MicroKorg or Electribe ESX?

aeoner · October 20, 2015, 2:32pm

Hello! Although it´s an odd question as those gears are radically different, I bought a MicroKorg (from that sexy “all black” special edition) and the dude wrongly sent me an Electribe ESX-1 (red one). My relationship with both hardwares are the same: don´t really NEED both of them but they have a history that I respect, an interesting sound and the price is cheap (200 USD), so even if I sell later it´s a good deal.

However, I´m lazy as fuck and all the returning process is annoying me, so I´m i´m thinking about staying with the Electribe, although I have an Octatrack. The point is that I´m interested right now in playing live (I´m talking about my forthcoming first live session in another topic) and the idea of using a second hand sampler, that I can be rough and take to harsher places appeals me (the OT is too damn expensive and I´ll be using an Analog Rytm. I´m thinking about the ESX basically for (i) staying in sync with the Analog Rytm, (ii) playing arpeggios and sampled synth parts (with some modulation/real time effects) (iii) playing ambient textures, like hisses and noises. What do you think?

Spheric_El · October 21, 2015, 3:59pm

Sounds good.Not used an ESX but my ER-1 still rocks.Dead easy to record with.Great sequencer.I think as a ruff an ready live replacement for OT then sounds about right.
I have a Micro Korg .Good synth but the Tribe sounds suited to your live set.

Spheric_El · October 21, 2015, 4:01pm

It may be a happy accident you were sent it.I have my MK in the cupboard but the ER-1 is still earning its space.

aeoner · October 21, 2015, 8:51pm

Well, the guy sent me the MicroKorg too - it feels really plastic huh? Will test it tonight.

I played the Electribe ESX-1 yesterday, the sound definitely have a charm (although isn´t exactly lo-fi, I think it have a particular, cheap, “roundness” that sounds cool). Was surprised with the overall quality of the physical hardware: the knobs are strong (better than the Elektron´s!) and it´s pretty solid - it feels like old hardware, not those crappy low-cost stuff (like the MicroKorg). It´s fast and fun to use, although I didn´t get the effects and the filter very well - isn´t the same quality of the Octatrack, for sure. However, the sample managing although straightforward, appears to be really painful

After all, I fear that I will not use the ESX-1 so much and will still focus on the Octatrack. Because it´s so cheap (near half they´re asking on eBay, and without shipping!) I was still thinking about staying with the sampler, but I decided to grab an OTO Biscuit as I´m a step sequencer freak and will spend that money on it.

Thanks a lot for the feedback!

Spheric_El · October 21, 2015, 8:58pm

I do have a MiniAk that I use instead of MicroKorg (prefering it right now).So just what struck me,it does seem more useful for your current live thing (ESX).
If you do decide to keep it I’d love to hear how it competes with an OT for usage.
I guess you may be worried about doubling up on samplers.

spacetravelmadeeasy · October 22, 2015, 10:15am

Tell you what, the MicroKorg has done pretty well seeing as it was released in 2002 and is still on sale and is still a popular synth.

I must have got my MicroKorg two or three years after it was released. Had it for about 5 years then sold it on eBay for £5 less that I paid for it.
Probably my happiest eBay sale ever!

Spheric_El · October 22, 2015, 10:33am

Yes agreed,I like the original MK.I love the arp -but I’m not sure the XL works so well in that department and it seems the all black addition is the XL.
It’s CCs on most controls is good,that another post pointed out recently.Simple(-ish) synth with great sounds.

aeoner · October 22, 2015, 8:53pm

@Spheric_El a ex-girlfriend got a MiniAk when it was released, I remember that I liked the sound. Yeah, as you said, I´m worried about doubling the samplers. Indeed, I´m a sort of sampler colector (I´m waiting right now for an old Casio SK-100 rare sampler keyboard!), but the ESX-1 and the OT really shares the same ground.

With just a couple of hours using it, I really liked the overall knobs disposition of the ESX-1. It feels more direct and tactile than the Octatrack. However, definitely it doesn´t sounds like an “analog DAW” like the OT. The sampling editing capabilities are obviously inferior, BUT, for a live, I think the ESX-1 is really good. The step sequencer is great, muting the tracks (15+1 tracks, a lot better than the 7+1 of the OT) is delicious and the effects are mundane (maybe suboptimal - although the filter is cool), but the relation between everything being very acessible and live-tweekable making it really DIRECT and, more important than everything, FUN to use.

The Octatrack can be very rewarding because - , like everything from Elektron - even simple things that you do sounds powerful and better than the average. You feel that you are just using a great piece of hardware, and this is really nice. However, before the OT starts to be fun, you just have a lot of “homework” to do, and I didn´t feel that way with the ESX-1, although it is obviously more “superficial” and simple. After all, I think that everything depends of the time you have, the gadgets that you are confortable using and what you wanna do. Right now, will be simpler to me just use the Analog RYTM with the OP-1 or the SPSX404 (or even alone!) to do my upcoming live gig; and in my bedroom I´m getting used to the OT inferface and more in the box possibilites to just turn back to it and use another step-sequencer based sampler.

After all, I´ll loan the money to a friend beatmaker from our crew and he will take the ESX-1. I must recognize that I became a little attached to it and think that it should stay with us

And about the MK, my all-black is the OG. Never liked that XL one! Will study the arp today

Some thoughts or special hints?

@spacetravelmadeeasy it feels really good when you sell things for the price that you paId

Happens everytime with me because things are so fucking expensive here in Brazil that if you buy something on EU or US and sells back you can just put the price that you paid and it´s still a deal for who buys it from you.

Spheric_El · October 22, 2015, 10:48pm

Ok yes,original MK.(Reverse keys?Limited ed is nice).
Easy to program.Just make sure its not a vocoder voice ,but synth ,to get started.A small light over left columns -red I think ,not green over rights side columns (in matrix label).
Also check if you have dual voices layered or single voice.This halfs polyphony ,to two.Also is more complicated to edit.There is a Timbre button left of edit knobs.This will switch A/B if layered voices(or just stay on A for single).You can change between single and layered in Voice(i think) with first large edit catorgry knob set to first row(-full anticlockwise).Single voice is easier to get your head around.Its a really easy synth to edit and find voices quick.espcially once familiar.
Arp is edited with 2nd large edit catorgry knob towards the end,after Patch Matrix and effects/EQ.There is two rows to edit.Its all printed on the front.Turn on/off redights 1-8 for different patterns.
Patch matrix is small and useful and Osc 2 has some good sync/ring and cross mod.Osc 1 has most osc choices with dig waveforms.
Distortion on/off in Amp section,near Amp level.Amp level good if voice is distorting-turn it down.
-Oh I’ve just wrote that, thinking you were getting your hands on it to demo,then read your post and you are just reading up on it.Well I’ll post anyway.

Spheric_El · October 22, 2015, 10:54pm

About the Electribe,you summed up well.
A slightly unsophisticated sound,but very tactile,easy and fun recording experiance,leading to usable results.Good in a larger set up ,I found.
Another user here decided the MicroKorg was great with the OT due to parameter locks and many CCs of MK.I don’t own any Elektron.