Music Production Expo 2014: Meeting up with Korg again

It’s no secret that I am a big fan of what Korg do and specifically what they’ve done in the mobile world in the last few years. They are if not the most innovative then one of the most innovative music technology companies around, and I think that a lot of that innovation comes from an ability to experiment and explore new avenues and test users reactions to these. It’s probably fair to say that very few people expected the Monotron to come out, or indeed the monotron series that followed. Neither did we expect the Korg Gadget app, or indeed the new Module app that’s due tomorrow.

I’m not saying that everything that they do is perfect, but more often than not I’m very impressed with what they deliver. So it was great to be able to catch up with them at Music Production Expo last week (make sure on dates), and see Ian from Korg as I hadn’t seen him since we both worked on an event in Shoreditch in 2011. Ian showed me some of the new hardware, the Electribe and Volca sample, but of most interest was talking about what Korg have done in bridging the gap between mobile and desktop with their latest version of Gadget and its Ableton Export facility.

I’ve used the new export facility and like it a lot. In my view it is the first step towards a truly joined up approach to making music on mobile devices and being able to move into a familiar desktop DAW. When I say it is a first step I mean that it takes us some way down that road. It’s good for Korg iPad users and of course it’s very good for Ableton too as they have to date relied on controller apps for supporting their DAW.

I have no doubts that Korg will continue to innovate in the mobile space. That’s a given. However, I really hope that we see more from them in bridging the mobile / desktop gap, whether that’s as other export options, or indeed something even more unexpected.
I also have to mention the support that Korg have given to my SoundLab project, which has been very kind indeed.

One thing is for sure as far as I’m concerned. They’ll continue to deliver excellent user experience, and usually, completely unexpected innovation. After all, that’s why we love them!