The Teenage Engineering EP-133 KO II is a sampler-sequencer with 64 MB of memory and 999 sample slots. It’s a large, portable device that’s similar to an Akai standalone machine.
The KO II is more capable than a Pocket Operator for making music. It has some orange buttons and knobs to make them easier to find while live-DJing.
Here are some insights from reviews:
Pros
- Buttons and knobs are orange, making them easier to find in the dark
- Clicky, velocity sensitive keys
- Rectangular LED screen
- Built-in microphone
- USB type C
- Affordable price
Cons
- Not a flagship sampler
- Some say it’s not an SP-404
The EP-133 KO II has the following features:
- 64MB of memory
- 999 sample slots
- 6 stereo or 12 mono voices
- Built-in microphone
- USB type C
- Built-in send effects
- Master compressor
- Drag and drop samples
- Clip-based workflow
- Rectangular LED screen
The EP-133 K.O. II offers six stereo voices (12 mono), 64 meg of memory six master FX and 12 punch-in FX, controlled by a matrix of pressure-sensitive keys (with polyphonic aftertouch) and one fader. It samples at 46 kHz in 16 bit. Connections include a stereo in and out, sync in and out and MIDI over USB-C.
All controls can be automated and recorded. Songs of up to 80,000 notes can be composed. You can also run it on four AAA batteries and it’s only 16mm thick, so it’s highly portable. Right now, it also comes in a 10″ collectors’ box.
Teenage Engineering has produced around a dozen versions of the Pocket Operator, including drum machines, synths and samplers. The first arrived in 2015 as a collaboration with the now-defunct clothing line Cheap Monday. The first Pocket Operator that could sample audio was called the PO-33 K.O!, so the name of this new instrument is a nod to that.
This may indicate that Teenage Engineering is planning to release a range of instruments in this new, larger format. Teenage Engineering confirmed that the “EP” in the name of this new device stands for “Extended Play,” which could be the name of a forthcoming range of instruments.
