Back in 1984, this pocket-sized powerhouse brought PCM-sampled drum sounds to the masses, marking one of Korg's first affordable digital drum machines and a game-changer for bedroom producers chasing that early electronic vibe.
Barely bigger than a box of chocolates at 226 x 196 x 49 mm and just 880 grams, it runs on six AA batteries for true portability or the included mains adapter, with memory backed up even when powered off. Nine distinct 8-bit PCM sounds—bass drum, snare, rimshot, hi/lo toms, closed hi-hat, cymbal, and claps—pan across stereo outputs, controlled via five dials for master volume, hi-hat/cymbal balance, metronome, coarse tempo, and fine tempo tweak. The front panel packs 15 buttons including dedicated pads for each sound plus accent for dynamics, a record switch, shift/delete, start/stop, and mode selectors for its 32 patterns (16 up to 32 steps, 16 up to 16) and six songs totaling 390 bars, all editable in step or real time with quantization to 16ths, triplets, or 32nds. Side jacks include stereo 1/4" line outs, headphone, trig out for handclap-synced pulses (like arpeggiator triggers), DIN sync, clock out, and tape in/out for data dumps.
Owners cherish its lo-fi charm for retro 80s beats and practice jams, syncing neatly with vintage gear via DIN, though the thin sounds and lack of individual levels or MIDI keep it firmly in the nostalgic camp—perfect if you dig unpolished grit over polished perfection.
