Tag: Gadget iPad

So we’ve reviewed Korg’s powerful Gadget iOS beatmaking app; we covered its drum modules, and the first half of its synth collection. Naturally, what follows is a look at the other six synth modules of Gadget. Expect these Gadgets to be useful for creating a wide range of electronic and esoteric music.

Wolfsburg offers a Distant Mirror to 80s Polyphony

Wolfsburg is essentially a mini Rompler filled with sampled waveforms from a variety of classic analog synths. The sounds seem more 80s oriented than related to the 70s, with classic Oberheim and one can assume the Korg Polysix and Poly 61 well represented. Its main difference with Phoenix is being sample-based versus the latter’s virtual analog emulation.

Two oscillators operate in either monophonic or polyphonic modes. Noise can also be mixed into the equation. A standard array of subtractive synthesis controls (including a filter), a useful modulation matrix, and two separate effects round out Wolfsburg.

Brussels spouting Today’s Monophonic Anthems

A unique monophonic Gadget with a host of modern musical applications, Brussels serves well as either a lead or bass instrument. The “Anthem” moniker definitely applies. Brussels sports a modern, sleek interface with a collection of interesting synth controls organized within three sections: Generator, Performer, and Output.

The Performer section’s pump and repeat controls appear to influence a patch’s delay and envelope settings — more or less. The interface lends itself to experimentation, especially the Generator section which offers unique tweaking of the filter, glide, and low-end controls. The Output section includes a reverb as Brussels’ only true effect.

Kiev resides in Outer Space

When a track needs a bit of ambience to finish it off, or if you are creating a music piece squarely in the realm of outer space — Kiev is the Gadget of choice. An “Advanced Spatial Digital Synthesizer,” Kiev is slightly reminiscent of Animoog. It uses four waveform oscillators, leveraging an x-y pad to mix the four in real time.

A second screen provides access to a filter, envelopes for the amp and filter, and a singular multi-effect. This is a fun, spacey Gadget suitable for real-time tweaking. Hopefully some additional waveforms get added in a future update (or the ability to load your own), but there are currently enough to satisfy most musical scenarios.

Chiang Mai for Take Out

Chiang Mai is a Gadget sporting a variable phase modulation architecture. This makes it suitable for bells, organs, or even a decent lead. Some of the factory presets cover basses and even sound effects pads — it’s a pretty versatile gadget with a DX-like sound.

The first screen offers access to the oscillators and filter; be sure to tweak the harmonics control on both oscillators to get a feel for the sonic possibilities. The two envelopes as well as chorus and delay effects reside on the second screen. If you want to channel those crystal clear sounds of Yamaha in the 80s — Chiang Mai is your Gadget.

Taking our Talents to Miami

Looking for a modern sounding low-end? Check out Miami. This unique monophonic gadget offers an interesting architecture not unlike Brussels with the Wobble knob — a form of BPM synced LFO — taking center stage. Miami is also suitable for some badass lead sounds as well.

Miami’s filter has a resonance control called “Crush” suitable for an extra edge compared to other filters. The carrier and “X-Mod” dual oscillator setup is capable of some complex waveforms. I’d like a delay (wouldn’t we all) but the Wobble function almost serves that role.

Helsinki brings Scandinavian Ambience to Gadget

Another Gadget suitable for ambience, Helsinki rounds out Korg’s collection of virtual sound modules. The interface even hints at an icy Scandinavian winter and the sounds come pretty close as well. Many useful drones or mellow leads lurk within.

The Helsinki architecture utilizes a generator that combines an oscillator with an EQ; noise can also be mixed in. The LoFi frequency control is great for real-time tweaking. A filter, envelope, and a reverb finish off Helsinki.

There you have it — twelve great Gadgets and an environment for electronic music creation provided by Korg all within one app. Gadget is simply a must download for iPad musicians. Hopefully future updates with add to the mayhem — especially a new drum module or three!

Korg’s “studio-in-a-tablet” app, Gadget, continues to amaze with its intuitive interface and versatile collection of sound-producing “gadgets.” We previously gave Gadget a positive review, and also took a closer look at one half of its synth collection followed by the other half.

What follows in this article is a more detailed analysis of Gadget’s three drum modules. Well, it’s really more like two-and-a-half, as Amsterdam provides a full range of sound effects, pads, and hits in addition to some drum sounds — ultimately, it fits better in this article. Hopefully, more drum modules get added in a future Gadget update.

London calling out PCM Drum Beats

London is Gadget’s main drum module. It offers a host of PCM sounds — over 400 — geared towards the dance beat creation scene. The gadget includes three main screens used for editing, fine tuning of effects, and mixing.

You can edit each of the eight voices’ pitch as well as switch between a gate and a one-shot envelope using a knob to control the release time. There’s one master effect for each drum patch, with each individual voice also providing punch and low boost controls. The mixer offers the standard pan and level functionality by voice.

London is a solid PCM drum module and the lack of many other alternatives means it needs to be used on most non-ambient tracks created in Gadget.

Tokyo goes Virtual Analog Percussion

Tokyo offers great-sounding virtual modeled analog drum sounds and an effective modular-like interface. Frankly, I wish it provided more than four voices — maybe a six or eight voice version would be included in a future Gadget update? It especially works well when enhancing the PCM sounds coming out of London.

The four modules within Tokyo are geared towards creating kick, snare, tom, and percussion sounds respectively, but strategic knob-twiddling makes it possible to conjure up some interesting effects. Each module sports similar controls, like Tune and Decay; the differences between the four warrant additional experimentation. A master effect at the patch level rounds out Tokyo’s sonic design.

A Boombox in Amsterdam

Korg calls Amsterdam a PCM SFX Boombox, and its funky interface definitely looks the part. A wide array of sounds, effects, and musical pads lurk within. There are four different voices, making it possible to program simple chord progressions or a collage of sound effects.

Amsterdam’s one screen includes a mixer, tuning and envelope control for each sound, and controls for the master effects. The ability to load one’s own samples would be a really great addition to Amsterdam in a future update. Still, the included sound set offers a good measure of sonic versatility.

Well that’s it. Considering the robust collection of synth modules, the inclusion of so few on the drumming side of the shop is arguably Gadget’s biggest weakness. All three modules have their unique strengths and will serve you well in your own beatmaking exercises.

My biggest hope is that future updates mean more percussion sound options — in addition to more voices for Tokyo. That latter point is made as an iPad 2 owner who can only run a limited number of gadgets at one time!

Korg’s recent release of Gadget gives iPad musicians something similar to Propellerhead Reason on a tablet computer. Last week’s Gadget update added support for Audiobus. With 15 different gadgets — each essentially the equivalent of a separate iPad synth app — the amount of sonic possibilities can get overwhelming.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at six of the synths included in Korg Gadget. Future articles will cover the other six synths and Gadget’s three drum machines. Note that all the gadgets are named after cities.

The PCM Synthesis of Marseille

A PCM playback synth, Marseille arguably offers the most robust collection of sounds within Gadget. Its organization of patches is pretty similar to the General MIDI standard. The virtual keyboard allows for one-touch chord play which serves well for real-time loop sequencing when paired with one of the many pad patches.

Two effects — each with knob-twiddled control of two parameters — and an ADSR envelope round out Marseille. Expect this synth module to provide a measure of sonic versatility to many Gadget creations.

Chicago brings that TB-303 Flavor

If you are looking for that classic acid bass sound for your project, Chicago makes a great choice. Even its shiny metallic interface is reminiscent of the Roland TB-303. A host of automatable controls — including the all important filter cutoff and peak — add to the utility of this gadget.

A basic arpeggiator makes creating quick bass lines a bit more convenient. One effect includes everything from reverbs and delays to a ring modulator and decimator. A virtual tube amp controlled by either a gate or an ADSR envelope finishes off the sonic stew.

The Virtual Patch Cords of Dublin

Another gadget offering quality bass sounds among other classic virtual analog tones is Dublin. Its wood-grained interface even adds a patch bay, putting pseudo-modular sonic exploration within touch. The control layout feels Moog-like, with the VCO, VCF, VCA, and Mixer sections located where they should be; a button press switches between the synth and patch bay sections.

Drive and Tone controls are Dublin’s only effects, but the added functionality of the patch bay makes up for the absence of multi-effects. Dublin should please aficionados of classic electronic music, but probably not Irish music fans.

Phoenix provides Polyphonic Analog Sounds

Folks who love those classic polyphonic analog sounds of the 80s need to explore Phoenix. This gadget seems to fit somewhere between the Oberheim line and Korg’s own Polysix. The easy-to-follow interface has separate panels for the synth and modulation controls.

While a delay is the only effect type for this gadget, it is useful in giving some of the patches life.  My only complaint is wishing Phoenix provided the one touch chord play feature as with Marseille.

Gadget goes to Berlin School

While you can go “Berlin School” by using Dublin, Berlin is another worthy source of bass or lead synth mayhem. Its interface reminds one of the early 70s ARP synths but more closely the Electro-Harmonix Mini Synthesizer (which I sadly lost many years ago). Berlin’s monophonic, sync-modulated sound bites through a dense mix, making it especially useful as a lead synth.

The EH-inspired controls are split into two panels covering the VCO/modulation and the VCF/VCA. A delay is the only effect, but a vibrato adds to Berlin’s sonic footprint. The nasally low pass filter is pretty cool as well.

Kingston: Home for the 8-Bit Chip Tune?

Who knew Kingston, Jamaica was the home for 8-bit chip tune music? Well not really, but Kingston is a gadget offering those classic blips and beeps of the NES music scene. Its interface even looks more like an arcade game than an old-school analog synth.

I don’t imagine using Kingston too much in my projects, but it makes a great gadget for anyone interested in getting their 8-bit mojo on. Well, maybe some of those low-fi outer space sounds would work in a Spacerock tune!

Keep a lookout for the other TabMuse articles covering the rest of Korg Gadget’s robust supply of synth and drum machine modules.

Korg’s new Gadget app for the iPad is a fully-fledged beatmaking environment featuring up to 15 different synth and drum machine modules usable simultaneously. Essentially this is Reason on a tablet. The app’s sound quality is great, and Gadget also sports a robust feature set that makes it a breeze to create music.

Korg Gadget for the iPad Features

• 15 Separate Instrument Modules (Synths and Drum Machines)
• Easy-to-use Portrait Oriented Interface
• Multiple Time Signatures
• Synth, Drum Machine, and Mixer Effects
• Easily Record Control Automation
• Support for AudioCopy and WIST
• Export Audio to GadgetCloud Service powered by SoundCloud
• Available at the App Store for $28.99 (Regular $38.99)

Korg Gadget is a great “go to” app for tablet-based beat construction. Users with recent iPad models can really crank up the number of the simultaneous tracks — up to 25 on the iPad Air. It is a must have download for iPad owners interested in electronic music creation.

15 Gadgets for You and You and You

Gadget’s collection of 15 synth and drum machine modules features something for nearly all musical tastes.  Everything from the TB-303 inspired bass synth, Chicago, to the monophonic “modular” synth, Dublin, inspires creativity. Each gadget is named after a city, for what it’s worth.

The 12 synth modules are enough to support most musical styles, especially when considering the huge array of sounds in the PCM-based gadget, Marseille. I would have preferred another drum machine or two, since there are only three in the app. Korg is planning on releasing new gadgets in the future, probably through an in-app purchase.

Each gadget features an attractive on-screen interface with all the relevant automatable controls, including virtual patch cables for Dublin. On some gadgets, an on-screen keyboard provides the typical touchscreen playing functionality, like one-finger chords and built-in scales. Each gadget comes with either one or two effects to further tailor the sound.

Expect future TabMuse articles to profile Gadget’s robust collection of synths (Part 1 and Part 2) and drum machines more deeply.

A Sequencer that’s a Breeze to Use

Gadget’s sequencer easily allows for either real-time or step-based beat creation. The app uses a portrait oriented interface, with the top half focusing on the sequencer and the bottom half controlling either a mixer or an individual gadget. The intuitive interface is a breeze to use.

Each song is made up of any number of scenes which can vary in length and time signature individually — a great feature! Scene and track management is an easy process; so is sequencing the parts of an individual track. Control automation is accomplished through either real-time knob twiddling, or after the fact envelope drawing.

The mixer is also automatable with a standard set of volume and pan controls. Two song-level effects (Limiter and Reverb) are useful for mastering a final mix.

While my iPad 2 is only limited to 5 tracks in Gadget, that isn’t a real bother for me as I’ll dump a beat into ProTools for additional overdubs and melodic development. Those of you with newer iPads can really go to town, with over 20 tracks possible on Apple’s newer tablets.

Korg Gadget offers a ton of synth choices and host of features making its high price well worth it for iPad musicians. This app ranks with the Korg iPolysix, and easily earns my highest recommendation. Check out these profiles of six of the gadgets and the three drum modules within Korg’s innovative iOS app.