Hasta La Gadget!

Earlier today, KORG announced a new music app for the iPad, but they’re not done yet, because they also just announced a new and updated MicroStation keyboard. The MicroStation plugs directly into your computer or tablet so that you can record your music and have it save straight to your computer/tablet with no other devices in the middle.

The MicroStation is a versatile keyboard that is both great for beginners as well as experts who want an easy interface to work with. The keyboard can act as a songwriting tool thanks to its quick and intuitive onboard sequencer for recording your music, and it also works great as a live keyboard, or for those wanting to easily lay down some drum tracks on top of their music.

The new MicroStation has 61 “Natural Touch” keys, which we’re guessing is just another term for weighted keys. The device also comes numerous effects, dual arpeggiators, and a 16-track MIDI recorder. It also features Loop Recording and Visual Grid Sequencing for those music experts who want a little more oomph out of their music gear.

If you happen to not have the MicroStation plugged into a computer for saving music tracks, the keyboard has built-in SD card slot, allowing users to save their song data and other information directly onto an SD card for future listening on a computer. The new KORG MicroStation is available now for $399.

KORG announces updated MicroStation with smaller size and price tag is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The world-wide best-selling Polysix polyphonic synthesizer has been revealed for the iPad as well as the iPad mini this week. This legendary bit of hardware will now be able to be played digitally by you on either your full-sized Retina-quality iPad or your iPad mini, “fully replicated” per KORG’s specifications. This app is being released with not just one keyboard on-board, but two Polysix units, a mixer, and a six-part drum machine as well.

The original Polysix went on sale all the way back in 1981 when the biggest deal in the world for synthesizers was five-note polyphony. When the designer of the Polysix organized the machine to simultaneously push forth six different sounds at once, his mind exploded with excitement. Here at the tail end of 2012, the machine has another big jump forward: “Polyseq” polyphonic step sequencing action!

The analog mixer you get with this musical collection in an app is reminiscent of the KMX-8 mixer that was out on the market when the original Polysix was released. Similar sounds are included – you’ll be rolling out hard with the greatness of the early 80′s for real. The dual Kaoss pads included also include chordal support. This combination of the Polysix + Kaoss Pads in one app allow you to play inimitable polyphonic sounds of the Polysix with just one finger – it’s magical!

This app is out for iPads of most shapes and sizes and will cost you just $14.99 for a limited time. Starting on the 31st of December, the price will jump back up to $29.99 USD where it’ll stay for the foreseeable future. At the moment we’re playing around with the app and will be sure to let you know if we see any bugs or fantastic features above and beyond the fold!

KORG iPolysix goes multi-tune for iPad and iPad mini is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Do you have an ear for music, in particular mixing and creating new pieces of music the electronic way? If you have answered in the affirmative, then you might be interested to know that Korg has just announced that the Kaossilator 2 and Mini Kaoss Pad 2 have started to ship around the country. These two are pocket-sized products which are touted to be able to deliver a special music creation and performance experience, and since they are portable, it means you can enjoy their use anywhere and anytime (hopefully without annoying your neighbors).

First off, the Kaossilator 2 will feature 150 built-in sounds that can be played using the X-Y touchpad interface, although the Mini Kaoss Pad 2 has just 100 effects. The gestures used can be recorded and stacked infinitely so that you can come up with complete musical phrases. Not only that, all recorded work can be stashed onto a microSD memory card, where you record it using a built-in mic, with the option to plug a music source into a dedicated mic input.

As for the Mini Kaoss Pad 2, this miniature effects processor is also a self-contained media player, where you are able to add effects to incoming audio, onboard MP3’s or mix up the two ala DJ. 6 preset audio demo loops have been thrown into the mix to get you started right out of the box.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Korg adds two new microKEY controllers to its repertoire, Edifier Prisma Bluetooth speaker system announced,

Remember Miselu’s Neiro — that prototype app-based Android-powered synth we last played with at SXSW? Not only is it being showcased at Google I/O 2012 here in San Francisco, but we got an exclusive first look at some of the apps being developed for the new platform ahead of the event. The company’s been on a roll since our meeting in Austin, gaining (ex-OQO CEO) Jory Bell as CTO and building relationships with partners like Korg and Yamaha.

Now on its second iteration, the laptop-like synth has evolved from the hand-built prototype we saw at SXSW to a more polished reference design — complete with breakout board for SD card and Ethernet support. As before, the device runs Gingerbread on a dual-core TI OMAP processor and features a two octave velocity and pressure-sensitive keyboard, a capacitive multitouch widescreen, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, audio and MIDI I/O, plus USB and HDMI ports. This version even adds XLR and quarter-inch audio jacks — just keep in mind that those specs have not been finalized.

What’s really exciting about the synth is the apps. The company’s ongoing partnership with Retronyms to create a suite of touch-controlled, cloud-enabled musical apps has evolved beyond the drum-machine demo we covered at SXSW. Called nStudio, the suite now also includes a pad-based sampler / sequencer and a mixer. Plasma Sound is a touch-based musical instrument that’s part theremin, part keyboard / sequencer. It’s already available for other devices on Google Play, but was easily tweaked to run on the Neiro — sight unseen — thanks to Miselu’s musicSDK and OS X-based emulator.

Miselu will be showcasing two more apps on its synth here at Google I/O: Korg’s Polysix and Yamaha’s Vocaloid. The Polysix app fainthfully recreates Korg’s legendary 1981 synth — known for its rich, thick analog sound. A real, mint-condition Polysix was even available for comparison during our brief time with the app (see our gallery). Vocaloid takes full advantage of the NSX-1 DSP chip that’s built-into the Neiro. It’s a singing synth app produced by Yamaha that “uses concatenative synthesis to splice and process vocal fragments extracted from human voice samples.”

We’ll be spending some time with the Vocaloid app and its creator — video game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi (of Sega and Lumines fame) — later today. In the meantime, check out the gallery below and watch our hands-on video with the other apps after the break.

Continue reading Miselu Neiro synth at Google I/O: exclusive first look at apps from Korg and Yamaha (video)

Miselu Neiro synth at Google I/O: exclusive first look at apps from Korg and Yamaha (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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