Disappointed with the PO33 KO

Mainly for one reason that I didn’t pick up in any videos and there is no official documentation from TE yet about it, and it absolutely would have stopped me buying it: the drum kits of the KO are MONOPHONIC. What does this mean? For anyone that has created a drum kit (or even used the defaults) you CANNOT finger drum effectively with it, as any two sounds playing simultaneously will result in one being cut off. So, for example, if you wanted to do a classic 4 on the floor with snares on the 2 and 4, this will not work within one drum kit - the snares stop the kicks from playing. You need to use a second drum kit for the snare. Then you would need a 3rd kit for if you want hats playing simultaneously with the kick and snare. So the only way you can play “full” drum kits is by programming them in.


For some, this won’t be any issue, and for everything else the KO is super fun and cheap etc. BUT. For me at least, it severely limits it’s live potential, as I can’t just bash in a beat while holding write down (like I can with the PO12). Gotta be honest, I’m super disappointed. The new fx as well are a let down for me - there are 9 different variations of a “stutter” kind of effect (two are “scratch”, but achieve a similar effect). When compared to the PO12, there’s no distortion, delay, lofi, the weird vibrato thing. Much more one-trick-several-ways. I’d prefer more tricks TBH.

Anyways, just thought people should know that it’s not all peaches and cream!
Mainly for one reason that I didn't pick up in any videos and there is no official documentation from TE yet about it, and it absolutely would have stopped me buying it: the drum kits of the KO are MONOPHONIC. What does this mean? For anyone that has created a drum kit (or even used the defaults) you CANNOT finger drum effectively with it, as any two sounds playing simultaneously will result in one being cut off. So, for example, if you wanted to do a classic 4 on the floor with snares on the 2 and 4, this will not work within one drum kit - the snares stop the kicks from playing. You need to use a second drum kit for the snare. Then you would need a 3rd kit for if you want hats playing simultaneously with the kick and snare. So the only way you can play "full" drum kits is by programming them in.

For some, this won't be any issue, and for everything else the KO is super fun and cheap etc. BUT. For me at least, it severely limits it's live potential, as I can't just bash in a beat while holding write down (like I can with the PO12). Gotta be honest, I'm super disappointed. The new fx as well are a let down for me - there are 9 different variations of a "stutter" kind of effect (two are "scratch", but achieve a similar effect). When compared to the PO12, there's no distortion, delay, lofi, the weird vibrato thing. Much more one-trick-several-ways. I'd prefer more tricks TBH.

Anyways, just thought people should know that it's not all peaches and cream!

Thanks for letting us all know, this IS a big limitation.


I just had a thought, although it’s certainly a workaround as opposed to a feature, and you prolly already thought of it, but if you sample ccombo hits, then you can keep a bigger beat in one kit… ie. have a kick trig, a kick + snare trig, kick + hat trig, kick + hat + snare trig… But defs a pretty massive PITA…

I understand that the whole idea of the Pocket Operators line is to develop a kit of cheap and powerful instruments that complements each other and are designed to work together.

With that in mind, I see the K.O as a sampler sequencer, not a sampling-based drum machine - for my drum needs, I have the Rhytm and the Tonic, and for percussive textures I got the Office. A four channel polyphony seems compatible to me with the more lofi samplers around (the amazing Microgranny 2 for example is monophonic!).

In other words, the live potential of the K.O is unveiled when you combine it with other Pocket Operators - indeed, the same logic is applicable to the other POs, as you got drums restricted to one channel on the more melodic ones (or, on the opposite, you can do melodic stuff with pitch changing p-locks on the Tonic or Rhytm, but in a more primitive/restricted way).

i could see this as a potential feature. mute group!

i could see this as a potential feature. mute group!
+1 on this and/or a solo feature would be sweeet! I dig how solo works on PO-32 tonic, holding sound button + 1-16 solos the channel.