Korg Gadget comes to Mac

Compared to last year’s NAMM – which saw the arrival of the excellent FM Volca and our favourite synth of 2016, the Minilogue – Korg’s hi-tech offering at this year’s show felt decidedly low key, focused primarily on new versions of existing products. Of these announcements, the reveal of a forthcoming Mac version of the company’s virtual instruments suite Gadget is the most intriguing.

First released for iOS in early 2014, Gadget is a collection of virtual instruments housed within a DAW-like environment with basic sequencing and mixing capabilities. While the app, and the instruments within it, are largely built for accessibility rather than depth, the range and quality of the sounds on offer is undeniably impressive.

The Mac version looks like it will run as a standalone application, largely mimicking the capabilities of the iOS version, albeit with a larger, redesigned interface. However, it will also come with a collection of 30 instrument plug-ins, allowing users to run individual gadgets as instruments within their chosen DAW.

Naturally for an iOS port, these Gadgets are unlikely to match the depth of dedicated desktop plug-in instrument collections, but it’s the cross-platform compatibility that’s really exciting here. Korg promise seamless integration between the iOS and Mac versions of Gadget. Add to that Ableton Link and Native Instruments NKS support and it begins to shape up as one of the most flexible and creative crossplatform tools we’ve seen to date. Here’s hoping Windows users can get in on the action at some point in the future too! At the time of writing, pricing and a release date are yet to be confirmed.