Back in 1987, this little drum machine arrived as Korg's clever budget take on their flagship DDD-1, packing two interchangeable front panels that let you flip between preset rhythms and full programming mode—like having dual personalities in one portable box.
At its heart, it's a PCM-based digital drumbox with 29 12-bit samples across 12 polyphonic voices, including three bass drums, three snares with gated reverb vibes, toms, Latin percussion, and even a sampled bass guitar snap. You get hands-on control via seven velocity-sensitive touch pads, 32 buttons, two sliders, and a 16x2 LCD for tweaking pitch, decay, pan, and level on every hit. The built-in sequencer holds 4458 notes across eight tracks, with 24 preset patterns (straight and Latin styles), editable combinations for song-like structures, flam/roll buttons, tap tempo, and footswitch jacks for live fills or start/stop—plus MIDI In/Out, tape sync, card slots for sound expansions, stereo out, and headphones, all in a featherweight 1.5kg frame powered by a simple DC9V adapter.
Vintage enthusiasts dig its authentic 80s punch and surprising tweakability for weird percussive twists, though some note the dated 12-bit grit lacks modern crispness, and no individual outs keeps it firmly in home studio territory. It's a charming time capsule that still sparks ideas in lo-fi beats or retro setups.
