User Petition for KORG Electribe Software Update

The petition is on Change.org. Details follow:

"The Electribe 2 and Electribe 2 Sampler are digital Music Production Stations that were released in 2014 and were created using Korg’s latest modelling technology, have an effect for every part, polyphony and velocity–sensitive drum pads. The Korg Electribe series is a Digital analog modeling synthesizer that was first produced in 1999.

Through the years, the Electribe series helped define an entire generation of dance music. With the 2014 Electribe 2, fans of the Electribe series were hopeful that the new instrument would live up to the legacy that the predecessors established.

Unfortunately, upon release, some important features were missing and many Electribe 2 owners are disappointed in a lack of functionality and hindered capabilities on the devices. While a few earlier issues had been addressed in previous updates, there still remains a substantial list of problems and improvements to address. Korg has indicated that they are resolved to continue to create innovative and uncompromising instruments which maintain the high quality that inspires professional artists and creators. (Source: Link) We are hoping that viewpoint encompasses these instruments as well. The user community is recommending continued development of the Electribe 2 and Electribe 2 Sampler to help remove the bugs, address the missing features, and improve and complete the instruments.

These are the current issues and problems:
1. Voice Stealing: Unfortunately, even when no fx and no polyphony is activated on the units, just 10-11 tracks can play simultaneously without voice stealing. It doesn’t seem reasonable that muted parts or IFX use CPU power and steal voices when not playing. For instance, when only 4-8 IFX are used in a pattern, the Electribe 2 seems to unnecessarily calculate all 16 IFX.
2. Note cutoff on pattern change: When switching patterns, the notes and effects from the previous pattern stop playing. This causes issues with the live-playing capability that the units were designed for.
3. Knob (filter) improvements: There is a significant amount of "jumping" when trying to adjust the knobs in small increments. This could be improved with improved tracking of the knobs, or greater resolution of the filters, or simply enabling the shift+knob (fine tune) option for filter movements.
4. Re-triggering glitch: There is a noticeable digital click or pop sound at the initiation/beginning of the sound (synths and samples) when re-triggering notes.
5. Song mode is lacking: One of the greatest features of the predecessors (older electribes) was the ability to create entire songs by setting the unit to automatically play patterns in a specific order to build a complete song.
6. Audio and MIDI glitch when saving: When saving a pattern while the instrument is playing, the audio and MIDI clock have noticeable glitches, making it nearly impossible to save a new pattern while playing live.
7. Fix Noise (high pitched noise [~13kHz]) when audio in is enabled, and the hum when power save mode is enabled on the unit with audio in.
These are the current recommended improvements:
8. Pre-listening of samples directly from the SD card.
9. Enable access to the “sample import” menu more direct. A simple way to achieve this would be: long press on a pad + Menu/Enter = direct access to the SD card file tree.
10. The units should have the ability to chain patterns together (for longer patterns than just 4 bars).
11. Revise display screen to display more information: knob values; FX info; ADSR graph; waveform representation on the screen - for quick editing; and the display should show if the current value isn't the original value anymore (like on the EMX/ESX).
12. Add an "undo" feature (possibly by using: shift+exit).
13. Revise the arpeggiator to include Up/down, random, and scales.
14. Improve the step sequencer as the current workflow is clunky and often problematic. Recommended: make the step sequence menu circular so you can left arrow from the on/off screen to the velocity screen and implement a step record function as was present in previous Electribes.
15. Pads should blink in Mute mode.
16. Send CC automation values to MIDI out.
17. Decay and release could be separated. A simple way to implement this would be to use the shift key to edit the release amount.
18. Unit should have synced step jump so it stays in time on release.
19. Add the ability to loop individual bars.
20. Add the option for per part play speed: allow a single part to be played at half speed / quarter speed or other option.
21. For the E2 have the step edit for Oscillator edit just like in the E2S.
22. All Step Jump actions and changes recorded and reflected in the sequencer in NORMAL record mode.
23. Add the ability to set velocity numerically for each part; 1-127.
24. Add the ability in Mute mode to press/hold the Mute button to select tracks/pads and chose record mute on/off.
25. Visual display of scales and chords played on part.
26. Add the ability to be able to enter notes or chords in sequencer mode and the ability to nudge notes.
27. Add the option for MIDI local on/off and/or midi thru and MIDI channel choice per part (should allow part layering).
28. Direct access to editing various modifications/parameters of each step.
29. Add the ability to copy/paste bars/notes around the whole machine.
30. BPM LFO's should be parameterized by musical values.
31. Add the ability for per part MFX send level.
32. Add the ability to be able to assign the X-Y pad to do different modification parameters and save that setting with each Pattern.
33. Add a time stretch function for samples.
34. Key transpose in sequencer mode and make transposing of whole parts easier.
35. Follow the playback position on the pads.
36. Add the ability to save and load different pattern sets (.all files), and associated sample sets, to and from the SD card.
37. Revise the manual to include details about MIDI implementation and the unit’s voice architecture as well as any improvements.
Many Electribe 2 users are extremely pleased with the instrument and find the new Electribes to be incredibly useful and fun music production tools. In addition, most Electribe 2 users also feel that Korg addressing these issues would help these instruments reach their full potential and likely result in a revived interest in the machines and increased sales.
Sign this petition to help make the Electribe 2 and Electribe 2 sampler updates a priority for Korg, Inc. We are requesting that they address the problems with additional updates so we can make the most of these incredible machines."

This one in via a reader who spotted it on the Korg Electribe User Group on the Korg forums.