EP-40 RIDDIM vs KOII: SON WU Throws Down the Pocket Operator Gauntlet

SON WU doesn’t waste time—straight out the gate, he declares the EP-40 RIDDIM the better buy over the KOII. Why? It’s all about features that KOII just can’t match, no matter if you’ve got the old 64MB or the new 128MB version. The hardware might be similar under the hood, but the RIDDIM’s firmware is a different animal.

He’s clear: unless KOII gets a miracle update, RIDDIM is the pocket operator to beat. SON WU’s approach is refreshingly direct, skipping the usual YouTube suspense and getting right to the meat. If you want to know what actually matters in a groovebox, this is your kind of comparison.

Here’s where the RIDDIM starts flexing. SON WU dives into the new loop feature, letting you set samples to run in the background like a looper pedal. This isn’t your average one-shot sample trick—these loops keep rolling, ready to drop in and out of your set without missing a beat.

The workflow is slick: record a loop, assign it to a pad, and you can mute or unmute it on the fly. Perfect for live performance chaos or layering up textures without worrying about triggering things on time. SON WU shows how you can save loop states per pattern, making it dead easy to switch up which loops are active as you jam. It’s a game-changer for anyone who likes their sets unpredictable and alive.

RIDDIM isn’t content with just samples—it’s packing some basic synth engines too. SON WU walks through how you can assign synth sounds to pads, play them chromatically, and tweak two parameters per engine. We’re not talking deep modular territory, but for a pocket device, it’s a tasty bonus.

Some engines offer classic controls like filter cutoff and resonance, while others go for effects or weirdness. The last few engines are pure chaos—think alarms and FX rather than playable leads. Still, it’s more sound design ammo than KOII ever brought to the toaster-fight. If you want to get hands-on, the video’s got all the knob-twiddling action you crave.

RIDDIM’s FX section gets a boost with a new phaser, complete with speed, depth, and feedback controls. SON WU sends a beat through it and the results range from subtle shimmer to full-on headspin. KOII and Medieval owners, eat your hearts out—this effect is RIDDIM-only for now.

Punch-in FX are also compared, and while they’re mostly the same as KOII, there are some subtle differences in aggression and pitch behaviour. SON WU’s not shy about pointing out what’s actually different and what’s just marketing fluff. For the full sonic carnage, you’ll want to catch the video—words don’t do the phaser justice.