The hybrid analogue and digital drum machine is now available.
What you need to know:
- Korg have announced that the Drumlogue, their latest drum machine, is now available.
- The hybrid offering features both analogue and digital circuitry, a powerful on-board sequencer, built-in effects, and intuitive controls.
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Let’s talk sounds & control
The Korg Drumlogue features completely new circuitry, which was developed by Junichi Ikeuchi, a Korg engineer with a history of working on classical instruments including the ARP 2600 M, MS-20 Mini, and ARP Odyssey. Promising to deliver parts brimming with with rich harmonic content, these new circuits provide the instrument’s bass drum, snare, and tom sounds.
The instrument also features seven digital parts, six of which are sample-based – capable of playing both pre-loaded and user-imported PCM samples. The seventh part uses an elevated version of the Korg Minilogue XD’s Multi Engine, meaning that the Drumlogue can play full-blown synth voices in addition to its drum sounds.
Korg have also joined forces with plug-in developer Sinevibes, collaborating on a new synth plug-in called Nano. Exclusive to Drumlogue, this plug-in utilises the Multi Engine, delivering a virtual analogue synth boasting dual oscillators, ring modulation, a four-pole state-variable filter, as well as a built-in envelope generator and LFO functionality.
Korg says that the Drumlogue has been designed in a manner that prioritises simplicity and accessibility. Dedicated knobs for the integral parameters are all available on the front panel, including shaping and tuning controls for the main drum sounds, as well as volume pots for each individual sound. Additional hands-on control is then provided by an OLED screen and a set of four rotary encoders.
Sequencer & Effects
The Korg Drumlogue’s 64-step sequencer offers users the ability to create complex patterns and polyrhythms intuitively, offering functions such as probability, micro offsets, groove patterns, to name a few, all on a per-step basis. Sequences are visualised with the OLED display.
Dynamic, drawn out patterns can be created swiftly with ease when using a Chain Mode, while a Loop Mode means that users can switch between different variations of their patterns to create new sequences.
There is also an array of built-in effects within the instrument, including separate Delay, Reverb, and Master effects sections, all of which are available for simultaneous use. With multiple return points available, send levels to the Delay and Reverb sections can be set independently, and the Master effects section can be bypassed on a per-part basis, allowing the Korg Drumlogue to be used to process specific sounds.
Connectivity
A wide selection of I/O is provided with the Korg Drumlogue – it features four individual outputs as well as its main stereo output, alongside an audio input that allows external instruments to be processed with the on-board effects. MIDI I/O is provided on traditional five-pin DIN connectors as well to and from a host computer via a USB-B connector, and a USB-A port allows class-compliant USB MIDI devices to be directly connected.
For local Korg enquires, visit CMI Music.
