By freezerman
Sat Dec 30, 2023 6:41 pm
I bought this little sampler/sequencer because I thought it was cute, and because I'm a big fan of my PO33 and PO133, which give me a little musical breathing space in the middle of my busy days, without having to turn on the studio. I've also been a "bit" of a sampler/sequencer collector since 1998...
So what is KO2?
For me, it's clearly a minature/modernized clone of the MPC2000XL, with a few improvements and a few things missing (like visual sample editing). It's also very close to a Volca Sample, but on steroids then.
In terms of architecture, the reference to the MPC2000XL is obvious:
- 4 groups of samples (the MPC offers 4 banks of programs).
- step edit mode with +/- key navigation
- quick assignment of samples to pads
- 1 slider assignable per group on a parameter: volume, fx, filter etc., but only one parameter per group. Slider movements are recorded in sequences.
- very basic sample editing (2-parameter envelope, pitch, no individual filter setting on the sample, e.g.) - the MPC2000xl is better in this respect, with plenty of individual sample editing parameters and 4 FX busses if FX card installed)
- each sample can be sequenced on its own track, and sequence length is (finally) extended to 99 bars. But sequence length applies to a group. (in MPC parlance, a 'group' is the equivalent of a PROGRAM)
- swing and quantize (but the MPC has many more timing/quantize options).
The KO2 also has a few gadgets, such as punch in fx, which are totally useless in my opinion (and what's more, you can't record them in sequences), but opinions will differ on this. We don't really care, because you can record slider movements in sequences, so you can record a filter or volume movement on a sequence, or increase the FX, and so on.
The (apparently fragile) slider is very useful: you can control almost all the parameters (filters, FX, volume etc.) one by one, but by sample group, not by pad/sample (with the MPC2000xl you can choose). But it is fragile.
Like the MPC2000xl, the KO2 sounds very good, and there's a nice dynamic range on the audio output. I think the MPC has more 'oomph', but that's subjective.
So what are the limits?
- The thing looks fragile, it's plastic all over, and the keys don't inspire confidence (but compared to the OPZ, they're top quality).
- STEP recording: On an MPC 2000xl, you go into step edit mode, press REC, and there you can enter notes by step, with a very nice function: auto step, which moves on to the next step as soon as the note is entered (depending on the Quantize value). But with the KO, for each step you have to 1) select the step, press REC and the pad, release, then move on to the next step manually. It's totally anti-ergonomic. If I enter a drum break over 16 steps, I'll have to press the KO 3 times more than on my old MPC.
- The rotary encoders, as with the PO33 and 133, are horrible: first they should be infinite, then they should be precise. If you've ever used the PO33, you'll know what I mean. Frankly, it's a bit painful to edit parameters with these. As you do almost every parameter setting with these rotary encoders... they get on your nerves all the time. In short, this is THE BAD POINT of the KOII in my opinion.
- Memory: 64Mb of storage memory in 2023 is really a joke. I insist, it's a bad joke. At the price of memory in 2023, it almost seems like an insult, but that's apparently how it is at TE. With the OPZ and OP1, we also have ridiculous quantities of storage memory, and, let's face it, totally insufficient to use the sampler without a hitch.
- Memory management and connection with the PC is via an online tool, the SAMPLE TOOL (like the Volca Sample, the TE version looks like a basic copy of the Volca Sample 2 management systems), which is very disappointing. Tip: stay on the sample tool page during sample transfer, otherwise the transfer stops and displays FAIL. The ergonomics of this online tool are more than questionable: you will soon be confronted with the limit of on-board memory, and you'll have to 'make room' by deleting unused samples to load/sample other sounds... then the online 'Sample Tool' is worse than useless. Reading the guide, you'd imagine that the samples in use are identified with an orange marker. In reality, these are the samples in use "in the current group and project selected on the KO". So it's a real pain to delete the 'unused' samples. You have to listen to them one by one, and make sure you don't make a mistake. It's hard to imagine a more annoying and inefficient system. And since you can't export (save to PC) a project with its samples and sequences... I'll leave you to imagine. Without an OS upgrade that will allow to make a backup of at least the whole device in a few clicks (after all, 64mb isn't a lot of storage space today on a HD), and even better, per project, this product remains a toy (limited to 9 projects and 64Mb of total sample memory) - while 64MB RAM is OK for a 'cheap sampler', 64MB for sample storage, and no simple system to backup to a PC, is an insult to the modern age.
- Polyphony: TE advertises 12 voices, but I've had a lot of drops even with simple sequences and mono samples, so I'm skeptical. Beware of stereo samples.
- Effects: what can I say, you can choose one effect bus, and only one for the 4 groups. In my opinion, this is completely ill-conceived and very limited. Note that the filter is an effect here, so it's filter or distortion or reverb... but not all three.
- No pattern chain, and here I don't understand, we have that on the OPZ, on the PO33, and not on the KOII? I hope it'll be in a firmware update. But until then, we'll have to wait and see. That's another VERY BAD POINT of the KOII.
- No undo
- No sample reverse function, and of course no LOOP options
- The timestretch mode is fairly intuitive to use (provided you know the BPM of the sample, or you only use 1/2/4 bar samples), but then the result is horrible on melodic loops, and passable on drum breaks. On a piano loop, the algorithm generates a very unpleasant high-pitched whistle. The weirdest thing is that the algo seems to work even when the loop is played at its original tempo. So I put this function in the 'gadget' category with punch in effects.
- the CHOP function: even if the system is not very precise, it's nice to chop up a sample (in non-destructive mode) and have each segment on its pad (but be aware that by default the EP133 will put all the pads in the group in the same MUTE GROUP). The CHOP works... some of the times. Most of the times it don't, and there is no way out... You can't make a basic equal subdivision chop (like the OP33 will do e.g.). Hopefully and OS update will correct this. Eventually the chop menus are practically unusable and the automatic chop... it's useless.
- sample editing: well, it's an abomination (like on the OP1, or on the PO33), you get the machine-gun retrigger when you turn the knob (who needs that?, especially if it plays the start point when you edit the end point). Impossible to concentrate on the sound. Infinite waste of time. Tip: To make the rotary encoders a little more usable for parameter editing, you can press SHIFT when you're using them, and they're a little more precise.
- No 'pad clear' function: once you've assigned a sample to a pad, it seems almost impossible to remove it so that the pad becomes silent again (to use the track as midi, for example). Deleting the pad actually deletes the sample from memory.
- I haven't found any way to save sequences/projects to the PC, you can import/export samples, but not sequences/patterns? Wtf? (you can do that with the Volca Sample 2)
- No p-Locks on the sequencer - big let down here: you could edit each step on any sequence in the PO33 (for pitch, filter and amplitude, and not on the KOII. Add the dodgy STEP EDIT mode...
- The online manual... painful navigation. Give me a simple pdf instead.
What's good? (spoiler alert: not much)
- The limited space and price are very attractive.
- The looks (it's subjective)
- Battery operation is good, too.
- Fun: it's fun to use, it's very immediate, and it sounds good (beware of compressor settings though, they can destroy your mix)
- The live sequencer is very pleasant to use, you can engage disengage REC whenever you want (but not so good for step recording and editing).
- Sequence length: from 1 to 99 bars, as desired.
- The sound, the little compressor
- MIDI, very good implementation, the thing records and spits out everything you send it in MIDI, very immediate.
- 9 projects can be stored, better than the OP1 (OG), but not as good as the OPZ (16 projects). But you can't export projects to PC AFAIK.
- Non-stop sound: A real plus of the KO is that you can do everything without ever stopping the running sequence, including sampling or editing a sample, auditioning other samples, replacing a sample in a pad etc. etc. It's a seamless workflow that's much appreciated (except that your memory quickly fills up... and then you have to stop...).
Conclusion
For a low/mid-range sampler sequencer (between the 100-150€ of a Volca or PO33 and the 600-800€ of an MPCOne, a Polyend Tracker or a Digitakt), the KOII does an OK job. Beginners will find everything they need, and will be able to make rapid progress. Certain design errors (rotary encoders , sample editing, no pattern chain, insufficient storage, no undo, no external save, ...) will destroy the long term value of this.
The sample editing and chopping are so horribly done, as to render the sampler (i.e. and instrument that lets you record samples from an audio source) almost useless. (eventually it is best as a 'sample player' like the Volca Sample) You will end up preparing your samples on the PC.
I think that any MPC1000 on the 2nd hand market does a better job than this thing, for about the same price, even without the JJOS, with a lot of additional functions to boot (and less portability).
I wish all the usual youtube influencers had had a closer look at this before posting their rip-off videos.
So what is KO2?
For me, it's clearly a minature/modernized clone of the MPC2000XL, with a few improvements and a few things missing (like visual sample editing). It's also very close to a Volca Sample, but on steroids then.
In terms of architecture, the reference to the MPC2000XL is obvious:
- 4 groups of samples (the MPC offers 4 banks of programs).
- step edit mode with +/- key navigation
- quick assignment of samples to pads
- 1 slider assignable per group on a parameter: volume, fx, filter etc., but only one parameter per group. Slider movements are recorded in sequences.
- very basic sample editing (2-parameter envelope, pitch, no individual filter setting on the sample, e.g.) - the MPC2000xl is better in this respect, with plenty of individual sample editing parameters and 4 FX busses if FX card installed)
- each sample can be sequenced on its own track, and sequence length is (finally) extended to 99 bars. But sequence length applies to a group. (in MPC parlance, a 'group' is the equivalent of a PROGRAM)
- swing and quantize (but the MPC has many more timing/quantize options).
The KO2 also has a few gadgets, such as punch in fx, which are totally useless in my opinion (and what's more, you can't record them in sequences), but opinions will differ on this. We don't really care, because you can record slider movements in sequences, so you can record a filter or volume movement on a sequence, or increase the FX, and so on.
The (apparently fragile) slider is very useful: you can control almost all the parameters (filters, FX, volume etc.) one by one, but by sample group, not by pad/sample (with the MPC2000xl you can choose). But it is fragile.
Like the MPC2000xl, the KO2 sounds very good, and there's a nice dynamic range on the audio output. I think the MPC has more 'oomph', but that's subjective.
So what are the limits?
- The thing looks fragile, it's plastic all over, and the keys don't inspire confidence (but compared to the OPZ, they're top quality).
- STEP recording: On an MPC 2000xl, you go into step edit mode, press REC, and there you can enter notes by step, with a very nice function: auto step, which moves on to the next step as soon as the note is entered (depending on the Quantize value). But with the KO, for each step you have to 1) select the step, press REC and the pad, release, then move on to the next step manually. It's totally anti-ergonomic. If I enter a drum break over 16 steps, I'll have to press the KO 3 times more than on my old MPC.
- The rotary encoders, as with the PO33 and 133, are horrible: first they should be infinite, then they should be precise. If you've ever used the PO33, you'll know what I mean. Frankly, it's a bit painful to edit parameters with these. As you do almost every parameter setting with these rotary encoders... they get on your nerves all the time. In short, this is THE BAD POINT of the KOII in my opinion.
- Memory: 64Mb of storage memory in 2023 is really a joke. I insist, it's a bad joke. At the price of memory in 2023, it almost seems like an insult, but that's apparently how it is at TE. With the OPZ and OP1, we also have ridiculous quantities of storage memory, and, let's face it, totally insufficient to use the sampler without a hitch.
- Memory management and connection with the PC is via an online tool, the SAMPLE TOOL (like the Volca Sample, the TE version looks like a basic copy of the Volca Sample 2 management systems), which is very disappointing. Tip: stay on the sample tool page during sample transfer, otherwise the transfer stops and displays FAIL. The ergonomics of this online tool are more than questionable: you will soon be confronted with the limit of on-board memory, and you'll have to 'make room' by deleting unused samples to load/sample other sounds... then the online 'Sample Tool' is worse than useless. Reading the guide, you'd imagine that the samples in use are identified with an orange marker. In reality, these are the samples in use "in the current group and project selected on the KO". So it's a real pain to delete the 'unused' samples. You have to listen to them one by one, and make sure you don't make a mistake. It's hard to imagine a more annoying and inefficient system. And since you can't export (save to PC) a project with its samples and sequences... I'll leave you to imagine. Without an OS upgrade that will allow to make a backup of at least the whole device in a few clicks (after all, 64mb isn't a lot of storage space today on a HD), and even better, per project, this product remains a toy (limited to 9 projects and 64Mb of total sample memory) - while 64MB RAM is OK for a 'cheap sampler', 64MB for sample storage, and no simple system to backup to a PC, is an insult to the modern age.
- Polyphony: TE advertises 12 voices, but I've had a lot of drops even with simple sequences and mono samples, so I'm skeptical. Beware of stereo samples.
- Effects: what can I say, you can choose one effect bus, and only one for the 4 groups. In my opinion, this is completely ill-conceived and very limited. Note that the filter is an effect here, so it's filter or distortion or reverb... but not all three.
- No pattern chain, and here I don't understand, we have that on the OPZ, on the PO33, and not on the KOII? I hope it'll be in a firmware update. But until then, we'll have to wait and see. That's another VERY BAD POINT of the KOII.
- No undo
- No sample reverse function, and of course no LOOP options
- The timestretch mode is fairly intuitive to use (provided you know the BPM of the sample, or you only use 1/2/4 bar samples), but then the result is horrible on melodic loops, and passable on drum breaks. On a piano loop, the algorithm generates a very unpleasant high-pitched whistle. The weirdest thing is that the algo seems to work even when the loop is played at its original tempo. So I put this function in the 'gadget' category with punch in effects.
- the CHOP function: even if the system is not very precise, it's nice to chop up a sample (in non-destructive mode) and have each segment on its pad (but be aware that by default the EP133 will put all the pads in the group in the same MUTE GROUP). The CHOP works... some of the times. Most of the times it don't, and there is no way out... You can't make a basic equal subdivision chop (like the OP33 will do e.g.). Hopefully and OS update will correct this. Eventually the chop menus are practically unusable and the automatic chop... it's useless.
- sample editing: well, it's an abomination (like on the OP1, or on the PO33), you get the machine-gun retrigger when you turn the knob (who needs that?, especially if it plays the start point when you edit the end point). Impossible to concentrate on the sound. Infinite waste of time. Tip: To make the rotary encoders a little more usable for parameter editing, you can press SHIFT when you're using them, and they're a little more precise.
- No 'pad clear' function: once you've assigned a sample to a pad, it seems almost impossible to remove it so that the pad becomes silent again (to use the track as midi, for example). Deleting the pad actually deletes the sample from memory.
- I haven't found any way to save sequences/projects to the PC, you can import/export samples, but not sequences/patterns? Wtf? (you can do that with the Volca Sample 2)
- No p-Locks on the sequencer - big let down here: you could edit each step on any sequence in the PO33 (for pitch, filter and amplitude, and not on the KOII. Add the dodgy STEP EDIT mode...
- The online manual... painful navigation. Give me a simple pdf instead.
What's good? (spoiler alert: not much)
- The limited space and price are very attractive.
- The looks (it's subjective)
- Battery operation is good, too.
- Fun: it's fun to use, it's very immediate, and it sounds good (beware of compressor settings though, they can destroy your mix)
- The live sequencer is very pleasant to use, you can engage disengage REC whenever you want (but not so good for step recording and editing).
- Sequence length: from 1 to 99 bars, as desired.
- The sound, the little compressor
- MIDI, very good implementation, the thing records and spits out everything you send it in MIDI, very immediate.
- 9 projects can be stored, better than the OP1 (OG), but not as good as the OPZ (16 projects). But you can't export projects to PC AFAIK.
- Non-stop sound: A real plus of the KO is that you can do everything without ever stopping the running sequence, including sampling or editing a sample, auditioning other samples, replacing a sample in a pad etc. etc. It's a seamless workflow that's much appreciated (except that your memory quickly fills up... and then you have to stop...).
Conclusion
For a low/mid-range sampler sequencer (between the 100-150€ of a Volca or PO33 and the 600-800€ of an MPCOne, a Polyend Tracker or a Digitakt), the KOII does an OK job. Beginners will find everything they need, and will be able to make rapid progress. Certain design errors (rotary encoders , sample editing, no pattern chain, insufficient storage, no undo, no external save, ...) will destroy the long term value of this.
The sample editing and chopping are so horribly done, as to render the sampler (i.e. and instrument that lets you record samples from an audio source) almost useless. (eventually it is best as a 'sample player' like the Volca Sample) You will end up preparing your samples on the PC.
I think that any MPC1000 on the 2nd hand market does a better job than this thing, for about the same price, even without the JJOS, with a lot of additional functions to boot (and less portability).
I wish all the usual youtube influencers had had a closer look at this before posting their rip-off videos.
PiR
aka freezerman, aka dirtysampling
http://dirtysampling.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/dirtysampling
MPC1000(JJ) MPC2000xl MPC4000
aka freezerman, aka dirtysampling
http://dirtysampling.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/dirtysampling
MPC1000(JJ) MPC2000xl MPC4000
had one briefly when it came out, it was so ridden in bugs on the first OS releases, freezes every session that I returned it and ended on a 2k XL ... I was young knew not what I had and no patience for the SU loading time... Wish they'd do a release of this line