Home Tech Korg Drumlogue Review – Is it really a bad drum machine?
Korg Drumlogue Review – Is it really a bad drum machine?
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Korg Drumlogue Review – Is it really a bad drum machine?

Home Tech Korg Drumlogue Review – Is it really a bad drum machine?

Korg has a long history of making drum machines and, in fact, was the first company to release a drum machine back in 1963 with the Donca-Matic DA-20, which used vacuum tube circuits for sounds and a mechanical wheel for rhythm patterns. Korg’s latest drum machine is the Drumlogue. The Korg Drumlogue is a digital/analog hybrid drum machine with kick, snare, low tom, and high tom as analog tracks, six sample-based tracks, and one digital synth. To be honest, one would have expected more from a company that has been making drum machines for over 60 years. Since its launch, Korg has struggled with pricing this unit, as the market for drum machines has become highly competitive. Regardless of how good or bad it is, the Korg Drumlogue has definitely been in the news and gained popularity, and in fact, was the fourth-best-selling piece of electronic gear on Reverb in 2024. We have been playing around with the Drumlogue for just over a month and here’s what we think about it so far.

Build Quality and Interface Overview

Design and Construction

The Drumlogue features an all-black look, which aligns well with the industrial, slightly darker, and underground sounds it produces. The build quality overall is decent, with the main board made of plastic and two wooden side panels. The LED screen is quite clear and convenient to read, though it is small in size. Three knobs each are provided to adjust the bass drum, snare, and toms. There are four endless encoders for modifying the parameters shown on the display screen. Each sound has a dedicated volume knob. A master volume knob is also provided along with a tempo knob. While the knobs for the LED screen and the sounds are nicely done, the volume and BPM knobs were a letdown, especially the BPM knob. It’s incredibly small and tough to set to the desired BPM in one go. Also, the tempo does drift slightly with time, so if you’re planning to integrate it with different gear in your setup, you might want to have it linked with a sync cable.

The buttons are decent but definitely not premium. They have a loud clicking noise as well. Another downside is the text color. If you’re performing in the dark, it might get really tough to read what’s written on the knobs. Operating the Korg Drumlogue is quite menu-driven with plenty of shift functions, but to be honest, it’s really easy and convenient to operate once you get used to it, as the pages up and down for each of the tracks have very similar parameters and are properly labeled as well.

Connectivity

Moving on to the rear panel, it has all the I/O capabilities one would need from a drum machine. You can link it to your PC, MIDI devices, input audio, and in fact send audio through six channels along with a headphone jack.

The drum machine overall is quite compact with a subtle inclination, which is quite thoughtful, especially when it’s meant to be used during live sets. Along with the I/O capabilities, it can work quite well in electronic setups.


Drumlogue Built-in Programs and Sounds

Factory Presets and Patterns

This is definitely an important factor for almost any gear that one purchases or wishes to purchase, as the presets and built-in kits are part of the first impression of the gear. On this end, the Korg Drumlogue shines as well. There are some interesting programs (pre-made patterns) with a wide variety of styles from around 80-150 BPM, ranging from genres like electro, hard techno, UK Garage, and more. While the programs are nicely done, we felt the naming could have been done differently, as you’ll have to hear them to know what style they actually are.

Analog Drum Tracks

Talking about individual sounds, all the sample tracks have folders. The analog tracks (kick, snare, low tom, and high tom) also have the option to add digital transients in addition to the analog audio, so even the analog tracks have more options to play around with. For example, the kick has options such as high kick, low kick, box attack, punch attack, and more. The analog tracks also have various parameters in addition to the three knobs to further shape the tone according to your liking. Though it could be personal preference, we didn’t really enjoy the kick samples, and maybe Korg could have squeezed in a few more options in the miscellaneous samples folder.

Sample-Based Tracks

Moving onto the six sample tracks, there are some interesting samples built-in with an option to add more using a computer/Mac. The library size is only 32 MB, which is definitely one of the biggest drawbacks. If there was an option to add an SD card or a bigger sample space, it would have been quite useful. All the sample tracks except for the rim shot have knobs assigned, which was quite unusual. Also, the rim shot doesn’t have an attack parameter in the menu. We’re not sure why Korg has left this one out.

The best thing is that you’re not limited to the sounds that are on the label, so you can always swap the CH track with samples from a different bank. There are 16 samples each for CH, OH, RS, and CP. In addition to that, there are 64 miscellaneous samples. Another point worth noting is that you can’t play long samples. While you can feed these long samples and edit the start and end positions, the playback won’t allow you to play loops. In terms of the sound quality of these samples, Korg has got this spot on. We really enjoyed the texture of the sounds, and even though the options are limited, they sound really good!

Multi-Engine Synthesis

Moving onto the Multi Engine, which is subdivided into three tracks but you can only play one of them at a time. These are VPM (Variable Phase Modulation), Noise, and User synth engine. VPM is basically an FM synth. Using the four encoders and the parameters shown on the screen, you can play around with the modulators for the FM synth. When the index is turned to 0, it basically turns into a sine wave. You can also play around with the notes and, in fact, automate them. It’s really easy to make interesting FM sounds using a combination of these parameters.

Talking about the noise engine, there are a few different digital noise options to choose from along with some controls for further tone shaping. Using these controls, it’s pretty easy to make different sounds such as hi-hats.

Coming to the User engine, the best part about this is you can make custom synths using Korg’s SDK. The Drumlogue comes bundled with Nano by Sinevibes, which is a 2-oscillator synth. You can select the waveforms, add detune, morph between two oscillators, add envelopes, filters, or add the included delay and reverb effects. While you can only play one-shots using the Korg Drumlogue, you can always connect a MIDI controller to play notes and record them. Overall, we really enjoyed the warmth of the Nano synth. If you already own a Drumlogue, here’s a free synth for drumlouge: LILLIAN.


Workflow and Sequencing

Step Sequencing Features

Being able to program beats quickly is extremely important in any drum machine, and even though the process is quite menu-driven, we found it rather convenient to make beats quickly using the Drumlogue. The most important part is sequencing – you can program up to 64 steps, each divided into groups of 16. You also get options to add ratchets, note-playing probabilities, and more. Using the time button, you can add swing and groove parameters as well. You can also modify the length, so if you want to program polyrhythms, it can be easily done.

Talking about editing the pattern, you can choose step sequencing or accents and add motion to the parameters. Step sequencing is pretty straightforward with some extra options provided when you long-press the sequence buttons. Adding variations can be quickly done and makes the beats sound less mechanical. Using the groove section, you can adjust the global groove or individual parts. Similar to the Step mode, there are options within the accent mode as well. We’ve listed down the parameters you can change when holding a note in the step mode and sequence mode.

Step Mode:

  • Probability
  • Alternate
  • Offset

drumlogue step

Accent Mode:

  • Accent
  • Ratchet
  • Ramp

Motion Sequencing

Moving on to the last Pattern edit option, which is motion sequencing – to be honest, it’s one of the strongest suits of the Drumlogue, except for a few loopholes. You can automate any parameter, including the sample selected, with motion sequencing. You can, in fact, record the automation live as well. As I mentioned, there are a few things that limit it from being a great feature. You can automate only a fixed number of parameters per track. While there are plenty of parameters for each track, you can only automate a fixed number. The second thing is that you can’t see what parameter is being automated, so you’ll have to manually check.

Additional Pattern Features

Using the shift functions, you can utilize some additional options such as ON/OFF (great for A/B testing of automation), clear step, or clear part. Similarly, there are options to edit patterns or master using the shift functions.

Additional features of the Drumlogue include creating chains for multiple patterns and the loop mode, where you can switch between several variations to play your sequence in new ways.


How does Korg Drumlogue compare to other drum machines from Elektron & more?

Well, there are plenty of drum machines in the market, including some of the trending ones like the Elektron Digitakt, Syntakt, or Roland’s TR-8S. The Drumlogue isn’t just limited to being a drum machine, as it provides the Multi Synth Engine, which isn’t usually present in drum machines. Though Roland’s TR-8S does provide similar functionality, it costs a bit more than the Korg Drumlogue. Also, Korg has made its SDK public for the User synth engine, which is something you don’t usually get from developers. Korg did an amazing job with the Volca Drum but failed to recreate the magic with this one.

Taking into consideration all these factors and its attractive price point, it’s definitely something worth considering.


Where to buy Drumlogue?

At the moment, it is retailing at a price point somewhere from $299-$499. You can find it in stores or on digital marketplaces such as Reverb, Guitar Center etc. We highly recommend using the Reverb Price Guide to get a fair idea about the costs when choosing between a new and used model. If you are able to get a unit within 400 bucks, its a great deal!


Final Verdict

Despite all the features that could have been better, there’s no denying that you can make some serious music with nothing but the Drumlogue. The price point does make it a lucrative option, and to be honest, if you’re getting into drum machines and are on a tight budget, this could be a great entry point.

73%

Pros:

  • Easy and intuitive workflow
  • Great quality samples
  • VPM and the onboard Nano synth engine can create some interesting sounds
  • Great connectivity options
  • Automation is quite easy to do.
  • A good mix of analog and digital samples
  • Public SDK for the synth engine, opens up the option for new possibilities
  • Looks premium and has a slight elevation

Cons

  • Limited sample memory, only 32 MB
  • No sustain envelope for sample playback. Sample playback limited to 3-4 seconds
  • Poor BPM knob
  • Motion sequencing is limited
  • The text is quite hard to read, especially in dark surroundings
  • Adding samples is easy but they have to be renamed in a proper way to be recognized
  • Workflow can be too menu-driven for some when playing live.

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