The Mini Pops were a number of early analog drum machines from the Japanese musical equipment company

Korg , founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners. Under the Vox brand name, th ...

during the late 1960s and the 1970s. The machines were based around a number of preset rhythm patterns, such as

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...

, samba, rhumba, bossa nova,

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

, slow rock, swing, and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

1 and 2.

Models

Minipops 3

Released 1967, and features four drum sounds.

Minipops 5

Released in 1966.

Minipops 7

The Mini-Pops 7 released in 1966, featured 15 drums sounds and 20 patterns. It was the most used of all, French musician

Jean-Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompani ...

, used it throughout his breakthrough album, '' Oxygene''. Some rhythms was achieved by overlaying two of the presets in a manner not intended by the machine's original design. Aphex Twin used it on his album '' Syro'', and in homage named his single " minipops 67 20.2. Echo and the Bunnymen also used the Mini-Pops 7 drum machine at the beginning of their career.

Équinoxe ''Équinoxe'' (, en, Equinox) is the fourth studio album by French electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, released in December 1978 on the Dreyfus record label, licensed to Polydor Records for its worldwide distribution. The albu ...

Part V, VI and VII featured the ''Rock 1'' pattern. A variant of this instrument was sold in the US under the

Univox Univox was a musical instrument brand of Unicord Corporation from the early 1960s, when they purchased the Amplifier Corporation of America of Westbury, New York and began to market a line of guitar amplifiers. Univox also distributed guitars by ...

brand, as the ''Univox SR-95''. This featured slightly different "Beguine" and "Slow Rock" rhythms, and was missing the

rimshot A rimshot is a percussion technique used to produce an accented snare drum backbeat. The sound is produced by simultaneously hitting the rim and head of a drum with a drum stick. The sound and various techniques The sound of rimshots can be ...

of the Mini-Pops 7.

Minipops 20 S

Released 1967. The S denoted stereo

Minipops 35

Released 1976. Features 6 drum sounds and 9 patterns.

Minipops 120

Released 1976. Features 6 drum sounds and 16 patterns. This was also sold in the United States under the

brand.

Minipops Junior

Released 1972. Features 10 preset rhythms. also has a footswitch to stop and start the rhythms.

Gallery

File:Korg Mini-Pops 5.jpg, Korg Mini-Pops 5 File:Korg Mini-Pops 7.jpg, Korg Mini-Pops 7 File:Korg Mini-Pops SR-120 Desktop.jpg, Korg Mini-Pops SR-120 Desktop File:Korg Mini-Pops SR-120 Portable.jpg, Korg Mini-Pops SR-120 Portable

References

{{korg Drum machines Korg synthesizers Musical instruments invented in the 1960s Musical instruments invented in the 1970s