Forgotten Keys

The Hardware

The Korg Rhythm 55B (AKA KR-55B) is the 1982 follow-up to the Rhythm 55 released in 1979. The sound generation is identical but there is a doubling of preset rhythms, Intros and Fill-Ins as well as a major overhaul of the existing rhythm patterns. The extra bank of rhythms are selected via the toggle switch that is assigned to the Swing all Rhythms feature on the KR-55. This feature is now assigned to the Swing Beat knob that has been replaced with a push-pull potentiometer.

If the rhythms on the KR-55 were more Rock and Pop orientated than most previous rhythm units, then this model takes things one stage further. There are some very funky beats going on here! This is particularly so when in Rhythm Pattern Ⅱ mode.

What I don’t see mentioned elsewhere is that there are in fact (at least) two variants of this machine in existence. There are some rhythm pattern changes between them that can be seen on the front panel, but some of the same-named rhythms are quite different also. My guess would be that they were destined for different regions of the world. At this time, my Rhythm 55B library contains one of these variants. If and when I get my hands on the other — or the rhythm pattern data from the manual — I’ll update the library to include both versions. Most of the work for this is done already only the pattern data needs to be incorporated. Working from rhythm loops in order to try and re-create these patterns has not proved totally satisfactory as some sounds can be obscured by more dominant ones.

As mentioned, The KR-55B uses the same sound generation as the KR-55 and you can read a little more about that on the Rhythm 55 page.

The Kontakt Library

Details of the Kontakt library and how to purchase it are here. Please ensure that it is compatible with your set-up before purchasing.