Teenage Engineering originally planned to make a mixer for the EP–133 K.O. II. Somewhere along the way, that perfectly sensible mixer gained effects, a sequencer, a pressure-sensitive pad, a mod stick, and a color display. Teenage Engineering has trouble leaving well enough alone, and music nerds are probably grateful for it.
The resulting gadget is the EP–136 K.O.–Sidekick, a compact two-channel stereo mixer designed to sit beside the K.O. II—or almost any other audio gear looking lonely on your desk.
Each channel gets dedicated controls for gain, EQ, and compression, while a stereo auxiliary input accommodates a third source. You can connect two samplers, route audio from your phone, mix turntables, or assemble a portable DJ setup that does not require its own flight case.
The Sidekick also packs two effects slots with filter, delay, tape, loop, tremolo, and siren effects. Yes, siren. Because no mix has ever been made worse by briefly convincing the neighbors that the police have arrived. Effects can be manipulated using the pressure-sensitive pad and mod stick, with live automation recorded and kept in sync through dual-channel beat matching.
Connect it to a computer, and the little mixer becomes an eight-input, four-output USB audio interface and MIDI controller with 48 kHz/24-bit processing. It can also serve as a portable cue-mix controller for a DAW.
Measuring 240 × 88 × 16 mm (9.45 × 3.46 × 0.63 inches) and weighing 300 g (10.6 oz), the K.O.–Sidekick is half the size of the K.O. II. Standard EP pegs let you physically join them together, presumably so neither wanders off to start a solo career.
Power comes from two AAA batteries or USB-C. The Teenage Engineering EP–136 K.O.–Sidekick is available for US$169 if anyone’s interested. Oh, wait. It appeared to be sold out. Bummer. That was quick. I received this email just 4 days ago. Ugh.
Images: Teenage Engineering.
