kaossilator 2S

A handheld synthesizer that takes touchpad improvisation into an Ableton Live editing workflow. Tadahiko Sakamaki handled product management and product planning for kaossilator 2S.

Announced at NAMM in January 2015, kaossilator 2S connects spontaneous performance with further production on a computer. Horizontal gestures control pitch, while vertical movement changes the sound. Its 150 programs, 35 scales and 50 gate-arpeggiator patterns offer starting points for melodies, bass lines and beats.

A loop recorder captures successive overdubs, with undo and redo allowing a performance to be revised as it develops. The built-in microphone and microphone input can bring voices and other instruments into the same loop. Listening back becomes part of deciding what to play next.

Recorded loops can be exported as individual audio tracks, a mixed recording or an Ableton Live set. The Live set opens with the loops arranged on separate tracks, ready for editing and arranging. Material preserves the individual recordings; 2Mix combines the performance into a single audio file.

The unit measures 76 × 128 × 25 mm, runs on two AA batteries and includes a speaker. It stores recordings on microSD or microSDHC cards and shipped with Ableton Live Lite. An idea tried away from the desk can become material for a composition rather than remaining an isolated sketch.