Teenage EngineeringEP–133 K.O. II sampler, drum machine and sequencer with built-in microphone and effects

This is a super fun sampler. I love that it comes with a bunch of preloaded one shots so you can start messing around right away even if this is your first sampler. The folks at TE have immaculate taste and most of the sounds are actually worth keeping on the device in my opinion.No build quality issues here; fader is perfectly fine. Either I’m lucky or they’ve made some adjustments.This is really a 4.5, but I’m rounding up to 5 because the current score of 4 overall is too low in my opinion for how fun and inspiring this device is. Here are the nitpicks that I think keep it from being a true 5/5 in my book:1. 64 mb of store space is abysmal for a sampler in the 2020s. I get that TE wants to impose some limitations (like how the OP-1 tape is limited to four tracks) but this is a bit extreme IMO. Even double the space would be a pittance in terms of cost but would make the device easier to use while still having those inspirational limitations.2. No song mode sucks. I wish you could program and save a chain of patterns to arrange a song like you can on the OP-Z — you can even do this on some of the Pocket Operators even though they are 1/3rd of the price!3. No resampling is somewhat limiting. The FX on this device are incredible, but you can’t use more than one per project. Resampling would serve as a workaround to allow layers and combination of effects to be applied to a sample.This is a wonderfully fun sampler/musical sketchbook. I have some nitpicks, but overall I’m shocked at how much you get for the price — the value is there, which is wild considering who made this product. I hope the success of the EP-133 inspires TE to find a way to keep releasing more midrange products — devices that are more robust than the Pocket Operators but much more affordable than the usual stuff. That $300 - $500 range of the EP-133 and OP-Z is the sweet spot in terms of price, and I hope they keep returning to it.

Just received my EP 133 in the mail. It took about a week to deliver to South East US. I'll start by saying this is not my first TE product. I own a few Pocket Operators, an OG OP-1, and a TX-6. One thing you should know about TE, that even though "Engineering" is in their name, their products aren't always 100%, and this usually causes a lot of frustration with people. Including myself. With my OG OP-1, I had to return it 3 times because of keys re-triggering. Overall, it's a design flaw, and not a one-off issue.With the EP-133 I read many reviews stating the fader knob was delicate, and could come defective. Happy to report that is not the case with my unit. It works flawlessly. I've also seen people state putting the knobs on the fader is hard, honestly, it's not, and just be gentle squeezing it in. It's basically a LEGO piece with a star socket. Just don't jam it on there, wiggle it until it slides on. It's also not meant to go all the way in. There is a stopper on the protruding stick where the knob goes. The rest of the knobs are smooth and easy to install.Going to play with it for a bit and maybe update this review. But like all TE products, these are not for everyone. There's a niche, and most of their products require a certain level of organic creativity. Hope those reading this and make the decision to buy aren't burnt with defective units. Just be gentle.

I wanted to point out that before buying the EP 133 (aka KO ii) I had been using a novation circuit groovebox for most of my dawless needs.The KO II is a beautiful device and I love the form factor of it. The velocity buttons feel great, knobs and fader feel nice, and it has been my go to lately for bedroom beat making. Mic is also very good which surprised me. I love being able to record directly into the device and chop up the sample.The quality of the sounds out of the box are pretty damn good. Definitely better than the circuit's. The only thing I think the circuit does better is manipulating sound faster. I just feel like my workflow was always more efficient with the circuit.I like this device. Its not perfect, but it is a lot of fun.

I was scared buying this off Amazon... I really was. However, it's the genuine product!! So, I’m now looking into a OP-1 now.Note to people considering this product: be tech-savvy before you buy it. Although I found it challenging at first, I found it incredibly enjoyable to use. I just, It took a month of playing within it before I could figure it out, haha.

I just got it so I haven’t had too much time with it, but so far this thing is exactly what I was looking for. It is set up so you can make music instantly and easily. I am not in the music industry and have no experience making music with a sampler other than a few attempts at the KO pocket operator. I tried the SP-404mkii but it was way too daunting to figure out for me (and the velocity pads on mine were defective). However, this thing is set up so you can start jamming as soon as your turn it on and it’s simple enough for beginners.As with any teenage engineering product I’ve bought, it can do way more than I expected and I look forward to learning more about it. I have an OP-1 I intend to connect this to once I play around with it more. The TKO ii is more user friendly than the OP-1 in my opinion.I had no issues with the Fader but I babied it while attaching the knobs knowing it was an issue for some. Hopefully they have just corrected it. I sprang for it knowing some reviews were bad and I don’t regret it so far. I’ll update if anything changes.