Review: Korg iM1 – Music Workstation for iOS

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 is the very first music workstation. For the first time, you had everything in one handy keyboard: Many realistic sampling sounds and sound effects, which you could arrange to complex music using a sequencer. The Korg M1 revolutionized the music world and became the keyboard for music production and live use. All you needed was your memory cards to be at a gig or to record a few takes in a studio. This keyboard was available simply 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 since the M1 is a music workstation – basically a “multi-keyboard” with an extensive sound mix. However, a few memorable piano sounds and layer presets simply have cult status.

The acoustic piano sample was used almost inflationary at that time. Quite hard and wiry in sound, the “M1 piano” asserted itself on every stage while also giving house tracks their typical rhythmic drive. Then add the M1 organ as bass – that was the dance hit combination of the 1980s and 90s.

All instruments – one app

The Korg iM1 is a real sound pitcher – you can get up to 3,300 sounds here, as long as you add the two optionally offered Card Packs. As an in-app purchase, these cost a favorable 4.99 euros each. But even the basic app offers an incredible number of sounds. There are basses, acoustic and electric guitars, strings, synths and sound effects, flute, brass – as ensemble sounds 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 from 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 with 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 – that’s 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 sounds to your needs – e.g., less reverb. For this, there is an Easy Page, then clear menus for oscillators, filter (VDF), amplifier (VDA), controller settings and effects. In addition, the Korg iM1 naturally distinguishes between PROGRAMS, MULTIs and COMBIs. The latter allows the combination of eight different sounds, which you then either play as layer/split combinations (Combis) or control individually as eight multitimbral parts.

You can play Multis, for example, from within Gadget – another really ingenious DAW app from Korg. To do this, you then use the Gadget module “Taipei”. However, you can also use the Korg iM1 itself as a Gadget module called “Darwin”. This, of course, only works in PROGRAM mode (and shows the original display of the old M1 – absolute cult!).

Conclusion: Amazing!

The Korg iM1 shows once again – actually, as all apps from Korg do – that you don’t get a nostalgic toy box here, but a full-fledged software instrument. It is a great mobile sound studio that you can use very well in combination with your digital piano at home. In addition, however, together with other apps such as Korg Gadget and Korg Module, it becomes a full-fledged ultra-compact workstation that also does a great job in live use with the iPad.

For sound enthusiasts like me, there’s no doubt – Korg iM1 is a must-have. The sounds had such an impact back in the day, so for that alone it’s worth having them on hand as an app. The app sounds incredibly authentic – you could also say shrill and gaudy. Hard to believe, but: Many of the sounds are still an inspiration – it’s a real cult and trash at the same time.

Korg iM1 Overview

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