Korg Kaoss Pad KP3
The Korg Kaoss Pad KP3 lets you use and abuse realtime effects and sampling by touching, tapping, and sliding your fingers on the revolutionary KAOSS pad. The combination screen/touchpad interface and KAOSS technology make it intuitive, immediate, and just plain fun to use. It's a complete instrument and processor allowing you to manage, recall, and play back samples; sample on the fly; and add dynamic processing to any audio signal or to the samples themselves.
Korg has given the KP3 exclusive effects algorithms, synth sounds derived from Korg's RADIAS engine, better sampling, and computer connectivity. It comes with 128 programs in filter (16), EQ (2), modulation (12), compressor (2), LFO (25), delay (16), reverb (6), grain shifter (5), looper (13), sample effect (7), sample bank crossfade (4), drums (6), synthesizer (10), and vocoder (4) categories. A new pad lighting system places 64 individual LEDs in an eight by eight grid under the pad, providing visual cues as to the current program, held position, etc. - it can even scroll a custom message across the pad!
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User Reviews of the Korg Kaoss Pad KP3
- Submitted by Alex from Washington, DC (36 points) on Mar 21, 2008
- I am a control freak when it comes to sound, so the KP3 was a revelation to me. It's effects aren't quite studio grade, but it is incredibly useful live. It has a huge number of useful effects, among which my favorite are "Feedback Delay" and "Grain Shifter". The fuzz effect is somewhat reminiscent of some of Devi Ever's effects as are the Decimators. Sampling and resampling lets you layer huge amounts of processing. As it's a dedicated DJ effect processor, it has great tempo control which can be used to take loops and speed them up or slow them down. The x/y touchpad interface is infinitely entertaining as well as incredibly useful once you get used to it. My favorite use for it so far has been pairing it with a keyboard I circuit bent. Weirdness emanates from this -- it is completely natural to form beats then deconstruct them into cascades of noise. It also has several function to allow hand-off control -- effect hold and pattern replay (essentially sequencing) are both built in. It also can be midi controlled or function as a midi control device.
- Good Points: Tons of useful effects, precise control, fantastic value, fun
- Bad Points: Can only use one effect at a time, tempo control is too prevalent, potentially fragile touch screen
- Price Paid: US$320.00
- Purchased At: MC Audio
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