By HIDALGO
Thu Dec 18, 2003 1:57 am
Hey everyone,
I am interested in purchasing a sampler with midi capability, either the MPC 1000 or the Korg ES-1 Sampler/Sequencer. I would like to know your thoughts, opinions, on a comparison between the two. I recently was on www.turntablelab.com, and one writer had this to say about the Korg ES-1.... ( Sorry for the long post)
"Want to make beats, but don't want to drop your pay check on the expensive MPC? This is an excellent solution. The ES-1 is Korg's sequencer and sampler in one, at less than half the cost of an MPC. Beginners and experts alike will find the ES-1 a quality beatmaking tool. Read the full Lab review by Luke who is an MPC owner.
Introduction
For the budding beat producer on a budget, the Korg ES-1 cannot be beat – dollar for dollar it offers way more than the Akai MPC and the other units in that price range. Although the MPC remains the gold standard for sampler sequencers, it also remains out of the price range for most people who only want to explore the possibility of being the next DJ Shadow.
Construction and Layout
Out of the box, the ES-1’s light weight makes it feel like a toy, but don’t be fooled- this is a full featured piece of equipment. This unit bristles with controls and is a little claustrophobic upon initial examination. However, the rubber-coated rotary controls feel great and are intelligently laid out, leaving you with more than enough room between them. The huge advantage here is that this is very portable and more solidly constructed than the MPC, making it an excellent travel companion.
Sampling, Sequencing, and Effects
The pre-loaded samples and patterns exercise the unit’s capabilities to the fullest and you can tweak them to your heart’s content, giving you a great starting point. Once you outgrow the presets, recording and creating new samples is easily accomplished using the built-in sampler.
Once you have the sounds, you have several options for beat making. You can build patterns using the beat by beat step-edit function, punch them in live, or record over and build upon patterns which were created using either method. These options are pretty much standard for sequencers, but the ES-1 easily distinguishes itself with its effects. Korg, which is known for its quality effects, includes a wide range of effects that sound great, and can be recorded over patterns or triggered live. So for less than half the cost of a used MPC you get a sampler-sequencer that allows you to build complicated patterns that can be strung together for complete songs and layered with saved or live effects. For a price comparison, the effects module of the MPC costs close to this entire unit.
Output and Saving
When you are satisfied with your work or want to come back to it later, the ES-1 conveniently uses the highly compact and affordable CompactFlash media cards. In addition the ES-1 is AIFF and WAV compatible, both of which are standards for digital music files.
Growth
For the beginner that graduates to serious, this unit allows you to grow thanks to its MIDI capabilities and easy integration with the rest of Korg’s Electribe line – Analog Modeling Synth, Music Production Station, Rhythm Synth, and Kaos Pad – all of which are just as great and affordable.
In-Depth Information for Advanced Users
Now, the nitty gritty. Songs are the top-level construct and you can save up to 16 songs in the internal memory. Songs are made up of as many as 256 Patterns arranged for playback. Any more than that requires a memory card. A Pattern has 12 parts and a maximum of 64 steps. A Pattern’s Parts are as follows: 9 Samples, 1 Slice Sample, 1 Audio In, and 1 Accent. Another Part controls the pitch/speed, filter, level, pan, and whether the sample is played in reverse or in a roll (sample is repeatedly triggered at a set interval). There is also Swing option for Pattern sequencing to loosen up your beats.
Next, the effects. They may be digital and integrated, but to get an effects processor that sounds better than any one of the effects (let alone all of them), you’re going to have to lay out close to the cost of the ES-1. Effects are triggered one at a time and can be recorded to a pattern as a Motion Sequence or tweaked live. Available effects are: Reverb, Flanger/Chorus, Ring Modulation, Phaser, Pitch Shifter, Compressor, Distortion, Decimator (sample-rate reduction AKA distortion), Isolator, Resonant Filter, and Wah. The depth, rate, and level of the effect are controlled by two knobs. There is an entirely separate delay featuring its own depth, time parameters and a BPM sync function.
Although sampling sounds is a little more involved than in a higher-end unit, there are only a few more steps at most; meaning that live capture and playback is totally doable. The ES-1 has re-sampling capabilities, and samples can be edited on and loaded from your computer thanks to he memory card. A Slice function splits up a mono sampled loop based on its accents, not a simple sub-division based on sample length, so you can change the tempo without altering the pitch. This works best on a sample with clearly defined attacks – think big bass and drum hits."
Please let me know what you think.
I am interested in purchasing a sampler with midi capability, either the MPC 1000 or the Korg ES-1 Sampler/Sequencer. I would like to know your thoughts, opinions, on a comparison between the two. I recently was on www.turntablelab.com, and one writer had this to say about the Korg ES-1.... ( Sorry for the long post)
"Want to make beats, but don't want to drop your pay check on the expensive MPC? This is an excellent solution. The ES-1 is Korg's sequencer and sampler in one, at less than half the cost of an MPC. Beginners and experts alike will find the ES-1 a quality beatmaking tool. Read the full Lab review by Luke who is an MPC owner.
Introduction
For the budding beat producer on a budget, the Korg ES-1 cannot be beat – dollar for dollar it offers way more than the Akai MPC and the other units in that price range. Although the MPC remains the gold standard for sampler sequencers, it also remains out of the price range for most people who only want to explore the possibility of being the next DJ Shadow.
Construction and Layout
Out of the box, the ES-1’s light weight makes it feel like a toy, but don’t be fooled- this is a full featured piece of equipment. This unit bristles with controls and is a little claustrophobic upon initial examination. However, the rubber-coated rotary controls feel great and are intelligently laid out, leaving you with more than enough room between them. The huge advantage here is that this is very portable and more solidly constructed than the MPC, making it an excellent travel companion.
Sampling, Sequencing, and Effects
The pre-loaded samples and patterns exercise the unit’s capabilities to the fullest and you can tweak them to your heart’s content, giving you a great starting point. Once you outgrow the presets, recording and creating new samples is easily accomplished using the built-in sampler.
Once you have the sounds, you have several options for beat making. You can build patterns using the beat by beat step-edit function, punch them in live, or record over and build upon patterns which were created using either method. These options are pretty much standard for sequencers, but the ES-1 easily distinguishes itself with its effects. Korg, which is known for its quality effects, includes a wide range of effects that sound great, and can be recorded over patterns or triggered live. So for less than half the cost of a used MPC you get a sampler-sequencer that allows you to build complicated patterns that can be strung together for complete songs and layered with saved or live effects. For a price comparison, the effects module of the MPC costs close to this entire unit.
Output and Saving
When you are satisfied with your work or want to come back to it later, the ES-1 conveniently uses the highly compact and affordable CompactFlash media cards. In addition the ES-1 is AIFF and WAV compatible, both of which are standards for digital music files.
Growth
For the beginner that graduates to serious, this unit allows you to grow thanks to its MIDI capabilities and easy integration with the rest of Korg’s Electribe line – Analog Modeling Synth, Music Production Station, Rhythm Synth, and Kaos Pad – all of which are just as great and affordable.
In-Depth Information for Advanced Users
Now, the nitty gritty. Songs are the top-level construct and you can save up to 16 songs in the internal memory. Songs are made up of as many as 256 Patterns arranged for playback. Any more than that requires a memory card. A Pattern has 12 parts and a maximum of 64 steps. A Pattern’s Parts are as follows: 9 Samples, 1 Slice Sample, 1 Audio In, and 1 Accent. Another Part controls the pitch/speed, filter, level, pan, and whether the sample is played in reverse or in a roll (sample is repeatedly triggered at a set interval). There is also Swing option for Pattern sequencing to loosen up your beats.
Next, the effects. They may be digital and integrated, but to get an effects processor that sounds better than any one of the effects (let alone all of them), you’re going to have to lay out close to the cost of the ES-1. Effects are triggered one at a time and can be recorded to a pattern as a Motion Sequence or tweaked live. Available effects are: Reverb, Flanger/Chorus, Ring Modulation, Phaser, Pitch Shifter, Compressor, Distortion, Decimator (sample-rate reduction AKA distortion), Isolator, Resonant Filter, and Wah. The depth, rate, and level of the effect are controlled by two knobs. There is an entirely separate delay featuring its own depth, time parameters and a BPM sync function.
Although sampling sounds is a little more involved than in a higher-end unit, there are only a few more steps at most; meaning that live capture and playback is totally doable. The ES-1 has re-sampling capabilities, and samples can be edited on and loaded from your computer thanks to he memory card. A Slice function splits up a mono sampled loop based on its accents, not a simple sub-division based on sample length, so you can change the tempo without altering the pitch. This works best on a sample with clearly defined attacks – think big bass and drum hits."
Please let me know what you think.
