We only recommend products that we use and believe in. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Building on the iconic KAOSS approach, the new unit arrives as a powerful real-time sound manipulation tool for vocalists, instrumentalists, producers, and performers delivering an advanced dual-touch control surface with expanded effects and sampling on stage, in the studio, and in streaming environments today by reacting instantly to gestures, shaping sound through intuitive touch interaction, and integrating seamlessly into contemporary setups.
The KAOSS PAD V centers on a redesigned touch interface capable of responding to two simultaneous gestures, allowing users to control paired parameters at once and create evolving textures, layered movement, and dynamic transitions in real time. Filter and delay, pitch and reverb, modulation and feedback, and many other combinations become fluid, tactile musical expressions rather than static settings, helping performances feel more alive and interactive.
Connectivity and integration play a key role in this new generation. KAOSS PAD V supports MIC, LINE, and USB inputs simultaneously, enabling vocals, instruments, and computer audio to blend into a unified performance system. A balanced microphone preamp ensures clean vocal input, while a dedicated high-impedance input allows electric guitars and basses to connect directly without added hardware. An integrated USB audio interface streamlines recording, processing, and streaming, making it equally suited to DAW workflows, livestream setups, and headphone monitoring. A newly designed power circuit and refined audio path support low-noise, stable operation whether used in performance venues, studios, or creative spaces anywhere music is made.
Vocal creativity takes a significant step forward with the new Voice FX engine, providing harmonies, vocoder-style layers, pitch-morphed tonal shaping, and expressive textures applied in real time. The platform even allows users to control external MIDI equipment with their voice, opening distinctive performance possibilities that extend beyond traditional effects processing.
Guitarists and bassists also gain a powerful new performance partner. With direct connection via the dedicated high-impedance input, KAOSS PAD V offers fingertip-controlled ambient swells, rhythmic modulation, time-based glitch elements, atmospheric reverbs, and other expressive textures, all shaped by movement across the pad rather than menu navigation or fixed parameter adjustment.
Sampling and looping are built directly into the creative workflow. Users can capture up to eight bars depending on tempo, overdub layers as they perform, keep precise loop positioning during playback, and keep performances rhythmically grounded through BPM-synced Step Hold operation. Multiple playback and slicing options support creative rearrangement, making KAOSS PAD V a capable tool for remixing, live improvisation, and evolving pattern creation.
Honoring its lineage while expanding its scope, KAOSS PAD V provides access to a curated range of classic KAOSS effects alongside refreshed modern processing, from filters, delays, reverbs, and modulation to advanced voice shaping and contemporary textures. Users can further refine their sound using onboard editing tools, tailoring parameters, creating customized variations, saving personal presets directly to the device, and even adjusting pad-LED color and program behavior to suit their workflow. With 300 total programs available – 200 factory presets and 100 user location – plus support for external SD or SDHC cards, the platform balances immediacy with depth.
Compact, robust, and designed for real-time expression, KAOSS PAD V measures 210 mm wide by 226 mm deep by 49 mm high and weighs approximately 1.3 kg (excluding power supply). It includes RCA line input and output connections, balanced/unbalanced MIC/GUITAR input, headphone output, MIDI In/Out, USB connectivity, and ships with an AC adapter and Quick Start Guide. Operating stability from 0 to +40°C ensures reliability across environments.
With KAOSS PAD V, Korg advances the KAOSS concept into a new era, keeping the immediacy and visual interaction that made the series a staple while deepening control, expanding sonic capability, and aligning the platform with today’s creative demands.
Where to buy:
For more information, please visit NAMM Booth #6802 or online at www.korg.com.
Street Price: $649.99 USD
About The Author
