If William Hung were a keyboard player, what synth would he use? A Casio, you say? Well that may be true, but being the good friend that you are, you’d probably tell him to put the Casio down before he hurt himself and pick up the Kaossilator. It’s as portable as a cell phone, as easy to use as a laptop mouse pad and it releases your inner synth beast. But even if you’re a diehard knob tweaker, the Kaossilator is sure to satisfy your sonic needs - all at the touch of a finger.
The Kaossilator KO-1 is a pocket sized/portable phrase synthesizer made by Korg. It packs a wide variety of sounds ranging from acoustic instruments like trumpets and guitars to analogue synths, noises and blips. Surprisingly dynamic, everything is playable by touching or tapping your finger on a laptop-like pad without the hassle of that pesky thing called talent. There are 31 scale patterns that are triggered by moving your finger across the length or width of the pad, creating even more diverse sound possibilities. Some of its stronger features include a gated arpeggiator and a loop function that allows sequencer-like instrument sound layering. But the strongest feature is its portability. This AA battery powered gizmo weighs in at approximately 6oz, and is roughly the size of an old palm pilot.
There are some drawbacks. The lack of midi, the sparse audio outs and the two 4/4 bars looping limit may set some hardcore synth lovers off, For us radio types though, the price is right, (under 200 bucks most places) it’s easy to use and it’s easy to shuttle between the station and your home studio. This thing is fun. Talent is optional.
http://www.korgkaossilator.com/
http://www.williamhung.net/
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