A complete reproduction - and more - of the legendary M1 that defined an era. Mobile Digital Synthesizer for the iPad.
● Selected by Apple as "App Store Best of 2015"
● Ranked #1 on the App Store on Top Paid Music category in more than 20 countries! (15/5/27)
Since it went on sale in 1988 the legendary M1 music workstation rapidly achieved record-breaking sales, becoming a mainstay of the music scene from the late 1980s and beyond. The common element of electronic instruments that have left their name in history is that they had a unique sound that was difficult if not impossible to replicate. Sounds such as the “M1 Piano” is instantly recognizable and have appeared on countless hit records over many years, and yet these are sounds that could only be produced by the M1. And that’s what you can now have on your iPad!
● A faithful reproduction of the original M1 Sound
The PCM data provides the library of the original M1. For the hardware, we analyzed the circuit diagram of the original design, and completely replicated it in software down to the last detailed parameters. Engineers with an exhaustive knowledge of the M1 made careful adjustments in order to obtain the sound of the original unit, something that cannot be obtained simply by sampling the original sounds.
● A continued evolution of the M1
Not content with simply reproducing the original, iM1 provides further evolutionary developments. Synth parts now have the Filter Resonance that was requested at the time of the original. The effect parts, originally consisting of only two effects, have been powered-up to 18 effects. The user interface has also been refreshed with additions such as a KAOSS pad. iM1 is the ultimate version of the KORG M1.
● A gigantic library encompassing 3,300 sounds and 34 cards*
In addition to all 19 of the ROM cards originally released for the M1, iM1 also covers the sounds of the M1EX which expanded the internal PCM of the M1, as well as the sounds of the T-series which appeared as an evolution of the M1. There’s also “BEST OF M1”, a selection of 100 great M1 programs. The new “Smart Sound Browser” makes it quick to find the desired sound. You can also view the sounds ranked by how often they are selected by iM1 users around the world.
*with all the expansion card installed via in-app purchase
● KAOSS pad lets anybody perform
iM1 features a KAOSS pad from the popular KAOSSILATOR, allowing you to perform intuitively just by touching the screen. By using the dual KAOSS pads to play phrases or adjust the sound, even people who are not accustomed to keyboard instruments or knowledgeable about synthesizers can enjoy performing the iM1. There’s also a conventional keyboard, as well as the “Smart Keyboard”, which lets you specify a scale setting and play phrases with a single finger.
● Use with KORG Gadget for song production
iM1 can be used together with Gadget, the music production DAW app that won the App Store Best App of 2014 award in Japan. If both apps are installed, you can use iM1 as a sound module within Gadget, taking advantage of the program sounds in iM1 for music production. iM1 also supports Audiobus and Inter-App Audio, so it can also be used for GarageBand etc.
● Connect a MIDI keyboard and use as a sound module
In addition to enjoying iM1 on its own, you can connect a USB MIDI keyboard* via a Lightning adaptor and play the iM1 as an external sound module. You can easily take along an even more powerful workstation sound module as part of your iPad-based compact mobile system.
*microKEY, nanoKEY etc.
● Interchangeable with the KORG Legacy Collection and the original M1
Sounds that you create in iM1 can be sent from your iPad via iTunes to a Mac/PC. If you have the Legacy Collection M1, you can use those sounds in a DAW.
More info at korg.com
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In-Apps
M1 Cards Pack
$2.99
T1 Cards Pack
$2.99
Screenshots
User Rating
4.71 out of 5
696 ratings
in United States
5 star
599
4 star
49
3 star
16
2 star
8
1 star
24
Ratings History
Reviews
Absolutely Beautiful!!!
I remember when the M1 keyboard came out. The sounds just blew me away, but I could never afford it. Closest I could ever get was the M3 rackmount. Now this thing comes out, and, including all the extra ROM cards, cost me $30. Incredible. Korg did a GREAT job of reproducing the M1 on the iPad; it sounds just beautiful. It's not terribly clear about how to save your own programs, combinations, and performances, but I managed to figure it out well enough. If only they had included the original M1's sequencer... **UPDATE 3/31/2024: Korg just updated iM1 to include AUv3 capability. Fantastic… **UPDATE 7/7/2024: AUv3 capabilities are great, but saving presets within AUM does not work. No matter which program I try to save, what plays is Bank 0, Program 0, Universe. Please fix if possible…
**UPDATE 7/10/2024: Previous update regarding saving presets in AUM was due to MY ERROR; Preset Saving in AUM is working correctly. MY APOLOGIES!!!
All time favorite Korg presets!! Beautiful in Gadget!
I’m a huge advocate for Korg Synthesizers and support Korg’s innovative efforts in reproducing such iconic gear.
All of the Korg Synths are great, and they all have very specific temperments, Korg has even captured that beautiful nuance perfectly with the M1, Odyssey, and Wavestation. I will usually advise people to get Gadget first, followed by M1 or Odyssey. As far as arpeggiators are concerned, my odyssey w/laps pad (also available on iOS) are my bread and butter. Korg is fun name too. What even is a Korg? Friggen quality, I reckon!
Issues when using a second iPad
I really like the iM1. I bought it and started using it on my iPad air2, but recently bought an iPad mini 4. When I open the iM1 on the iPad mini4, it only shows 6 of the sound cards. Pls help me to fix this, as I am using this as a backup iPad.
AUv3
Thank you so much for adding auv3 support!!!!
A favorite
I have always loved this app as a great re-creation of a classic synth. Now that it has AUv3 compatibility it takes it to a whole next level of creativity. Great going, Korg!
Universal but have to pay again.-review changed
Original review-
Most Korg apps that are not ‘just for iPad or iPhone ’ and are universal are one price for both apps. I am not cheap as I own ALL Korg’s apps and about a hundred other paid audio apps but why would I have to purchase this app again for my iPhone? Makes no sense. State that it is a separate app and not universal for iPad/iphone. It isn’t.
CHANGED RATING. I had contacted Korg through help desk and I was told that I had to pay for the app on the iPhone even though I already owned the iPad version. They told me that in three separate emails actually.
Thank goodness I left this review and found out that I was able to get the app for free on my phone since I already purchased it on my iPad. Thank you for responding to my review. You might want to tell your help desk that they are giving out incorrect information. Very stoked to use this app on my iPhone as well as my iPad. Thank you for making it really universal.
AUV3 PLEASE!!
Updated to 5 stars (sorry rewrote my review but neglected to update the rating)! The addition of AUv3 pretty much makes this the perfect synth unit. I use it for everything. Keys, as a guitar synth with guitar midi in AUM. Given the age of the app I was not certain whether Korg would update it. Long live the M1! Original review. The M1 workstation was and remains one of my favorite platforms. Lately, I’ve been trending to a lot of my music on iOS. It’s just way more convenient to bring one, or even two iPads vs trying to arrange the perfect set of keys layouts. Especially for me since I play several other instruments and often need to bring these to live performances. I have no problem paying $40 for this particular app given the amount of power, but the lack of AUV3 support is a huge detriment. There are free synths out there like King of FM that inter operate with AU hosts and this is a game changer. With the power of the M1 sound library, I find I don’t use this app much if at all any more and it makes me sad. Please Korg we beg you - make this AUV3 compatible! For those of us that have paid for this (I bought it when it first came out) and for those that yet haven’t - I guarantee that this extension would tap into unrealized revenue for Korg.
Finally the iM1 Comes Around
Yes! The iM1 finally has AUv3 and is universal. Hope to see the rest of the Korg Synth apps follow soon. This is a major game changer!!
New Review - AUv3 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼😎🔥🔥🔥🔥
They did it! Thanks Korg!! M1 was one of my favorite hardware synths. It’s one of my favorite iOS apps too but it so needs to be AUv3. C’mon Korg! I’d even pay full price for it again! Really!
Absolutely Beautiful!!!
I remember when the M1 keyboard came out. The sounds just blew me away, but I could never afford it. Closest I could ever get was the M3 rackmount. Now this thing comes out, and, including all the extra ROM cards, cost me $30. Incredible. Korg did a GREAT job of reproducing the M1 on the iPad; it sounds just beautiful. It's not terribly clear about how to save your own programs, combinations, and performances, but I managed to figure it out well enough. If only they had included the original M1's sequencer...
**UPDATE 3/31/2024: Korg just updated iM1 to include AUv3 capability. Fantastic…
