Korg announces the Mini Kaoss Pad 2 Dynamic Effect Processor. It offers a familiar Kaoss interface and real-time fingertip effects, packaged in a compact body with battery operation for shirt pocket portability. The new Mini Kaoss Pad 2 is ideal for DJ club performances and for use with a variety of musical instruments, home studio applications and portable audio players.
Following in the footsteps of the Kaoss Pad KP3 and Kaoss Pad Quad, the Mini Kaoss Pad 2 is played by sliding or tapping a finger on the X-Y touchpad. These finger motions allow multiple effect parameters to be easily controlled at the same time.
The Mini Kaoss Pad 2 offers a sleek new design with ergonomic styling, a high-visibility organic electroluminescent (OEL) display, a built-in microphone, an 1/8″ stereo input to accommodate nearly any audio source, an internal speaker, battery power and a number of advancements over the original MiniKP. These enhancements include an MP3 player, FX Release, and microSD storage capabilities.
The Mini Kaoss Pad 2 contains 100 diverse, ready-to-use effects. These include standard effects such as Flanger, Filter, Delay, and Reverb; multiple effect programs; cutting edge effects; as well as three new DJ-style effects borrowed from the Kaoss Pad Quad: the powerful Looper, Vinyl Break, and Ducking Compressor.
For live performance, the Mini Kaoss Pad 2 provides three Program Memories for instant recall of any favorite effects. The Hold function freezes the effect parameters at their current location on the touchpad for hands-free operation. Auto BPM detection syncs tempo-based effects to the tempo of the song, so that everything continues to move in sync for a professional performance. The FX Release automatically adds a delay effect when all fingers leave the touchpad, so that the effect blends smoothly into the song or performance, avoiding abrupt effect dropouts.
The Mini Kaoss Pad 2 also provides an MP3 player that can play back audio data from a microSD card. Songs can be saved on the card, and real time effects can be applied to the song as it plays. The playback speed of the internal MP3 player can be varied using the Value slider. The Mini Kaoss Pad 2 also allows the setting of a cue point specifying where in the song playback will start. In addition, the Value slider can be used as a fader to adjust the volume balance between the external audio input and the MP3 player, allowing the Mini Kaoss Pad 2 to be used as a DJ player or a simple mixer. Also for DJ use, the Mini Kaoss Pad 2’s built-in mic can be used as a “shout” mic during a DJ performance to further energize the crowd; effects can be applied to this mic sound.
The audio output (1/8” stereo) can double as a headphone output. The energy-efficient design allows the Mini Kaoss Pad 2 to operate everywhere on just two AA batteries. Six audio examples are stored in memory for demo use.
Mini Kaoss Pad 2 Dynamic Effect Processor and MP3 Player will costs $220.00 and will be availible in May 2012