Review: Korg iM1 – iOS Music Workstation

The term “cult sound” may sound a bit corny, but it is absolutely appropriate in the case of the iOS app Korg iM1. As the world’s first music workstation, the Korg M1 massively impacted the sound of pop music in the 1980s and 90s. In this respect, we can be happy that this sound legacy lives on as an iOS app.

Having witnessed it back then, I can’t deny a moment of melancholy as I fire up the iM1 and the “Universe” preset bubbles into my ears. It’s a strange mix of breathy choir sound and fun percussion jangle.

Not only this but all(!) sounds of the Korg iM1 are simply drowning in a shrill reverb effect. But it’s totally authentic: At that time it was cool. After all, good digital reverb was insanely expensive in the eighties, so people wanted to show: “Hello?! We have reverb here too!”

Korg M1 – A Sound Goes Around the World

The Korg M1 was the very first music workstation. For the first time, musicians had everything they needed in one compact keyboard: a wide range of realistic sampled sounds and effects, combined with an onboard sequencer for arranging complex tracks. The M1 revolutionized music production and became a go-to keyboard for both studio work and live performance. All you needed were your memory cards to bring it to a gig or lay down a few takes in the studio. This keyboard was truly everywhere.

The M1’s mega-presence consistently led to its sound being omnipresent in the 1980s. The trend continued with the successors of the T-series in the 1990s up to the current devices Kronos or Nautilus. Hence, it’s justifiable to say that Korg coined the term “music workstation” and continues to set the tone in this field today.

Korg iM1 as a Piano App?

The term “piano app” doesn’t quite fit, as the M1 is essentially a “multi-keyboard” music workstation with an extensive sound mix. However, a few of its memorable piano sounds and layer presets have achieved cult status.

At that time, the acoustic piano sample was used almost inflationarily. With a quite hard and wiry sound, the “M1 piano” asserted itself on every stage, giving house tracks their typical rhythmic drive. Add the M1 organ as bass, and you have the dance hit combination of the ’80s and ’90s.

Many Instruments – One App

The Korg iM1 is a real sound pitcher. You can access up to 3,300 sounds by adding the two optional Card Packs. These cost a reasonable $4.99 each as an in-app purchase. However, even the basic app offers an impressive selection of sounds. You’ll find basses, acoustic and electric guitars, strings, synths, sound effects, flutes, and brass instruments, both as ensemble and lead instruments.

Back then, the natural sound of the M1 sounds amazed everyone, so the term “natural sounds” stuck for quite a while. Today, people have a different idea of that, and the sounds have a nostalgic charm in the best sense of the word. Nevertheless, the sounds still have power today, which the iM1 app brings across very well.

Mobile Sound Studio

Especially for live use, Korg iM1 is an intriguing possibility to have as many sounds as possible at hand. However, above all, do not lose sight of the possible combination with other good apps by Korg. Korg Module Pro as well as the virtual-analog synths such as Korg Mono/Poly and Polysix would be good examples here. With these, you can recreate the times of the ’80s and get fantastic sound combinations out of your iPad.

Perfect Match: nanoKEY Studio

My tip for the Korg Apps is the nanoKEY Studio, which most Korg Apps inherently support. You just connect it via Bluetooth to always have your little studio on the go with you. It takes a little while to get used to the “keyboard” of the nanoKEY Studio, but so much functionality on such a small surface is just terrific.

Korg iM1 and Memory Cards

This is really the highlight of the Korg iM1. The sounds are organized in memory cards which in fact existed back then. Such a card, with which you got new presets from the manufacturer, was a bit bigger and thicker than a credit card. You could also store your sounds on such cards and exchange them with others. Quite practical actually, especially since things such as the Internet and email were not yet available back then.

Workstation Museum

The memory cards already show it: Korg paid a lot of attention to detail to recreate past times. The T1 model introduced the change to the floppy disk as a more contemporary storage medium. Accordingly, the preset gallery displays these “cards” differently.

The beauty of this little museum is that you can make music with it. In doing so, it sounds authentic and at the same time brings the workstation concept into the present day. Anyone who edited sounds themselves with the digital synthesizers of the 80s would have wished for such a comfortable menu as you now find in the Korg iM1.

Editing Sounds Made Easy

You can adjust all the sounds to your liking, e.g., reducing the reverb. There is an Easy Page for this, as well as clear menus for oscillators, filter (VDF), amplifier (VDA), controller settings, and effects. Additionally, the Korg iM1 distinguishes between programs, multis, and combis. The latter allows you to combine eight different sounds, which you can then play as layer/split combinations (Combis) or control individually as eight multitimbral parts.

You can play multis from within Gadget, another ingenious DAW app by Korg. To do so, use the Gadget module “Taipei.” Alternatively, you can use the Korg iM1 itself as a Gadget module called “Darwin.” This only works in PROGRAM mode and shows the original display of the old M1—absolute cult!

Conclusion: Amazing!

The Korg iM1, like all of Korg’s apps, shows once again that you’re not getting a nostalgic toy box, but rather a full-fledged software instrument. It’s an excellent mobile sound studio that works well with your digital piano at home. Together with other apps, such as Korg Gadget and Korg Module, however, it becomes an ultra-compact workstation that also performs well during live performances with the iPad.

For sound enthusiasts like me, there’s no doubt: the Korg iM1 is a must-have. The sounds were so impactful back in the day that it’s worth having them on hand as an app alone. The app sounds incredibly authentic, though some might say shrill and gaudy. Hard to believe, but: Many of the sounds are still inspiring—it’s a real cult and trash at the same time.

Korg iM1 Overview

Release date: 2015
Formats: iOS app; Win & Mac plug-in (Korg Legacy Collection)
Manufacturer/Distributor: Korg