KaossPad
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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.
KR1 DIY guitar / synth makes its debut at Castle Frightenstein
We've seen a few Zoybar-based behemoths since we were hepped to the modular guitar platform way back in '08, but few have caught our fancy like Kevin Rupp's KR1. Featuring a Korg Kaossilator synth, both the Pocket Pod and a wireless transmitter from Line 6, and the beloved Sanyo Pedal Juice battery pack, this bad boy can do double duty as both your ax and your backing band. But enough of our jabber jaw -- you want to see it in action, right? Check it out after the break. [Thanks, TK]
Korg Kaossilator Pro makes its NAMM debut
Since the original Kaoss pad was released in 1999, Korg has been steadily improving the thing, adding crazier effects, more features, and earning the undying love of Brian Eno in the process. The Kaossilator, released a few years later, took the same X-Y controls and wide array of effects and added a synthesizer. What's this, then? Just in time for NAMM 2010, the Kaossilator Pro features 200 sound banks, a vocoder, loop recording with four loop banks, gate arpeggiator, the ability to limit the X-Y pad's note range to certain keys / scales, Librarian Editor software for managing samples on your Mac or PC, and more. Look for it for £355 (approximately $575) this March. PR after the break. Update: US product page is up, and lo and behold, this beaut's only $399 stateside. [Thanks, Nick!]
Video: Manson MB-1 guitar sports X-Y midi controller, tons of 'tude
We're generally downright Ludditic when it comes to our music (we like it loud and bratty -- and no backing tapes, please) but one can't help but get a little giddy when confronted with a guitar that does, you know, other stuff. Matt Bellamy's Manson MB-1 signature is not only a respectable ax in its own right, but it also features an X-Y controller (think Korg Kaoss Pad) for two dimensional control of damn near any FX plug-in you can get your hands on. Available in "Matt Black" and "Red Sparkle," this bad boy starts at £2,999 (that's almost $4,400, folks). But what do you expect for what Music Radar has termed "easily the most technologically advanced signature guitar on the planet?" Or you could just buy a Kaoss Pad and shove it in your Les Paul. But we wouldn't recommend that. Make sure you check out the stunning video demonstration after the break.[Via Music Radar]
Micro music: Jam Without the Band
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Who_Needs_a_Band_or_a_DJ_When_You_ve_Got_a_Game_Boy'; Lacking the friends needed to put together an Electroplankton/iPhone band? Too impatient for Korg's DS-10 release this summer? Don't let those trivial obstacles discourage you! You don't need a too-live crew to compose a rumpshaker, nor do you need expensive software applications. In fact, having a Nintendo DS isn't imperative either. As many chiptune musicians can attest, you don't need the latest handheld technology to lay down a boss track.Take this artist in the video above, for example -- he's using Nanoloop, a homebrew synthesizer/sequencer available for both Game Boy and Game Boy Advance systems. You can download the program on the developer's official site for free! Of course, there are a few additional items required for the complete setup: A mess of cables - $50+ Korg Kaossilator Dynamic Phrase Synthesizer - $200 Korg KP3 Kaoss Pad Dynamic Effect/Sampler - $400 Expensive? Sure, but listen to that music! These are the lush songs your android grandchildren will make babies to after watching the sun set on an alien world. [Via Nicovideo]
Leet hax0r stuffs a Kaoss Pad into his Les Paul
If you're a Radiohead or Muse aficionado, you've probably considered matching some of their Korg Kaoss Pad-generated sounds with your own guitar prowess. The Kaoss Pad generates all sorts of space age effects that can be naturally controlled through the touch-sensitive pad, and works fine right out of the box, but guitar hackin' Phil wasn't appeased. He found the effort to reach away from his guitar and fiddle with the Kaoss to be too immense, so instead he drilled a hole into his Epiphone Les Paul and mounted the touch pad right next to the bridge for ultimate access. The pad connects to the processing part of the Kaoss via a serial connection, but Phil did mount the box's "hold" button on the guitar for locking in effects. If none of this is making any sense to you, peep the YouTube video after the break and watch Phil shred on his new hacked-up axe.[Via Hack-A-Day]
