Has anyone used both an Electribe 2 (synth/blue) and a Model: Cycles?
I am trying to decide between the two and have no hardware like either. I have been using GR-16 on an iPad and like the Electribe like setup, but the Cycles sounds really good too.
I love my korg electribe sampler
What do you love about it?
It has incredible patterns. Ease of use, sampling is so easy on it. Its incredible. What’s not to like.
Me too! Long time ES1 and ESX user (along with the er1). I love the sound quality of both, though they are quite different. Ease of editing and resampling. The 128 steps of the X series! I could go on and on. Never tried the electribe 2 series. Which one are you talking about?
Electribe 2 series
I had a play with one at a trade show about 5 years ago and thought the drum sounds were really good but I read so many unfavourable opinions about it afterwards mainly around sample management and changing patterns live that I never pursued it further
I miss my EM1 
I was about to pull the trigger on an ES2 but read a few reviews with some issues that seemed bothersome to me. I ended up saving up money and buying my first Elektron box (AR mk1) instead.
Buying my AR changed my life (not exaggerating)!
I now own 8 Elektron machines and looking to pickup number 9 in the next few months.
ES2 still interest me though as I love the form factor and have always loved Korg sounds. My first workstation was a Triton and I loved jamming on my babdmates Electribe MK2.
I always thought the ES2 would come way down in price on the second hand market but it’s surprisingly stable.
Did they fix the pattern gap issue? I also read about a high freq noise and voice stealing problems too.
The voice stealing isn’t so much a problem as a limitation. I believe it is documented in the manual. If they fixed the pattern gap issue that would go a long way towards winning my affections back but with an M:S and a Digitakt I’m well sorted for sampling.
I never found the FX all that usable, the delay was OK for very basic duties. It can resample, which is huge, but nothing about the features ever excited me to do so. I actually really wanted to like the other Electribe 2 because I thought the synth engine sounded fabulous though limited, but again, pattern gaps (if I remember).
The filter types were interesting, there was some usable variety there.
I love the old Electribes but somehow Korg biffed it for me.
I’d like to try one of the “2” series boxes some day since I’m such a died in the wool fan of the old ones but while they seem like cool groove boxes they don’t strike me as very
“electribe-y” if that makes sense. Like they’re less immediate or simple?Totally uninformed impression based on a few YouTube videos so I’m likely wrong.
I’ve had plenty of Electribes, over the years…
The E2 is absolutely an Electribe, in every sense of the word. And the new ones are just as capable as the old ones, if not more so. Of course, there’s some give and take involved, as with all designs. My opinion is that people just don’t like change. There were lots of frustrations to be had with the old ones too.
As far as I’m concerned, if you can’t make something musical come out of a modern Electribe, it’s you, not the box.
Cheers!
Savage
Got the red ES2. It’s already an excellent device that’s relatively inexpensive. Don’t know how many Korg have sold but even the merest hint of a new update would inject new life into sales. In a previous firmware version, it was possible - unofficially - to run the device as either the synth version or the sampler version. Given that most people will not buy both devices separately, combining the best of the two options or giving an official option to boot with the functionality of synth or sampler would not necessarily be such a bad thing in terms of breathing new life into a legacy product.
i unshelved my E2 synth recently, because it appears to be very nice pair for Circuit Tracks.
I consider buy a Electribe next to my Digitakt, but doubt to the synth or sampler version, can you import samples into the synth version?
People who like these new Electribes must not like to chain patterns because I’d think that glitchy insert FX and longer samples getting abruptly chopped whenever patterns change would be a deal-breaker.
These boxes are fine if you don’t need to use multiple patterns for a track. Otherwise, compromises need to be made to avoid the glitches that occur when patterns transition to new ones.
No samples import in synth version, but way more synth oscillators styles.
I never tried E2 sampler version, but have paired DT with E2 synth, and find it’s a good pair!
This is still a problem?! I’ve been hearing about this for yearsssss now…
Depending on how you play, it never was a problem.