@@RickyTinez i'm trying hard not to look at it as a MPC even thought it gives me heavy MPC vibes. just leaning into the quirks and learning how to work around its structure and i'm having a blast
Even if it is set to BAR in the settings, it still changes instantly when punching in the scene number on the keypad, which is what Ricky was doing. Might be a bug. But it works correctly when using the + - keys to change scenes.
I remember a video from Tefty and Meems in which Tefty said, several times, during a 'should you buy' type video about the newer MPC units, "You're not buying a piece of hardware, you're buying a workflow". I think that why people can be so passionate about so many different types of machines, because what works for one seems completely insane to another. Great video, btw, as always.
100% and I recognize this somewhere in the video haha. I'm like, "hold up, you're just not used to this.." I'll get there eventually. Thanks for checking it out Brent!
@@RickyTinez and that YOU for making cool stuff. For what it's worth, I don't think the KO II is something that would be a fit for me, either. I don't feel like I'm as patient with gear as you seem to be lol
Hello Ricky, the thing you could not pronounce (the red inscription written under KO II) at 3min49 means "Sampler" in Japanese (litteraly "Sanpura"). It is written in Katakana which is one of the three "alphabets" Japanese use for writting : hiragana, katakana and kanji (chinese symbols).
I love it how Japanese transcribe words like that, just literal transcriptions. For those who still didn’t get it, you have to pronounce the “u” really, really short. As in: san-pra. Get it? Sampler.
@@RickyTinez I want this life so bad. Two years until I can quit my job, live the dream for a while, and hopefully work out a way to monetize gadget playing🤞
This is great. It has effectively killed my gas for this. This should be a new format. A video effectively showing all the little niggles, workarounds, and frustrations that a piece of gear has baked into it. Whether it's the 404, octatrack, or mpc, (or synths), all have their strange ways of doing things and odd shortcomings. Damn i've just realized, i'm describing bad gear!!
Yeah it's strange. Florian makes really sick tracks with every piece of gear on that show, but all the nitpicks and self denigrating memes are like the perfect anti gas. I very rarely come away from those episodes wanting what was featured lol
I mean half the stuff he points out is because he hasn't read the manual - he's been corrected several time here in the comments and the chat. So in fact the video does not point out the "niggles" but only that he couldn't be bothered reading the tiny manual
@@cockurTBF it is a fun little weekly comedy fest that I don’t think anyone should take too seriously. I mean the proof is in the pudding, the grooves he makes with “bad gear” are pretty consistently over the top.
Honestly wonder if all the heat TE is getting for this device is people not know how to use it. It's dope you can launch pretty damn quick into production but...that guide isn't super long to read and go through.@@mooted5513
totally fair review. it's such a fun and immediate device though... i mean its a pocket operator with midi out! it inspires creativity. im not trying to always be producing finished tracks but i am always trying to find joy in the jam
yeah seems strange that they got it wrong... It's such a basic thing in electronic instrument design. Just doesn't feel right when the curve isn't skewed enough
You literally saved me $300+ today. I already have an MPC and an SP...I was going to do an impulse buy on this and I watched a bunch of videos hyping it up. And then I found this a few minutes ago. Again, thank you. I'm going to check what the newest update did,, but I don't expect them to have fixed the issues you are talking about.
Most honest review so far imho. I just traded my unpacked KO2 for another nice synth. Not because of these little cons but more because there’s way better samplers on the market. This is just another very well designed piece of gear that turns on GAS immediately! 😁
Glad to see a video from the perspective of someone that actually wants to make music on it and use it for work, not just fiddling around. I want to see how it works and clocks with other midi gear, thinking to get this for fillers/textures/extra sounds for my live setup, to work with other synths and some modular gear. Seems like this is a nice, simple and light sampler to put in a case, but just don't want to spend days figuring how to work around its quirks and selling it at the end.
So far I love the little box, even with it's limitations. If TE gives proper updates that addresses some of the shortcomings you mentioned it will make a beast of a tiny box.
It's a cool device for $299. I saw a video online of a guy take his KO2 apart to fix his broken slider. I imagine a more feature rich and quality built version would probably cost double what this does. I'm impressed at your understanding of many nuances on this already. I bought one of these, but it hasn't arrived yet. I like the form factor and it looks similar to an old school handheld calculator. I'm impressed this can be used at a live gig, although I think there are probably easier access sequencers out there for that application. Thanks for the insight and upload. Subbed
Wow man, I didn't even know you can't sample while the sequencer is running... I was already heartbroken when I discovered that this thing doesn't have resampling (like... wtf, TE, are you serious?) and IIRC you can't set a sample as a loop, but I just keep getting more and more disappointed the more I discover about this device. I have a feeling this is gonna end up like the Zoom ARQ AR-96 and AR-48. Maybe if I'll ever find them for 100 bucks I might give them a go in the hope that a future firmware will add those features. Until then, I have my trusty Zoom Sampletrak which despite being 24 years old it has resampling, sample looping and you can sample while the sequencer is running and effectively use it as a live loopstation. Thank you so much for sharing those precious information with us 🙏
Yep, all these things. This thing is so barebones. And if I want to pay 350 Euros just for good looks, I'd probably rather spend that money on a hooker... :D
Decent breakdown of some of the shortcomings. Happily seems a few of those could be firmware updates. Some odd oversights but hopefully now that it's in hands like Ricky's there will be some productive feedback. I'm still having a blast with it, despite some issues like Mic/Fader/Input (and TE should be held accountable for those) but it's got it's own thing going for it. Will be having fun and letting some more expectations go.
I find it refreshing. Music gear TH-cam is such an ad-fest whether the channels are sponsored by the brands or not. They all want us hyped on new shit to keep us coming back to their channels. Ricky’s criticisms are very fair and more informative than watching Cuckoo make a sick beat (which he can do with pretty much anything).
Thank you for this! Did you or anyone figure out a way to mute a single track temporarily? If I just want to mute the kick for a couple of bars or even built up a beat as I go without having to build a scene for everything. Where is the fun in live performing if you have to prepare everything in such a time consuming way with hundrets of scenes (and the need to remember what scene was what)...
it's a hard answer to find. You can Hold A/B/C + Fade down to mute... but you can only isolate a kick drum (opposite of what we want) but I haven't found a logical way to mute a high hat for example.
In case anyone knows, using a MIDI keyboard I get this weird behavior where the samples do not sustain or decay, immediately cutting off after triggering. It apparently is the right adapter cable type (i.e. Type A or B) as I have another one that doesn't work at all. Do you think getting that MIDI to TRS cable would solve that or is it some kind of envelope parameter in the KO II? The controller is Arturia Keystep. Also wondered if a note off message was being sent from the Keystep.
I think since this is firmware upgradable we should let TE know what changes we want via their support system. There's a general enquiries option there which i think it would make sense to send feedback and new feature requests on.
This device seems so overly complicated. Regarding sampling too, don't you need to also hold down a button to sample? So how do you play another instrument with both hands while sampling? paper weight? Off topic, is this the new release schedule (Thursday instead of Saturday)?
Man, this was such a great overview. I think the missing features you mentioned could all be added as a future firmware update?? Or at least I hope. You had some really great thoughts on this unit. I hope they see this! I love that they were able to add features to my OP1 Field after I had already had it for a few months. Like the added velocity after thinking that would never be possible!
yea im hoping with its "normal" style connections (usb-c) its easier to update and add things. Who knows! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to leave a comment :)
Thanks for the video! Im still anticipating the arrival of mine, I hear a lot of pros and cons about this thing but it definitely has to be one of the coolest pieces of hardware that anyone has released in a long time!
I've never done anything with music before ever and i got this doom rectangle as my first dip, learning curve as vertical as a WALL lets go boys, thank you for the videos to help me not hyperventilate about it hahaha.
yea don't do that, you'll be super dissapointed haha. its a fun partner device for other things, but on its own it can be pretty limiting.. This week's video will be it with another device :)
My EP-133 arrived today. I was so excited. Very carefully added the knobs, turned it on: fader dead from the start. I could ask for a repair or replacement, but I'm going for a refund. Obviously there is a serious design flaw there. Certainly a portable battery powered device should be sturdy enough so you can travel with it; this is too fragile. Another thing is the clicky keys; they are quite loud. I don't think people are going to be very happy if I jam on this thing in the train. Too bad.. I got so excited after the Cuckoo video, already sold my PO_33 and Model:Samples, but alas... disappointment.
Best thing about this video and others like it, is that we all can figure out what is missing and what could be better with future firmware updates (just like TE did with original OP-1). Thanks for the video & inspo 🙌🏼
Best analysis so far. I wonder how much of this is hardware limitations vs firmware which can be improved. Definitely something to wait on (along with build quality and service and support quality).
Enrique, thanks so much for your openness and honesty when covering new gear. It’s extremely helpful when considering a new purchase, to have someone like you who isn’t afraid to say “before you buy this, here’s some weird stuff about it”. Much appreciated. Also, I’m admiring the cabinet with keyboard drawers behind you. Where did you procure such a beautiful and functional piece of studio furniture?
@@mooted5513 Watch how R.T. uses the SP-404 MkII or Digitakt or Octatrack (to mention a few samplers) or any other device he picks up for years now. His ability to get deeply into devices like this are one of the reasons why he works for Elektron and you and I don't. This time is no exception. It's just not a very capable device compared to many samplers out there, and it has a lot of pretty obvious flaws.
Relax, it’s been out for half a week. No one is forcing you to buy it. And all of these points are an exercise in futility. What, shall I tell you how shit the slicing is in the Digitakt? Of course not. It’s a drum machine with some silly addons. And that’s fine. This guy trying to tell me somehow project changes should be a thing in the middle of live play? Really? It’s a shot at the competition, not a review. Simple as.
@@mooted5513 "Shot at the competition" doesn't really make sense here as EP-133 is not really competition for any of the Elektron devices if you know how these devices work. Someone seriously thinking of buying a Digitakt or Octatrack wouldn't be considering an EP-133 instead if they know what they do, though I'm sure some with a lot of money will buy both. Ricky Tinez has done many very positive and helpful videos on the pocket operators and other TE devices for years. He did a whole tutorial series on PO-33, for example. I appreciate being able to watch him doing all the things I'd be trying (except not as skillfully as him) if I bought the device. The difference is, he'll stick with it and manage to get something usable out of it musically. If it were me, as soon as I saw things like how poorly the fader works, I'd immediately send it back. I can't agree with you on slices on the Digitakt. I've been using my Digitakt in my rather clumsy way for about four years. About nine months ago, in one of many great updates from Elektron (my favorite is Song Mode), the Slice Machine was added along with time stretching and some other nice upgrades. There's a Patchwerks video where a guy from Elektron demos the Slice Machine a little for EZBot. There is also a great 4 Machines Tutorial by R.T. You can apply slice locks in sequences and do all the things you can do with parameter locks as usual and add the new "werping", and you can "linear lock" sequences of slices you choose to a sequence of trigs now as on an Octatrack, which by itself is pretty powerful. One of the more basic things missing on an EP-133 is that on a Digitakt you can see the waveform on the display as you adjust things and graphically watch slices being played in real time. Without being able to see what the slices are doing, there's no way I could be as creative with it. With making adjustments, thanks to the display there's a lot of precise feedback while you're changing all kinds of things and experimenting, and many different things to try doing to slices and sequences of them as with any other kind of samples on a Digitakt.
I LOVE 💕 MY KO II!!! It’s $300!!!!!! The level of annoyance can’t take away the FUN! Fun is POWER!!! Don’t let these reviews from people with thousands of dollars of gear fool you. Get two KO IIs like I did and run you source through FX BEFORE you sample. $600 for two is the way!
11:26 Yes, I agree that easily scratchable glass can evoke negative emotions. Manufacturers can consider options to make the glass more durable, such as using Gorilla Glass or providing the ability to apply a protective layout. Additionally, the option to replace the glass as a separate component can be helpful for those who want to maintain the device’s appearance. All of these measures will help improve the user experience and reduce the feeling of guilt when scratches appear on the glass.
Thanks again! Between this and the other couple videos highlighting your frustration with the device it's good to know I'm not missing anything and am better off with Model: Samples or Circuit Rhythm at this price point. At least that's my takeaway here...
Thank you for fair video. I have enough of strange n stupid hardware gear limitations. I wonder how synthtubers do not get those that often. The number of times when i bought a synth/sampler/drum machine and scratch my head like "wtaf?" is huge. Do the manufacturers do this by design or just not up to it.
Dealbreaker for me is that you can't fade in/out the tracks individually like let's say with the Circuit Tracks/Rhythm or MC-101/707. When playing Techno live I sometimes need the device to let me manually fade one track in while fading another out of the mix at the same time. 20+ years back, the ES-1 couldn't do that either though. ;) :D
Nice sounds and good info for those that already took the plunge. But terms like "weird, wonky, cumbersome, quirk, "inconveniences I was hoping not to deal with", "slow painful process", WTH", to describe the workflow? Then for the cherry on top, Insert yourself @9:03 (pause) Ricky should've been direct in asking TE for changes to be addressed in future updates for the EP. In 2K24, it makes no sense that new machines have more limitations than samplers from 2 decades ago have. To me, the EP is just another shiny object device. But kudos to those who have figured it out and are cranking out some nice music with it.
My guess on the crossfader behaviour, the crossfader is a potentiometer, potentiometers come in two varieties, Audio and Linear (best google the difference instead of me trying to explain), because there are two different types of potentiometers its probably not the best idea to get one to control all these features, as different features will benefit from different pot behaviours thats why on a synth some of the pots will be Audio and some will be linear. Basically a linear potentiometer would of swept the filter as you'd of expected in an even distribution hence linear, however maybe the potentiometer on this device is Audio which is why you are getting uneven distribution behaviour, Audio potentiometers are a whole science themselves working on theory of how the human ear works, you know when you turn the volume knob on your hi-fi to half way (5) yet the volume is higher than half then you turn from 5 to 10 but it only seems to add another 20% to the overall volume well thats an Audio pot for you, like I said best google it.
Oddly it seems like from this video I actually prefer the original PO33. Obviously some of these things are bugs or general issues that may be ironed out later, but in general it just seems like a much more complex workflow, and the simplicity of the original was probably my favourite thing about it. I'll miss things like in-built effects and more sample storage tho
Yea, when I saw this come out I "knew" it was going to be a big PO33. But I was kinda mistaken haha. Don't get me wrong, it adds A LOT of things the PO33 cannot do, but some of the basic things I expected to be there.
I'm really hoping they address the chaining issue. It's confusing why it wasn't included from the start. Additionally, I ran out of sample memory quite quickly. With only 64 MB available for sampling, there should be an option to use an SD card, especially since saving work outside of the device isn't possible. Overall, significant improvements are needed for this device to compete with others in the same price range.
Also: 4x3 pads so only 12 slices vs 16, and also no realtime step sequencer, no way to chain patterns/scenes together and no way of backing up the projects. The last 2 seem pretty trivial to do in a future update, the 4x4 step sequencer could work if the group buttons were used as steps 1,5,9 and 13 (Using some sort of Shift function to select the groups), but I imagine the group buttons lack the pressure sensors so having them as sample pads isn't going to work... Bit of a weird decision if you ask me...
i think this is the kind of review we need before buying stuff. really knowing where the machines dont shine. i feel every downsize of gear i bought i knew post buying, so ended up selling or compromising. thank you so much ricky, compromise first, buy later.
The EP-133 is a looks and not a lot of substance. I'm not seeing anything special about it other than the cool calculator looks. It actually seems a bit over priced for what it is.
Ok. It's the mark of a professional but the speed with which you arrive at a mastery level of comptency on what amounts to new gear freaks me out.😮 When you were talking about the problem you face trying your Dave Smith (RIP) way of presenting a "set", I wondered if a kind of universal pattern that can be added to the end and beginning of each section of the "set" (song) so that the last thing in each section and the first thing in the next are exactly the same. As you say it might be only 1 beat long in order to conform? It's an ancient tradition goin back millennia in epic song structures from just about every culture.
Regarding the fader, that is most likely a logarithmic one (strange choice in my opinion). Those things are usually used as volume faders, as perceived volume does not follow a linear curve, but an exponential one. Put simply, the jump from 4dB to 8dB (4dB difference) is only half the difference in perceived volume that the jump from 8dB to 12dB is (despite also being a 4dB difference). That is why the fader has a lot of impact in the bottom region and loses more and more of it the higher up you move it (that is to compensate for the opposite behaviour of the volume curve). So if it were a linear fader instead, you'd have a similar issue when using it for volume control, where it would be way too sensitive at the top, while being rather dull toward the bottom. If it were me, I'd have put a linear fader there instead, and then adjusted the response curve accordingly within the firmware. That way it could even be done individually per effect/control type, as well as being user adjustable. As for the logarithmic fader, I'm not sure how well it could be realized with that, without sacrificing too much resolution over the entire throw. But either way, it's a simple matter of applying a mapping function to the read value from the fader before using it to control what ever it is set to control in any given situation. Definitely a thing to be adressed in a firmware update. Maybe email them about it and they might release a hotfix for the FX curve, and then a feature for user adjustment in a later update, worth a shot, isn't it?
I had a 404mk2 but it wasnt it. Got the syntakt but need a sampler alongside. Thought this would be the one but , i think leaving elektron is a mistake haha. Ot or dt for sure
Awesome video man! Thanks for the break down and clarification on many things. Especially the pattern chaining trick. I'm still waiting on mine and I think if I'd gotten it and couldn't chain things it would have freaked me about a bit.So will definitely come back once I get it. It seems the limitations are mostly in workflow. Here's hoping they really hear the community and put that is port to good use with some updates. How would you rate the overall sound? Do you feel there's a degradation from the original sample? Is this worth the price tag in your opinion? What's your favorite thing about it? I really want to use this to get into Dilla type groove building, it having the free and Quantized settings. Once again thanks for your awesome stuff always
Definitely would be sick if the fader could control multiple fx like you said, you know if Elektron built it it would have worked that way, especially have to lift and repress keys thats just clunky, but hey it's got a battery. Hopefully it gets some firmware love and they sort out their quality control.
Interesting that you mention having to lift and repress keys when using the fader. Everything else on the device, page wise, is a destination. So what if pressing fader took you into fader mode where you just press whatever you want to control on whatever sound you previously selected? might be worse lol. but you kind of get used to it..
ikr, people somehow expecting this to be an independent powerhouse... ofc ur gonna wanna use external parameters, just like if you had the novation circuit completely on its own you could call it a flashy toy, but once you learn to use it with other stuff it becomes the heart of ur rig.
Ive found jamming out on this thing an absolute joy but the fader workflow is definitely a bummer, also not having per track(pad) FX. Pretty sure they can improve this with firmware. One other thing is the release on the envelope (per pad) is buggy as hell if you like to ride hats like a mad man. Overall though Ive been smiling while using it - the live FX combos are dope and the master bus compressor is a dirty filthy little thing :D
God this thing is so close to exactly what we all want - Teenage Engineering, FIX IT! This should not be a "sold as made in the factory" speak and spell. This shit should be fully recognizable by a PC, and allow the user to load in updates to the machine as necessary. TE should be listening to their users and applying new changes to the device over weeks/months. This would change the music industry. I'd steal the idea and make my own, but it's so simple of an idea that I'm almost upset they didn't do it.
Great vid, straight and to the point. Thanks. Wasn’t thinking about it as a live performance machine, then I saw some of it’s midi capabilities and thought uhm, then I saw this and it’s like ok nevermind. I Guess at this point I just need my unit to arrive and stop watching videos about it for a while😅
@@RickyTinez Very true. It's like when you go to the movies with 0 expectations and the movie surprises you vs. high expectations and the inevitable let down. You're right "beginners mind" is kind of the space to be in
Good review of some of the potential issues / firmware quirks but a few of them aren’t fair. Multiple topics you covered are remedied with more understanding of the workflow / shortcuts and settings of this unit.
Finally, an honest review from someone who knows what they’re talking about. Hopefully the Devs will come good with some fixes. As compensation for this somewhat shaky V1 release.
@@devlintube9610 most of what he complains about are things you can easily work around, it's just a bit strange the way they've done it, but it's not meant to be some powerhouse think of it more as a rival to the Novation Circuit
just FYI Ricky, you can set in the system to swtich to BAR for the scene switching where it would switch at the end of the BAR, not instant
Amazing! I had no clue. I'm actually starting to like the instant switch for drum fills haha!
@@RickyTinez i'm trying hard not to look at it as a MPC even thought it gives me heavy MPC vibes. just leaning into the quirks and learning how to work around its structure and i'm having a blast
Even if it is set to BAR in the settings, it still changes instantly when punching in the scene number on the keypad, which is what Ricky was doing. Might be a bug. But it works correctly when using the + - keys to change scenes.
@@RickyTinez That old Circuit session flip
How good is TE at firmware updates? 😢
I remember a video from Tefty and Meems in which Tefty said, several times, during a 'should you buy' type video about the newer MPC units, "You're not buying a piece of hardware, you're buying a workflow". I think that why people can be so passionate about so many different types of machines, because what works for one seems completely insane to another. Great video, btw, as always.
100% and I recognize this somewhere in the video haha. I'm like, "hold up, you're just not used to this.." I'll get there eventually. Thanks for checking it out Brent!
@@RickyTinez and that YOU for making cool stuff. For what it's worth, I don't think the KO II is something that would be a fit for me, either. I don't feel like I'm as patient with gear as you seem to be lol
Hello Ricky, the thing you could not pronounce (the red inscription written under KO II) at 3min49 means "Sampler" in Japanese (litteraly "Sanpura"). It is written in Katakana which is one of the three "alphabets" Japanese use for writting : hiragana, katakana and kanji (chinese symbols).
I love it how Japanese transcribe words like that, just literal transcriptions. For those who still didn’t get it, you have to pronounce the “u” really, really short. As in: san-pra. Get it? Sampler.
Right? Katakana is mainly used for cognates, super cool idea@@vinylarchaeologist
If we're being pedantic, it's literally more like: sanpuraaa because it's サンプラー and not サンプラ 🙂
Its truly amazing to me at what speed Ricky can pickup and learn a new piece of gear and produce superbly sounding tracks. Kudos.
I know nothing else at this point other than play with music gadgets hahaha
@@RickyTinez I want this life so bad. Two years until I can quit my job, live the dream for a while, and hopefully work out a way to monetize gadget playing🤞
@@Sypher474 you can do it go for it!
Completely nuts!!! The effortlessnes of his flow...
Respect!!
This is great. It has effectively killed my gas for this. This should be a new format.
A video effectively showing all the little niggles, workarounds, and frustrations that a piece of gear has baked into it. Whether it's the 404, octatrack, or mpc, (or synths), all have their strange ways of doing things and odd shortcomings. Damn i've just realized, i'm describing bad gear!!
I wanted to tell you to check put bad gear until i finished reading your comment.
Yeah it's strange. Florian makes really sick tracks with every piece of gear on that show, but all the nitpicks and self denigrating memes are like the perfect anti gas. I very rarely come away from those episodes wanting what was featured lol
I mean half the stuff he points out is because he hasn't read the manual - he's been corrected several time here in the comments and the chat. So in fact the video does not point out the "niggles" but only that he couldn't be bothered reading the tiny manual
That's what this guy is for www.youtube.com/@AudioPilz
@@cockurTBF it is a fun little weekly comedy fest that I don’t think anyone should take too seriously. I mean the proof is in the pudding, the grooves he makes with “bad gear” are pretty consistently over the top.
10:19 you can press shift and fader and it will reset the settings for live performances.
amazing! thanks for sharing that knowledge 💪🏼
The 5 page manual was clearly too much effort.
Honestly wonder if all the heat TE is getting for this device is people not know how to use it. It's dope you can launch pretty damn quick into production but...that guide isn't super long to read and go through.@@mooted5513
Great analysis. I hope TE sees this and comes up with some ways to smooth those out. Still waiting for mine to arrive. Thanks G!
Thanks for tuning in! I'm sure you'll have fun with it!
totally fair review. it's such a fun and immediate device though... i mean its a pocket operator with midi out! it inspires creativity. im not trying to always be producing finished tracks but i am always trying to find joy in the jam
The filter issue may be caused by linear controller-freq mapping which should be exponential to make it right. Firmware can fix it.
That's what im guessing. it's not an analog connection. Just change the curve a bit haha
yeah seems strange that they got it wrong... It's such a basic thing in electronic instrument design. Just doesn't feel right when the curve isn't skewed enough
It's an developmental engineering flaw 👈🏾
@@mrjohnwilkesboothdamn teenagers
@@LWmusik how didi this pass beta testers
You literally saved me $300+ today. I already have an MPC and an SP...I was going to do an impulse buy on this and I watched a bunch of videos hyping it up. And then I found this a few minutes ago. Again, thank you. I'm going to check what the newest update did,, but I don't expect them to have fixed the issues you are talking about.
Most honest review so far imho. I just traded my unpacked KO2 for another nice synth. Not because of these little cons but more because there’s way better samplers on the market. This is just another very well designed piece of gear that turns on GAS immediately! 😁
Glad to see a video from the perspective of someone that actually wants to make music on it and use it for work, not just fiddling around. I want to see how it works and clocks with other midi gear, thinking to get this for fillers/textures/extra sounds for my live setup, to work with other synths and some modular gear. Seems like this is a nice, simple and light sampler to put in a case, but just don't want to spend days figuring how to work around its quirks and selling it at the end.
Hopefully you’ll get a working fader unlike some of us. 🤦🏾♂️
Sync scene changes with bar end SEQ->SCN->BAR (in reference manual under system)
So far I love the little box, even with it's limitations. If TE gives proper updates that addresses some of the shortcomings you mentioned it will make a beast of a tiny box.
Someone should show this video to TE
"I got 99 scenes but a giant live set ain`t one“
It's a cool device for $299. I saw a video online of a guy take his KO2 apart to fix his broken slider. I imagine a more feature rich and quality built version would probably cost double what this does. I'm impressed at your understanding of many nuances on this already. I bought one of these, but it hasn't arrived yet. I like the form factor and it looks similar to an old school handheld calculator. I'm impressed this can be used at a live gig, although I think there are probably easier access sequencers out there for that application. Thanks for the insight and upload. Subbed
You're the best! Love your honest approach and ability to maintain reasonable sanity LOL
I love your raw, no-b.s. reviews. Thanks for sharing!
Wow man, I didn't even know you can't sample while the sequencer is running... I was already heartbroken when I discovered that this thing doesn't have resampling (like... wtf, TE, are you serious?) and IIRC you can't set a sample as a loop, but I just keep getting more and more disappointed the more I discover about this device.
I have a feeling this is gonna end up like the Zoom ARQ AR-96 and AR-48.
Maybe if I'll ever find them for 100 bucks I might give them a go in the hope that a future firmware will add those features.
Until then, I have my trusty Zoom Sampletrak which despite being 24 years old it has resampling, sample looping and you can sample while the sequencer is running and effectively use it as a live loopstation.
Thank you so much for sharing those precious information with us 🙏
Yep, all these things. This thing is so barebones. And if I want to pay 350 Euros just for good looks, I'd probably rather spend that money on a hooker... :D
The Zoom is a great little box. I use mine for sound colouration, and the FX are so much fun to play with and stack.
Decent breakdown of some of the shortcomings. Happily seems a few of those could be firmware updates. Some odd oversights but hopefully now that it's in hands like Ricky's there will be some productive feedback. I'm still having a blast with it, despite some issues like Mic/Fader/Input (and TE should be held accountable for those) but it's got it's own thing going for it. Will be having fun and letting some more expectations go.
It’s a flex to work for Elektron and say you wanted to use this as your main sampler in the studio. 😆
if recording two videos counts as "work". He was "working" at Sequential, Novation...
I think he’s being paid to be negative
@@SandyOgilvie10 Not going that far. Also, honestly, sticking one to TE, I'd do it for free lol
@@SandyOgilvie10Negative or honest? Two separate things, eh?
I find it refreshing. Music gear TH-cam is such an ad-fest whether the channels are sponsored by the brands or not. They all want us hyped on new shit to keep us coming back to their channels. Ricky’s criticisms are very fair and more informative than watching Cuckoo make a sick beat (which he can do with pretty much anything).
Thank you for this! Did you or anyone figure out a way to mute a single track temporarily? If I just want to mute the kick for a couple of bars or even built up a beat as I go without having to build a scene for everything. Where is the fun in live performing if you have to prepare everything in such a time consuming way with hundrets of scenes (and the need to remember what scene was what)...
it's a hard answer to find. You can Hold A/B/C + Fade down to mute... but you can only isolate a kick drum (opposite of what we want) but I haven't found a logical way to mute a high hat for example.
In case anyone knows, using a MIDI keyboard I get this weird behavior where the samples do not sustain or decay, immediately cutting off after triggering. It apparently is the right adapter cable type (i.e. Type A or B) as I have another one that doesn't work at all. Do you think getting that MIDI to TRS cable would solve that or is it some kind of envelope parameter in the KO II? The controller is Arturia Keystep. Also wondered if a note off message was being sent from the Keystep.
I think since this is firmware upgradable we should let TE know what changes we want via their support system. There's a general enquiries option there which i think it would make sense to send feedback and new feature requests on.
"Welcome to bad gear; the show about the world's most hated audio tools..." coming soon
This device seems so overly complicated. Regarding sampling too, don't you need to also hold down a button to sample? So how do you play another instrument with both hands while sampling? paper weight? Off topic, is this the new release schedule (Thursday instead of Saturday)?
You may have seen this but the new OS update that released today (12/13) increased the range of the Group Filter LPF & HPF
Man, this was such a great overview. I think the missing features you mentioned could all be added as a future firmware update?? Or at least I hope. You had some really great thoughts on this unit. I hope they see this!
I love that they were able to add features to my OP1 Field after I had already had it for a few months. Like the added velocity after thinking that would never be possible!
yea im hoping with its "normal" style connections (usb-c) its easier to update and add things. Who knows! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to leave a comment :)
Thanks for the video! Im still anticipating the arrival of mine, I hear a lot of pros and cons about this thing but it definitely has to be one of the coolest pieces of hardware that anyone has released in a long time!
Love your videos, your vibe, your inputs and your reviews more and more, man. It's basically expertise at its coolest haha
I've never done anything with music before ever and i got this doom rectangle as my first dip, learning curve as vertical as a WALL lets go boys, thank you for the videos to help me not hyperventilate about it hahaha.
Word! This video really helped me decide to not replace my sp-404 with one of these...at least not yet haha. Fantastic video and fire jam!
yea don't do that, you'll be super dissapointed haha. its a fun partner device for other things, but on its own it can be pretty limiting.. This week's video will be it with another device :)
You can change the settings so that you can skip to another scene at the end of the bar rather than instantaneously.
what?! hell yes, what's funny is that I kinda started to like the instant jump if you set the scenes up right to do some cool fills
My EP-133 arrived today. I was so excited. Very carefully added the knobs, turned it on: fader dead from the start. I could ask for a repair or replacement, but I'm going for a refund. Obviously there is a serious design flaw there. Certainly a portable battery powered device should be sturdy enough so you can travel with it; this is too fragile. Another thing is the clicky keys; they are quite loud. I don't think people are going to be very happy if I jam on this thing in the train.
Too bad.. I got so excited after the Cuckoo video, already sold my PO_33 and Model:Samples, but alas... disappointment.
Best thing about this video and others like it, is that we all can figure out what is missing and what could be better with future firmware updates (just like TE did with original OP-1). Thanks for the video & inspo 🙌🏼
Best analysis so far. I wonder how much of this is hardware limitations vs firmware which can be improved. Definitely something to wait on (along with build quality and service and support quality).
Enrique, thanks so much for your openness and honesty when covering new gear. It’s extremely helpful when considering a new purchase, to have someone like you who isn’t afraid to say “before you buy this, here’s some weird stuff about it”. Much appreciated. Also, I’m admiring the cabinet with keyboard drawers behind you. Where did you procure such a beautiful and functional piece of studio furniture?
サンプラー = sampler (sanpuraa)
We should call it that from this point on, better than EP-133 KO II. Just SAMPURA.
"No one's dying" 😂 But seriously though if something's not working how your body expects it to work it can be awful!
Ricky with the no holds barred truthful analysis ✊️
EXCEPT for the changing at the end of the bar thing.. that's just a setting haha. oops! Thanks for watching SixteenVoice
Except for not understanding or misrepresenting the entire workflow. Clearly has no idea what a pattern is on this device. Shameful.
@@mooted5513 Watch how R.T. uses the SP-404 MkII or Digitakt or Octatrack (to mention a few samplers) or any other device he picks up for years now. His ability to get deeply into devices like this are one of the reasons why he works for Elektron and you and I don't. This time is no exception. It's just not a very capable device compared to many samplers out there, and it has a lot of pretty obvious flaws.
Relax, it’s been out for half a week. No one is forcing you to buy it. And all of these points are an exercise in futility. What, shall I tell you how shit the slicing is in the Digitakt? Of course not. It’s a drum machine with some silly addons. And that’s fine. This guy trying to tell me somehow project changes should be a thing in the middle of live play? Really? It’s a shot at the competition, not a review. Simple as.
@@mooted5513 "Shot at the competition" doesn't really make sense here as EP-133 is not really competition for any of the Elektron devices if you know how these devices work. Someone seriously thinking of buying a Digitakt or Octatrack wouldn't be considering an EP-133 instead if they know what they do, though I'm sure some with a lot of money will buy both. Ricky Tinez has done many very positive and helpful videos on the pocket operators and other TE devices for years. He did a whole tutorial series on PO-33, for example. I appreciate being able to watch him doing all the things I'd be trying (except not as skillfully as him) if I bought the device. The difference is, he'll stick with it and manage to get something usable out of it musically. If it were me, as soon as I saw things like how poorly the fader works, I'd immediately send it back.
I can't agree with you on slices on the Digitakt. I've been using my Digitakt in my rather clumsy way for about four years. About nine months ago, in one of many great updates from Elektron (my favorite is Song Mode), the Slice Machine was added along with time stretching and some other nice upgrades. There's a Patchwerks video where a guy from Elektron demos the Slice Machine a little for EZBot. There is also a great 4 Machines Tutorial by R.T. You can apply slice locks in sequences and do all the things you can do with parameter locks as usual and add the new "werping", and you can "linear lock" sequences of slices you choose to a sequence of trigs now as on an Octatrack, which by itself is pretty powerful. One of the more basic things missing on an EP-133 is that on a Digitakt you can see the waveform on the display as you adjust things and graphically watch slices being played in real time. Without being able to see what the slices are doing, there's no way I could be as creative with it. With making adjustments, thanks to the display there's a lot of precise feedback while you're changing all kinds of things and experimenting, and many different things to try doing to slices and sequences of them as with any other kind of samples on a Digitakt.
I LOVE 💕 MY KO II!!! It’s $300!!!!!! The level of annoyance can’t take away the FUN! Fun is POWER!!! Don’t let these reviews from people with thousands of dollars of gear fool you. Get two KO IIs like I did and run you source through FX BEFORE you sample. $600 for two is the way!
11:26 Yes, I agree that easily scratchable glass can evoke negative emotions. Manufacturers can consider options to make the glass more durable, such as using Gorilla Glass or providing the ability to apply a protective layout. Additionally, the option to replace the glass as a separate component can be helpful for those who want to maintain the device’s appearance. All of these measures will help improve the user experience and reduce the feeling of guilt when scratches appear on the glass.
It's a fun piece of gear! Not groundbreaking but easy to pick up, learn, and start jamming.
Thanks again! Between this and the other couple videos highlighting your frustration with the device it's good to know I'm not missing anything and am better off with Model: Samples or Circuit Rhythm at this price point. At least that's my takeaway here...
Thank you for fair video. I have enough of strange n stupid hardware gear limitations. I wonder how synthtubers do not get those that often. The number of times when i bought a synth/sampler/drum machine and scratch my head like "wtaf?" is huge. Do the manufacturers do this by design or just not up to it.
Nothing but facts😂
Btw you no Byron the Aquarius worked on the sounds?
What?! The legend himself.. I bet I used all his sounds by default 🤣
Yeah he blessed us with usable sounds out the gate thank god@@RickyTinez
Great nuance detail from a performance perspective. Insightful. Thanks
Great video! Appreciated your insights into the device.
Those 4 notes / chords rising, reminded me instantly of '808 Beats' by The Unknown DJ. (from the old electro albums).
Dealbreaker for me is that you can't fade in/out the tracks individually like let's say with the Circuit Tracks/Rhythm or MC-101/707. When playing Techno live I sometimes need the device to let me manually fade one track in while fading another out of the mix at the same time. 20+ years back, the ES-1 couldn't do that either though. ;) :D
Nice sounds and good info for those that already took the plunge. But terms like "weird, wonky, cumbersome, quirk, "inconveniences I was hoping not to deal with",
"slow painful process", WTH", to describe the workflow? Then for the cherry on top, Insert yourself @9:03
(pause)
Ricky should've been direct in asking TE for changes to be addressed in future updates for the EP. In 2K24, it makes no sense that new machines have more limitations than samplers from 2 decades ago have. To me, the EP is just another shiny object device. But kudos to those who have figured it out and are cranking out some nice music with it.
you always learn these units super fast haha
Sweet peak into your use case, Ricky. Always love your tunes too. @5:01 did you say inspired by "Henry Woo"?
My guess on the crossfader behaviour, the crossfader is a potentiometer, potentiometers come in two varieties, Audio and Linear (best google the difference instead of me trying to explain), because there are two different types of potentiometers its probably not the best idea to get one to control all these features, as different features will benefit from different pot behaviours thats why on a synth some of the pots will be Audio and some will be linear. Basically a linear potentiometer would of swept the filter as you'd of expected in an even distribution hence linear, however maybe the potentiometer on this device is Audio which is why you are getting uneven distribution behaviour, Audio potentiometers are a whole science themselves working on theory of how the human ear works, you know when you turn the volume knob on your hi-fi to half way (5) yet the volume is higher than half then you turn from 5 to 10 but it only seems to add another 20% to the overall volume well thats an Audio pot for you, like I said best google it.
Thanks for the honest review man! We need more of those
Oddly it seems like from this video I actually prefer the original PO33. Obviously some of these things are bugs or general issues that may be ironed out later, but in general it just seems like a much more complex workflow, and the simplicity of the original was probably my favourite thing about it.
I'll miss things like in-built effects and more sample storage tho
Yea, when I saw this come out I "knew" it was going to be a big PO33. But I was kinda mistaken haha. Don't get me wrong, it adds A LOT of things the PO33 cannot do, but some of the basic things I expected to be there.
I'm really hoping they address the chaining issue. It's confusing why it wasn't included from the start. Additionally, I ran out of sample memory quite quickly. With only 64 MB available for sampling, there should be an option to use an SD card, especially since saving work outside of the device isn't possible. Overall, significant improvements are needed for this device to compete with others in the same price range.
Damn you really went in depth into the problems with this thing thanks and I hope TE get into this for the next firmware
absolutely love the way you pointed out its drawbacks. for gods sake, paid reviews with nothing but positive sides are killing me.
Also: 4x3 pads so only 12 slices vs 16, and also no realtime step sequencer, no way to chain patterns/scenes together and no way of backing up the projects. The last 2 seem pretty trivial to do in a future update, the 4x4 step sequencer could work if the group buttons were used as steps 1,5,9 and 13 (Using some sort of Shift function to select the groups), but I imagine the group buttons lack the pressure sensors so having them as sample pads isn't going to work... Bit of a weird decision if you ask me...
May be you mentioned it in other videos. (I am new here). Which sampler/sequencer do you use for live sets + making music in the studio?
this video and others makes me glad that mine is backordered, and gives me time to decide i really do want it or not.
4:07 I believe there is an option in settings where you can toggle between "tick" and "bar" for pattern/scene switching.
This sampler clearly wasn't ready for release.
i think this is the kind of review we need before buying stuff. really knowing where the machines dont shine. i feel every downsize of gear i bought i knew post buying, so ended up selling or compromising. thank you so much ricky, compromise first, buy later.
The EP-133 is a looks and not a lot of substance. I'm not seeing anything special about it other than the cool calculator looks. It actually seems a bit over priced for what it is.
Elektron Channel presents:
This man is the meaning of "Zen"
I thought that was a piece of hair and not a scratch 😂 Thanks for that breakdown, that helps my buying decision tremendously 🙏
Fun fact: the bit of Japanese text under "K.O. II" says "sampuraa" which you can probably guess means sampler
Ok. It's the mark of a professional but the speed with which you arrive at a mastery level of comptency on what amounts to new gear freaks me out.😮
When you were talking about the problem you face trying your Dave Smith (RIP) way of presenting a "set", I wondered if a kind of universal pattern that can be added to the end and beginning of each section of the "set" (song) so that the last thing in each section and the first thing in the next are exactly the same. As you say it might be only 1 beat long in order to conform?
It's an ancient tradition goin back millennia in epic song structures from just about every culture.
Regarding the fader, that is most likely a logarithmic one (strange choice in my opinion). Those things are usually used as volume faders, as perceived volume does not follow a linear curve, but an exponential one. Put simply, the jump from 4dB to 8dB (4dB difference) is only half the difference in perceived volume that the jump from 8dB to 12dB is (despite also being a 4dB difference). That is why the fader has a lot of impact in the bottom region and loses more and more of it the higher up you move it (that is to compensate for the opposite behaviour of the volume curve). So if it were a linear fader instead, you'd have a similar issue when using it for volume control, where it would be way too sensitive at the top, while being rather dull toward the bottom.
If it were me, I'd have put a linear fader there instead, and then adjusted the response curve accordingly within the firmware. That way it could even be done individually per effect/control type, as well as being user adjustable. As for the logarithmic fader, I'm not sure how well it could be realized with that, without sacrificing too much resolution over the entire throw. But either way, it's a simple matter of applying a mapping function to the read value from the fader before using it to control what ever it is set to control in any given situation. Definitely a thing to be adressed in a firmware update. Maybe email them about it and they might release a hotfix for the FX curve, and then a feature for user adjustment in a later update, worth a shot, isn't it?
Super sexy design, but I think the SP-404 mk 2 is hands down a better sampler. TE is great at building cult followings with, well, dubious, workflows.
I had a 404mk2 but it wasnt it. Got the syntakt but need a sampler alongside. Thought this would be the one but , i think leaving elektron is a mistake haha. Ot or dt for sure
Thank you my friend!
I agree, my main complaint is I thought the punch in fx were all per track not per group. That was a bummer imo. Maybe updatable but doubt it.
Why am I just noticing the ring? You married!! Congrats! (Watch it be years and I just never noticed)
Awesome video man!
Thanks for the break down and clarification on many things. Especially the pattern chaining trick. I'm still waiting on mine and I think if I'd gotten it and couldn't chain things it would have freaked me about a bit.So will definitely come back once I get it. It seems the limitations are mostly in workflow. Here's hoping they really hear the community and put that is port to good use with some updates.
How would you rate the overall sound? Do you feel there's a degradation from the original sample? Is this worth the price tag in your opinion? What's your favorite thing about it?
I really want to use this to get into Dilla type groove building, it having the free and Quantized settings.
Once again thanks for your awesome stuff always
Teenage just laughing at us with every project........
What's the name of that song from the beginning while you were talking from the intro?
Definitely would be sick if the fader could control multiple fx like you said, you know if Elektron built it it would have worked that way, especially have to lift and repress keys thats just clunky, but hey it's got a battery. Hopefully it gets some firmware love and they sort out their quality control.
Interesting that you mention having to lift and repress keys when using the fader. Everything else on the device, page wise, is a destination. So what if pressing fader took you into fader mode where you just press whatever you want to control on whatever sound you previously selected? might be worse lol. but you kind of get used to it..
There's just a little too much jank here to make this worth the effort. Great video as always.
BTW, the Japanese underneath K.O. II says "Sampler" (sa-n-pu-raa)
Sequence some external gear with it, that really opens things up
ikr, people somehow expecting this to be an independent powerhouse... ofc ur gonna wanna use external parameters, just like if you had the novation circuit completely on its own you could call it a flashy toy, but once you learn to use it with other stuff it becomes the heart of ur rig.
@@thomdotexe midi sequencing on it is awesome. It’s so quick to switch between midi channels and lay down ideas.
Cancelled my GAS pre order, to many hardware and software issues need ironing out, hopefully in a few years it will become a great device.
thanks for letting us know, i canceled my order and hope for updates. all the best
Good stuff, Thanks Ricky - I was going to buy one last week, but they're already out of stock!
These are great observations on the limitations of the unit. I hope TE becomes aware of these and fixes them in a future firmware update
Ive found jamming out on this thing an absolute joy but the fader workflow is definitely a bummer, also not having per track(pad) FX. Pretty sure they can improve this with firmware. One other thing is the release on the envelope (per pad) is buggy as hell if you like to ride hats like a mad man. Overall though Ive been smiling while using it - the live FX combos are dope and the master bus compressor is a dirty filthy little thing :D
BTW, what device do you recommend for the live, considering some limitations of ep-133?
Instant pattern switch is dope though.
God this thing is so close to exactly what we all want - Teenage Engineering, FIX IT!
This should not be a "sold as made in the factory" speak and spell. This shit should be fully recognizable by a PC, and allow the user to load in updates to the machine as necessary. TE should be listening to their users and applying new changes to the device over weeks/months. This would change the music industry.
I'd steal the idea and make my own, but it's so simple of an idea that I'm almost upset they didn't do it.
As always, absolute gold 🔥
I think the filter slope gradually increases exponentially so you can have gentler/smoother cuts when desired?
Great vid, straight and to the point. Thanks. Wasn’t thinking about it as a live performance machine, then I saw some of it’s midi capabilities and thought uhm, then I saw this and it’s like ok nevermind. I Guess at this point I just need my unit to arrive and stop watching videos about it for a while😅
Looks great but not worth it. Time for a Koala update deep dive I think. Doesn't get more powerful for the pricepoint.
Wasn't it "comparison is the thief of joy?" - anyway, great video, thanks for taking a look at the thing :)
Yea that's Roosevelt! I find that expectations do the same for me. if your bar is set to zero everything is upside.
@@RickyTinez Very true. It's like when you go to the movies with 0 expectations and the movie surprises you vs. high expectations and the inevitable let down. You're right "beginners mind" is kind of the space to be in
Good review of some of the potential issues / firmware quirks but a few of them aren’t fair. Multiple topics you covered are remedied with more understanding of the workflow / shortcuts and settings of this unit.
Finally, an honest review from someone who knows what they’re talking about. Hopefully the Devs will come good with some fixes. As compensation for this somewhat shaky V1 release.
No idea what you are talking about. It's clear Ricky didn't bother reading the manual. Most of the things he points out are in there
@@cockur elaborate?
@@devlintube9610 most of what he complains about are things you can easily work around, it's just a bit strange the way they've done it, but it's not meant to be some powerhouse think of it more as a rival to the Novation Circuit
Yea I get it mate, hopefully mine will arrive in a few days and I can put it though its paces. @@thomdotexe
thanx, Ricky! it's frustrating! thinking of getting this one but... will wait for firmware updated (hopefully TO will fix this)
yea I think they won't let this one sit without a firmware update. I could be wrong though!