Korg announces new Electribe and Volca models

Korg refreshes its long-running Electribe range and adds a digital sample sequencer to its Volca line.

Korg’s Electribe range of drum machines and samplers is one of the longest-running lines of hardware rhythm creation tools, with the company remaining committed to the cause when its rivals were largely abandoning the idea. With Roland getting back into the market with its Aira TR-8 drum machine earlier this year, and analogue drum machines from Elektron and Dave Smith Instruments reviving the market, a refresh for the Electribe range – which hasn’t been updated since 2010 – has been long overdue.

The new Electribe line includes the Electribe (pictured above) and Electribe Sampler. The former features a versatile synth engine including analog modeling and PCM, incorporating technology from Korg products like the KingKORG, Kaossilator, Kaoss Pad, and Taktile. The Electribe Sampler features an internal memory with space for 250 patterns, and has polyphonic playback support allowing complex chords to be played. Both models feature a more stripped down-design than their predecessors, but come with a wide range of effects, groove templates and touch pads.

Korg have also added a new model to its affordable line of analogue Volca units. Released last year, the range so far includes Volca Beats, Bass, Keys, and now Korg have added the Volca Sample (pictured above) to the line. Like its fellow Volcas, the Sample is compact, battery-powered unit, but uses a dedicated iOS app for the uploading of samples, which can be sculpted with an analog isolator and arranged with an in-built sequencer allowing the playback of up to 11 parameters. Korg has also announced details of a host of other products including a new mini Kaoss Pad and Pa3X performance arranger keyboard, full details of which can be found at the Korg website.

Full release information and prices for the new models have yet to be confirmed, but if previous models are anything to go by, we’d expect them to fall in the more affordable end of the price spectrum.