After a decade of anticipation, Korg has finally unveiled the much-awaited update to its iconic Kaoss Pad series. The new Kaoss Pad V marks the first major update since the KP3+ debuted back in 2013. While it doesn’t completely reinvent the wheel, the Kaoss Pad V stays true to the essence of the series, offering a powerful effects unit equipped with an intuitive X/Y pad designed for seamless live performances.

One of the standout features of the Kaoss Pad V is its ability to recognize two fingers on the pad simultaneously. This means users can manipulate two different sets of parameters or even toggle between two separate effects at once. Furthermore, a dedicated voice effects engine introduces exciting capabilities like vocoding and harmonizing. Even more impressively, the device can convert vocal input to MIDI, allowing musicians to trigger drum machines through beatboxing or control synthesizers with a simple hum.

The enhancements don’t stop there. Korg has upgraded the sampling and looping functions, enabling users to record up to eight bars, overdub, and creatively chop and rearrange loops. These features are further amplified by the addition of a balanced input, providing cleaner audio capture from microphones, synthesizers, and other instruments. However, the unit maintains unbalanced RCA inputs and outputs at the rear, a choice that caters more to DJs rather than studio professionals.

Despite these advancements, one aspect that hasn’t changed in over a decade is the price. Launched at $349.99 in 2013, the KP3+ would cost roughly $493 today, adjusting for inflation. Yet, the new Kaoss Pad V is available for preorder at a steep $649.99, reflecting the cost of innovation in the ever-evolving world of music technology.