I bought the Korg Kaoss about a year ago with genuine excitement. It truly felt like the solution I had been waiting for to be invented for my setup.
As a DJ, my goal was to use its effects creatively and also add instrumental layers to boost the energy in my mixes. In this regard, the Kaoss is excellent.
The touchscreen is intuitive, very responsive (almost perfect), with a very slight delay that actually works well for effects. From a creative and performance perspective, it is a joy to use.
Why I returned it (unfortunately):
I routed my Pioneer FLX10 through the Kaoss in order to use its effects on the master output (the FLX10 does not have a return function). From there, the signal went into a Xone:96. In clubs and event venues, the sound quality dropped noticeably.
I involved professional sound engineers to help find a solution, but despite all possible tweaks and configurations, we couldn’t achieve a clean, powerful result. The moment the signal passed through the Kaoss, the sound lost exactly what you need most in a club: punch and low-end power.
The internal audio interface of the Kaoss significantly reduced output strength. Bass impact and overall energy were clearly diminished. I tried everything because I truly wanted this unit to work, but in the end, following the engineers’ advice, I had to let it go.
This was honestly one of the saddest returns I’ve ever made — returning a product I had dreamed would perfectly fit my workflow.
To be clear: this is an excellent product, but the most important aspect for live performance — sound quality and output strength — made it unusable for my setup. I even hoped the unit was defective so it could be repaired, but it was brand new.
I still genuinely want this product. I don’t even need a newer version — just the same unit with an output stage capable of delivering the full power of the signal passing through it.
So yes… I love the Korg Kaoss, but I cannot use it live, which is exactly why I wanted it.
It’s been a year, and I still find myself looking at it from time to time.
