad very easily and requires little instruction, it is mainly click the image on the padKontrol on the screen and then set its parameters.
The pads are really what sets this unit apart though as they will register a hit even when they are struck on an edge or corner. If you've got sloppy fingers and are triggering things accidentally then just adjust the velocity curves to dial back the sensitivity. The pads light when the trigger which is a nice way to instantly see that you have a successful input. They can be set as momentary on/off or as toggle types. In toggle mode they act more like a switch where one hit turns it on and a second hit turns it off which is useful for sending MIDI events that you may want to remain "ON" longer than a split second like the momentary trigger gives.
The other buttons also light up as they are used which gives good feedback. The knobs are solid and have a very smooth action to them. The feet on the bottom of the unit are really sticky, not in a glue or tape sort of way, but rather in a it stay where you put it despite tapping away at it like mad. The touch-pad allows some very cool roll/flam effects but takes some practice to use well, it can also be reassigned to other functions.
Mine came with software samples from several manufacturers in the box. I am especially pleased with the one from Pianoteq and KORG's own M1Le synth engine. Those were unexpected, are very functional and have me thinking of actually upgrading them to their respective full versions.
KORG is a top tier name and this unit lives up to the reputation. Do not settle for cheaper imitations, you can see a big difference in quality.

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Korg STBTL Drum Stand Attachment Review

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(More customer reviews)I've only had this item for 6 months and it fell apart! buyer beware, the suction cup holder became very brittle and snapped right off with out even touching it.Very unsatisfied.

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Korg Wavedrum - Limited Edition Oriental Dynamic Percussion Synthesizer Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought one of the 'standard' wavedrums a while ago. Although I knew that a electronic drum would never really replace an acoustic hand drum, what I saw of the wavedrum convinced me that it had a lot of potential. I have enjoyed it immensely, and it has proved itself very useful. My main music type that I play is kind of a world fusion type, as well as Christian worship (contemporary obviously, but more in the vein of Kevin Prosch or Misty Edwards than standard Christian music. Spontaneous at times, incorporating several kinds of genres and instruments). The wavedrum fit in perfectly. Before, I had my whole set up at big events.. often times a drum set with a doumbek, some types of cajons, a riq, djembe, and a jingled darbuka handy nearby incase I wanted them. In set up B, I used a special cajon with a microphone I placed inside, and some of the same hand drums. Both set ups were a LOT to carry. The wavedrum has allowed me to lighten the load. The oriental even more so, because those added features really pack a punch.
Now like I said, the wavedrum is NOT a replacement for any of these drums, and I don't think it was intended to be. If you are a doumbek prodigy, you're going to play a real doumbek. The subtle technique used in those instruments is just something you need the real thing for if that's what your primary goal is. However, the wavedrum does emulate things very well. Better than any other electronic drum I've seen. I can get doum, tek, and ka depending on how I strike the drum in the 'doumbek' wavedrum algorithms. And the added algorithms and PCM sounds over in the Oriental over the original wavedrum are even more expressive. If you're not a world hand drum virtuoso trying to be a virtuoso, and you play many of these instruments live on a regular basis, I'd really look into this.
That being said, if you want the best from this, you will have to learn to tweak the sounds. It's not that hard, it's just time consuming. I started to recreate all the sounds that I wasn't too fond of, and tweak the ones I was fond of to improve them. I've found the chimes and cymbal/jingle effects are very high quality in the oriental, and I keep finding myself adding them into many of the sounds! It's getting ridiculous.
If you're going to buy a wavedrum, get this one over the original. It is worth it, particularly if you like Arabic/eastern percussion. Or, if you're a serious performer who already has the original, you could do what I did and use this in conjunction with it. You hook up 2 via the headphone out of one, and the aux in of the other (provided you turn up the aux in volume on the receiving wavedrum). It has proven very useful to me, and many people who hear some of the incredible embellished sounds it can make are just blown away.


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Akai APC20 Compact Ableton Controller Review

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(More customer reviews)When I first saw a DJ at the San Diego Media Arts Center using this thing at a laptop jam, I thought it was incredible... but when he told me the price he paid on Amazon I thought it was doubly incredible. If you already have Live, the APC20 is a bargain by itself. But if you don't have Live, this package is TRIPLY icredible since it comes with an almost fully functional version (much more functional than standard Live Lite) thus saving you hundreds of bucks! I think the software alone would be worth the price for someone like me... a dabbler without deep pockets.
Caveats & Quibbles
I run XP and had trouble with drivers, but I got a quick helpful response from Akai support. I also had some VST plug-in hangups. They seemed to resolve themselves when I uninstalled and reinstalled. If that doesn't work for you, finding which plug-in is causing the problem can be tedious.
The included USB wire was kinda short (maybe 3 feet). And the USB doesn't power the APC20; you need to plug in an additional wire to a power source.
The biggest potential problem... once you fire up this sucker you can kiss normal life good-bye. You'll be lost for hours playing with infinite push-button permutations of polyphonic pow-ah!


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Stagg Single Braced Drum Throne Review

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(More customer reviews)For $30 bucks this stool does its job very well. Feels solid and the seat is comfy enough. It's definitely not professional grade, but it gets 5 stars based on the price. If you get this stool, just be sure you don't put it too high. This will cause the seat to cut the circulation to your legs and cause some pain. Your knee should be bent at a 90 degree angle when you sit on this stool.

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Akai Professional MPD18 USB MIDI Pad Controller (Standard) Review

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(More customer reviews)Sixteen pads and a USB out - it really couldn't get much simpler! There are no unnecessary knobs and the pads feel excellent. (I think they are the same pads as the MPD24 and MPD32.) Since it is fairly compact and there are no knobs to break, it is perfect for throwing in a bag. The ergonomics of this are better than for the MPD16, which was less comfortable due to a shorter height and had a higher pad surface angle. The height and low angle of the MPD18 allow for optimal pad tapping position. Also, unlike the MPD16, this is Vista compatible.
The few extra buttons are pretty good. There is no menu to navigate; it is all pretty straightforward. "Note repeat" and "full level" turns those features on/off. "MIDI channel" is pretty obvious. "Preset" cycles through the 16 presets. The "note repeat configuration button" acts like a function key and lets you access repeat rate, swing, and tap tempo via the pads. My only criticism is that the "bank" button should give you four pad banks rather than three. That would be much more logical! The single fader can do whatever you want.
The configuration software lets you customize the sixteen presets (MIDI note#s and/or CC#s for the pads). It also lets you choose whether note repeat works only when the pad is pressed or whether the pad toggles the repeating note on/off. You can also choose whether the repeat is based on the internal clock or the clock of your DAW software.
I thought about getting the upcoming LPD8, but this has bigger pads and is plenty portable. I also considered the Korg padKONTROL and nanoPAD, which apparently have more accurate pads, but I don't really like the firm Korg pads. Plus, the MPD18 is taller than any of these options, which allows you to curve your hand better. The MPD24 and MPD32 have more control features, which isn't really a plus. I never really make much use of the knobs and faders on MIDI controllers. It also seems like the knobs could potentially get in the way when using the pads. Rather than get an MPD24 or 32 I'd say get two MPD18s! They are petty compact, so they would fit nicely together! If you really need knobs and faders, get an MPD18 for the pads and add a separate controller of your choice. The nanoKONTROL probably would replace the controller functions of the bigger MPDs.

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Korg Kaossilator Dynamic Phrase Synthesizer Review

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(More customer reviews)Ok, so this thing is kind of a toy, but my oh my, what a toy it is. I'm absolutely in love with. I'm kind of an acoustic musician. I play acoustic guitar (don't even own an electric) and upright bass, and any other box of sound I can get my hands on. Most synths and whatnot never seemed worth my money. I saw this little guy when I went searching for something I could use with special-needs students. I wanted something you could produce sound on without needing to know anything about playing an instrument. The price was right, so I got it, and the kids have loved it. I first thought it was a nice toy for the classroom, but then I started practicing on it myself, and I just couldn't believe how involved you can get with it. Once you unlock the little loop extender (from 8 beats to 16- you can find the trick on Korg's website) you can really get inventive. Anyway, for those thinking about it, whether or not you're experienced in music, it's a whole lot of fun and it can be very expressive. I'm feeling like I'm getting solid enough at it that I'm going to hook it up to a PA and play with a jam band. I'm even trying to scrap some cash together to get the KORG KAOSS Pad Dynamic Effects Processor so I can really get lost. You can hook the yellow guy into the red guy and get a whole new level of groove. Here are my pros and cons that might help you decide if it's for you...
PROS)
1)With the arpeggiator and the 16 beat code, mixed with sound effect parameters, you can find nearly endless amounts of new rythms to work with. If you feel like you hit the end of what you can do on it, you are just on a temporary plateau; more will come.
2) With some fancy rechargable batteries, this thing seems to just go on and on. It's so portable, I have it on me nearly at all times. I look like a geek with my studio headphones on tripping out on a campus bench all by myself, but I'm already married with a kid, so I'm more interested in my groove then looking cool.
3) With a little work, it's practically the easiest drum machine out there. You have some limits on actual drum sounds, but it is just so easy to set a groove, put it down, and pick up another instrument to play along with.
4)It's very versatile and intuitive to use. My students, who are fairly low functioning, have a great time playing along, and even my two year old likes tapping on the trackpad to a beat. It's fun for most folks.
5) The versatility of the programmed scales, ranging from arabic and mixolodeian to ragas and dorian, seem to express any, and I mean any emotion you want it to emit. With some practice, you can seemingly get any hard-to-express scence. It's like painting pastoral scences across the cultures of the world with your index finger. It's like Bob Ross' and Rick Steves' impossible love child singing you to sleep every night. (please, somebody get that joke).
Ok, now the CONS
1) The 100 loops and sounds programmed on here are mostly aggresive dance kind of sounds. I'm a ambient kind of guy, and like I said before, I like my acoustic sounds. They're are hardly any great acoustic sounds on here, and if I could reprogram it a little, I'd put on some Mellotron sounds, like flute and strings, and other more organic stuff. The strings and whatnot on here are pretty cheesy. The piano ain't bad, though, and that gets points.
2) You CANNOT program anything onto it. You got your 100 sounds and that's it. It gives the K it's own signature sound, which is fine because it's cheap and kind of a toy. If I could have uploaded new sounds or samples, I would have peed my pants with excitement. Unfortunately, I sit here continent and limited.
3) This last one is my biggest complaint, and it would have been great if Korg had thought this out. It's a small thing, too Maybe they'll read this, see my genius, and send me a corrected version of their device.
This "small thing" it lacks is the only thing that makes this device a toy for me. Otherwise I would have considered it the neatest gizmo ever. You CANNOT adjust the volume of individual sounds in your loop. Say you lay a fat drum beat and a chunky bass line. You go over to the sound effect pad to add a little hiss or sizzle, or over to the chunky lead synth pads to add a hint of a melody in the background. Often times, there is no putting it in the background. You're stuck with the volume that goes in. The Korg folks boast that you can just keep adding stuff, but I've found after 4 or 5 elements, you get really noisy loops really fast. I would have liked another button that would have let you adjust the master volume of any sound you were adding. The way around this is to use a multitrack recorder and set your loops up into that, but now your portability is gone, not to mention that instantneous groove element. Even if your multitrack is a small one, now you're running wires instead of just your headphones.
Otherwise, I think of this yellow box like the Game Boy invented for music geeks like me. It's really nice, and in the two months I've had it, it's been a nice retreat from my daily grind.
Hope this helps!

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Korg microKorg Analog Modeling Synthesizer with Vocoder Review

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(More customer reviews)The MicroKorg is probably the finest synth you'll ever get at that price. It's very small (same size as many of those toy keyboards you grew up as a kid, but this is no toy), and has 37 keys, although the big criticisms here is Korg opted for toy keyboard-sized keys, rather than full-sized keys (the similar sized and similarly priced Alesis Micron, also 37 keys, used full-sized keys). It's a four note polyphonic virtual analog synth capable of fantastic analog sounds, with all the great sounds of the '70s, '80s, and '90s! It's essentially a Korg MS-2000 in a small package, but with an 8-band vocoder (instead of 16-band), and a superior arpeggiator, great for all you electronica and techno buffs out there, or those who want to create Tangerine Dream-like rhythms without the bulky gear that group had to use back in the glory days of the mid '70s. I've been aware of vocoders for ages, and of course, was a huge trademark in Kraftwerk's sound (they started using vocoders starting with 1973's Ralf & Florian, which is one album prior to their famous breakthrough, Autobahn), I am so happy to now personally own a vocoder, that is, one included in a synth. It has a condensor microphone for use of a vocoder, although you can hook up any standard microphone too. Like most any synth made in the last 20-25 years, it's MIDI, so you can have it interact with other MIDI synths, drum machines, your computer, or any other MIDI device.
Although it comes with an AC adapter for home and studio use, you'll be happy that you can use 6 AA batteries, so you can bring it with you on your next camping adventure (plus it has a headphone jack too, since hooking it up to speakers might be a bit difficult in the Great Outdoors).
It's also fully programmable, you can alter the sounds already included, or you can erase one of the settings and start from scratch. I really love the features you can do here. You can have it polyphonic, or monophonic for use of soloing, or retro-'70s analog sounds. It has two oscillators, you have many different choices of waveforms. You can edit the arpeggiator so you can get it to do different rhythms (it can do up to a sequence of 8 notes). I also really like the delay feature, to get that echo sound when you release the note, it really gives it a fuller sound. You can get it to pan for that wonderful stereo effect, or select a phasor. You can even program it to have the pitch wheel and modulation wheel do things, such as altering pitch, the resonance, vibrato, etc. There'e two edit knobs, and five more knobs to help you with the programming. But I very much suggest you read the instruction manual, or you might have a hard time programming it. But once you get a hang of it, you'll have a ton of fun programming your own sounds and see what you can do. Despite the keys itself, it's actually a fully professional synthesizer.
The MicroKorg might be geared for the younger audience, thanks to its low price and many of the techno sounds it can do, but Jean Michel Jarre uses one and he's hardly young. Not to mention you can make it do a lot of non-techno sounds too, like classic '70s analog sounds, or '80s polyphonic synth sounds (like what you hear on Van Halen's "Jump") so it doesn't just appeal to the young segment.
It's great see many professional musicians using it from Jean Michel Jarre right down to Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran. I even saw a documentary directed by Hans Fjellestad called Moog, which was about Robert Moog and of Moog synthesizers, and they showed several techno/electronic groups where the main emphasis was on their Moog gear (naturally), but one group was clearly shown with a MicroKorg.
This is no 88 key workstation, that's for sure. In some cases that's a good thing, especially if you like in a small apartment and you're concerned about space, but for such a small synth, I am completely blown away at what this can do. You really need to try and buy this synth, you won't be disappointed!

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