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Korg's touchpad synthesizer family gets slightly more Kaotic
Korg's got the info on two new additions to its Kaoss line of X-Y interface touchpad controllers. First up is the KP3+ Dynamic Effect / Sampler, which adds 22 new effects to its predecessor's offerings, bringing that number up to 150. Also on-board are sample bank buttons for quick recording and playback, as well as features borrowed from other Korg offerings, including a ducking compressor and vinyl break, that'll simulate the sound of a record player slowing down. The $350 pad can also be used as a MIDI controller. For $50 more, you can pick up the Kaossilator Pro+ Dynamic Phase Synthesizer / Loop Recorder, which has 250 sounds, including synth leads, drums and a number of sound effects. The loop recorder banks, meanwhile, let you layer sounds one by one. Both pads are out next month. More info after the break.
Korg unveils two new Kaoss family members, brings anarchy to your pocket
Two K-words we're almost always pleased to hear: Korg and Kaoss. Good, then, that the former has decided to make more of the latter -- the mini Kaoss Pad 2 (effects unit), and Kaossilator 2 (synthesizer), to be precise. Both new editions will slip in your pocket, and are dominated by that all-important X-Y pad. The mini Kaoss Pad 2 is all about effects, packing 100 programs, three memory slots, and MP3 playback (with pitch adjust). The traditional flanger, filter, delay, and reverb ear candy are also joined by looper, vinyl break, and ducking compressor. But what good are effects without anything to, er, affect? Enter Kaossilator 2. It's a palm-sized synthesizer, with 150 onboard sounds and a PCM engine for drums. You can sample via a built-in mic, gate and arpeggiate sounds, and create layered textures with loops. Both can record your performance, save it to SD, or impose share with others via a built-in speaker. It's all peace and quiet, though, until April when the Kaossilator lands for about £168 ($260). The KPad, on the other hand won't hit the market until May, retailing at the same price. Full PRs after the break.
Kaossonome rears its head; Guitar Center changes name to Arduino Center
Every time we turn around, there's another amazing new blinking, knobby, button-pressy little sound-maker making cute-weird-alien noises, lacing up our shoes or controlling our remote control cars for us, and it all seems to be Arduino's fault. That's fine by us. Alexander Randon (his awesome, real name) has brought a devastatingly charming monster to the MIDI controller game in the Kaossonome - inspired, not-so-surprisingly, by Korg's Kaoss family and the minimalist Monome. It's a touchscreen laid on top of 256 LEDs, encased in a aluminum-wood-plexiglass box 8 chunky, push-button laced knobs. While none of these elements is particularly new, the whole package and execution just seems to kick things up a notch or two. Check out the green-glow mutant bassline after the break.
