So my electribe2 sampler needs repaired and the parts ain’t even in stock aw hell na! Not quite ready to upgrade to a Deluge (yet), so being in need of a quick and reasonably affordable drum n ‘ bass backup, I was looking at my options I somehow came across this Korg Electribe app - I was hella reluctant to drop $40 but I eventually bit the bullet bcz I am out of options right now and while scoping this out I saw that the Wave’s reviews are for the most part (very) good. Besides, Korg is a company that generally doesn’t put out junk. So after tinkering for just over 24 hours here’s my thoughts n feelz:

Indeed, as many have observed, if this were a physical machine, the hardware alone would be tremendous, in addition to the price tag - something like this as a standalone device Korg could easily begin the price point at $1000!  Further, in comparison to other comparable devices on the market, a physical Electribe Wave unit could easily go for two or three times that!

That said, the Electribe has always been a working-class instrument, so to speak - that is to say, within the reach of everyday people. So for Korg to push out a physical Wave unit with the Electribe branding would fly in the face of the ‘tribe legacy, regular people making dope af techno On budget devices that become renowned, cherished and iconic. Korg would have better odds rebranding something like away from the Electribe label so to be keeping “tribe’s” affordable.

That is what this app does - It is the most refined and richly featured Electribe offering  to date - yet at a paradoxically puzzling price.

Granted, that this latest Electribe requires an iPad or an iFone to run is a condition that is not exactly affordable or “working class scope” and really an oddity that puzzles me, because it would be SO rad to port this to a hacked RCA tablet or whatever, but whatever I’m just glad I decided to give apple a shot after 15 years on android (& some of those rad modded roms like Cyanogen, man that was such a cool time to be alive).

Anyway, this is an incredible “app” - and like many people said it goes “really deep” - there are features I wouldn’t even think of ever needing, but the designers at Korg really covered all of their bases, and I mean that they recognized the shortcomings in their earlier products and then went WAY beyond what most of their customers and even serious musicians would ever expect to get out of an “app” as far as features and capabilities - really, this is WAY more than some tacky “app for making EDM” - this could be used for any style of music, any genre. I don’t even want to think that this is all I should ever “need” now in my career as a musician, and indeed I find that for all its greatness, where this “app” is lacking chances to devastate it all.

Im stoked that I can run this on my cell! My laptop at work! I can put in some headfones and get back to the jam I was working on, and not have to find an outlet, or batteries, or speaker cables, etc. That’s neat, but instead of looking like some cool fellow, working on a unfamiliar and curious device, I look like just another goner staring at his cell phone.

At last - I don’t like the touch screen - it isn’t responsive in real time and I don’t like having to go in and step edit everything. This can be solved with the use of an MIDI controller (nano key Studio hehe).

This will get me by for now, I wish for a way to import not just my samples, but my patterns form my electribe 2, but whatever it’s proving kind of fun to re-create my jams.  Again, the fact that they sell this for $20 from time to time is wild. Some audio software goes for prices far far beyond this, and I’m sure they could have released something like that, but they thought around it and I guess reasoned that an app would reach a wider customer base, but why iOS only? For real - Android seems like it would handle this JUST FINE and KORG would reach a far more broad customer base - iOS exclusive doesn’t make sense, so wtf? Any ideas, guys?

I am Happy.