KORG iM1

What it does

An iOS version of the KORG M1, the workstation synth KORG sold from 1988. Sounds come from cards of presets rather than deep synthesis, though each patch opens onto two oscillators with filters, envelopes, velocity settings and two effect slots covering modulation, delay, chorus, phaser, flanger and distortion. A Combi mode layers and splits programs across MIDI channels and velocity zones. It runs standalone, as AUv3 and as Inter-App Audio, and the sounds also appear inside KORG Gadget as Darwin.

In the demo

Jade opens the app for the first time on camera and works out the layout live, finding the preset browser, the search by instrument type, the user cards you can write your own programs to, and the standalone-only chaos pad. Most of the hour is spent playing through cards, and she ends by sequencing it with NEON.

Worth knowing

This is a walkthrough by someone learning the app, not a full tutorial. Two in-app purchases add sets of expansion cards on top of what ships in the app, and the chaos pad does not carry over to the AUv3. With 2,700 presets before those packs, finding a sound takes patience.