The new categories (and particularly that oh-so-trendy Dubstep setting) give a pretty good clue as to the nature of the sonic differences between the new model and its predecessor. Techno/Trance, House/Disco and D'n'B/Breaks have been replaced with Dance, Dubstep and Electronica. Most notably, Rock/Pop has been split into two separate banks, wiping out the Jazz/Fusion category in the process. The left-hand knob, used to select Program Genre, is where the bulk of the updates make themselves obvious. On the keyboard's right-hand patch selection knob, you'll find the same Program Category options as the original XL: Poly Synth, Bass, Lead, Arp/Motion, Pad/Strings, Keyboard/Bell, Sound Effect/Hit and Vocoder/Audio In. The updated presets on the XL+ provide as neat a summary of that appeal as we can imagine. The XL+ follows suit, introducing new, 2013-ready genre-specific presets and sound samples rather than messing too much with the winning formula.Ī large part of the success of the microKorgs is due to the instant gratification they offer. We've seen the Electribes, Kaoss Pads, Kaossilators and Monotrons updated in incremental steps: a few new sounds here, an extra effect there, a slightly smaller model every once in a while. Korg's product development strategy over the past few years seems to have been based around relatively small and regular updates to existing models. "The XL+ introduces 2013-ready genre-specific presets and sound samples, rather than messing too much with the winning formula"
The all-black XL+ which we insisted on for review looks amazing but in practice it's not the most user-friendly combination we've ever come across! For practical reasons, we'd suggest thinking carefully about whether the undeniably cool aesthetics of the murdered-out model really give it the edge over the conventional black and white and (similarly limited edition) black/red alternative. We think the balance is probably about right in this case. That being said, rock-solid build quality doesn't come cheap if you want an affordable synth you're going to have to accept a compromise in one or two areas.
0 kommentar(er)
