Korg Forums

I like this!
I hope to get my iPad coming month and this app will be one of the first to be installed

http://itunes.apple.com/app/korg-ims-20 ... 42966?mt=8

I think I need to get an iPad
With multitasking, I wonder if it could run at the same time as iElectribe? I don't see any mention of it syncing up or anything. Another thing these 'apps' lack.


EDIT:
I have to add though that it would be nice to see some real software from Korg. Not just this iPad nonsense.

I’ve just bought the iMS-20 and it sounds incredibly good. I’ve barely tried it but I can say it sound very strong – it has that hard edge I know from the original and know so well from the OASYS MS-20. Patching is incredibly easy – just move your finger from one port to another. The iPad is made for modular synthesis. This is serious!!

I have an iPad and I can tell you - it has revolutionised the way I do music. It will become the centre of so many activities. Here's a list of some of its uses:

- Control surface for DAWs. Awesome if you are sitting away from your computer as I so often am across the room at a vintage synth.

- Built in apps such as synths, like this exciting new MS20, as well as a plethora of drum machines, electribe, Jordan Rudess synth (like a mini Haken Continuum).... the list is endless and some of these synths sound incredibly impressive. The nLog synth for example sounds like a bloody minimoog - its stronger than the Roland GIAI in tone, for example. And yesterday I downloaded a great, free, Oberhiem emulation that sound magnificent. The list is endless.

- iPad DAWs - there are numerous variants and many of them are very capable. Best of all is the ability to use an iPad step sequencer and use it for sketching, coming up with small sequences and so on.

- New iPad music apps that have no analogue to previous instruments. In other words - true iPad apps that provide new ways of music creation.

- Brilliant DJ music making tools. Though I've never been into DJ'ing, some of the iPad DJ tools are amazing and so cheap so I've bought one or two and am learning a whole bunch of stuff about DJ'ing, realtime control and manipulation of sound that I otherwise wouldn't have forked out the hundreds of dollars/euro for.

- Music notation. There are packages for entering music notation. They are fairly basic but this will only get better and they can be exported as MIDI files into other DAWs and scoring packages.

- Music utilities. for example the AES has released an app called Backline Calc that does all types of conversions - frames rates to beats/bars to time, tempo... and so on and so on... invaluable for film/tv composing. Of course there are a huge number of these - even the free metronomes and tuners are incredible

- Music study. Now here is where the iPad had really made a massive difference to me. At the moment I'm thick in study of orchestral music and so with classical CDs loaded onto the iPod and dozens of orchestral scores loaded as PFD documents (free from IMSLP copyright free score web site), I can study the score by listening and viewing the score all in one succinct package - it's revolutionary. In fact there is even an app called ‘forscore’ that does the page turning (on selected scores) for you!

- As a store of all pdf documents for all my synths and software documentation. For example, sitting on my iPad is the 6000+ pages of all of Apple's music applications software, all the PDFs for my OASYS and so on....

- Music information such as apps that provide chord progressions and so on...

The list is endless. I was a true sceptic of the iPad. But last April Vodafone gave me a free upgrade to an iPhone 3GS because I literally hadn't upgraded my phone in years. Even after getting it I didn't use it for much, but my 11 and 13 year old nephews soon set me right! The number of iPhone apps is staggering, and of course when I realised the potential and got an iPad, it revolutionised my music life.

I have some concerns -

1. Such an all encompassing device can make for generic 'vanilla' music making; so I hope the iPad does not kill off the concept of physical instruments (but it might!)

2. The cost of iPhone and iPad apps is so low - ridiculously low IMO - that I fear that the traditional great music instrument and software makers will suffer and go out of business. But hopefully they can transition to this clearly totally different business model.

3. Many of the iPhone and iPad apps are too singular – as in they do not adhere to an external standards across the various apps so they cannot interact.

4. Worse still, most apps to not integrate into a computer / DAW environment. While they sound great on the iPad, there's no way of harnessing them in a broader context. The new iPad iMS20 is typical of this and is a major draw-back. Surely it would be possible to either make the iPad iMS20 integrate to a DAW environment over MIDI; or at least provide the ability of the MS20 to record both audio and midi performance lines in a way that can be easily integrated into a daw without the need for Sound Cloud.

So iPad music apps are very much in their infancy and while they look great and often sound great, you end up not using them in serious music projects. OK I know there are workarounds to this - but all require huge effort. And arguing that the apps are cheap so what am I looking for does not stand with me - I'd happly pay $10 more for a full functionality set that integrates the iPad app.


Gripes aside, back to the iMS20 - its serious, and bloody brilliant (so far!!).


Kevin.

Sorry for a post so quickly after the first one - but I've just discovered the sequencer and two Kaoss Pads attached to this thing....

I've only one expression - "Holy Mother of God"...

There are two pads - and as you move both the sound is awesome - and all the knobs on the synth control surface move in sympathy with the KAOSS control. One Kaoss pad is controlling the notes of an arpeggio (I think - it could be a sequence), the other controls tone parameters. Meanwhile you can use other fingers to literally change other synth knob parameters - and even patching - in realtime. I'm laughing with the shock of it - it puts modular synthesis into a totally realtime control environment using 10 fingers - including patching! This is jaw-dropping!!

It is massively ahead of other other iPad apps. It's serious and deep. Well done Korg and your "DETUNE" partners in this. You've nailed it!

Phew!

Kevin.


PS - Korg - in future updates - we need MIDI control and recording of all this realtime contol for integration into DAWs!!

Further update -

This is far more than an MS20. It also provides an anlogue style sequencer. It provides a stunning analogue style drum machine and ir provides an exquisite pattern and song production environment.

it also provides lots of templates, and even the tuning across a plethora of church and ancient modes and ethnic scale systems can be brought up while actually performing, and changed.

This is one serious, new and fresh and incredibly deep package. And it sounds magnificent and feels classy. Korg have clearly embraced the iPad as a platform for their syntheis an oh my god have they delivered. They've just set a new bar and others will have to work very hard to match it.

If you have an iPad - get it. If you haven't got an iPad - get one and get iMS20!!


Kevin.

Shame that they do not release this for windows PCs, which in general are more capable in terms of processing power. As the result people are forced to buy apple devices, which they don't need otherwise

@Kevin Nolan
The real Midi/USB solution for ipadies will be available next year obviously, but at the moment you already have line 6 solution - many apps support it already, and also you may want to check this

This looks fantastic but no midi in = no sale for me. The bigger devs need to catch up to the smaller ones and learn to integrate these things from the get go.

Totally agree with you on that -

But seriously - and I mean SERIOUSLY - this is absolutelty wonderful as it stands. I'm hugely impressed. Korg left no stone unturned in this and it's bloody awesome. A class act.

The lack of MIDI you indicate is really disappointing, but actually, given the KAOSS controllers on this and their desire perhaps to release KAOSS as a separate iPad app, I can in this instance understand their desire to limit MIDI in and out. But I also want Korg to survive and to keep doing this stuff so am totally feel OK if they have to limit MIDI to protect their other potential product lines (all conjecture on my part of course).

But - this is an absolutely smashing iPad app. For what it offers it is just the bees-knees. Above all, it sounds absolutely stunning. I want to say it leaves my OASYS MS20EX standing even in sonic strength - but I can't be sure yet; but by God does it deliver. I adore the Analogue Drum Machine - it alone is worth it. This has got tp be a smash-hit for Korg and I expect to see this in a lot of studios and on a lot of stages. It's that good.

And as a bonus - and a real iPad advantage - I can now dig into modular synthesis in a most convenient way, whenever and whereever I am - I'm looking forward to finally learning deep modular synthsis.

For 12 Euro! It's a win win.

Kevin.

Perhaps in future updates Korg will implement MIDI in their apps.
The upcoming iOS will support MIDI, so I hope the app makers will use this to make their software MIDI.

MIDI or not I still like the possibilities of the iPad.

Just downloaded it ... looks good in first 5mins ...

gjvti wrote:Shame that they do not release this for windows PCs, which in general are more capable in terms of processing power.

If I could recreate Genesis drum machine beats with this, it would be a blast, at least for me.

Is there a way on this to change the gate on the right-hand kaos pad so that it doesn't trigger the note on each of the sixteen beats? Not sure i'm explaining the right, but i'd like to hold my finger on the pad and have it play quarter notes or half notes instead of sixteenth notes. Like what the kpro gate arpegiator does when you slide it...

Hope that makes sense.

It looks great!

Now, if only Apple would release the damn iPad in Sweden!!

What I'd like to know at the moment is how it compares to the DS-10. And if it isn't as good, why not?