Korg have announced that their latest drum machine, the Drumlogue, is now available. Featuring both analogue and digital circuitry, a powerful on-board sequencer, built-in effects, and intuitive controls, the hybrid instrument is packed with features that Korg say make it a must-have device for any music maker’s setup.
Sounds & Control
The analogue circuitry featured in the Drumlogue is completely new, and has been developed by Junichi Ikeuchi, a Korg engineer who has previously worked on classic instruments such as the ARP 2600 M, MS-20 Mini, and ARP Odyssey. These new circuits provide the instrument’s bass drum, snare, and tom sounds, and promise to deliver parts laden with rich harmonic content.
Seven digital parts are also present, six of which are sample-based and are capable of playing either pre-loaded or user-imported PCM samples. The seventh part utilises an enhanced version of the Multi Engine from Korg’s Minilogue XD, allowing the Drumlogue to play fully-fledged synth voices in addition to its drum sounds.
Korg have also collaborated with plug-in developer Sinevibes, creating a new synth plug-in called Nano. This plug-in, which is exclusive to Drumlogue, uses the Multi Engine to deliver a virtual analogue synth equipped with dual oscillators, ring modulation, a four-pole state-variable filter, along with built-in envelope generator and LFO functionality.
The company say that instrument has been designed with simplicity and accessibility in mind. Dedicated knobs for the most important parameters are all available on the front panel, such as shaping and tuning controls for the main drum sounds, as well as volume pots for each individual sound. Further hands-on control is then offered by an OLED screen paired with a set of four rotary encoders.
Sequencer & Effects
A powerful 64-step sequencer provides an intuitive way to create complex patterns and polyrhythms by offering functions such as probability, micro offsets, groove patterns, and much more, all on a per-step basis, with sequences visualised thanks to the OLED display. Long and interesting patterns can be created quickly and easily using a Chain Mode, whilst a Loop Mode enables users to switch between different variations of their patterns to create new sequences.
A range of built-in effects are also provided, with separate Delay, Reverb, and Master effects sections available for simultaneous use. Send levels to the Delay and Reverb sections can be set independently, with multiple return points available, and the Master effects section can be bypassed on a per-part basis, allowing it to be used to process specific sounds.
Connectivity
A generous selection of I/O is provided, with the Drumlogue boasting four individual outputs (that can have any part assigned to them) in addition to its main stereo output, along with an audio input that allows external instruments to be processed with the on-board effects. MIDI I/O is provided on traditional five-pin DIN connectors as well to and from a host computer via a USB-B connector, and a USB-A port allows class-compliant USB MIDI devices to be directly connected. Using this functionality, devices such as Korg’s nanoKONTROL 2 and nanoPAD 2 can be used to control the Drumlogues volume levels or trigger its drum sounds.
The Drumlogue's rear panel houses all of the instrument's audio and MIDI I/O, and offers four independent audio outputs in addition to the main stereo output.
Pricing & Availability
The Drumlogue is available now in the UK and Ireland, priced at £529 including VAT. Worldwide availability is yet to be announced.
