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its mind blowing that no one has been able to create a groovebox with the power of this almost 20 year old synth engine, vacuum tubes, and p-lock style motion sequencing multitimbrality. so insane to have that formant synthesis, waveshaping, wavefolding, resonators, granular effects, maco osc, dope filters, distortion. even the syntakt doesnt have all of these features

This ranked as one of my favorite reviews ever

Bought my current EMX for £80 in Cash-Convertors Bethnal Green in 2009. They were considered a "joke" and a "toy" back then, when everyone was obsessed with fancy plugins on Quad Core DAWs and vintage 80's x0x boxes... well, now EMX1 is vintage, and has a proven reputation on record and on stage. In 20 years this will be as revered as the tb303 is. It already reaches £1000 on ebay for mint examples. It defined the sound of the 00's and much of 10's. And the best thing about it is that it still has hidden tricks up its sleeves that no one has tried yet... bless you EMX1. You're the Gibson Les Paul '59 of EDM (the MPC2000 is the Fender Strat!) May your tubes stay warm for ever...

The things Mistabishi did with this box were impressive.

The encoder fix is easy. It's happening because of an electromagnetic field building up between the power supply and the main PCB. Open it up and put a thin piece of plastic between the two, and it's fixed. People have even used baking parchment paper successfully.

My Emx-1 is one of my prized possessions; I’ll never sell it.

YES

Best demo I’ve heard of this… I’ve gotta get one now 🤯

this was my first synthesizer and the only thing I made music on for nearly a decade it is not perfect, I always look back and wish I would have purchased a monomachine about 5 years in but still, it has a place in my heart as for the fix, everyone suggesting deoxit and replacing encoder, it's all worth trying but as someone who's owned multiple of these machines, the most common fix is to open it up and place a sheet of baking paper between the circuit boards they have a tendency to touch each other over time, which can cause some weird glitching with the front panel interface, I forget if this exact problem is solved by this but if nothing else works, it is worth a try, I've done it before and it has fixed similar issues

Encoder Fix: The issue that the Electribe X's have is that the circuitboard is way too close to the metal casing. As such, after using it a while, the faceplate will bend in just enough to make contact, shorting the encoders. There's a very easy fix to this: Open it up, take a sheet of parchment paper (or newspaper if you're a cheapass like me), and put it against the circuit board. Close it up, and you'll see an immediate difference nearly every time.

Took Joey less than 5 mins to conjure all-out industrial mayhem.

Been loving my EMX-1 for years! And the tubes!

I bought one of these at a pawn shop for $340 in 2015. I had been out of music for more then a decade so I shoved it away into storage. I didn't realize what I had! Thanks for the sonic workout! Can't wait to dig this baby out, clean the contacts, and get to work!

Love the enthusiasm btw, I totally understand when you're making a banger tune and in the flow :)

Hell yeah loving the crazy sounds you’re getting there

Encoder fix: if it is anything like my asrx encoders you gotta clean out the inside of the encoder with some contact cleaner, it isnt hard to do though! Open it up and using a small screwdriver lift up the 4 tabs that are holding down the top part of the encoder. Be careful as you don’t want to break them off. Use a qtip and contact cleaner to get all the little dirty bits out of there, on the wheel and the contact. Be very gentle! Put it back together and it should work great, make sure to push those tabs back down really good or it will be wobbly. Good luck!

I love this box, it has everything, my kids love to play with it as well...wish there was something like this on the market with so well thought user interface and workflow

You turn CHAOS into ART ! Cheers 🥂

I think some of you in the comment section have to know that this machine is indeed a legend within the french free party culture and tribe music scene idk about other genres or cultures I think they have a lot of different machines but in France, if you see people playing tribe live acts, this one and the ESX are THE classic machines you'll see half of the time, there is some kind of cult around it

The. Best. Musical. Instrument. EVER BUILT. All hail ye Olde Blue Psytrance King!

i brought one of these in the late 90s, its safely stored away in my bros Attic because i felt it was going to be a classic at some point - glad to hear other agree with my prediction, thanks for reminding me how awesome it was

Bought an EMX-1 today (in great condition) but immediately experienced buyer's regret as soon as I pulled the trigger because I started second-guessing whether I should have gone for the EMS-1. This video helped me feel better about my purchase. I guess the optimum thing would be to have both. I just have to keep reminding myself that there ARE things the EMX can do that the EMS cannot.

I have three of these ,, In Perfect condition ,,,I bought them ten years ago ,,,I love them use them for all kids of drums and synths with other synths

Dude... nothing beats old Electribes. Tube compression rocks, sound engine is so much better then nowadays on E2S. You said it best - It IS a legend.

How is it possible that I'm just talking about this box with a friend and you did a video on it an hour ago haha. Stars have aligned...

The arp strip is amazing for drum fills.

This machine is an absolute beast when you really familiarize yourself with it and really unlock its potential, without anything else. I’ve been watching a lot of vids of people doing psytrance on it and am super impressed. I wish u had used mine a lot more over the years, but never really went deep into it. Three things I love, 1, you can use it as a midi controller for other synths, and 2, you can route any instrument out of the LR bus (no effects just dry) to send to external FX, and 3, you can use the built in fx on external instruments via the audio in. This was my first synth, I thought back in 2005, and it still works amazing.

I just replaced my encoder with a brandnew one - desoldering and soldering is easy, and it didn´t cost the world. Furthermore i renewed the valves. Now the whole machine works as brandnew, and it sounds amazing.

If you hold down shift while moving the rotary it will allow you to skip in bigger chunks, so you can get to say the hi hat section quicker. This is what I do to get into the rough drum section, then use the rotary as normal to select the sound (eventually). I've the same skipping issue but not as bad. Scrolling from the Bass drums up to the Hi Hats is pretty tough for me unless I go super slow, so I use the shift function to get me in the rough area first.

I love my emx-1 and use it on almost every track i make. It has features like 128 step patterns which a lot of modern boxes dont have. It is also pretty great as a midi master and I like to run a couple of synths off it. It is great to create tracks standalone just using it by itself, but superb to use combined with an esx-1 sampler!

i love how so much different music can be made with the electribes. i’ve been combining the sx and mx together, it’s a powerhouse. i want to buy a second MX and have double the synth channels.

You made this look like so much fun to use 😜

My EMX-1's encoder issue grew worse over time--same thing, jittering values during use. I had the encoder replaced and repaired, and it's worked fine since. Now I try to reduce the wear and tear on it by using shift functions to scroll through the sample list. It's handy when there's a lot of selections to move through. If that main encoder were larger, or had a jog wheel, that'd be quite something. According to the repair guy I went with, the encoder seems to wear down the notches inside when it's spun quickly. I tried to be careful with mine, but it was pre-owned when I got it, too, so who knows how wildly it was used in the past. Cleaning might work if those notches aren't actually worn down yet. I imagine as you clean it, you may notice if the notches on the encoder are smoothed down from use or abuse. I'm glad the older Electribes are getting some attention, though! Best of luck with the encoder issue.

That sounds wicked. I'm kinda surprised Korg hasn't tried to re-release this bad boy.

A true spirit Polygon WINDOW 😊😊😊😊😊

This is the best energy I’ve ever seen in a review. When you say “yes!” it rocks so much 😅 def subscribing and I’m not even in this genre cheers!

You deserve a shit ton more subs!!!

This one sounds amazing.

Great video. I have several grooveboxes and the EMX-1 has always been one of favourites. One thingt I noticed: The Korg grooveboxes are not the only ones that can do 128 steps - the MC-707 can do that as well! (And it has a sampler to chop up samples, a looper and the Zencore synth engine - it's pretty awesome. My favourite groovebox of them all, I like it even better than the Syntakt.)

The EMX is a beast! It was my 2nd synth, got it in 2012 and it's still my favorite. Industrial, Breaks, Noise, Psycore, no problem with this gem! Great for jamming, you get awesome results in no time. Hook up a KaossPad and you got a simple yet powerful live setup. Thanks for the review!

YESSS!!!

Hermoso y demoledor 🔥

YESSSSS

(4real) *ENCODER FIX >>>* The encoder wheel is completely fine do not try to fix this issue by cleaning any of its knobs and wheels! *Here is why:* The glitches R occurring cos residual current is induced in its circuit. Most of this electro-magnetism gets emitted from the analogue tube- and digital pre-amps build into the E-TRIBES. So in oder to isolate the encoder-mainboard (also carrying the front panel LCD-Display) from the magnetic field ---> get some baking paper(!) and put it between the front-plate layers who is A.) carrying the encoder-mainboard and B.) - the lowest layer where U can find the Faraday cage, housing the tube-amp. Baking paper is heat resistant and electrically isolating because of its silicon coating. It gets the job done perfectly! After fixing yo E-MX/SX U will also experience an even much more crisp looking LCD-Display which gets dimmed by the magnetic field radiating from the build in pre-amps, before the fix. It took me quite a while to find the right materials for this fix as U can imagine :-) _Booyaka!_

Yes!

They're a lot of fun, i had two for a while and would sync them. Liked making drum and bass on them, just felt natural to come up with something quick rather programming everything meticulously on the computer.

yeah...favorite groovebox of all time

Yes

Hey man if you're still looking, I fixed my main selector encoder last night by dousing the internal pot with pure alchohol, the electronics cleaning stuff. I wiggled it about 100 times vigorously, dried it out for an hour and it works fine now, touch wood. I'm.sure it will only last so long but its awesome right now 😅 Edit: I had exactly the same problem...now fixed without opening up the machine. did the same to the Arp slider and its much better now. 🎉

Adoro a maneira como tu exploras as máquinas ao máximo 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

yes

We now need a RadiasTribe for our sonic future !

I got the EMX.. and i love to just take it on my lap in the living room and play around . Its a special device as you can master like and instrument and make complete tracks and live sets with it, some limitation will spark your creativity . and let not forget that it looks cool also ! :) There is a guy mihail shevchenko (enformin) who has master this device and done some crazy live sets on youtube !

Love the review! Does anything come close to this that is sold new? Thank you

Encoder-fix: Its not the encoder itself but a ribboncable inside that connects the 2 boards which becomes loose.

Nice one. Xosar uses Electribes.

Regarding the encoder, it will need opening the emx, you need to repair potentiometer or replace it, second option requires soldering, I just repaired.

I was able to fix that encoder on an electribe with a couple blasts of contact cleaner.

"YES." I have the 4 original Electribes and am consistently disappointed nobody has really done a modern take on them. They're so easy to use, have a lot of features, you can do a lot with the sound, and they were cheap (and usually still are, at least for now). Aside from the occasional encoder or pot, they've been reliable too. The E2 isn't necessarily bad, but it's absolutely not on the level of its own predecessors...

I love this box man. Mine is so fucked up, the push buttons don't work nicely anymore and a lot of the knobs are busted as well, the encoder though, works perfectly haha. I really wish I could get it repaired but it seems hard in my area. 8 bar sequencer, make BIG ass kicks using the synth part and the LFO Slope waveform, the FX chaining section while limited, can get you some crazy results.

so true bestie

i think this was for the encoder issue but a friend of mine back in the day had to put parchment paper under the top panel between the it and the circuit board because there was something touching the panel or something like that that was causing it to short out.

What a friggin powerhouse... I had one like 18 years ago or something and I was too stupid to know how good it was... Although I sold it for more money than I got it for, a few years later...

is there a way to exchange the stock drum samples?

They rock even more I'd u pop in some Mullard tubes... I wish Korg was wise enough to include the filter drive model on more of their gear produced thereafter from these EMX1'S. Cause it's a huge part of why these Korgs are as good for dirty techno 4 sure imo

Try deoxit on the encoder. That fixed the exact same issue on my dsi polyevolver. Worth a shot.

i f love your punky reviews!

you almost got a korgasm. LOL i love this machine. is my most precious good.

Did you experiment with swapping the tubes? It may provide some benefit. Also, there's some audio feedback trick people used to do, but I don't remember the details.

Thanks for being 1 more person that drove the price of these up to a level where most of us can no longer afford them. Ive been using the EMX-1 for over a decade, but now I can afford a replacement because they ALL fail eventually. I hate that theres a bunch of people paying almost $1,000 for these just to treat them like a fucking Boss DR-660, sing them at 2% of their potential. Congrats hipsters, you ruined yet another special thing for the OGs.

Where can i get a good sample pack

My first Electronic instrument and i love it, unfortunately it doesn't work so well anymore. I tried to fix it... I spent many hours on the electribe emx1 !

Great machine, a bit overpriced on second hand market for my taste for many years already tho :) I had the chance of getting a second hand Electribe 2 Blue for less than 250€ and definitely worth giving it a try Joey, as I seriously think it is such a great successor to that one, and much more affordable ^^ and I seriously believe didn't have a hype just yet. Great content as usual, keep it up!

hell yeah awesome machine hope to get to the same nastiness

Is that a Jaspers stand? I’m always jealous of a stand like this that can hold drum machines but I can’t find anything like it in the US.

The Drumlogue is sort of a A/D continuation of the Electribes, but not the same amount of control. We would pay for a more capable machine!

I got one of these, after I used the EM-1 for awhile and will never sell it! You totally had sex with that machine!

When the ADHD kicks in

I wish I have the EMX1. I using the ES2 for three years now in my setup. I love this machine also. The Electribes can be found in many live acts in the freetekno scene

You should replace that encoder or fix it. I've had my emx-1 for 15 years and have never had an issue with it

Killer!!!

Still have EMX's brother - Korg ESX sampler. Played tons of gigs with that, quite hands on, but too heavy for touring unfortunately :(

may have some luck using the shift+encoder to skip to the parts you want - even with the hokey encoder, GL!

Fuck yeah, nice one as usual joey, do the esx-1 aswell...coz i got both

this is raw german techno unghs unghs unghs unghs jihaaa!

3:38 +1 for that big boi

The demo was great but listening to you fuck with that encoder was even better

💙 YEAH! Still using my EMX this year, and favorite ESX! It's a high point for playability, beat making, jamming. 📮 Wouldn't an Electribe 3 with Elektron or TR8s type modern sound quality be great? (Even just re-issue the old ones! With an official fix for the "knob drift bug" which you are experiencing. Causes - control wear out, but also the two circuit boards of the machine slightly touching. It can be DIY fixed with non-conductive "oven paper", but an official fix would be our dream.) See my channel for LOTS of Electribe, including industrial and IDM

Oh no!! This video will thrust prices even higher! :) I have used it live for many years and it's a real classic and a perfect design, as shallow and as deep as you could need. The ribbon arp has not been replicated afterwards (sadly! hey Elektron...) Replacing the original with the JJ tubes makes the sound round and warm. The drum samples sound brutal in big sound systems, and the synth is amazingly flexible. The only con is the bad reverb, but a minor detail. It's astounding that this was released in 2003. Beware of getting the SM versions (pre 2010) cos the SD versions have an electrical problem that generates glitches in the knob data, which renders the unit pretty useless in the end.

If cleaning it doesent work, To replace the rotery encoder its like a $20 part and six ish solder points. Any decent electrical tech should be able to do it

To fix the encoder, all you need to do is replace the encoder. You already have, and will continue to get comments saying the fix is to put parchment paper in your unit....that is an incorrect fix for the wrong issue (the issue that fix 'addresses' is the knob jitter problem..an issue where all your parameters start changing, usually while using the arp strip, the correct fix for this issue is replacing the ribbon cable that does a 270 degree turn right after a connector that just barley bites through the insulation of the cable to make contact....yea no way THAT could be the issue, its totally just missing parchment paper to insulate your soggy faceplate)

I love my EMX-1 but it's encoder really drives me crazy too...

great machine but not for every genre, I easily made some nice stuff with it for a while, I even used the buttons to play solos, but I grew tired of not being able to get a wider, cleaner sound with it. I replaced the vaccuum tubes with vintage 1970s ones, that helped getting a milder distortion, but I still ended up selling mine. this demo sounds just like I remembered it, this muffled, distorted quality is not for me. so I wasn't wrong in changing that gear. however my current drum is digitakt, sounds better for the genres I play but it's slower to work with, too sensitive with the multiple functions for each button and keypress combinations.

The baking paper solution is just a myth. The problem comes from a number of things. Oxidized cheap encoders and a ribbon cable bent too tight.

Joey, when you gonna demo the Electribe 2? I would love to see you smash that lol

now pump up the prices of the mc-909

You should be sponsored by Nurofen ;)

STOP MAKING ME WANT TO BUY OLD KORG STUFF!!! (Ok maybe one more unit) Fuck, this is awesome! Seriously though, I’ve sold a few synths and am trying to keep my setup spartan, well spartan for me. I’ve still got my trusty ESQ-1, Emax SE, and Yamaha RX5 with RX5USB, and Opsix all controlled by my MPC Live. Ive recently sold my Korg DSS-1 and Yamaha SY77, so maybe I have room for one of these lol.

I had the red Electribe in the early 00s, it was one of the first pieces of gear that I got. The price point was incredible for what it did, but now I regret getting the sampler version - I’ve since learned that samples are not for me. Would have had a lot more fun with the blue Electribe.