have the microkorg. what next?

[kilgoreflux]

I have been playing bass for almost 20 years but would like to start making my own music, mostly for fun. I just got a microKORG and I am starting to get it under control. I will order a Boss RC-20XL loop pedal next. Then what? I obviously need drum sounds, and the Kaoss pad seems interesting. Should I get the drum machine first? Which one? (looking to spend around $300 - $500)

I am a fan of indie rock music and I love what Radiohead, Phoenix, Postal Service, etc. does with electronics. I like hip-hop and such, but it won't be my primary style.

Thanks!

[balma]

lust

http://www.buchla.com/

[aphlux]

Haha Balma.

Look for a Korg ER-1 or an EMX-1/ESX-1

Those are well within your price range for drum machines.

The KP3 is pretty fun though.

[kilgoreflux]

i wish balma. i am thinking maybe i can use beats from a software drum machine or even download drum beats and sample through the KP3 for now. Does the KP3 act as a drum machine at all?

[Elandroth]

I was going to get an ESX-1 but I ended up buying a couple more synths and have just started using Reason for drums instead. ^_^


Anyway, ESX-1 is a pretty damn cool machine and pretty easy to use. I'd suggest it over an EMX-1 because of it's sampling ability. The microKORG is a pretty powerful VA engine, it's quite a big synth in that little package, and you can use your computer to edit patches with a lot more efficiency. So with that being said, I think the synth part of the EMX-1 is less desirable than the sampling ability of the ESX-1 - basically you can expand your sound manipulation palette more with the ESX as compared to the EMX, since you already have a synth that is deceptively capable of quite a bit.


The microKORG is IMO an awesome piece of gear, the problem is that 50 million people have one, and 49.9 million of them plug it in, pick a preset, and use the mod wheel - never even looking into it's true potential hidden under it's compact and not-so-tweaker friendly interface. I think everything "bad" about the mK is due to the majority of people using/hearing it not even knowing how to really embrace it as a synth, it's more like a toy, or a melody accessory to the vast majority of it's owners (ie, not real synth players/programmers).


I gave mine away to an ex girlfriend cause she does the synthy music thing and didn't have a real synth, at the time I had gotten my Nord and was so engrossed in that machine I didn't really use the mK anymore nor miss it much when I gave it to her. These days I do wish I still had it laying around!

[TheKeytarist]

The kp3 will alow you to sample a drum beat, not create one. The Kaossilator pro has some Pre prgramed beats in it, but a Korg Electribe would indeed be a wiser choice for a drum machine. If you want to sample, an Electribe will do it. The Electribe vs the kp3 as a drum machine, the Electribe would win.