So I have decided to write reviews on some of my music equipment. Yes, there are a lot of people doing this all over the Internet, but since music is such a subjective thing I believe the tools used to create it are as well. Enjoy!
KORG KAOSS MIXER (KM-2)
I got this as my second mixer after my four channel Gemini. So this makes the KM-2 one of the oldest pieces of gear I own (old as in the time I've had it, not in terms of production date), and I still adore it. Why? Because it's WEIRD. It's like Korg smashed the attitude and feel of the Electribes with a Kaoss pad that is somewhere between the first and second generation, and tied it all together with a surprisingly sick mixer with wacky functions. To begin with, the thing sounds like a Korg. Anything you run into it will have a sizzle. I once heard someone compare the sound to a car radio, and that is kind of true. It's exaggerated and boomy. So if you are after pristine sound reproduction then this is not for you, but if you want a box with character and attitude you will rather enjoy this brat. The actual effects are definitely not studio quality, but they have a certain performance charm to them. There are effect programs on here, to which my knowledge, don't even exist on the KP3. One group of functions allow you to crossfade between two sources using the pad and manipulating an effect at the same time! So you can do weird reverb crossfades or funky filter build ups between tracks. The effects can be applied to the master, right or left channel. This doesn't really seem like a big deal, but in use you can use this routing to monitor your effects before using them, or even use the faders to manipulate the source going into the effects, especially useful for the delay lines or internal synth programs! That alone is super cool for scratch dj's. And lets not forget the sampler now. It has four dedicated sample banks that are dead easy to use, and the sample/play section of the effects really lets you twist the samples around. The actual mixer portion has just about everything covered. The 3 band EQ is superb with full kill capabilities. There is a small knob at the top of the mixer called "Ultra Boost" that adds really tubby low end which can sound pretty massive. Something you would definitely find on a groovebox over a mixer. The gain/trim knobs are really fucking tiny and sensitive, my biggest gripe with this thing. The crossfader can have a sharper cut off than my Vestax. It isn't the most stable or smooth fader, but it's far better than most non scratch specific mixer faders. The upfaders have a nice resistance to them and are suitable for all styles of mixing. And before we wrap this up, just take a moment to look at this monster and how fucking crazy it is. Nobody knows what the hell it is when I take it out. The vented top section is so mean looking like it's a damn hot rod or something. And when you turn it on, all the glowing lights look like you're flying a jet. Korg stopped making these years ago, and they recently released a newer kaoss mixer which is a complete joke. The pad is like 1/3 the size and it has no sampler. Be more weird, Korg!
No comments:
Post a Comment