KORG comes to the party with their latest product, the KAOSS DJ for Serato DJ Intro. This is the first Korg product to be introduced to the Serato ecosystem and we couldn't be more excited.
Supported plug-and-play in Serato DJ Intro for free and Serato DJ with a paid upgrade.
The Basics
A nicely compact DJ controller, the KORG KAOSS DJ has all the usual mixing controls, in a lightweight and very portable all-in-one unit. Measuring in at 307 mm x 158 mm x 42 mm and 730 grams, it's perfect for tight studios, DJ bags and for travel.
The KAOSS DJ has unique touch sensitive platters, as well as touch control for loops, hot cues and FX in Serato DJ Intro. Transport controls, sync and library scrolling / loading are provided on the controller alongside 3-band EQ, headphone level, headphone balance, channel gain and master level controls.
LED level meters located on the sides of the unit, provide you with great visual feedback while mixing.
KAOSS Pad
What really sets this device apart is the built in KAOSS Pad, giving you an almost limitless supply of FX and sounds to beef up your performances. With 120 different programs, swiping your finger across the touch pad gives you complex control to shape your sound and add interest.
The 120 different FX and oscillators are grouped into the following categories:
Filter (13), Modulation (12), Dynamics (3), LFO (17), Delay (12), Reverb (5), Gain (3), Looper (21), Lead (9), Acoustic (2), Bass (6), Chord (5), Sound Effect (12).
- "FX RELEASE" automatically adds a delay when you take your finger off the touch pad, naturally blending the effect into your sound.
- "HOLD" maintains the effect even after you release your finger.
- "Auto BPM" automatically detects the BPM of the song and synchronises the effect.
- "Scale/Key" settings let you play a synthesiser in the key of your song without any wrong notes.
Full KAOSS FX List
Filter
Low Pass Filter, High Pass Filter, Band Pass Filter, 72dB/oct LPF, Morphing Filter, Vowel Filter, Mid Cut Filter, Isolator, Dist Isolator, Center Cancel, Radio, Telephone, Reverb Filter.
Modulation
Vinyl Break, Break Reverb, Jet, Manual Phaser, Talk Filter, Digi Talk, Decimator, Fuzz Distortion, Bass Distortion, Ring Mod HPF, Pitch Shift HPF, Mid Pitch Shift.
Dynamics
Ducking Comp, LowBoost Comp, Hard Limiter.
LFO
LFO LPF, LFO HPF, Infinite Filter, Jag Filter, Yoi Yoi, Flanger, Flanger Filter, Infinite Flanger, Phaser, Mid Phaser, Step Phaser, Auto Pan, Mid Auto Pan, Slicer, Mid Slicer, LPF Slicer, LPF Slicer, HPF Slicer.
Delay
Delay, One Delay, Ping Pong Delay, Multi Tap Delay, Modulation Delay, Tape Echo, Dub Echo, Feedback Echo, LPF Delay, HPF Delay, Phaser Delay, Flanger Delay.
Reverb
Hall Reverb, Room Reverb, Spring Reverb, Pump Reverb, Freeze Reverb.
Grain Shifter
Grain Shifter, Mid Grain, Mix Grain.
Looper
KP2 Looper, LPF Looper, HPF Looper, High Looper, Iso Looper, Freeze Looper, Phaser Looper, Flanger Looper, Deci Looper, Slice Looper, F/R Looper, KP3 Looper, Backing Looper, Shuttle Looper, RwDelay Looper, OverDub Looper, Break Looper, KP3 RwLooper, Pitch Looper, Weird Looper, Looper & Noise.
Lead
Unison Saw, KP3 Unison Saw, Unison Lead, Pulse Verb, Paz Square, 8bit Square, Ring Flutter, Say Yay Synth, Air Spectrum.
Acoustic
Ray EP, Didgeridoo.
Bass
Slap Bass, Unison Squ Bass, Hoover Bass, Wobble Bass, Fall Bass.
Chord
Pulse Code, Pump Chord, Scale Chord, Sine Chord, Pad Chord.
Sound Effect
Noise Filter, Pump Noise, Bubble SFX, Resonator, Itch Noiz, Ring Mod SFX, Beam Saber, Kaoss Drone, Sync Random, Disco Siren, Rise/Fall, Sweep.
Slap Bass AKA Seinfeld Bass is a personal favorite :)
Hardware Specs
- Audio Inputs: RCA pin jack (L/R) x 2 Microphone (Standard monaural phone jack)
- Audio Outputs: RCA pin jack (L/R) x1 Headphones (Standard stereo phone jack)
- USB: Type B x 1
- Sampling Rate: 24 bit 44.1 kHz/ 48 kHz
- Sampling Frequency: 20 Hz ～ 20 kHz
- S/N Rate: More than 100 dB (USB)
- Power Supply: USB bus power
- Current Consumption: 500 mA or less
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 307 mm x 158 mm x 42 mm / 12.09” x 6.22” x 1.65”
- Weight: 730 g / 1.61 lbs Accessories: USB Cable
In conjunction with the additional KORG 4ch Audio Driver for Windows and the USB-MIDI Driver for Mac, this controller can be used as a great USB audio interface with dual inputs and single output. Another reason this is a great partner for the road.
The KORG KAOSS DJ can also be used as a mixer for line level sources, when connected to the computer via USB and switched to "direct" mode. In this mode, the KAOSS PAD FX and Oscillators can be used in conjunction with the external inputs.
Summary
This controller is great for beginners as an entry level controller to learn the basics of DJing, but is also a great option for professionals, wanting something small to take on the road to try out new mixes, record radio shows and much more. The upgrade path to Serato DJ offers much more in terms of software features and gives you plenty of room to grow as you get better!
Updates to Serato DJ Intro and Serato DJ to support this controller are forthcoming.