In its factory‑fresh memory are already 53 different sounds, plus 64 factory rhythm patterns and three demo songs. Powering up, you'll find that the ES1 doesn't come to the party empty‑handed.
Interestingly, the ES1 will also read WAV or AIFF files saved to SmartMedia cards from your computer (though obviously you'll need appropriate hardware for this, such as a smart card/floppy converter). Also present is a slot for SmartMedia cards (available in sizes 4Mb to 64Mb from all good computer shops), the means by which the ES1 expects you to save and back up your data once its internal memory has been exceeded. Other back‑panel features include a stereo pair of outputs on unbalanced quarter‑inch jacks, a headphone socket, MIDI In, Out and Thru, plus the socket for the supplied 9V wall‑wart power supply. Pressing the ES1's Audio In Thru button routes all incoming audio to the ES1's outputs, which is good for monitoring and also if you're short on mixer inputs. While the onboard metering facilities consist of just a peak LED meter, it's actually pretty easy to set up the right levels using just this and your personal inbuilt metering facilities (your ears). The audio in socket has a mic/line switch, plus a small rotary control for more precise trimming of input levels. However, regardless of what kind of connection you've made, you can still choose whether to sample in stereo or mono from the front panel. Personally, I wasn't that fussed, finding that it all added to the ES1's gritty charm.Ĭonnections‑wise, the ES1 offers audio in via a stereo quarter‑inch jack socket: you just plug in a mono jack lead if your source is mono. Sampling frequency is 32kHz which, in these days when even 'CD‑quality' is becoming a pejorative, may seem too lo‑fi for so‑called 'professional' use. The ES1 can record and store up to 150 samples (100 mono, 50 stereo) with a total capacity of 95 seconds monaural. Aside from the flash value (literally), the plethora of controls means the ES1 is extremely easy and intuitive to use. Physically, the unit follows the lead of its siblings: a compact desktop casing with a smart brushed‑aluminium fascia bristling with rubber knobs, LEDs and illuminated buttons. On the ES1, backups are made to SmartMedia cards, which are inserted into the slot below the MIDI sockets. And like the first two Electribes, the emphasis is very much on real‑time performance, with the ability to record tweakings of knobs as part of a pattern or song. These effects, which include Ring Modulation, Distortion and the axe‑wielding Decimator, can be applied while resampling (either single sounds or combinations of sounds): they can also sharpen their sonic knives on incoming audio, making the ES1 capable of functioning as a stand‑alone 'warp box' for any external sound sources whose muscles need toning. Korg's DSP know‑how has been applied to the ES1's various sound‑mangling effects which, in the company's understated words "let you aggressively process the samples to create your own signature sound". Billed as a rhythm production sampler, the ES1 marries its sampling facilities with the TR808/909‑style, grid‑based pattern sequencer that was such a strength of the other Electribe models. The tribe's third initiate is the Electribe S (or ES1 to give it its shortened name) which, under the continuing collective slogan "The Cure for the Common Groove", aims to take the elbow grease out of mutating digital audio into beats to make your pulse race. Combining modern DSP technology with the high knob count of yesteryear's synths, they were judged worthy contenders in the burgeoning dance/DJ instrument market, being both very user‑friendly and capable of producing some highly original sounds (see SOS July 1999). Korg's first two Electribe models, the EA1 analogue modelling synth and ER1 rhythm machine raised their war cry just over a year ago. Nicholas Rowland meets the latest member, the ES1 desktop sampler. Korg's Electribe family of instruments aims to combine cutting‑edge dance sounds with an easy‑to‑use interface.
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