The Korg Kaossilator, the hot new gadget that generates a symphony of sound with a few swipes of the finger, has generated a ton of interest, and not just among musicians, but of people with no prior music composing experience.

In the age of iPod’s, PSP’s and portable computing, the Kaossilator has a real chance of enticing the casual market. Its gadget-like appeal, ease of use, and well thought out features enables anyone to pick one up and explore their creative potential. Who says you need piano lessons and music theory? In just minutes, a novice beat-maker can have something that even Timbaland might try to steal from!

But what if you’re looking for something a bit deeper than what the Kaossilator offers? The relative brevity of the unit’s two-bar looper is a noticeable bottleneck. Some users, I imagine, will eventually wish for a tool that can sequence a full music track, rather than just a 5-second loop. Fortunately, Korg, among other manufacturers, make an exciting class of products known as grooveboxes that do just that. Read the rest of this entry »