When Korg released the ElecTribe M in 2001, they pulled off something clever: combining the drum machine DNA of the ER-1 with the synth capabilities of the EA-1 into a single, compact box that actually fit on a DJ booth or studio desk. It became a staple for electronic musicians and producers who wanted immediate gratification without menu diving.
The EM-1 packs a 10-voice digital engine split between drums and synth. You get 144 drum sounds drawn from PCM samples, assignable across eight drum parts with mute groups for live control, plus two synth parts built from 50 waveforms with full envelope, filtering, and modulation editing. The filter is a straightforward 12dB/oct lowpass with cutoff and resonance, nothing fancy but effective for sculpting movement. Sequencing happens on 16 velocity-sensitive pads that represent 16th notes, letting you build patterns up to 64 steps long and store 256 of them plus 16 songs in memory. Effects include a master tempo delay and your choice of 11 insert effects like reverb, distortion, ring modulation, and pitch shifting. The Motion Sequencer records knob movements in real time, letting you automate filter sweeps and effect changes directly into your patterns. MIDI in, out, and thru give you full integration with external gear.
The EM-1 earned respect in the community for its immediacy and workflow. Producers and DJs appreciated how quickly you could sketch ideas and perform live without getting lost in submenus. The main criticism that stuck around was the two-voice synth limit, which felt thin for complex melodic work, though the drum engine more than compensated for that in dance and electronic contexts. The compact aluminum chassis weighs just 1.25kg and measures roughly 300 x 223mm, making it genuinely portable. It's been discontinued for years, but the EM-1 remains sought after by people who value hands-on control and that particular Korg sound character.
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