Korg Kaossilator

Kaossilator
Korg Kaossilator
Manufacturer	Korg
Dates	2007 -
Price	~$180
Technical specifications
Aftertouch expression	no
Velocity expression	no
Storage memory	none
Effects	none
Input/output
Keyboard	none - XY-pad
External control	none

The Korg Kaossilator KO-1 is a portable music synthesizer manufactured by Korg. Termed a "dynamic-phrase synthesizer" by the manufacturer, it is capable of producing a wide range of sounds, can produce a continuous music loop, and can be tuned to various keys and scales.

Being related to the Korg Kaoss Pads, the Kaossilator is a synth that is played touching a pad that is not unlike a trackpad on laptop computers. For most sounds, moving horizontally on the touchpad changes the pitch over a range of two octaves (in one case, only one octave; for several sounds the range is much more than two octaves). For some sounds, horizontal movement affects a non-pitch parameter. Moving vertically usually modulates the sound in some way.

The Kaossilator is portable, running on four AA batteries or a 4.5 volt adapter, with the dimensions 106 mm (W) x 129 mm (D) x 29 mm (H) (4.17" (W) x 5.08" (D) x 1.14" (H)). It weighs 154 g (5.43 oz) without batteries. There are spots to affix lanyards. Outputs consist of a pair of female RCA-style plugs and a stereo mini-phone 1/8-inch jack. It is nearly the same shape as the Korg mini-KP, differing only where the mini-KP has a pair of RCA-style input jacks. The Kaossilator casing is yellow with a silvery metal face-plate. A limited-edition pink casing was also produced, and for a time it was sold at a significantly lower price than the yellow model at many music shops.

The Kaossilator features 100 programs, which are mostly synthesizer voices and sound effects, including acoustic (guitar, trumpet, piano), percussion, and electronic sounds. The last 10 programs are complete rhythm-patterns, but since percussion sounds are included in the programs, users can develop their own rhythm-patterns by layering multiple overdubbed sounds. Programs are indicated only by a letter-and-two-digit designation on the LED display but are given specific names in the instructions. Most instruments can be locked into various keys and scales. The Kaossilator supports 31 different scale patterns including chromatic, blues and diatonic scales as well as more exotic scales such as Japanese and Egyptian.