The Korg M1 - Putting it all Together

Ғылым және технология

A mini-doc about Korg's famous workstation synthesizer - the M1.

Пікірлер: 351

  • @jackhotop6446
    @jackhotop6446 Жыл бұрын

    Great job! Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing Korg history. The popular percussive Organ 2 M1 program features the full length organ sample, and the Organ 1 program incorporates the truncated version. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to develop and create sounds for the Poly 800 1/2, DW6000/8000, DS8 and DSS1/DSM1. They were an important part of the evolution that led to the development of the M1.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you Jack for all your groundbreaking work with Korg and the sounds of these wonderful instruments. It's been a pleasure for me to play them through the years and the M1 would never have been as successful without such great patches. Thanks for the clarification on the Organ sample - great information. The Poly-800 was my first synthesizer - I played it non-stop every day!

  • @JayKaufman

    @JayKaufman

    Жыл бұрын

    I love that through KZread, synth sound designers and engineers can comment on these types of things all these years later. Do you know what the sources for the M1 piano and organ sounds were?

  • @junosix2453

    @junosix2453

    Жыл бұрын

    Excellent video! And thanks to Jack for the amazing work on the M1. I'd also love to know the sources for the sound samples. Am I right in understanding that Digidesign's Turbosynth was used for some of the patches? Were the DWGS waves taken directly from the ROMs of those synths or regenerated for the higher bit-depth of the M1? I've read that Lore was a recording of a jack-in-the-box being wound up, is that the case? The burning question is - which make/model of piano is in that legendary patch?

  • @jackhotop6446

    @jackhotop6446

    Жыл бұрын

    @@junosix2453 Magic Organ was made with Turbosynth, the DWGS waveforms were generated on the DSS-1, Lore is a processed ambient recording, and the piano was an edited version from the SG-1D.

  • @junosix2453

    @junosix2453

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks! Which in turn was sampled from either a Steinway Model D or Yamaha CFX from what I'm able to find.

  • @arthurcrime
    @arthurcrime Жыл бұрын

    After watching this I dragged my m1ex out of the shed. You're right it still sounds cool.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    That is awesome - glad you did that!

  • @ILLUDIUM_Q_36
    @ILLUDIUM_Q_36 Жыл бұрын

    A very good friend and co-worker gave me her Korg M1 back in 1999. I still have it today.

  • @oldschoollee
    @oldschoollee Жыл бұрын

    One of my favorite workstations of all time

  • @Clocktoys
    @Clocktoys Жыл бұрын

    I recently found my old M1 in the attic. Made loads of songs with this in the late 80s by building a backing track in the multitrack sequencer and then transferring to my portastudio to overdub extra synth parts and add vocals. A dream workstation in its day.

  • @AlexBallMusic
    @AlexBallMusic Жыл бұрын

    Nicely done Johnny.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Alex!

  • @FlickaLovaReturns

    @FlickaLovaReturns

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams I was wondering if this synthesizer you have has an option for changing the octaves? Some keyboards have that option, others don't.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    @@FlickaLovaReturns It doesn't have a button easily accessible, but you can set the range on the waveform setup to which octave you want.

  • @FlickaLovaReturns

    @FlickaLovaReturns

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams Wow. The waveform setup. I was wondering if you are at all interested in doing another demo of the Korg M1, explaining some trivia facts I gave you like how the TubaFlugel sound pack from this synthesizer was used by British composer Andrew McCrorie Shand on Ragdoll shows from the early 1990s to the early 2000s, including Rosie and Jim, Tots TV, and it's most popular use was in Teletubbies.

  • @growunderland1094
    @growunderland1094 Жыл бұрын

    I bought the Korg M1 new in a music store in the 90s and sold it again around 2002. But I've been the proud owner of an M1 again for a year. Simply a very nice instrument.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Great you found another!

  • @27461Andy
    @27461Andy Жыл бұрын

    I cheaply bought this keyboard from my country (approx 150 EUR), I repaired the keys that didn't work, and some buttons, disassembled it myself from head to toe, came with a pristine outer case, no scratches, brand new, I reloaded all the internal sound bank from the internet, and now I have the best selling synth of all time in my possession. Now it works like a charm, I made four instrumentals only with the onboard instruments and drums and I couldn't be happier. Thanks for the presentation video!

  • @EmilioNorrmann
    @EmilioNorrmann Жыл бұрын

    and it was built like a tank

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    It really is - it is solid. Mine still feels almost new.

  • @pappyprimetime7510

    @pappyprimetime7510

    Жыл бұрын

    One time, I broke down a door with one

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    @@pappyprimetime7510 That does not surprise me at all - they are built like a battering ram

  • @27461Andy

    @27461Andy

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah and when I disassembled it to repair it which I did eventually I found out the lower removable covering is made of iron (that itself was what made this instrument so heavy), but it also helps close the circuit and make the synth turn on (without it there the M1 won't function).

  • @EdgyNumber1

    @EdgyNumber1

    10 ай бұрын

    ​@@johnnymorgansynthdreamsOf course, the OASYS weighs as much as a cruise ship! Lol. I do love Korg though. Quality is amazing, and those sounds. I have them on my Nautilus.... It too is built like a tank.

  • @frankcisde2338
    @frankcisde2338 Жыл бұрын

    I still have mine at home. Great synth with a powerfull sequencer. The demos were incredible.

  • @chaosme1ster

    @chaosme1ster

    Жыл бұрын

    Same here. Don't use it for its sounds anymore, but simply can't let it go since it was my 1st real synth. I'll never forget hearing the demo in the shop indeed…

  • Жыл бұрын

    Oh ! My first synth… before the O1… nostalgia !! 👍👍👍 I had so good time with it 😊

  • @toomanyclamps130
    @toomanyclamps130 Жыл бұрын

    Picked one up in 2022 for $300. So glad I did.

  • @intarsienschrankzwetschgen4224
    @intarsienschrankzwetschgen4224 Жыл бұрын

    I was a heavy user of the built-in sequencer back in the day.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Awesome - a true workstation for you.

  • @ytpremium7649
    @ytpremium7649 Жыл бұрын

    I was at Sam Ash music in Richmond Hills Queens New York the day the KORG M1 was released. It was an absolute powerhouse and 2 years later I bought the T3 for $2400 cash out the door (you could haggle prices back then) but within a few months I was bored of it and bought a DW800, a DX7II and D50 and started programming them. I sold everything off and kept the DX7. More than 30 years later and I'm still programming the DX7 and still can't get tired of it. It's the most satisfying and rewarding synth I've ever owned

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing that story! Programming the DX7 is no easy task - I understand it, but it's still so hard to do. Very cool that you still use it and make your own sounds to this day with it.

  • @tedmuss
    @tedmuss Жыл бұрын

    These videos are a beautiful insight to the legacy of these wonderful instruments...keep em coming Johnny, great work!!!

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks tedmus - much appreciated.

  • @playeveryday01
    @playeveryday01 Жыл бұрын

    The M1 iOS app is probably my favorite synth app ever. The most unique sounds and so customizable.

  • @hdsubstance1
    @hdsubstance1 Жыл бұрын

    I bought one on release date and it was like having the whole world in from of me ...I miss it a lot.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Amazing.. I already dropped $1500 on a D-50 a few years earlier so I couldn't afford it. Thanks for sharing.

  • @albertogozzini
    @albertogozzini Жыл бұрын

    Amazing video. I had an M1 in 90’s and I wish I still had it…. It was designed in mid 80’s… It was at least 30 years ahead.

  • @lundsweden
    @lundsweden Жыл бұрын

    Korg was on the ropes by the late 80s, so Korg probably would'nt be around today if not for the runaway success of the M1.

  • @madness8556

    @madness8556

    8 ай бұрын

    I think that the M1 was to Korg what the ipod was to Apple. Both of these products more or less saved the respective companies from a sad demise. Korg was even able to buy back the 40%share of the company that Yamaha had purchased in the 80s.

  • @perrybarton
    @perrybarton Жыл бұрын

    Great job on the vid. Subscribed! I bought my M1 in ‘89. Used it for production work and live gigs for many years. Finally sold it in 2015, having saved all my sounds to SysEx files, which I was then able to load into Korg’s M1 VI for use in my DAW (as well as in their iPad app, which I’ve used live before). Even now, I *still* pull up the occasional M1 sound to use in client productions and in my own material. I bought a Korg Krome a few years ago, and I noticed many vestiges of the design of the M1’s OS under the hood. 🤓

  • @daz4627
    @daz4627 Жыл бұрын

    Another great video on some fantastic music history... I've had mine for decades and it's still going strong.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    They are so well engineered - even the buttons have held up really well.

  • @AS-wm7jm
    @AS-wm7jm Жыл бұрын

    Love (i love) or Hate the M1 but this is the sound of a magnificent era. sounds still used today maybe through vst but still used today.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah agreed - it was such an incredible time

  • @thedomlip
    @thedomlip Жыл бұрын

    First off, I am always impressed how you find clips of the performers using the synth you are talking about.. Second, now I have to go fire mine up.. Thanks!

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Domenic - it's big but still has some great sounds.

  • @kerzwhile
    @kerzwhile Жыл бұрын

    Very well done!! ❤

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Kerzwhile!

  • @RussNixon
    @RussNixon Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the great video! It took me back to a simpler time. I loved my M1, and all of my AI-era Korg workstations… I still remember experiencing the magic of the M1 for the first time at a music store. It was so inspiring.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Russ - I had the same experience with the M1 when I first saw and heard it!

  • @SuperMax_____0.0_____
    @SuperMax_____0.0_____ Жыл бұрын

    M1 is one of my fav ever

  • @RunFaster011
    @RunFaster011 Жыл бұрын

    Really great video. Thank you for telling the story of an overlooked piece of gear! I learned a lot. This thing sounds great.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks RunFaster011 - glad you enjoyed it!

  • @Andronicus2007
    @Andronicus2007 Жыл бұрын

    The M1 was a great product, revolutionary at the time and people loved it! The weakness with ROMpler type synths though is they are pretty much stuck in time, sonically. Sure, some of the patches are still useable today, but ROMplers simply have'nt adapted as well to different styles and genres as traditional Subtractive synths have. A Minimoog can sound as home in 70s prog rock, 80s pop and dance, 90s dance and hiphop right up to the latest styles to this day. Softsynths too are mostly based on the classic VCO-VCF-VCA architecture to this day.

  • @jackspring7709
    @jackspring7709 Жыл бұрын

    I remember the sudden switchover to digital, all the old analog synths were being dumped - I walked into a music shop in Dublin and there was all these analog synths being sold for the equivalent of $100, including Moogs. I bought a KORG Mono/Poly there and still have it today. Bought the M1 a few years later and I still have that. The VST version is great, too, and it comes with all the 'expansion cards' included.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Great story Jack. Yes I bought a Mono/Poly and Moog Taurus pedal for $250 around that time!

  • @jackspring7709

    @jackspring7709

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams Nice one. I remember looking at them all at the time and I couldn't believe they were being sold so cheaply - I remember wondering what they'd be worth in a few year.

  • @snowleopard9749
    @snowleopard9749 Жыл бұрын

    I was of the generation who grew up hating these sounds (and that of the DX7), but I've grown to appreciate it over time.

  • @TryptychUK

    @TryptychUK

    Жыл бұрын

    We all go through those. I'm even starting to like EMS synths these days...

  • @JCox964

    @JCox964

    Жыл бұрын

    Same here

  • @TryptychUK

    @TryptychUK

    Жыл бұрын

    @@JCox964 It's all about "horses for courses", never count anything out. Sometimes I will just listen to a track and say "this needs XYZ in here". Often it might be some cheesy retro thing, but it fits perfectly.

  • @HJPhilippi
    @HJPhilippi Жыл бұрын

    I can still remember well when the brand new M1 stood at my music dealer and I got moist eyes: what a dream of an instrument! Unfortunately too expensive for my budget as a student and so I bought a cheap Yamaha entry-level synth shortly after. I regret that to this day, should have just saved longer. :'-/

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes - same - it was out of my reach, but technology moved fast and prices came down eventually!

  • @oystercatcher943
    @oystercatcher943 Жыл бұрын

    Whilst at college in the UKin the early 90s a friend of mind shared a tape of music he'd played on the M1. It sounded incredible, while I was playing a cheap Yamaha keyboard. I was in awe of this proper synth but somehow never got to see it

  • @trumjohannsmancave
    @trumjohannsmancave Жыл бұрын

    I love your documentaries!!😍🎶🎹

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I'll keep them coming - very much appreciated.

  • @c128stuff
    @c128stuff Жыл бұрын

    Having owned an M1R for about a decade, I still lament having sold it. To todays standards its number of voices is somewhat low, but it sounds really great, and has some very recognizable sounds. The only real limitation I found is lack of a resonance filter

  • @kiskadar69

    @kiskadar69

    Жыл бұрын

    I agree. Another limitation is the lack of a portamento.

  • @zmix
    @zmix Жыл бұрын

    Another great video Johnny..! The M1 was everywhere...

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    It really was. I saw a lot of bands around that time and everyone had the M1. I spent all my money on a D-50 the year before, so I wasn't able to join the party.

  • @gsprings43
    @gsprings43 Жыл бұрын

    i remember reading the linear notes on quincy jones 1989 back on the block album that the m1 was used on some songs

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm sure it was

  • @Jesoteric
    @JesotericАй бұрын

    The sounds are so good

  • @mladenbasic1
    @mladenbasic1 Жыл бұрын

    I remember when this came into the wedding band scene that I was a part of. Absolute game changer. Just think of how many weddings that you attended had one on stage. Great video!

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    I know when the M1 came out it was they synth to have! i felt so out of date with my D-50.

  • @HenritheHorse

    @HenritheHorse

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams I'd still prefer the D-50. And I even prefer my M1's father DSS-1.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    @@HenritheHorse I still love my D-50 - it just didn;t have the realistic Piano sound the M1 had at the time. I want to get a dss-1 - it's on my list for sure.

  • @HenritheHorse

    @HenritheHorse

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams Yeah, both have great sounds really!

  • @TheShadoeryder

    @TheShadoeryder

    Жыл бұрын

    it took over a lot of the gospel band scene as well. It was pretty much everywhere hahaha

  • @EdgyNumber1
    @EdgyNumber110 ай бұрын

    Great video Johnny! I love Korg.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks Edgy - I will for sure be doing more Korg videos. A DW-8000 video is coming up as I just bought and fixed one. I love Korg as well. They are my dark tone friends!

  • @tellyourstorymusicbyikson
    @tellyourstorymusicbyikson Жыл бұрын

    Really enjoyed this!

  • @stacygabriel
    @stacygabriel Жыл бұрын

    still love the M1

  • @mwmusic29
    @mwmusic29 Жыл бұрын

    The M1 is one of my favorite synths. I don't use the sequencing function but there are so many great sounds that are still relevant today, and if you're a designer there are tons of great samples to get you started. It's a classic. Thanks for this great video!

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Couldn't agree more!

  • @TryptychUK

    @TryptychUK

    Жыл бұрын

    It was the "Mrs Miro" demo sequence that sold it for me. Totally gobsmacked.

  • @mwmusic29

    @mwmusic29

    Жыл бұрын

    @@TryptychUK I'll have to take a listen - I can't remember what that one sounds like...

  • @TryptychUK

    @TryptychUK

    Жыл бұрын

    @@mwmusic29 They are classic Rompler, but the VFX has an analogue edge others never managed to pull off.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    @@TryptychUK oh yeah Ms. Muro song 4 is insane

  • @ashfaq1999
    @ashfaq1999 Жыл бұрын

    Great video of this legendary synth.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Ashfaq

  • @ashfaq1999

    @ashfaq1999

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams Most Welcome 🤝

  • @Terrorvision13
    @Terrorvision1310 ай бұрын

    Great job, Johnny. So glad I found your channel. Subscribed and looking forward to viewing more of your stuff.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks - much appreciated!

  • @corri303
    @corri303 Жыл бұрын

    You're doing an amazing job with this series!

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks com303 - much appreciated.

  • @jimbotron70
    @jimbotron70 Жыл бұрын

    It's like watching a documentary on Synth Channel... really good 😀

  • @iblamesummers
    @iblamesummers28 күн бұрын

    great segment. 🎉

  • @simonhodgetts6530
    @simonhodgetts6530 Жыл бұрын

    I loved my M1 - I used the sequencer to programme the basic tracks for an album I made in the late 90s - it was simple to programme, and worked well. The drums and multi-bass worked well, along with the brass and sax patches. A very powerful synth.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    You truly used it as a workstation which is great. The drums were really decent for the time - have a great 80's sound to them

  • @jessihawkins9116

    @jessihawkins9116

    Жыл бұрын

    you made an album? 😃

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jessihawkins9116 Yes a few - industrial stuff is under Unit:187 and my electronic projects are under Powerplant Music.

  • @BrianDRidgway
    @BrianDRidgway Жыл бұрын

    I loved mine. Before that, I loved my Poly 800... the. T3, then 01W, then my Triton and now my 2 Kronos's.

  • @goran_bastinac
    @goran_bastinac Жыл бұрын

    Great content Johnny ❤ thank you for making this wonderfull videos, keep it up ❤

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Goran

  • @SpikesStudio3
    @SpikesStudio3 Жыл бұрын

    Superb. Thanks bro. Great work. Great choice. It was something special. The digital days were so very different. 👍

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Michael - the digital evolution was so incredible

  • @robertmariano
    @robertmariano Жыл бұрын

    This makes me want to buy a Korg M1

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    You can find them for so cheap, but they take up a lot of space!

  • @iixorb
    @iixorb Жыл бұрын

    Another excellent overview 👍

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it iixorb - I will get to that ESQ-1 demo soon!

  • @busywl69
    @busywl69 Жыл бұрын

    Nice. Loved the prophecy too.

  • @johnsuggs7828
    @johnsuggs7828 Жыл бұрын

    This was really well done

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks John!

  • @NostalKeys
    @NostalKeys Жыл бұрын

    What a nice video! Thanks!

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad you liked it!

  • @graysynther2169
    @graysynther2169 Жыл бұрын

    The sequencer was a nightmare, but it sounded good With some fiddling & menu diving, really fitting in with a track😊

  • @_P_M_
    @_P_M_ Жыл бұрын

    Definitely a very classy looking synth. The buttons and rounded corners were very stylish. The closest I ever got to owning one were some samples on my EPS. Another great tribute video! Thanks!

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    It's look was so futuristic when it first came out. I marvelled at the lighted buttons.

  • @xa1a

    @xa1a

    Жыл бұрын

    Those buttons were so loved,they were even used up until the Prophecy!

  • @LondraCalibro9

    @LondraCalibro9

    10 ай бұрын

    It is a cool piece, but I think the EPS is much more desirable!

  • @benedictdsilva3954
    @benedictdsilva3954 Жыл бұрын

    Well done. bit nostalgic

  • @SamLee1980
    @SamLee198010 ай бұрын

    Got this in my high school, and after 30+ years I still enjoy designing interesting sounds out of its PCM and digitalized analog waveforms. Granted it's no true Analog or FM synth, but lots of time you can get close if you are good. Compared to D50, M1's acoustic instrument are more realistic, has more transient sounds(or you can isolate out the attack of PCM yourself), which can then be combined with DWGS or PCM loop to create 'synth acoustic' sounds that can only be synthesized by 8-operator FM. It takes a creative mind(not preset players) to fully explore M1's potential !

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    7 ай бұрын

    Amazing - keep programming that M1 - it really is super deep.

  • @OMG_so_Nerdy
    @OMG_so_Nerdy Жыл бұрын

    I had one, sold it and then after years bought the VST version, because you just can't get those sounds anywhere else.

  • @lucabeckr
    @lucabeckr Жыл бұрын

    I’ve got the T3, a workstation which is not really talked about very often. But it’s my favorite digital synth. It’s also described as the “M1 on steroids” since it’s got double the memory and ROM plus a floppy disk drive and therefore not only features the well known M1 sounds but also a row of more realistic acoustic instruments in the same housing but with a bigger and higher resolution screen and some additional buttons. It was released only a year after the M1 but was quite high priced and marketed not really well.

  • @petesaysell

    @petesaysell

    Жыл бұрын

    The T1 was a monster 🙂

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    I have to check out the T3 - I remember seeing it and thinking it was a beast.

  • @lovemadeinjapan

    @lovemadeinjapan

    Жыл бұрын

    I love the T2ex. It is a longer T3 with 1MB of sample RAM you can fill with 808 or 909 drums for example. Extra nice is they are usually cheaper than M1's, as nobody looks for them. So I bought 3 for 650€ in total.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    @@lovemadeinjapan I know these old Romplers go for almost peanuts these days!

  • @lovemadeinjapan

    @lovemadeinjapan

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams The original M1 does 500€ with ease though, back then selling for 3500DM. A T2ex was 6000 DMark back in the day, you could buy a serious Mercedes for that amount of money back then, yet these do 200-250 today.

  • @daeone1514
    @daeone1514 Жыл бұрын

    I definitely love korg.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Who doesn't! My first synth was a Poly-800 and I remember wanting to own a PolySix so much in early 80's!

  • @paullawson8610
    @paullawson8610 Жыл бұрын

    The M1 was the synth of early dance music

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    It really was

  • @Blackentrance
    @Blackentrance Жыл бұрын

    excellent video......thanks

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    You are welcome!

  • @AfterNothingsEnd
    @AfterNothingsEnd Жыл бұрын

    Great video

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thansk!

  • @madness8556
    @madness8556 Жыл бұрын

    I thought that I'd died and gone to synth heaven when I first played an M1 as a 16 year old in my local music shop in 1988! It was a revelation to play through sounds that actually sounded uncannily like the acoustic instruments they were mimicking! I actually was confused as to what the M1 actually was upon seeing the words Music Workstation. It sounded like a sampler but it wasn't one! It had a built in sequencer but no floppy disk drive like the Roland D20 and Ensoniq SQ80 that were released a couple of months earlier that year. I had my heart set on an M1 and Korg DF1 extremel data filer disk drive but I actually saved the extra mula and got a Korg T3EX instead which I ended up using for over 25 years! I've had a very special affinity for Korg products ever since and I hope that the company releases a next generation product to the Kronos that won't take 3 minutes to boot up!

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the comments Mad Ness. I had a very similar experience when I first saw and played the M1. Such great times they were as technology was really opening up so many new sonic possibilities. Thanks for the Korg story!

  • @bluediamond5280

    @bluediamond5280

    Жыл бұрын

    Haha. Me too! 😅 I used to hang out for hours at the music store messing around with the sounds that were out of this world. I finally bought one and it was all worth it. Now, I use the software, and it's still out of this world. My go-to soft synth for tracking practically anything and everything. Good job KORG.

  • @madness8556

    @madness8556

    Жыл бұрын

    Korg always seemed to pull out the big stops every couple of years with instruments that truly revolutionised music production and performance. After the M, T and O series, they rested on their laurels a bit up until 1995 when they released the fabulous next big step up, the silver beast called the Trinity with its touch screen interface. Then in 1999 with the Triton, 2005 with the hideously expensive but phenomenally powerful Oasys, 2007 with the M3 and 2011 with the Kronos. I certainly hope that Korg don't give up on the producing hardware music production workstation keyboards and delight us yet again with a worthy Kronos successor that doesn't have a 3 minute boot up time! 😅 As for me, I've owned a stack of Korg instruments since 1991 including the T3EX, Trinity Plus, 01WFD, DW8000, DDM110, Z1EX, Wavestation AD, Wavestation SR, fully maxed out Triton Classic with MOSS board, 64mb sample ram and EXB01 and EXB02 expansions, IX300 and PA2X.

  • @ryanbmd7988
    @ryanbmd7988 Жыл бұрын

    Lovely! Hoping for one on 01/W

  • @lovemadeinjapan
    @lovemadeinjapan Жыл бұрын

    Nice mini-docu! The M1 was in my brain since 1989 high school music class. I had all the folders back then, yet the 4000 guilders it costed was keeping it a dream. Fast forward to 2018, I found one for 250€. Really love the clean design. It must have been made nearly 350000 times, as all the serial numbers seem to continue from 000001 upwards, and I happen to have #330 thousand sonthing. You could even add the T3/T2 to the sales count, as the whole Microkorg (the synth that was claimed to have detroned the M1 in sales) family differs as much as a T2 vs M1. That brings it to nearly 500000 synths with the same signature synth engine. The thing that made the M1 a game changer IMO was not the presets nor the sequencer, but the excellent drums and effects. Those really made up for the lack of analog filters, and the 2x10s reverb still sounds very Strymon Bigskyesque today.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    The drums are really good - I was actually playing with them the other day and they have such a good signature 80's sound.

  • @KogetsuKuzunoha
    @KogetsuKuzunoha Жыл бұрын

    I love this thing 😊

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    You can find them pretty easily on the used market.

  • @NigelMarston
    @NigelMarston3 ай бұрын

    This is good. Amazing that despite the numbers made, finding a decent one on the 2nd hand market is still quite hard. I'm after a good M1R - they're out there but holding their prices well.

  • @budgetkeyboardist
    @budgetkeyboardist Жыл бұрын

    Great job! I wanted one of these sooooo bad. And couldn't afford one.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Same!

  • @garysmith8455
    @garysmith8455 Жыл бұрын

    So nice to see the legacy of the M1 brought to the fore here ! Thank you! I am a proud Korg owner since 1976 (Maxi Korg), and still have these in the studio today, bought brand new back in the day. MS-20, SQ-10, Poly-Six, DW-8000, DSS-1, M3-R, Triton Extreme 76, MS-2000-B, King Korg, Kronos X- 73, and Kronos 2- 73. Every one of these were in use live though my long career on stage live until the pandemic in '20. Many thanks again for your presentation .🙂

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Gary, and great to see your list of classic instruments used live.

  • @garysmith8455

    @garysmith8455

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams Thank you sir! Guess I am a bit of a hoarder. D-50 and a CS-60 (like new) still in the stable with Korg and a hand signed (by Robert Moog) 50th anniversary Voyager, only 100 of these were produced. Sometimes it is well worth keeping these jewels around as long as you can. One day, someone else will enjoy them 😉

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    @@garysmith8455 Amazing. I know - I often think about that - we are actually just temporary custodians of these fine instruments.

  • @garysmith8455

    @garysmith8455

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams Very true....

  • @connor_flanigan
    @connor_flanigan Жыл бұрын

    ah the 80s - when we had new synths, new technology and new sounds every year. as opposed to the last 20 years where we've had 10,000 different analog synths with a sawtooth waveform and filter, trying to relive the 1970s.

  • @amplifier2
    @amplifier2 Жыл бұрын

    Well done!

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @stevehofer3482
    @stevehofer3482 Жыл бұрын

    Nice job. I wish you would have mentioned that a software version of the M1 has been available now for well over a decade. I use the iM1 on my iPad more than any other iPad synth. The sounds still hold up.

  • @jackspring7709

    @jackspring7709

    Жыл бұрын

    Absolutely. I have the M1 and I also bought the software version which is excellent as it has all the expansion cards included. I think KORG did a great job on it.

  • @TheShadoeryder
    @TheShadoeryder Жыл бұрын

    the M1 was a and is a beast! if i could find a hardware one at a decent price I would snatch it right up. till then I will get by with my M1 vst haha

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah they are a tank. I think it's sort of similar to the DSS-1 in the sense that it was engineered super tough.

  • @avva3802
    @avva3802 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the video. many blessings in Jesus Christ name.

  • @BojanBojovic
    @BojanBojovic Жыл бұрын

    This was my childhood dream, actually T3 but it is basically the same. It has one of the best keybeds and certainly the best design ever. I have T3 in my studio as a controller only, now I am thinking about cutting the metal case and put the Medeli AKX10 arranger brain inside together with the touch screen, it would be a perfect arranger really.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Wow that would be super cool - if you do that let me know and post some pics of the process.

  • @SteveJones172pilot
    @SteveJones172pilot Жыл бұрын

    Interesting history... I'm a DX7 guy.. but my dad has an M1 and it's always been my second favorite.. I am surprised the M1 sales exceeded the DX.. I have an M3r because I was jealous of some of the sounds on the M1 but couldn't afford it! :-)

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    I think it was just the right synth a the right time - it had a lot of features and I think that really appealed to the masses

  • @devingademan
    @devingademan Жыл бұрын

    Hey Johnny, fantastic video regarding the M1! I have sent you a tweet with a link regarding the different design of the rear/back panel of the M1. It's a nerdy, but still interesting detail that I couldn't find any information about on the internet. Greetings from Germany!

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Devin - I'm very interested to check this out. I can imagine after 7 years of production they probably changed the design a few times.

  • @ivanshafiq2915
    @ivanshafiq2915 Жыл бұрын

    Very informative

  • @clovermindmusic
    @clovermindmusic9 ай бұрын

    awesome

  • @perge_music
    @perge_music Жыл бұрын

    'Shadow of the Beast' on the Commodore Amiga, when I realised that most of the music from that game was made using an M1 that was the synth for me. The Universe patch is all you really need.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    That is so cool - I did't know that

  • @MatthewHarrold
    @MatthewHarrold Жыл бұрын

    The only gear from my gig days I've kept is a Korg 03-RW, which is a poorman rack mounted M1 with a few limitations. It still powers up and takes PCMCIA cards for extra wavetables. I also run the Legacy Collection in software now-days. The M1 was amazing, but the Roland D-70 had a better keyboard and the 03-RW was (obviously) MIDI rack gear. Great video Johnny Morgan. $0.02

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Good call on keeping the 03-RW!Totally agree as well on the D-70 keybed - they felt so good - the M1 keybed still is pretty clickity / cheep feeling.

  • @TeeThinkable
    @TeeThinkable Жыл бұрын

    I love the Kong M1 because of Gypsy Woman 😍😍😍

  • @paulwilliams2080

    @paulwilliams2080

    Жыл бұрын

    That riff on the organ2 (patch 17) is my favourite to play🎹

  • @mrdali67
    @mrdali67 Жыл бұрын

    The M1 was the first brand new Synth I ever got. Comming from learning to play Organ and Piano up thru the 70's and early 80's. My first synth was a 2'nd hand DW-8000 which I absolutely loved. A world of new sounds comming from the Organs preset based analog sounds. I couldn't quite get the same warm synth sounds from the DW even the M1 had the waveforms , but I managed to exchange the DW with an EX-8000 which was used together with a Yamaha TX-802 for many years and to be frank even there are nice sounds in the DX-7 somehow I always found the DW/EX 8000 a far better and more interesting synth than the FM synths. Today I deeply regret that I later parted with the EX-8000. I skipped all the newer Korg sample based models but finally decided the T-3 was getting long in the tooth and settled on the Kronos (But still miss those warm synth sounds from the DW). Always been a Yamaha and Korg fanboi. Yamah mainly cause that was what I was braught up with during my youth with various Electones all the way from a B5 to a C55N and ultimate an FS-70. I am still hoping Korg will see the light and after the discontinuation of the Kronos, release another hybrid synths with Kronos like digital stuff but with at least some kind of analog filtering cause that was what made the DW and DSS-1 so cool instruments. Many of the sounds in the M1 origins from the DSS-1. I did try the DSS-1 once it was in stuck in my local store, but as many others I mainly wanting a large aray of good sampled factory sounds than actual trying to sample yourself which back in the 80's was practically impossible to create good multisampled sounds without having a ton of patience. The old T-3 is still stored at home and not selling it. It is need of a new display, and actually thinking of revieving it with one of those new programable wave cards available, but right now I can practically hardly see whats going on in the display with a lamp pointing on the screen. Both the M1 and T-series were groundbreaking in the start of the 90's

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Awesome story mrdali67. Thanks sharing your history with Korg and Yamaha synths. I agree on the DW / EX-8000 - there is something special about them. I've never owned a Kronos, but everyone who does absolutely loves them so I'm also intrigued somewhat there, but I'm on the look for a DW-8000 for sure. I had a poly-800 as my first synth and the guy who sold it to me had the DW-8000 which at the time was out of my price range.

  • @FatNorthernBigot
    @FatNorthernBigot Жыл бұрын

    At that moment in time, musicians were only interested in sample based technology. The korg M1 fitted the bill perfectly.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    It really did - that was me for sure. Had I known otherwise I'd of been buying every old analog synth I could find!

  • @FatNorthernBigot

    @FatNorthernBigot

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams It must seem strange to young musicians, but there was a point where sample-based instruments were different and exciting, thanks to people like Trevor Horn etc... Everything changed in the mid 90s, I guess.

  • @andycrystal
    @andycrystal Жыл бұрын

    And then came the Wavestation, which smokes my M1.

  • @jameshughes3014
    @jameshughes3014 Жыл бұрын

    This synth feels like an exclamation point in history, when samples finally killed raw synthesized sound. Kind of sad in a way, but it was an amazing keyboard in its day. It's one of those rare instances when something could do everything, and do it well enough to be useful.

  • @jessihawkins9116

    @jessihawkins9116

    Жыл бұрын

    no reason you can’t have both. get a m1, d50 and a d7

  • @DoctorNemmo

    @DoctorNemmo

    10 ай бұрын

    ...Finally killed? My dude, I have news for you.

  • @DmitryGorbushin
    @DmitryGorbushin Жыл бұрын

    The best selling synthesizer of all time is ... KORG microkorg. It outsold any other synths, even all Yamaha FM synths combined.

  • @jupitermarx
    @jupitermarx Жыл бұрын

    I’m impressed with your video! Took a lot of Work, I would imagine?

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Mark - I just work on it in the eventings and over my lunch time so they take a while

  • @StargateMax
    @StargateMax Жыл бұрын

    This is a lovely instrument! Years ago I got the VST version, then I got the iPad version in 2018, and in 2021 I found a real physical one in good condition, I sniped it off Ebay at 50-60% of the usual price.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Nice - you can find them for good prices still on eBay.

  • @issiewizzie
    @issiewizzie Жыл бұрын

    ahh the universal sound

  • @DoctorNemmo
    @DoctorNemmo10 ай бұрын

    The M1 iPad app is very good and you can buy all the PCM expansion cards for it for a decent price.

  • @markusfuller
    @markusfuller Жыл бұрын

    I see the Pet shop boys used a wireless version of the M1 & Emulator at 10:04 - I guess they must have been on the bbc at the time.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Ha - totally!

  • @bladebrown4191
    @bladebrown4191 Жыл бұрын

    Awesome as always. Hoping you continue with the M1’s little bro, the 01/W, which carried Korg’s legacy well into the ‘00’s, with a lot of help and ingenuity from two nerdy kids from VA Beach, Virginia 🖖🏾

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes the 01/W - I'm on the hunt for one. Neptunes!

  • @TryptychUK

    @TryptychUK

    Жыл бұрын

    That was more the brainchild of Dave Smith and his vector synthesis chops from the Prophet VS.

  • @treedeblue
    @treedeblue Жыл бұрын

    Great job. I have one :)

  • @davewilk7165
    @davewilk7165 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent...excellent....please do one on the Alesis Fusion HD...that was a great workstation that didn't get its fair due (power supply and HD issues??)

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    Interesting - I'll try and find one!

  • @BasedFrequency

    @BasedFrequency

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@johnnymorgansynthdreams yea the fusion is a insane synth, has four sound engines. 6 op fm, subtractive, sampler and physical modeling based on wind instruments.

  • @TryptychUK

    @TryptychUK

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams If you get chance, check out the Ensoniq VFX /VFX-SD Made much in the mould of the M1. Highly underrated and very powerful, but sadly dreadfully unreliable.

  • @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    @johnnymorgansynthdreams

    Жыл бұрын

    @@TryptychUK I've wanted to pickup a VFX - would you recommend the SD version or basic VFX? They can be found pretty cheap as well.

  • @TryptychUK

    @TryptychUK

    Жыл бұрын

    @@johnnymorgansynthdreams Absolutely, but get the later SD version if you can, more voices, lots of upgrades and the essential floppy drive. I worked for Ensoniq for a brief period and at that point had a 97% failure rate due to the keyboard scanning routine that levels the keys for aftertouch. Make sure you have the last OS and it all fires up on start and you should be OK. Fantastic beasts, but apt to be very sketchy at times. I took one out with Simple Minds and carried not one but two spares because of this.

  • @JayKaufman
    @JayKaufman Жыл бұрын

    This is very relevant in terms of sounds, because what's old is new again... The M1 is all over Beyonce's latest smash hit. Disclosure use it heavily. I've been hearing it a lot in pop records again too.