I soon came to realize that this thing is not just a really cool toy - it’s a really effing cool toy.
What is it?
The Kaossilator is a “dynamic phrase synthesizer.” Yeah - I know; whatever the hell that means. [1] In clever marketing speak, it basically means a synth that you can manipulate in real time and record phrases and make beats with. Uh, dynamically.
Top view
The Korg K01 Kaossilator
How does it work?
If it’s a member of the synthesizer family, then the biggest conceptual difference is the obvious lack of a keyboard-type controller. The Kaossilator is played by moving your finger on a touch pad, much like the (unfortunate) mouse controllers on laptop computers. While this type of controller may suck for laptop mice, and may sometimes prove ornery while trying to play notes or scales accurately on the Kaossilator, this method of control is extremely intuitive and gratifying. The X axis [2] usually controls the pitch and the Y axis will control some form of modulation, be it filter, effect level, volume or other. Very cool, very fun, very hip.
The only other buttons present for controlling the device are a scroll knob for changing programs and/or values, a gate/ arpeggiator button and three other buttons that control the rest of the functions through various combinations.
| Korg K01 Kaossilator Scorecard | |
|---|---|
| Cost | around $150-$200 US |
| Target market | DJs, wannabe DJs, musicians who are not yet DJs |
| Ease of use | 5/5 |
| Sound Quality | 4.5/5 |
| Construction quality | 4/5 |
| Geek Geek Not to be confused with freak; primarily solitary creature; habitats include living rooms, arcades and Dungeons & Dragons conventions; enjoys videogames, LOTR and Star Wars (except the really suxx0rz first three episodes) ; knows what’s cool even if others don’t get it; doesn’t give a shit who cares, because he’ll PWN their ass in a deathmatch anyways; chicks dig, even if they don’t admit cred | high |
| Fun Factor | extreme |
| Cool Factor | high |
| Chicks | dig it |
| Overall rating | 4.5/5 |
Sounds? Awesome.
The Kaossilator has a gazillion sounds (ok, a hundred) and holy CRAP do they sound great. They are divided into sub groups such as “B” for BASSES and “L” for leads. Once you start playing it enough, you’ll quickly start to remember the numbers of your fave patches. The sounds are very KORG, of course, and have everything from rave-y filtered chords and acidic basses to an acoustic piano and Space Invaders sound effects.
Loop Me
You can also record phrases in real time by using its integrated looper and layering patch after patch after patch, ad infinitum. Although there is no synch or click, I found the making of beats to be extremely fast and intuitive. I had no problem synching it up with an existing track live (by just eyeballing it, or “earballing it” as it were). The arpeggiator (from which you can choose 50 different gated or arpeggiated rhythms) will help you with timing and accuracy, as long as you place the first note correctly. Recording is a cinch, as is re-recording, overdubbing and erasing.
The Cool Stuff
- set your BPM by using the Tap Tempo function
- choose your Key and scale (you do know what Lydian mode is, right?)
- if you are performing live, you can erase and re-record your loopy bits on-the-fly
- runs on batteries so you can jam and look uber-cool during boring lectures or corporate presentations
- there’s no synch to MIDI and no external controller input, so you actually have to play the thing itself
- sounds amazing
- small, lightweight, portable
- extremely intuitive
- for non-musicians and professionals alike
- extremely cool and fun
- everything
The Less Cool Stuff
- it’s tough to remember 100 patches and the 3 digit LED is no help other than a letter prefix for the different groupings (“B” for Basses and so on)
- why the hell are the buttons on the right side? Most people will be playing the pad with their right hand, and this configuration makes it a bit of a contortion to press the Loop Record button (and especially the Erase on the fly button)
- Standby/ Power button feels cheap
- no granular tempo increments when above 100BPM
- looper is only 8 beats long
- yeah, yellow as a color is a statement, but how about in classic black or brushed aluminum plzzzzzz
- no Saves or memory locations - when you turn it off, it’s bye-bye beats
- there’s no synch to MIDI and no external controller input, so you actually have to play the thing itself
Rockin’ la Tour
Performing on the Kaossilator live in Paris for the recording of “Parisillations”
But yo, T : how do I K-rock as hard as you do?
Practise. And drugs. When those fail, as they inevitably do, try the following:
- Choose sound
- Put finger on pad
- Move finger
Seriously - this thing is so intuitive that even a drummer could make music on it. I was simply blown away by its ease of use and the intuitive approach to making electronic music. I felt a stronger connection to what I was playing. If you’ve ever tried a Theremin or slept with a Cylon you’ll know what I mean.
Conclusion
At first I took this thing to be just a really cool and geeky DJ DJ Not to be confused with “musician” or “talented artist”; plays music by inserting small hydrocarbon disc in digital player or analog turntable; manipulates sound and media in alledged “performance” of music, often using a laptop or other pre-recorded source; post-millenium equivalent of drugged-out rock star, but cooler and with better drugs; most musicians are envious of the DJ because he actually makes a living while they still deliver pizza or work at the music store; gets more chicks than drummers gadget. Then I delved into the techniques a bit more, practised, investigated the possibilities for live and studio use, and soon came to realize that this thing is not just a really cool toy - it’s a really effing cool toy.
But it’s so much more than that - the Kaossilator is a serious instrument capable of amazing creative expression and an excellent tool for studio production, improvisation and live accompaniment. With its intuitive controller and top-notch sounds, you can jam out with a DJ DJ Not to be confused with “musician” or “talented artist”; plays music by inserting small hydrocarbon disc in digital player or analog turntable; manipulates sound and media in alledged “performance” of music, often using a laptop or other pre-recorded source; post-millenium equivalent of drugged-out rock star, but cooler and with better drugs; most musicians are envious of the DJ because he actually makes a living while they still deliver pizza or work at the music store; gets more chicks than drummers or make beats and sequences in real time that would take hours to program. I’ve played this thing all over and everywhere, and each improvisation and composition is different and effortless.
The Korg Kaossilator is great fun for the geeky part-time music-making set and an intuitive, creative, electronic music-making tool for producers, DJs and professional musicians.
Additional Resources
- KORG’s official site The UK site is way cooler than the US (dot com) site
- KORG Kaossilator product page
