Korg KR mini Rhythm Machine Reviews

The drums are the old school type. It remind of the type of drums used in the Disco dance era.

The original hip-hop explosion in New York was fueled by the availability of cheap drum machines in the used section of music stores and pawn shops. They were fun to play with, mesmerizing, and you could do surprising cool beats with them. (Ironically early Roland machines that one used to be able to buy dirt cheap are now collector's items. I've seen a used TR-808 for $10,000 on ebay.

This little box re-news the fun of the $ beat box in a modern format. Straight out of the box you have a super simple box with some good sounding samples and patterns. This is a lot more fun to practice with than a metronome.
There are 10 genres, that you use a dial to choose from, including "Pop" "Metal" "Rock" Latin" "Dance" and a few others.

Each genre has 6 pre-programed patterns. And for each patter their are two matched "fills". Hit the fill button and the last beat of the pattern is replaced with a typical drummer fancy fill-before-the-one. These play one time when you hit them, and it doesn't require timing. It will play at the end of the current bar. (Beats are 4/4, with 8 blinks per light, so for the classically trained One=And-Two-And-Three-And-FOUR. It is as simple to goof around with as you can imagine.

Is it as functional as a more expensive drum machine. Nope. Is it possibly even more fun? Yes!

PS: It doesn't come with a AC power cord/wall-wart. Do yourself a favor and buy one when you get it. But it does work great on AA batteries, and with some headphones would make a fine companion for a train ride across town.

Love it.It works just right for me as I hardly no any new players and not any drummers.Works for me.

This is a VERY simple to use rhythm machine. Everything is pre-programed and all you need to do is adjust the tempo. An included power supply would be nice, but at least it comes with a set of batteries. Great sounds, especially when running through a pa. Not complex at all but great for jams and exploring ideas on other instruments. Would definitely recommend.

Finally! Can program some of the drum grooves from my favorite Philly International recordings practice, learn the bass lines with a drum track.

Bought 2 foot pedals stop/start works fine but when i connect the foot switch for the fill in it just changes the beat completely
please help
kevin

Extremely easy to use. Portable. Great tool for practicing or song writing. Recommended!

Excellent machine. Very resonabale price easy to use.
Sounds great hooked up to my mini amp too.

I am enjoying my Rhythm Machine and using it compose music in my home studio. Thanks a lot Sweetwater and it was nice doing business with my sales engineer

If you want to add a nice quality drum beat to your music, get the Korg KR mini. Had another name brand machine that cannot even come close to the sound quality. Holds sound as volume is increased. A beat for all types of music.

The KR Mini has a whole set of patterns, genres, and pads but its in a simple to use product. Is it a high-end drum machine? Nope. It's a great little device, simple to use, for under $80.

I use it instead of a metronome and play it through the aux on my Vox Mini5 or my little Vox AP-2 when practicing or improvising.

The speaker is pretty good for the compact size and I have it playing out loud when I use my AC10C1 Vox. Works great.

great once amplified

This rhythm machine is just what I've been looking for. It meets all of my recording needs. I am very satisfied with this purchase.

Very clean and simple. I used this with a practice drum pad. After enduring several strokes, I couldn't even do a drum roll with my right hand. It would just go limp. Within one hour of practicing with this rhythm machine and practice pad, I was able to do tight drum rolls. Also, I could by the end of the day, I could match most of the rhythms well. I was very surprised how much this helped and how quickly I improved. I got this after discussing with my tech Ryan Clapper. Thank you Ryan again.

I have trouble with my timing while playing piano and this little machine is perfect. I have been told that I'm showing a 100% difference in the way I sound. The basic metronomes make me crazy but with this korg I feel like I have a drummer right next to me to keep me on the right rhythm.

Couldn't believe how fast it got here. Then, after I cranked it on, got another surprise. Couldn't believe what this thing can do and how easy it is to operate.

This is one of the coolest pieces of gear I have seen in a long time. I only practice guitar with this rhythm machine now. Exceeded my expectations. Two thumbs up...

Just happened to find it while doing a search for a tempo buddy.
All I can say is WOW....whether used in a quiet practice setting or plugged in via the USB aux to an amplifier this is the ultimate in portable and affordable rhythm machines! My guitar club members were just thrilled to have this addition to our weekly jam sessions. No more playing without a regular tempo and drum effects!

First, let's take a look at what you get for the money. There's nothing in this price range that'll come close. Best 80 bucks you can spend on a new machine. Almost any acoustic player will benefit from this machine that's only a little more expensive than a boring metronome. I won't get into any other aspect of this. If you want high-dollar samples, then go buy high-dollar samples. I gave one to a student/friend (acoustic guitarist) and he loves it! I gave it 5 stars because it's alone in it's class.

First Off, anyone who thinks they are getting something for $75 in this category & are expecting PRO TOOLS HD BOXED SET Quality, you are kidding yourself, & if you are having trouble with the product, read THE INSTUCTION MANUAL! LOL And A lastly it helps to put batteries in it even if you are using it through a different power source whether it's via phantom powered or ac adapter etc, bc this just helps enusre you have some sort of way of power for the machine & that it also helps it remember most of you customizing fills & stuff you've done on the go and with computer workstation for another example. Now is this product Flawless, NO, But is it better than what else is available on the market these days for any guitarist, musician, and anyone else whose entering the world of grove production as well as drum machines for the money? The Answer is YES!!! It's way better than any crappy zoom or or older Digitech guitar pedals that have very bland drum beats & patterns built in them to play with! THIS IS ALSO A GUITARISTS' DREAM & IDEAL Piece of Equipment that you can take on the Go and get Back that New inspiration to play & make or write new music to or with! The Out option is also nice bc if you have a loud amp you can plug it in to a Monitor or PA or your computer workstation for instance, or just use for practicing with out an amplifier late at night or on the go with the Battery powered option with it's built in speakers & actually for 2w speakers, it gets Much louder than one would typically expect for a typical 2watt speaker. Also my band's Drummer & I also love this thing for creating stuff in pro-tools & all other major audio engineering programs that are out there today for musicians to use bc we can make Both Experimental Stuff AS WELL AS actual NEW Backtracks of drums & rhythms to new songs we just created on the fly, & I can take home both a hard copy of the track on cd or a compressed mp3 or mp4 Itunes file on my ipod to plug in to my PA to practice with when my Drummer isn't around. IT IS also cool bc my drummer can save the new rythmns, beats, &fills he just made also on the Korg KR mini itself & also just use that if your on a tight budget & still practice guitar with to your new tracks. I highly recommend for any Guitarist & musician on A tight Budget to have a NICE Clean sounding (one of best to date sounding drum patterns & fills that beats all of Zooms G2-present drum tracks & as well as All of digitechs older way out of date sounding RP series pedals drum tracks too that aren't very real sounding untill you spend bank on a mediocre RP with ipad or ios device compatibility (that still requires you to spend A LOT more $ on additional add on packs & apps)! If you have a big Studio budget, then obviously you can get a $1,000+ rhythm /drum machine or very new high tech groove production item or items that will give you what a STUDIO WOULD TUPICALLY HAVE, but for those who travel a lot & those on a Tight Budget, Spend the $ on this MINI KR & you won't be disappointed at all! Just DON'T expect to get a (MSRP $1,000+ type of product by Raising the bar too high that Realistically speaking, you know that can never be met)! Give this little guy a chance! & besides You get a Free 2 year Warranty on it, so if something is not right, Sweetwater will have your back & help you make it right bc they are Real people not just typicall other companies that are just like SELL SELL SELL!). 4.9 - 5/ 5 Stars!!! Best on the market for the $ IMO!

For a first drum machine it's perfect. Small, easy to use. A great too to have.

I appreciated it more when I heard back the recording! it actually had good reverb sounds on snare, and punchy drums.

Great to practice with if you're working on improvising a hook or something

Historically I have found even the so-called simple drum machines to be a buzz kill. This thing is like the percussion segment of an old (but fancy) Casio keyboard. No nonsense about 16-bit or 32-bit processing. i don't need to make a hit pop music record here, I just need a handy, navigable, selection of drum beats to help with song-writing so I can show my bandmates roughly how the song should sound. This unit works on batteries and has its own speaker. Fantastic.

I found this machine to be very easy to program , everything you need is right there to get you started . This machine has many rhythm patterns and it's easy to change tempo on each one . For the money this little drummer is well worth it . I would say give it try , great for beginners and on up to home studio work .

SERVICE WAS FAST, EFFICIENT, AND THE PRODUCT WAS VERY USEABLE AND PROVIDED NEEDED DRUM BEATS AND FILLS WITH A MUCH NEEDED SIZE. THANKS SWEETWATER. LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS.

It is working like a charm for my husband he wanted to be able to play and increase his speed on the banjo and this is just the thing to keep him in time while enabling him to increase his speed and accuracy at the same time.

I can't say much for the built in speaker. Sound like beating a can with a wooden stick. But hook it up to a amp and the sound is very good. It greatly improved my timing while playing. It is good for practice and not to bad for recording. If your looking for pro quality keep looking, otherwise I would recommend it for anyone on a low budget.

Built in patterns are good, how ever I had a fun (LOL) time under standing the instructions for recording my own patterns without a base pattern as I wanted to record 3/4 count (waltz) patterns. I finely got it right.. The built in speaker sounds like hitting a small can with a stick, but connected to amp the patterns sound great.
If your on a limited budget I would recommend this drum machine.

Good. I use for practice with my guitar.

This is very good for what it does. I think of it like a top shelf metronome. I bought it so I could use it upstairs with my Martin and just wanted to practice my timing and basic lines. The build it speaker is more than good enough.

I've been dreaming that someone would make something like this for years. I don't like practicing to the monotonous click of a metronome. I always wanted a simple little drum machine with a speaker and battery power that I can move around with me. I can sit and "jam" in front of the tv, or in the back yard, or at the kitchen table. I can take it to band practice and use it to help illustrate a new tune to the fella's. If you are looking for a full feature drum machine with bells and whistles, that's not what this is, this is an awesome little tool for keeping up your timing while you practice, or write tunes, and have a little fun doing it. Inspirational tool, kudos to Korg. Well done.

I am not a drummer. This machine helps me keep time and offers many options including Korg patches (they were never great) and the ability to create and save one's own patches... really sweet.... I like a lot of the sounds but not all. Sounds much better when connected to my amplifier.... great little machine.....

Steve from Maine

So far,so good. I'm still learning on it

I really like the Korg KR Mini and anyone that describes this as a "toy" is not doing it justice. There are a lot of useful things it can do, however the issue is, for an old musician like me at least, the instructions that come with it are so confusing, if I hadn't gotten help from my technologically advanced teenagers I'd be lost. All I wanted it for was to do different drum patterns while I practiced my Bass guitar. It will do that and a whole lot more once you figure things out. I really wish Korg would take the time to do some tutorials on YouTube on this for beginners, I think it would sale more product for them and it would be very customer friendly for us. Sweetwater folks are great and this is at a great price point, IT JUST NEEDS BETTER INSTRUCTIONS KORG!

A great little starter drum maching for anyone wanting some rythms rather than just some old metronone helping you keep time. Get a couple of cheap foot switches and have some fun. A little bit of self-noise, but one can hardly complain about this for $ and it will be used mostly at home.

Until you can ante up for either of the Alesis machines the SR 16 or 18, this is the ticket, especially for younger musicians just getting started.

Highly recommended.

We use it to fill in at practice when our drummer can't be there. Keeps a steady beat but the little guy has no soul :)

This little drum machine does a fine job. Wish you could tell the actual beat count but other than that it's a very good device. The little speaker makes it sound shallow but hook it up to an amp or other device with real speakers and sounds very good.

Surprised by how good it sounded

I just got mine today and it is beyond hopes. Incredibly easy to use, this is essentially the drum machine and metronome that I've always wanted. The drum sounds are what you would expect for the price but for practicing around the house or jammin with friends its a great option if you don't have a drummer handy.

This is a great little drum machine for it's intended user, student, rehearsing musician, hobbyist recorder. What I would LOVE to see is a small pro box like this with more user memory. A little Pro unit designed for LIVE use. I have to say that 70 to 80% of the patches in the KR are WAY TOO BUSY for any practical use .....It's so easy to get carried away and OVER PROGRAM a drum machine. (Trust me I have DM experience since the 1980's) I suppose they burnt them in because they thought that Bump-a-chicka...Bump-a-chicka would not sell units.
BUT What you need is Basic Rhythm - there but not there.... a groove that you can play off of.
I love the size, love the mobility, the built in speakers... the sounds are really pretty good considering the price and the controls are simple. GREAT! Gradation in BPM for the tempo knob is essential but missing. Come on Korg, make a little Pro Drummer for $200 with a few more features that acts can jam live with WITHOUT having to go All Karaoke like everyone seems to be doing, and (soapbox now) I'm sorry but one guy standing there with the ENTIRE Track playing is Karaoke... NOT a Professional Musical Act.

Great little machine for the price I use it for practicing Guitar. Makes it much more fun. As others have said would be nice if the added a number on the dial for beats per minute or at least just reference numbers of some kind.

This is great as a metronome replacement and it's loud enough to hear over an acoustic guitar. I was looking for something to keep time without having to turn on the computer, etc... I just need something simple for when I only have a few minutes to spare. Check!

The 2 complaints I have about it are: there is no LCD for tempo - all it has is a dial with no indicator - except feel, to what BPM it's at. And second: the manual is nearly useless. Unfortunately it's not that intuitive - you have to spend time playing around with it if you want to go beyond the pattern playback. For me, if I am going to spend time setting up a song etc..., I am going to do it on my DAW. Maybe once I have spent enough time to know how to do that easily, I will like it better.

It's a good value for the money, but it could be a lot better with a few enhancements.

Yeah, my Korg KR mini Rhythm Machine did the trick for my weekend acoustic gig. I ran it directly into the PA System/Sound Board. Sometimes when it's a small show that doesn't budget for your real drummer, this kinda thing can substitute pretty good; especially when you get there and people expect to dance. Although, I haven't had the chance to mess with the programming part of it yet, I still was able to press a button and turn a few knobs and BAM... that Latin beat made my crowd dance ! It was like White Stripes... Just me on Guitar & my Korg Drummer. Hahaha. I'll probably use it again for future gigs; but we all know that a human drummer is irreplaceable.

Very cool and easily operated device for the price.

I like it.

The Korg KR Mini Rhythm Machine is not bad for the price. Pros: Built in speaker; ability to plug into an amplifier; portability. Cons: No waltz rhythms for us old timers; tempo knob very sensitive to changes; no markings or indentations for the tempo knob. All in all, there are more different drum beats and rhythms than I would use in playing but knowing its available is nice to have.

It has no 3/4 time presets. You can record and save a 3/4 time preset, but it does not have quantitize, so you have to tap it in perfectly. All it has for tempo is a knob with no markings, no readout to tell you the tempo. It does a decent job for what it does. The internal speakers are louder than I would have expected, you can hear them over an unplugged acoustic guitar. I sing unplugged with acoustic guitar in nursing homes and it will suffice to give me a steady rhythm to follow. It is a very decent practice tool.

Liked the sound ( very good amplified ) but instruction manual very poor. NO instructions on how to create a whole song and save it !!

I thought this Korg KR-Mini rhythm machine was just what I have been searching for, for a long time. It kind of is, but it falls short of what it could have been. I know they say this is a practice machine, but why can't someone make a simple usable drum machine for a solo performer? I don't want to copy and paste and all that stuff. I just want a usable drum machine. I like that it is push-button, and potentiometer operated, but it should have a dial to PRE-SET a bpm so you can set it for a song, and go. It should also have a PHONE plug output jack, so you can use a regular guitar cable to plug into an amp instead of a 1/8" that you have to go out and buy an oddball cable to make it work. Also, what happened to the WALTZ beat? Don't these guys think that exists anymore? So, it is what they say it is. A PRACTICE machine.

Bought this to use with an acoustic group - bass, guitars, mandolin. The sounds are OK for the price but the patterns are not that great. The pattern programming is not intuitive but it can be done with some practice.

My main complaint it the lack of a count-in. Pressing the START just starts the pattern playing making it useless for live performance and really not that useful for recording. It may be possible to get the count-in but I have not found it after several frustrating hours playing with it, reading and re-reading the meager users guide.

If you just want a cheap drum box with OK sounds, then this works. Anything more, don't waste your money.

This thing has easily got the worlds worst owner's manual imaginable!Very tiny print,very vague and switches from five or more languages on both sides of the folded "manual".I can't figure out how to make my own patterns with this.Very poor sound quality for live use.I wanted it as a practice tool,so that wasn't a big deal.The only practice I got out of this thing was seeing how much self control I have to keep from throwing it into a wall.Don't wast your time on this thing.

I'll keep it , cause it was a Demo. It keeps the beat that you set it at.
Poor sound quality . It sounds like someone beating on some pots
and pans. "Sorry" But it is what it is .

can not figure out how to set rhythms - poor quality sound of horrible one beat that it made - not suitable for anyone with ears