Korg ElecTribe MX (EMX-1)

Back in 2003, this machine dropped vacuum tubes into a groovebox, blending digital firepower with that elusive analog glow few others dared to try.

It packs Korg's MMT synthesis engine with 16 oscillator algorithms—from analog modeling and subtractive to additive, PCM drums, chord oscillators for instant harmonies, and unison stacks for massive leads—driving 9 drum parts, 5 synth parts, and accents across 16 polyphonic voices. Hands-on control shines through a ribbon controller for expressive sweeps, real-time knobs including tube gain for warming the stereo Valve Force circuit with real 12AX7 tubes, and a backlit LCD for navigating patterns, motion sequencing on up to 24 parameters per pattern, and a beefy arpeggiator. The sturdy metal chassis houses assignable filters (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, BPF+ with drive), one LFO per part, EG modulation, and three chainable stereo FX from 16 types, plus audio input for mangling external signals. MIDI in/out/thru and SmartMedia card slots (up to 128MB) keep sequencing 256 patterns flowing, with real-time or step recording via the velocity-sensitive pads doubling as a keyboard.

Over two decades on, players still dig its fat, tweakable tones and live performance tricks like auto BPM sync from audio or tap tempo, though some note the mono input limits and dated card storage as quirks of its era.