Analogue-sequencer

Along the same lines, the ES-1 makes a great (sample-based) drum machine.

Comes in handy when you want to throw in a pitch-shifted Star Trek sample too.

I make percussion noises on my modular and use the ES-1 to turn them into beats :)

Andrew

>>> <plord@there.org> 10/10/06 10:26 AM >>>
Chris Reeves wrote:
> Im looking for a drum machine.... And saw that you said that the KORG
> ER-1 Was very nice......Im interested ing in picking one up cheap
> hopefully.....

You should be able to pick one up cheap very easily, depending on your
idea of cheap.  But they can be had for ~$150 or less any day of the week
on Ebay.

> What type of sounds is it...Is it kind of full on electronic......

It is completely electronic; you have 4 programmable drum voices with a
very broad range, plus some sampled hats.  It has built in delay and the
usual Korg "motion sequencing" feature, where you can record knob tweaks
over the length of a pattern.  Patterns can be 1-4 bars!  You can get a
good variety of kicks out of it, nothing as low as an 808 or as
mule-kick-slamming as a Jomox, but still mighty fine.  You can totally
cover the boopy toms of something like a Simmons.  Snares are perfectly
respectable and snappy.

Still, frankly, if you use the ER-1 as a straight kick/snare/hats box, it
does a fine job, but you're not getting half of the benefits out of it. 
It's such an odd little machine that you can very easily tweak it into a
burbling, stuttering glitch box, or a flurry of crazy pitched percussive
effects.  So you can use it by itself, but it also has plenty enough
flexibility to sit alongside your x0x drums or sampler.  

And jeepers, for $150...possibly the most bang for buck music purchase I
have *ever* made.

peace,
Paul