Korg ElecTribe SX (ESX-1)

Back in 2003, this machine brought vacuum tube warmth to sample-based groove-making, blending analog vibe with digital precision in a way that felt revolutionary for live electronic production.

Housed in a sturdy metal desktop chassis measuring 358 x 256 x 62 mm and weighing 3.1 kg, it packs 16 multitimbral parts—nine drum one-shots and seven melodic slices—drawn from up to 285 seconds of 44.1 kHz mono samples you load via SmartMedia cards or USB. Front-panel knobs and switches mimic analog synth editing for real-time tweaks to pitch, start point, decay, and a versatile filter offering lowpass, highpass, bandpass, or bandpass+ modes, plus VALVE FORCE tube circuitry for subtle overdrive on the audio path. Sequencing shines with 256 patterns (up to 128 steps each), motion sequencing for up to 24 knob automations per pattern, realtime/step recording, arpeggiator with ribbon controller and slider, and song mode chaining up to 64 sequences; tempo syncs via auto BPM detection from the audio input, tap tempo, or MIDI clock. Connectivity includes stereo/dual mono outs, headphone jack, audio in for resampling, and MIDI in/out.

Producers still hunt these down for the hands-on workflow and fat sound—community favorites include the tube grit and deep motion sequencing, though some note the SmartMedia quirk as a vintage hurdle worth the hunt.