the Kaoss pad is a cheap digital FX unit / sampler with a very innovative user interface.
the basic principle behind all FX is to warp the sound - reverbs and echoes make the sound appear to be bouncing around a large room, delays cause the sound to echo over and over again, flanges and phasors give music that airplane "whooshing" sound, and filters remove or enhance certain frequencies, much the way you can turn the treble or bass wayyy down or way up.
Fx units come in two flavors - digital or analogue. the analogue kind uses circuits and wires, while the digital kind uses computer chips to mimic the sounds of analogue machines. analogue units have a rougher, more extreme and unique sound while the digital kind have a smoother, cleaner, but less spectacular sound. digital FX are usually much easier to control, and cost a lot less than analogue machines. Kaoss pads, Alesis Air FX, and the Pioneer DJM mixers all use digital FX systems.
so you have 3 choices in front of you:
1. analogue or digital? (discussed above)
2. what kind of control interface?
typically, FX units are controlled by several knobs which select the effect, the parameters of that effect, and the amount of the effect being used. alternatives to the traditional knob interface include the Kaoss finger-touch pad,
the Alesis Air FX, and the Red Sound XS-FX which uses faders & a joystick.
3. how big?
FX units can vary in size from the size of a CD case (
the ART FX-1) to large 19" rackmount units like the Electrix series.
all in all i reccomend you get a simple, small machine that has Delay, Reverb, Flange, and Filter on it. these are the basic FX you hear all the time. it will take you a few weeks or even months to get your head around the principles and implementation of FX, but once you do, it adds a wonderful new dimension to your DJ'ing. also, by keeping it small and simple, you'll be able to take you FX unit to gigs.
peace,
sim*n
