Korg Kaossilator Pro Phrase Desktop Synthesizer/Looper -2000's w/ Power Supply SN0104

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Overall Excellent Condition with Power Supply. Tested. Works Perfect.

Browsing through the 200 preset programs, you quickly get a feel for the Kaossilator Pro's forté. The majority are sound generators — generally dancey and synthy — with only the last 15 slots given over to effects processing. For simplicity, the horizontal (X) axis always controls pitch and the vertical (Y) axis is used for parameters such as filter cutoff, modulation or effects depth. This 2D approach inspires riffs you'd be unlikely to play with a more conventional keyboard and mod-wheel arrangement.

Lead and bass patches take pride of place, with some convincingly ripping sync solo patches and wet, resonant basses as highlights. Instruments such as the Theremin translate rather well to single‑finger performance and even those that shouldn't work at all — like electric piano and guitar — become strangely playable, despite the Kaossilator Pro's limitation of being monophonic.

With both modelling and PCM sound sources, the percussion voices are more instantly impressive than those of the older Kaossilator. Triggering percussion hits from the X/Y pad takes a little practice, but if your dexterity is lacking, over 20 of the program slots are filled with drum patterns. This isn't a huge amount, but even a big selection of patterns — if preset — can become boring. To help stretch them further, pattern variations plus effects or filter parameters are mapped across the green matrix, ready to enhance your beats.

Pad performance is easy enough to master, because there's hardly anything to it. The playing surface is less than 10cm wide and capable of just eight different notes, so you need to make them all count. To this end, 31 preset scales are provided, a generous collection that includes Ionian (major), Aeolian, Locrian, Japanese and several raga scales but, alas, none are user‑definable. There is no way to customise any of the programs either; the only tweak you can make is to override the note range Korg have built into each one. The available ranges are between one and four octaves, or 'Full' — a maximum value that varies depending on the program chosen. 'Full' is ideal for moments of wild excess, but for repeatable melodic intervals I preferred a range of one or two octaves. Having set the scale and range, all that remains is to decide the root note of your song and you're ready to slide or bounce some fingers!