Korg adds a Sampler to their fantastic series of ElecTribe tabletop modules. "The ElecTribe S is a new type of sampler that doesn't simply play back a recorded sound - it lets you aggressively process the samples to create your own signature sound. Play any sound or phrase in and use the pitch, filter and effects knobs to drastically alter the sample." Connect it to the ElecTribe-A and ElecTribe-R for a complete studio for under $1,500!

The sampler is excellent and is complemented by synth-like controls for filtering, pitch and effects and a great loop-based sequencer. It can get up to 95 seconds of sampling time, and the sounds are "as fat and gritty as ever". There are 11 effects plus delay that you can apply while sampling, a feature that works great with Resampling to add and layer different effects to each of your samples. You can also use the knobs to modify the tone while resampling a sound.

A new Time Slice Function will cut up samples to make them fit the tempo. Time Slice detects the attacks of each part within a loop (e.g., bass drum, snare, and hi-hat) for simple and accurate loop manipulation. And the "Motion Sequence" function from previous ElecTribes is also on-board to record real-time changes to effects, filter, and Time Slice Elements.

The ElecTribe S provides a Smart Media slot for storing data. 3.3 V Smart Media ranging from 4 MB to 64 MB can be used to store your own sampled sounds, patterns and songs. It can also load AIFF and WAV files via Smart Media, allowing you to take advantage of sampled data stored on your computer. As a standalone or part of a Midi-Studio, the ElecTribe S is a very affordable, functional and productive sampler/sequencer. It is used by Nine Inch Nails, The Crystal Method, A Guy Called Gerald, Mouse On Mars, Dead Silence, Praxis, The Prodigy, Crystal Distortion, Freddy Fresh, and the Chemical Brothers.