As a teen I used to die wanting to own an MI back in the early 90s. Every top musician had one..lol...Great sounds & it was indeed the best selling synth in the world at the time (Dont think it still is now)..Funny how time flies.. Today I own a Korg Triton Studio & recently, a Yamaha Motif XF8
Great to see the three big 80s synths together! I have the D-50, the DX7 (MkII), and now watching your video, it makes me want to get the M1 too! Fortunately, I have the Korg Triton Studio and managed to emulate some characteristic M1 sounds, as it contains a lot of waveforms from the classic synth. Thank you for the great as always video and nice advices and tips on buying used synths.
thanks georgios, yeah this is a great to have all three, that's why I was excited to share the moment with the viewers! my girlfriend just doesn't get it.
Another great video! I enjoy hearing about synthesizers in general. I only know a handful of people that like to talk about synths in my town. It's great to be able to listen to you talk about the synthesizer I own and cherish. My favorite synthesizer is the Jupiter 8 though. I never get bored of listening to it or the TR-808 drum machine. Anyways, please continue the great work. Take care, Sam.
Another great video! It's not entirely true that the M1 was the first workstation type synthesiser because Ensoniq had the ESQ1 from 1986 and SQ80 released just a few months before the M1 was released in 1988. The Roland D20, also released before the M1 in 1988 also had a built in sequencer and floppy disk drive.
interesting, was aware about the esq, but I think it lacked mfx, which for me is part of the workstation feature set, was not aware about the d20 though, so that takes it!
@@WoodyPianoShack the D20 along with the D10 were released perhaps 2-3 months before the M1 in 1988. It was basically game over for every other keyboard when everyone was gushing over it. I was going to also get an M1 and Korg DF1 floppy disk drive which was more or less released for the M1 seeing as though there was a mini outcry as to why Korg didn't go that extra mile and simply put one in the M1! I however got a T3EX in early 1991 which was basically everything that the M1 should have been in the first place.
Great video!! This is fantastic, please post more. I'm sure I want an M1 now. I love the old school, deep house/ drum n bass, hip-hop sounds of the 90's. I recently bought a Kurzweil k2500r, a Roland W-30 and about to purchase a mint conditioned Yamaha EX5 this weekend. I love to see these reviews and demos of the classics, excellent sampler/ synths. I could never have afforded them 20 years ago but now some are so much more reasonably priced and easier to acquire than before, offering more possibilities than even some of today's newer synths/workstations. Gotta love the old vintage stuff. For some reason there's much to be appreciated with gear that can still hold it's own, decades later in a market over saturated with flashy boutiques/ re-releases and over priced drum boxes that don't offer much more than what's been available since forever.
If you can find the service manual online (or buy a paper copy), most keyboards and rack mount synths have a "hidden" factory diagnostics mode. Factory diags will test things like CPU, RAM, Sample ROM, display, audio path, pedals, MIDI in/out, sliders, buttons, encoder, mod wheel, pitch bend, and keys. Some also tell you the code (EPROM) OS version and battery voltage. Beware, factory diags can wipe out your user patches/presets, so back them up first.
But ESQ-1 had no built-in FX. The M1 was first that combined PCM-based synth (including drums) + Sequencer + Effects together. Basically created a “workstation” type of synth.
Bought a M1 after seeing this video, my first synth (only had the brochure as kid). Checked everything, seemed awesome, but after a few months I ended up having all the keys serviced and some buttons replaced adding another 100€. But it was not the last buy. Got the whole trinity and more, but nowadays I take a different approach: I buy them remotely from within the EU after some good conversation and demanding extra photos and arrange the shipping myself, I even send out a flight case first in some cases! I can't drive to Munich and back for 30€, but a flightcase by post can! I have to say that works out very well, sans cumbersome roadtrips. One time I had some damage in transit, got a partial refund from the postal service. They first wanted to fully refund but demanded to destroy the synth! But also a couple of total bargains, bought as defunct with a rather easy fix (mintish DS-8 for 100 bucks, DR-110 for 35).
As a teen I used to go to music store at Charing Cross Road (keyboard shops ) just to play with the M1 . You are absolutely right the M1 killed off the D50
D-50 has also synthesizer section and produce analog sounds not only from short samples like Korg M1 produce only. Korg M1 produce audio only from internal audio short samples and has some filters to alter samples
Wonderful man!! Thanks a lot of buying this legend and demo of how to check out the old school synth before buying! It's so great and proud to have this set of legendary synths! I'm very glad for you! Will be waiting for M1 presets and mix of sounds of different great machines! Thank you very much!!
That was a good checklist. My old Casio WK-1800 board has an F# key that always plays full velocity now, which spoils things. Yeah, I'm cheap - the closest I'm getting to any of these boards is my old (now defunct, unless I get lucky resoldering...) DX-100 or the iM1 on my iPad. Really enjoy Woody's vids though.
strangely enough, when i did open my D-50 to fix the momentary tactile switches I noticed that the components are indistinguishable from the ones I purchased from Kjell and Co (or Ebay) -- the only downside with buying your own is that you may get a defective component. I've run into that with brand new components on occasion. I'd say if the synth you're buying is older than 15 years, then plan on opening it and cleaning key contacts and replace tactile switches. it feels good to leave vintage synths in a better condition than i find them in, and i make sure i at least get back what i paid when they need to find a new owner.
I have a Korg M1R, the rack version of the M1. It also has the sequencer, though I never used it. Love the sound, still inspiring for its pads. There are some wild aftermarket sysex files available for the M1. I drive it through a Wavestation EX! I also have an M3R, which actually has different waveforms from the M1, I believe it borrowed waveforms from the T series keyboards; a very unique musical sound.
I own a Korg N264. Can you do a review of it. My favorite sounds of the M1 is the M1 piano sound, M1 trumpet, the M1 guitar, harmonica, tenor sax, and the pan flut. The Korg N264/364 and the M1 are one of my favorite piano.
Milano, Italy September 1988, Deep Purple concert: Jon Lord had one M1 upon his Hammond organ. Managed to play "Fur Elise" with its piano, and I remembered it sounded good!
I have seen lengthy videos comparing the original Korg M1 to the iPad version of Korg iM1. All the sounds are there. And they are identical. I have the iPad version. And, I think it’s terrific. The iPad version has the ‘Filter Resonance’ parameter included (which is not present on the original M1. And, the iPad version has the added bonus of being able to display many sounds as well as many parameters on the screen simultaneously. Makes selecting and/or editing sounds much more convenient.
Being an pro keyboardist since the early 70s, my 1st synth was an Arp Odyssey. I also owned a D50 and M1. Still have my original D50 and Juno 106. I miss my old M1. The biggest problem I have found with all these instruments is pressure switches and buttons wear out, so eventually cannot change programs associated with those buttons. Particularly troublesome where the round plastic pressure buttons on the M1. Sometimes they would fail and actually break off into their footprint. Roland has rubber coverings on their switches, but these eventually lose proper contact too. Second issue would be dirty or broken contacts when pressing keyboard notes. I had a C2 contact fail on a Keizweil 88 piano not long ago. Not a good note to lose! Today I still use my trusty Roland FA08 for live gigs. For DAW production, I prefer vst.. Kontakt instruments, Amplesound guitars, and also use vintage moduals.
Great review. When I was a teen the M1 was "the synth" to have, although the ensoniq Esq-1 came first as a Workstation, the M1 was considered much more superior (at the time), because of the realistic patches, the effects and the advance sequencer. If they ask me now, I prefer the Esq-1 because of the sound itself
the ensoniq stuff was never as popular for whatever reason, but I do recall reading about it in sound on sound magazine. i'll pick one up if i find one and pay some respect to it on the channel.
There are some excellent patches on the web wich takes the M1 light years beyond the factory patches. I still use my unit which I bought when it appeared on the market, both for recording and with my band. Easy to program, excellent keyboard feel, has a beautiful, timeless design. The only gripe I have with it is that Korg should really have given you the option for using audio ports 3 and 4 as a tape data dump storage interface, such as they did with earlier synths. The whole "workstation" idea was that you would not need a computer to compose with (they were just barely starting to become common), but the memory cards were horribly expensive so you had really no other choice than downloading the data on a computer anyhow, which sort of blew the workstation concept out of the water. Or, which I did, record the music to a tape and then erase everything. They really shot themselves in the foot regarding the data storage.
Thanks, I have an M1, that a friend gave me, when he moved. It's functioning well, however, the plastic, in the the area with the buttons on the left side has cracked, and affects the use of a couple of the small buttons. After listening to your comments about that area of things, I realize that it would probably be a greater degree of difficulty to remedy than I had imagined. Thanks much for the perspective.🤓
i got my M1 for 100bucks, it was a litteral steal, but it has gone trough some rough times... one corner is broken off and it looks like it comes out of a mudhole, but it fully works. and i love it
The Fairlight CMI and NED Synclavier was the first "workstation" synthesizers on the market! Both had a synth engine, a sampler and a sequencer (depending on how they where configured). This two synths where far before it's time and had a price tag of 25 000 - 50 000 $ for a basic system. Only professional musicians, producers and hi end studios could afford them. So in the equation for the first "public" workstation they are not counted but in the first ever build they are. Daniel Fletcher of D.S. (a Swedish synthrock / synthpop project)
hi dan, thanks for putting me right, yes, maybe i should have said affordable workstation, and i still think it was the first to combine synth,sequencer + multi-fx, at least nobody has proved me wrong on that claim.
I have an M1 and it is fantastic! the piano and organ sounds was used in many dance music of the 90s. Did you know that there is an iPad app called the iM1 which has all the sounds of the Synth and as an in app purchase, you can also purchase all the sounds of the cards that were available for the M1, I have the app myself and the cards in app purchase and I MIDI it up to my S970 to play the M1 sounds on a modern keyboard
the buttons tend to get filled with dust, a good cleanup generally save them (D-50, M1 and JP-8000, where ''revived'' with deoxit, without demounting the synth ! just spray a lot ''in'' the button, press, press, press (150X) and it should get better ! (5 minutes VS 1 hour+soldering)
yeah, thanks! that trick did work on a roland d10, although if you spray a ton around the buttons from the top, i reckon only 0.05% makes it to the actual microswitch :) but it did work, but I got the gut feeling it was just a temporary fix. maybe i'll try on the m1. cheers
ah the M1, I owned one when they first came out. The factory demo songs were just magical that sold me immediately. I hope you get around to a Korg Wavestation. Would love to hear what you think of that. Great video, great information, love your enthusiasm!
Had an M1 from around 1989 - 2013. Made records with it in the 90`s used it mainly for it`s Orchestrational sounds, strings, horns, brass etc & House Piano for my Electronic tunes. Very nice key action too ( that`s why I kept it so long ). Looking back though many of us youngsters were pretty new to Synths and none that we`d seen had any knob functions so diving into the menus and trying to learn synthesis was a lost cause. I really wish that they had released an optional midi controller with knob functions like Roland did earlier with the JX-3p then I would have got so much more out of my M1 and learnt about Synthesis ! ........... also the small display made it really difficult to learn how to use it`s sequencer for those of us that were new to sequencers, a year later I got an Atari ST and used that instead, miles better for sequencing it was ...........
>>Noiselab: I agree with you about the lack of control. The sequencer, well, I learned to use it back in 91 or so, when I had no access to computer DAWS etc. It was doable!
Dont bother with looking for casing issues, thats purely cosmetic and wont inhibit your workflow, look that the keys work and all the buttons, and then all the ports, midi etc, check the display, and with massive use, check the buttons more than anything, they are prone to not respond, having had one for 10 years with heavy home use, these are the things to die first, so if yours does respond, be gentle and dont put too much pressure on them, they will last a lot longer. This lovely machine inspired me greatly, check out my channel for music made entirely with this, and then later entirely with the fantastic Korg Trinity
some great advice here, thanks! although a dinged up case suggests it's not been looked after and subject to falls etc. and i don't think I'd even want an ugly beaten synth in my studio. that's just me though :) anyways worth checking since it affects price.
You superficial git. My home Korg M1 got so used that around the stop/start button of the sequencer, was worn down to gleaming aluminum casing. Also as the button stopped responding I drilled around the button and removed the micro switch, in a very stupid attempt to fix it, (at the time I was jobless so couldn't send to synth repair) And where the micro switch was, the stem into the tiny switch snapped off, but, when i pushed the stemless little box, somehow the switch responded to pressure. I used it for 4 more years like that until the power supply died. knowing what I know now, I could have fixed it. Great channel btw .
@@chasethedustI would call "superficial" somebody that does *not* care about the looks, not the other way around. Looking for scratches means attention to detail, quite the opposite of being superficial!
Woody Piano Shack SQ-80 came out a whole year before the M1. Keyboard Magazine reviewed the SQ-80 in their Feb. 88 issue. M1 was announced in their April issue covering 1988 Winter NAMM wasn't reviewed until their August or September issue.
Technics had a line of PCM sample based keyboards by 1987 which had multitrack sequencers and programmable drums. They were excellent but were largely ignored by the snobs who wouldn't touch a digital synth unless it had Yamaha, Korg or Roland on the back.
The M1 and SQ80 were both released in '88, I believe. (I see, brzilian has the Keyboard Magazine references for this) The SQ80 has built-in, multi-track sequencer, standard analog-like synthesizer tweaks, and 3 oscillators with 16-bit "realistic sound" samples available as the oscillators. So, yes, it has drums and sequencer and can internally program an entire composition... a complete workstation. But the M1 outlived the SQ80 in production. Both are amazing machines, still very relevant and very useful in modern music production.
vaguely remember lusting over those when they were released. i never see them for sale though, otherwise i'd pick one up. i guess they didn't sell well over here, perhaps different story in the US.
Yes I think the M1 just ruled in its day. But as far as the sequencer oh I hated it, soooo hard at the time to get my head around it. Now compared to Ensoniq which I had the 16+ , its sequencer killed the M1. But they definitely complimented each other. Great video !!!!
Oh yes, the Ensoniq had great sequencers using Western logic as opposed to japanese risk aversion (like having to press many buttons to confirm, mendokusai unfriendly UI) but reliability was ultimately their undoing
Checking all the keys on the keyboard is indeed what I should have done yesterday when I bought a used D-50. The B4 key only worked when played softly and only when it felt like it. I took it to surgery today, opened it up, removed the mainboard, took the keybed out, removed the springs and the keys and cleaned the circuit board underneath the rubbers with some alcohol. All good now, but I could maybe have knocked off a bit from the price as the seller claimed it was in excellent condition.
great job fixing that key, interesting to know it's fixable but sounds like a shit load of work, definitely something you want to take into consideration before agreeing on price, next time maybe :) congrats on that D50!
Woody Piano Shack Thanks! After a bit investigation it turns out to be a relative common issue with the D50: dust ending up under the rubbers in the key bed. It was a bit of work, yes, but the moment you know how to take it apart it's not that bad. It's a pretty serviceable machine.
I just picked up a KORG T1 yesterday for $450. Incredible condition, literally one or two corners show the top layer of wood laminate separating, but other than that perfect. I picked it up off of Craigslist. When I brought it home and started to try it out I noticed the D button (just below the screen) doesn’t work, so i suppose i have to clean the contacts dammit, oh well no big deal
I saw your D50 ad and followed the link here. I have watched all your videos by now and really enjoy them! I noticed that we are almost neighbors, soI might contact you about the D50 ad. Good work!
3 absolutely fabulous Synthesizers from a bygone era. We live in some interesting and exciting times, technology wise, and yet none of today's synths have that character and appeal of these 80's classics. I love my D-50, it's a real beast, even today. My favourite is my Yamaha An1x, such a monster-sounding capable machine, sounds gorgeous. My all-time top 5 synths would look like 1. Roland Jupiter 8. 2. Yamaha AN1x. 3. Roland D-50. 4. Korg M1. 5. Yamaha DX7.
great list dk! tend to agree with you, the current crop of synths lacks the innovation and excitement of the classic age. an1x is a fab sounding synth, people starting to realize now and going up in price. ok, i'll play that game too, my top 5 synths: 1. juno 6 2. dx7 3. nl2x 4. wavestation 5. d50 (tempted to put d10 just because of the fond memories)
I could never get on with that Nord sound, it was always too thin, harsh, and artificial, to me anyway. Lovely looking machines. For the Juno, it will always be the more expensive Juno 60, for me. Fatter, and gorgeous brass and bass sounds, and lovely thick 80's strings. Wavestation was nice, although I ended up with a much cheaper X3. I liked the X3, but it was a bit disappointing at the time. I still love the Korg Trinity, shame it was silver. Speaking of the D10. A friend of mine back in '87, was building a cheap studio for his hobby, rather than his work. His dad promised him a Roland keyboard for a moving in present. So while we waited thinking it was a D50 - his dad was well off, his face when a D10 showed up, pre-owned as well, was something I still wind him up with occasionally. Not that the D10 was bad, just that the D50 was in another league of it's own.
I love the M1, but haven't bought one, because Korg has a VST and it takes a lot less room and costs less. :D However, the feeling and warmer sound may change my mind in the future. I bought a D-50 recently, and it does work and sound better than the Roland Cloud VST version.
Hey Loved all your KORG M1 videos and it was helpful for me using mine. But im really so frustrated as i've been trying to use the Sequencer and i just dont know how to It would be amazing if you can do like a tutorial or something on the sequencer. Thank youuu
As a child of the rave, that synth was the soundtrack of many a song of my early adult life. Really wish to add one to my collection one day soon, if my damn car wouldnt stop breaking down!
Holy 80's digital trinity! The Korg Legancy softsynth for M1/ Wavestation is a pretty good simulation. The Yamaha TG55 was the latest comer to a PCM synth. Everything after that is just PCM.
i bought one these M1's and it had sticking keys and a u/s battery. With a bit of patience and watching other peoples Y/T videos on disassembly, strip down and repair/replacement is no problem. Only down side was i had to buy the over priced cards as it only had the basic piano when i plugged in - apart from that, and the keys/battery. it has been very good - does have a nasty scratch near the volume slider which spoils it's looks and the side panels have been well abused.
I've still got a Korg 03-RW but never bothered with a M1 ... mostly because I was already a happy user of a MIDI controller/rack setup to leverage multiple sound sources, but also because my 3-tier keyboard stand was fully populated and it was as large as logistically possible in local (home-town) pubs and clubs. It might have been cool once ... nice video Woody.
250-300 dollars? Not in the US, haha. The Latin market actually keeps the prices of these fairly high, probably averaging around 600 USD. Another unusual thing I've noticed is that the condition of these is usually awful. You can pretty easily find a DX7 or D50 in good condition, and my Roland Juno-60 is immaculate. But M1's often look like they've been dragged to hell and back, haha. I still need to get one though. I have a DX7 and D50...the holy trinity isn't complete without an M1. Cheers!
I second this. These M1's are still HIGHLY popular and sought after in the Hispanic market that prices can range from $400-$600 for an average looking unit, while the more well-cared for units can go up to $800-$900. It's very common here to find a very nice unit only to find out it's completely missing the pitch joystick and the seller will STILL overprice the unit or won't want to negotiate for anything lower. Because of this I just went with the M1 VST, an iPad and a MIDI controller. Not the same, but the essence is there. And it's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a crap looking M1.
That sounds funny. Here in Germany, I've got the impression that a Yamaha DX7 (MK1) looks mostly like 'hell and back' if I come across one. The M1s that I've encountered so far, however, usually look very well maintained. Very interesting, how different the markets still are.
I have found one and had the known trouble of the knobs not well working broke one and found online how to replace the 34 switches inside. tryed it and the result is marvoulous. I m pretty lucky with mine
I know somebody who has the Korg M1. I think he bought it new back in the early 90s. I'm really reluctent to buy a keyboard from the 80s, to the early 2000s because of the battery. I think it would be too hard for me to replace.
Hi I have an exactkorg M1 and I want to sell it because I don't play it and never have. my fathers friend gave it to me for free. How much do you think I can sell it for? I don't know anything about pianos/keyboards, it has no scratches and it looks brand new.
Woody, I bought an M1 as a first synth, its a great synth and good value for money but I'm looking for something with less realistic sounds. I want to play early 80s sort of electro-pop such as Axel F etc, but cant afford an expensive analog synth. What would you recommend as a good, affordable synth for this please?
Hi Woody, was just checking... the Korg MicroKorg is the best selling synth of all time now. It was in production longer than any other synth...13 years! I think it's only just gone out of production but new ones are still available.
that's very interesting to read, amazing that little synth has been so popular i had one and didn't think much of it! is there a top sales list somewhere?
Andrew Brooks Yeah, Microkorg is essentially the Commodore 64 of the synth world. It's not a full performance synth but has great analog emulation, mod matrix and is easy to tweak just about any sound out of.
Ok perhaps I could get pointed in the right direction. I'm in a 5 piece gigging band. I am a guitar player with more than 4 decades of experience. When I was a kid my first exposure to music was a Hammond organ we had and while I know how to play basic chords I am by no stretch of the imagination a keyboard player. However, I would like to be able to drone some chords and play some basics in classic rock. The keyboard needs to have LIVE PERFORMANCE quality sound. B3 Hammond, strings, and piano. Not looking to spend a mint. What are some quality USED brands I've been looking at the Korg M1 Synth Music Workstation
Just like you with your D-10, I have had problems with the buttons of my Roland JV-1000 in the early 90's. Especially the intensively used sequencer buttons would fail. These buttons (not the switches) are all attached to a frame, just like the parts of a model kit. The thin plastic connection between the button and the frame acts as a hinge. You probably know what happens when you move a part on a model kit frame back and forth a couple of times... Well, that's just what happened to the buttons on the JV-1000. While the synth was still under warranty they (Roland Benelux) initially refused to replace the faulty buttons; they accused me of pressing them too violently. In the end they sent me a box full of spare buttons. Of course they kept on breaking. Finally I replaced the sequencer buttons with some heavy duty LED push buttons, just like these : www.klsele.com/products/Switches/LED-Push-Button-Switches-series/1271.html Not one sequencer button has broken since.
Good tip on watching it boot up, I've been caught out with that before! and power pack always check the power pack is original, if not then at least a suitable replacement! and not something near enough.. I've also been caught out with that. Good video Woody, it' s funny in the 80's all of these synths were out of my price range and now I just can't be bothered with the scramble of people waiting to buy them which is why I stick with mainly the new release micro machines..
D-50 and M1 use LCDs with LED backlite. These not get dim during time. However, D-550, Prophet VS, Wavestation, K-1000, Akai S1000/3000, Emulator III use LCDs with EL foil backlite. These get dim with use. EL foil can be replaced with new or even better upgrade LCD with LED or OLED. Cheers! S
It is quite easy to find LED-backlit screens in this 2x40 character layout, and they are cheap, like 25 bucks. You could pick OLED, those are usually two times as expensive. If you use the M1 a lot, go LCD, as OLED has screen burn in. If you replace a EL foil display, don't forget to disable the high voltages circuit for the foil, those tend to whine pretty badly. Usually it involves desoldering the base pin of the used transistor.
sides you can re-spray.....top panel any scratches on there ,then they are there for life! no polishing or buffing will remove them due to the process in which the coating is applied.good synth though ,but i still prefer my triton!!
Does anybody know what that little rubber button by the joystick is on the Korg M1? I'm assuming it's some kind of a grip for when you're going crazy on the joystick but I can't seem to confirm that
gabriel, respect! i put easter eggs in my videos, a synth or gear that I will be revealing in the future, you're the only one to pickup on the atari :)
Not the only one. ;) Mind you I had to google some image results for Amiga first, then Atari ST. Now I want to buy a C64 again, which was my first computer.
In 1990 I was looking to add another keyboard to my stage rig, which was an 88-key Roland RD-300s, and a Roland D-50. I was seriously looking at the Korg M1, and a friend of mine who had just purchased one old me not to. He sounded upset about that comment, and shared with me that Korg had just released the T1, T2 and T3 models, and they had more memory, added a 3.5" floppy disk drive and more than quadrupled the sequencer note capacity. So, I took his advice, and got a Korg T3 that I have to this day. I was able to copy his entire internal M1 memory to a RAM card and save it on a floppy disk on my T3, so I also essentially have an M1. He wasn't happy about that. Haha. A few years ago I got them all together again for this video. (Again, forgive the selfish video link sharing.) czcams.com/video/7Muz0Cc5KTc/video.html
Come on Woody, The Ensoniq ESQ-1 was the first workstation, 2 Years earlier 1986 and, if you wanna be technical, the SQ-80 had drums as well. you could do a whole song with both of them. Nobody never wants to give Ensoniq their credit.
you have a point, others have said the same, but multitimbral+drums+seq+fx is the first fully featured workstation as we know them today. sometimes not enough to be first, you gotta do it right. having said that, would love to try the ensoniq, rare though, didn't sell in large numbers.
ur welcome Woody :) ur videos are really helpful & as someone who has no (technical) music background & just getting started in music production, ur videos are really easy to digest....now i really wanna buy a Korg M1 to make old skool beats from yester year & my VST version just wont cut it, i prefer machines to computers so i've been checking out ur videos like this one, i also subscribed :)
Once again a great video, Woody! Just wondering. Which ones of the synths are you planning to get rid off? I would never do that, I still own every single keyboard/synth I've ever purchased. And yes, my house is way smaller than yours haha
You are playing chords using '16bv' presets. How can you possibly distinguish any faults or rogue notes when the 'ear' is not able to make any tonal distinctions within such low zones?
I have the M1 VST as well as the version for the iPad. To be fair to Korg they're both pretty damn close to a real M1, but hugely dependent on the quality of the amplification you plug your computer or iPad into.
yeah, for a fair test you should be using the same amplification system for both. looking forward to doing my test, need to learn some m1 riffs and songs first... :)
very good video indeed. let me add some info: you can find micro switches to replace the faulty ones over ebay or local electronic shop. its not something special made for / by korg.
exactly! before knowing it, i ve thought the same. so i know were you coming from. for the matter of facts, of course, we have cheap micro switches from china and great ones from japan. its an economic matter. by the way, thank you again for such inspiring videos
Great video again woody. I sold my m1 years ago , although now i use the Korg legacy software. You just cant emulate that hands on experience . Its key action is really good too, thou not better than dx7. Thou i dont miss have to lug it about to studios lol , its bloody heavy .
Bought my M1 in '91. I got so good with it that friends would call me for tech support and I would just tell them from memory what number to press to get to the function they needed. Don't really miss it since all the waveforms where recycled in all later Korg workstations.
Cool video, Woody :) thanx for the tips. Now, I'll be hihgly expecting to know what your thinking about the comparison between soft & hard ;) My M1R is a wonderful vintage machine that still got the big sound, to me.
Out of the three, which would you say has the best keybed? It'd be fun to have one as a master keyboard and have say the D-05 Boutique sitting on top of it whenever you need to reach for the other one :)
Do you think Korg sampled the CX-3 for organ sounds? If i pull out the 16, and 2 2/3, drawbar it sounds very similar to the one of the organ presets on the M1
I had a Yamaha SY22 and could match the M1 sounds mostly and played it for 15yrs.aaaaah memories.I have the M1 module now
Man the Korg M1 choir sounds are so fucking beautiful.
As a teen I used to die wanting to own an MI back in the early 90s. Every top musician had one..lol...Great sounds & it was indeed the best selling synth in the world at the time (Dont think it still is now)..Funny how time flies.. Today I own a Korg Triton Studio & recently, a Yamaha Motif XF8
The M1 is still the world's best selling synth with over 250000 units being manufactured between 1988 and 1993.
when I start seeing your videos and synth you make me happy I dont know why, but it happening and I think I must say thanks to you woody
mission accomplished then!! :D
Great to see the three big 80s synths together! I have the D-50, the DX7 (MkII), and now watching your video, it makes me want to get the M1 too! Fortunately, I have the Korg Triton Studio and managed to emulate some characteristic M1 sounds, as it contains a lot of waveforms from the classic synth. Thank you for the great as always video and nice advices and tips on buying used synths.
thanks georgios, yeah this is a great to have all three, that's why I was excited to share the moment with the viewers! my girlfriend just doesn't get it.
Amazing, one day i`ll have some of they too! M1 and D-50 are the first option, DX-7 somehow scares me with his FM synthesis,
Not from being bad, exactly the oppose, but, seems to be a lot complex.
Another great video! I enjoy hearing about synthesizers in general. I only know a handful of people that like to talk about synths in my town. It's great to be able to listen to you talk about the synthesizer I own and cherish. My favorite synthesizer is the Jupiter 8 though. I never get bored of listening to it or the TR-808 drum machine. Anyways, please continue the great work. Take care, Sam.
hi! you have an amazing collection and great channel. my father still has our juno-6, i guess that's my favorite.
Another great video! It's not entirely true that the M1 was the first workstation type synthesiser because Ensoniq had the ESQ1 from 1986 and SQ80 released just a few months before the M1 was released in 1988. The Roland D20, also released before the M1 in 1988 also had a built in sequencer and floppy disk drive.
interesting, was aware about the esq, but I think it lacked mfx, which for me is part of the workstation feature set, was not aware about the d20 though, so that takes it!
@@WoodyPianoShack the D20 along with the D10 were released perhaps 2-3 months before the M1 in 1988. It was basically game over for every other keyboard when everyone was gushing over it. I was going to also get an M1 and Korg DF1 floppy disk drive which was more or less released for the M1 seeing as though there was a mini outcry as to why Korg didn't go that extra mile and simply put one in the M1! I however got a T3EX in early 1991 which was basically everything that the M1 should have been in the first place.
Great video!! This is fantastic, please post more. I'm sure I want an M1 now. I love the old school, deep house/ drum n bass, hip-hop sounds of the 90's. I recently bought a Kurzweil k2500r, a Roland W-30 and about to purchase a mint conditioned Yamaha EX5 this weekend. I love to see these reviews and demos of the classics, excellent sampler/ synths. I could never have afforded them 20 years ago but now some are so much more reasonably priced and easier to acquire than before, offering more possibilities than even some of today's newer synths/workstations. Gotta love the old vintage stuff. For some reason there's much to be appreciated with gear that can still hold it's own, decades later in a market over saturated with flashy boutiques/ re-releases and over priced drum boxes that don't offer much more than what's been available since forever.
you're right, there's never been a better time to pick up these old 90s digital synths! ex5, that's quite a machine!
If you can find the service manual online (or buy a paper copy), most keyboards and rack mount synths have a "hidden" factory diagnostics mode.
Factory diags will test things like CPU, RAM, Sample ROM, display, audio path, pedals, MIDI in/out, sliders, buttons, encoder, mod wheel, pitch bend, and keys.
Some also tell you the code (EPROM) OS version and battery voltage. Beware, factory diags can wipe out your user patches/presets, so back them up first.
I picked up a used Waldorf Micro Q Fall 2017. Worked well. No problems. Summer 2018 I now have a rackmounted paper weight.
The ensoniq ESQ-1 came out in ‘85, and it had a sequencer, quite a good one, btw. That’s 3 1/2 years before the MI.
But ESQ-1 had no built-in FX. The M1 was first that combined PCM-based synth (including drums) + Sequencer + Effects together. Basically created a “workstation” type of synth.
Indeed. When did the Yamaha's come out? V50 etc
Bought a M1 after seeing this video, my first synth (only had the brochure as kid). Checked everything, seemed awesome, but after a few months I ended up having all the keys serviced and some buttons replaced adding another 100€. But it was not the last buy. Got the whole trinity and more, but nowadays I take a different approach: I buy them remotely from within the EU after some good conversation and demanding extra photos and arrange the shipping myself, I even send out a flight case first in some cases! I can't drive to Munich and back for 30€, but a flightcase by post can! I have to say that works out very well, sans cumbersome roadtrips. One time I had some damage in transit, got a partial refund from the postal service. They first wanted to fully refund but demanded to destroy the synth! But also a couple of total bargains, bought as defunct with a rather easy fix (mintish DS-8 for 100 bucks, DR-110 for 35).
I don’t have the M1 but It’s the same way for me after I purchased the Korg X3 I bought the korg N5 which is a portable version of the N364
Love the M1 keybed. Just perfect feel for me
That was the very synth trio I used to dream of owning back in college! Great presentation!
As a teen I used to go to music store at Charing Cross Road (keyboard shops ) just to play with the M1 . You are absolutely right the M1 killed off the D50
killed it of for "natural sounds". for me, the d-50 is all about its amazing synth engine.
D-50 has also synthesizer section and produce analog sounds not only from short samples like Korg M1 produce only. Korg M1 produce audio only from internal audio short samples and has some filters to alter samples
Because both instruments are different, the key is to own both 🥰😊❤
Wonderful man!! Thanks a lot of buying this legend and demo of how to check out the old school synth before buying! It's so great and proud to have this set of legendary synths! I'm very glad for you! Will be waiting for M1 presets and mix of sounds of different great machines! Thank you very much!!
That was a good checklist. My old Casio WK-1800 board has an F# key that always plays full velocity now, which spoils things. Yeah, I'm cheap - the closest I'm getting to any of these boards is my old (now defunct, unless I get lucky resoldering...) DX-100 or the iM1 on my iPad. Really enjoy Woody's vids though.
strangely enough, when i did open my D-50 to fix the momentary tactile switches I noticed that the components are indistinguishable from the ones I purchased from Kjell and Co (or Ebay) -- the only downside with buying your own is that you may get a defective component. I've run into that with brand new components on occasion. I'd say if the synth you're buying is older than 15 years, then plan on opening it and cleaning key contacts and replace tactile switches. it feels good to leave vintage synths in a better condition than i find them in, and i make sure i at least get back what i paid when they need to find a new owner.
great policy, thanks!
I have a Korg M1R, the rack version of the M1. It also has the sequencer, though I never used it. Love the sound, still inspiring for its pads. There are some wild aftermarket sysex files available for the M1. I drive it through a Wavestation EX! I also have an M3R, which actually has different waveforms from the M1, I believe it borrowed waveforms from the T series keyboards; a very unique musical sound.
Hey, I’ve been considering an M1 or an X3. Can the X3 load M1 Sysex files…? I can’t tell if the X3 is more sampler or more synth.
Beautifully looking synthesizer, too.
I own a Korg N264. Can you do a review of it. My favorite sounds of the M1 is the M1 piano sound, M1 trumpet, the M1 guitar, harmonica, tenor sax, and the pan flut. The Korg N264/364 and the M1 are one of my favorite piano.
Milano, Italy September 1988, Deep Purple concert: Jon Lord had one M1 upon his Hammond organ. Managed to play "Fur Elise" with its piano, and I remembered it sounded good!
I have seen lengthy videos comparing the original Korg M1 to the iPad version of Korg iM1. All the sounds are there. And they are identical. I have the iPad version. And, I think it’s terrific. The iPad version has the ‘Filter Resonance’ parameter included (which is not present on the original M1. And, the iPad version has the added bonus of being able to display many sounds as well as many parameters on the screen simultaneously. Makes selecting and/or editing sounds much more convenient.
Being an pro keyboardist since the early 70s, my 1st synth was an Arp Odyssey. I also owned a D50 and M1. Still have my original D50 and Juno 106. I miss my old M1. The biggest problem I have found with all these instruments is pressure switches and buttons wear out, so eventually cannot change programs associated with those buttons. Particularly troublesome where the round plastic pressure buttons on the M1. Sometimes they would fail and actually break off into their footprint. Roland has rubber coverings on their switches, but these eventually lose proper contact too. Second issue would be dirty or broken contacts when pressing keyboard notes. I had a C2 contact fail on a Keizweil 88 piano not long ago. Not a good note to lose!
Today I still use my trusty Roland FA08 for live gigs. For DAW production, I prefer vst.. Kontakt instruments, Amplesound guitars, and also use vintage moduals.
The Fantom, Motif and Triton of its time - in which I have those three and a M1R, TX7 (DX7 table top) and D550 (D50 rack)
Great review. When I was a teen the M1 was "the synth" to have, although the ensoniq Esq-1 came first as a Workstation, the M1 was considered much more superior (at the time), because of the realistic patches, the effects and the advance sequencer. If they ask me now, I prefer the Esq-1 because of the sound itself
the ensoniq stuff was never as popular for whatever reason, but I do recall reading about it in sound on sound magazine. i'll pick one up if i find one and pay some respect to it on the channel.
Woody Piano Shack You should try an Esq-1 or Sq-80 they are outstanding synths
@@marsupialmicron I loved the ESQ1 and SQ80! The SQ80 would have no doubt been much more popular if the M1 hadn't been released so soon afterwards.
There are some excellent patches on the web wich takes the M1 light years beyond the factory patches. I still use my unit which I bought when it appeared on the market, both for recording and with my band. Easy to program, excellent keyboard feel, has a beautiful, timeless design. The only gripe I have with it is that Korg should really have given you the option for using audio ports 3 and 4 as a tape data dump storage interface, such as they did with earlier synths. The whole "workstation" idea was that you would not need a computer to compose with (they were just barely starting to become common), but the memory cards were horribly expensive so you had really no other choice than downloading the data on a computer anyhow, which sort of blew the workstation concept out of the water. Or, which I did, record the music to a tape and then erase everything. They really shot themselves in the foot regarding the data storage.
Why have annoying tape-dump if Midi Sysex implementation is excellent?
Thanks, I have an M1, that a friend gave me, when he moved. It's functioning well, however, the plastic, in the the area with the buttons on the left side has cracked, and affects the use of a couple of the small buttons. After listening to your comments about that area of things, I realize that it would probably be a greater degree of difficulty to remedy than I had imagined. Thanks much for the perspective.🤓
i got my M1 for 100bucks,
it was a litteral steal, but it has gone trough some rough times...
one corner is broken off and it looks like it comes out of a mudhole, but it fully works. and i love it
it's got the sounds, that's what counts! congrats.
The Fairlight CMI and NED Synclavier was the first "workstation" synthesizers on the market!
Both had a synth engine, a sampler and a sequencer (depending on how they where configured). This two synths where far before it's time and had a price tag of 25 000 - 50 000 $ for a basic system.
Only professional musicians, producers and hi end studios could afford them. So in the equation for the first "public" workstation they are not counted but in the first ever build they are.
Daniel Fletcher of D.S. (a Swedish synthrock / synthpop project)
hi dan, thanks for putting me right, yes, maybe i should have said affordable workstation, and i still think it was the first to combine synth,sequencer + multi-fx, at least nobody has proved me wrong on that claim.
Hi Woody,
On that point I think your right.
D.
I have an M1 and it is fantastic! the piano and organ sounds was used in many dance music of the 90s. Did you know that there is an iPad app called the iM1 which has all the sounds of the Synth and as an in app purchase, you can also purchase all the sounds of the cards that were available for the M1, I have the app myself and the cards in app purchase and I MIDI it up to my S970 to play the M1 sounds on a modern keyboard
the buttons tend to get filled with dust, a good cleanup generally save them (D-50, M1 and JP-8000, where ''revived'' with deoxit, without demounting the synth ! just spray a lot ''in'' the button, press, press, press (150X) and it should get better ! (5 minutes VS 1 hour+soldering)
yeah, thanks! that trick did work on a roland d10, although if you spray a ton around the buttons from the top, i reckon only 0.05% makes it to the actual microswitch :) but it did work, but I got the gut feeling it was just a temporary fix. maybe i'll try on the m1. cheers
D-50, DX-7 and the M1
… amazing
ah the M1, I owned one when they first came out. The factory demo songs were just magical that sold me immediately. I hope you get around to a Korg Wavestation. Would love to hear what you think of that.
Great video, great information, love your enthusiasm!
thanks stefan! i'd love to try a wavestation too, have always been curious, never actually tried one.
Had an M1 from around 1989 - 2013. Made records with it in the 90`s used it mainly for it`s Orchestrational sounds, strings, horns, brass etc & House Piano for my Electronic tunes. Very nice key action too ( that`s why I kept it so long ). Looking back though many of us youngsters were pretty new to Synths and none that we`d seen had any knob functions so diving into the menus and trying to learn synthesis was a lost cause. I really wish that they had released an optional midi controller with knob functions like Roland did earlier with the JX-3p then I would have got so much more out of my M1 and learnt about Synthesis ! ........... also the small display made it really difficult to learn how to use it`s sequencer for those of us that were new to sequencers, a year later I got an Atari ST and used that instead, miles better for sequencing it was ...........
>>Noiselab: I agree with you about the lack of control. The sequencer, well, I learned to use it back in 91 or so, when I had no access to computer DAWS etc. It was doable!
Dont bother with looking for casing issues, thats purely cosmetic and wont inhibit your workflow, look that the keys work and all the buttons, and then all the ports, midi etc, check the display, and with massive use, check the buttons more than anything, they are prone to not respond, having had one for 10 years with heavy home use, these are the things to die first, so if yours does respond, be gentle and dont put too much pressure on them, they will last a lot longer. This lovely machine inspired me greatly, check out my channel for music made entirely with this, and then later entirely with the fantastic Korg Trinity
some great advice here, thanks! although a dinged up case suggests it's not been looked after and subject to falls etc. and i don't think I'd even want an ugly beaten synth in my studio. that's just me though :) anyways worth checking since it affects price.
You superficial git. My home Korg M1 got so used that around the stop/start button of the sequencer, was worn down to gleaming aluminum casing. Also as the button stopped responding I drilled around the button and removed the micro switch, in a very stupid attempt to fix it, (at the time I was jobless so couldn't send to synth repair) And where the micro switch was, the stem into the tiny switch snapped off, but, when i pushed the stemless little box, somehow the switch responded to pressure. I used it for 4 more years like that until the power supply died. knowing what I know now, I could have fixed it. Great channel btw .
@@chasethedustI would call "superficial" somebody that does *not* care about the looks, not the other way around. Looking for scratches means attention to detail, quite the opposite of being superficial!
Now hold on there. The Ensoniq ESQ-1 was the first workstation, and if you wanna be technical, the SQ-80 had drums
interesting! but wasn't the m1 the first to do realistic sounds, multi-fx, drums & sequencer? making it the first "all-in-one" workstation?
Woody Piano Shack SQ-80 came out a whole year before the M1. Keyboard Magazine reviewed the SQ-80 in their Feb. 88 issue. M1 was announced in their April issue covering 1988 Winter NAMM wasn't reviewed until their August or September issue.
Technics had a line of PCM sample based keyboards by 1987 which had multitrack sequencers and programmable drums. They were excellent but were largely ignored by the snobs who wouldn't touch a digital synth unless it had Yamaha, Korg or Roland on the back.
The M1 and SQ80 were both released in '88, I believe. (I see, brzilian has the Keyboard Magazine references for this) The SQ80 has built-in, multi-track sequencer, standard analog-like synthesizer tweaks, and 3 oscillators with 16-bit "realistic sound" samples available as the oscillators. So, yes, it has drums and sequencer and can internally program an entire composition... a complete workstation. But the M1 outlived the SQ80 in production. Both are amazing machines, still very relevant and very useful in modern music production.
vaguely remember lusting over those when they were released. i never see them for sale though, otherwise i'd pick one up. i guess they didn't sell well over here, perhaps different story in the US.
Yes I think the M1 just ruled in its day. But as far as the sequencer oh I hated it, soooo hard at the time to get my head around it. Now compared to Ensoniq which I had the 16+ , its sequencer killed the M1. But they definitely complimented each other.
Great video !!!!
thanks zip! maybe that would be a fun video challenge, 15 minutes to do a sequence on the m1... :)
Oh yes, the Ensoniq had great sequencers using Western logic as opposed to japanese risk aversion (like having to press many buttons to confirm, mendokusai unfriendly UI) but reliability was ultimately their undoing
Thanks for the tips ! I'm getting a Korg M1 soon ! Will do all the checks you showed.
Checking all the keys on the keyboard is indeed what I should have done yesterday when I bought a used D-50. The B4 key only worked when played softly and only when it felt like it. I took it to surgery today, opened it up, removed the mainboard, took the keybed out, removed the springs and the keys and cleaned the circuit board underneath the rubbers with some alcohol. All good now, but I could maybe have knocked off a bit from the price as the seller claimed it was in excellent condition.
great job fixing that key, interesting to know it's fixable but sounds like a shit load of work, definitely something you want to take into consideration before agreeing on price, next time maybe :) congrats on that D50!
Woody Piano Shack Thanks! After a bit investigation it turns out to be a relative common issue with the D50: dust ending up under the rubbers in the key bed. It was a bit of work, yes, but the moment you know how to take it apart it's not that bad. It's a pretty serviceable machine.
the era of the piano house. love it
3 synth legends in the same room ;) And the beard is growing back:))
so 4 legends in the same room! perhaps not.
LOL. You do have a point there! ;) Have a nice Sunday.
In the song "Humble", the Yamaha DX7 internal patch "Bass 1" mixed with the Korg M1 internal programs patch "Piano" was heard.
The kendrick track?
I just picked up a KORG T1 yesterday for $450. Incredible condition, literally one or two corners show the top layer of wood laminate separating, but other than that perfect. I picked it up off of Craigslist. When I brought it home and started to try it out I noticed the D button (just below the screen) doesn’t work, so i suppose i have to clean the contacts dammit, oh well no big deal
I had a Korg T3EX for over 25 years and the T series was everything that the M1 should have been in the first place.
I saw your D50 ad and followed the link here. I have watched all your videos by now and really enjoy them! I noticed that we are almost neighbors, soI might contact you about the D50 ad. Good work!
Hi pasi, interesting! luckily nobody bought it because i've needed it a lot the last week.
3 absolutely fabulous Synthesizers from a bygone era. We live in some interesting and exciting times, technology wise, and yet none of today's synths have that character and appeal of these 80's classics. I love my D-50, it's a real beast, even today. My favourite is my Yamaha An1x, such a monster-sounding capable machine, sounds gorgeous.
My all-time top 5 synths would look like
1. Roland Jupiter 8.
2. Yamaha AN1x.
3. Roland D-50.
4. Korg M1.
5. Yamaha DX7.
great list dk! tend to agree with you, the current crop of synths lacks the innovation and excitement of the classic age. an1x is a fab sounding synth, people starting to realize now and going up in price. ok, i'll play that game too, my top 5 synths:
1. juno 6
2. dx7
3. nl2x
4. wavestation
5. d50 (tempted to put d10 just because of the fond memories)
I could never get on with that Nord sound, it was always too thin, harsh, and artificial, to me anyway. Lovely looking machines.
For the Juno, it will always be the more expensive Juno 60, for me. Fatter, and gorgeous brass and bass sounds, and lovely thick 80's strings.
Wavestation was nice, although I ended up with a much cheaper X3. I liked the X3, but it was a bit disappointing at the time. I still love the Korg Trinity, shame it was silver.
Speaking of the D10. A friend of mine back in '87, was building a cheap studio for his hobby, rather than his work. His dad promised him a Roland keyboard for a moving in present. So while we waited thinking it was a D50 - his dad was well off, his face when a D10 showed up, pre-owned as well, was something I still wind him up with occasionally.
Not that the D10 was bad, just that the D50 was in another league of it's own.
I love the M1, but haven't bought one, because Korg has a VST and it takes a lot less room and costs less. :D However, the feeling and warmer sound may change my mind in the future. I bought a D-50 recently, and it does work and sound better than the Roland Cloud VST version.
Yeah I just bought one for £200. It was a super bargain, but I have no room for it :D
Hey
Loved all your KORG M1 videos and it was helpful for me using mine. But im really so frustrated as i've been trying to use the Sequencer and i just dont know how to
It would be amazing if you can do like a tutorial or something on the sequencer.
Thank youuu
Yes please!!👍
Would like to see this guy demo a Korg Trident.
Excellent review. Brings back a few memories..🙂
As a child of the rave, that synth was the soundtrack of many a song of my early adult life. Really wish to add one to my collection one day soon, if my damn car wouldnt stop breaking down!
Did you know that one of those sounds from this synthesizer (TubaFlugel) was used a lot in the british TV show Teletubbies from 1997-2001/
If I did know that I would probably stay quiet about it.
To my recollection, the first instrument to have full length samples was the Akai S series
I had an O1-W and wish I still had it!! But I'll take a D-50 if I can get it, as well.
Holy 80's digital trinity! The Korg Legancy softsynth for M1/ Wavestation is a pretty good simulation. The Yamaha TG55 was the latest comer to a PCM synth. Everything after that is just PCM.
i bought one these M1's and it had sticking keys and a u/s battery. With a bit of patience and watching other peoples Y/T videos on disassembly, strip down and repair/replacement is no problem.
Only down side was i had to buy the over priced cards as it only had the basic piano when i plugged in - apart from that, and the keys/battery. it has been very good - does have a nasty scratch near the volume slider which spoils it's looks and the side panels have been well abused.
good on you for bringing one back to life !
I've still got a Korg 03-RW but never bothered with a M1 ... mostly because I was already a happy user of a MIDI controller/rack setup to leverage multiple sound sources, but also because my 3-tier keyboard stand was fully populated and it was as large as logistically possible in local (home-town) pubs and clubs. It might have been cool once ... nice video Woody.
250-300 dollars? Not in the US, haha. The Latin market actually keeps the prices of these fairly high, probably averaging around 600 USD. Another unusual thing I've noticed is that the condition of these is usually awful. You can pretty easily find a DX7 or D50 in good condition, and my Roland Juno-60 is immaculate. But M1's often look like they've been dragged to hell and back, haha. I still need to get one though. I have a DX7 and D50...the holy trinity isn't complete without an M1. Cheers!
amazing, some tech gear that's cheaper in eu than us. interesting!
tritonrecordings ii
I second this. These M1's are still HIGHLY popular and sought after in the Hispanic market that prices can range from $400-$600 for an average looking unit, while the more well-cared for units can go up to $800-$900. It's very common here to find a very nice unit only to find out it's completely missing the pitch joystick and the seller will STILL overprice the unit or won't want to negotiate for anything lower. Because of this I just went with the M1 VST, an iPad and a MIDI controller. Not the same, but the essence is there. And it's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a crap looking M1.
That sounds funny. Here in Germany, I've got the impression that a Yamaha DX7 (MK1) looks mostly like 'hell and back' if I come across one. The M1s that I've encountered so far, however, usually look very well maintained. Very interesting, how different the markets still are.
Eric Estrada very true
Lots of wonderful advice! Thanks for sharing!
I have found one and had the known trouble of the knobs not well working broke one and found online how to replace the 34 switches inside. tryed it and the result is marvoulous. I m pretty lucky with mine
I know somebody who has the Korg M1. I think he bought it new back in the early 90s. I'm really reluctent to buy a keyboard from the 80s, to the early 2000s because of the battery. I think it would be too hard for me to replace.
yeah, some of them had soldered on batteries, but not a hard job for any keyboard tech, or electronics company to help you with.
Amazing how much prices on this era of gear have changed over the last 5 years. These things are easily $500-600 or more now.
Hi I have an exactkorg M1 and I want to sell it because I don't play it and never have. my fathers friend gave it to me for free. How much do you think I can sell it for? I don't know anything about pianos/keyboards, it has no scratches and it looks brand new.
Woody, I bought an M1 as a first synth, its a great synth and good value for money but I'm looking for something with less realistic sounds. I want to play early 80s sort of electro-pop such as Axel F etc, but cant afford an expensive analog synth. What would you recommend as a good, affordable synth for this please?
Hi Woody, was just checking... the Korg MicroKorg is the best selling synth of all time now. It was in production longer than any other synth...13 years! I think it's only just gone out of production but new ones are still available.
that's very interesting to read, amazing that little synth has been so popular i had one and didn't think much of it! is there a top sales list somewhere?
I typed "best selling synth of all time" into google and found the info there somewhere...
Andrew Brooks Yeah, Microkorg is essentially the Commodore 64 of the synth world. It's not a full performance synth but has great analog emulation, mod matrix and is easy to tweak just about any sound out of.
You gotta show me love was made on this..... Robin s
Ok perhaps I could get pointed in the right direction. I'm in a 5 piece gigging band. I am a guitar player with more than 4 decades of experience. When I was a kid my first exposure to music was a Hammond organ we had and while I know how to play basic chords I am by no stretch of the imagination a keyboard player. However, I would like to be able to drone some chords and play some basics in classic rock. The keyboard needs to have LIVE PERFORMANCE quality sound. B3 Hammond, strings, and piano. Not looking to spend a mint. What are some quality USED brands I've been looking at the Korg M1 Synth Music Workstation
Just like you with your D-10, I have had problems with the buttons of my Roland JV-1000 in the early 90's. Especially the intensively used sequencer buttons would fail. These buttons (not the switches) are all attached to a frame, just like the parts of a model kit. The thin plastic connection between the button and the frame acts as a hinge. You probably know what happens when you move a part on a model kit frame back and forth a couple of times... Well, that's just what happened to the buttons on the JV-1000. While the synth was still under warranty they (Roland Benelux) initially refused to replace the faulty buttons; they accused me of pressing them too violently. In the end they sent me a box full of spare buttons. Of course they kept on breaking. Finally I replaced the sequencer buttons with some heavy duty LED push buttons, just like these : www.klsele.com/products/Switches/LED-Push-Button-Switches-series/1271.html Not one sequencer button has broken since.
Jos Schoenmaker very useful post, thanks a lot. Not yet embarking on restoring any of these yeast, but we shall see what the week and eBay result in.
Good tip on watching it boot up, I've been caught out with that before! and power pack always check the power pack is original, if not then at least a suitable replacement! and not something near enough.. I've also been caught out with that.
Good video Woody, it' s funny in the 80's all of these synths were out of my price range and now I just can't be bothered with the scramble of people waiting to buy them which is why I stick with mainly the new release micro machines..
God bless you Woody
D-50 and M1 use LCDs with LED backlite. These not get dim during time. However, D-550, Prophet VS, Wavestation, K-1000, Akai S1000/3000, Emulator III use LCDs with EL foil backlite. These get dim with use. EL foil can be replaced with new or even better upgrade LCD with LED or OLED. Cheers! S
thanks for clearing that up!
It is quite easy to find LED-backlit screens in this 2x40 character layout, and they are cheap, like 25 bucks. You could pick OLED, those are usually two times as expensive. If you use the M1 a lot, go LCD, as OLED has screen burn in. If you replace a EL foil display, don't forget to disable the high voltages circuit for the foil, those tend to whine pretty badly. Usually it involves desoldering the base pin of the used transistor.
My ESQ1 released in 1986, had a built-in sequencer. Korg was not the first.
workstation = multitimbral rompler + effects + sequencer. korg was the first.
sides you can re-spray.....top panel any scratches on there ,then they are there for life! no polishing or buffing will remove them due to the process in which the coating is applied.good synth though ,but i still prefer my triton!!
DX7, D50 and M1... *Wonderful!*
it was a great moment for me!
Does anybody know what that little rubber button by the joystick is on the Korg M1?
I'm assuming it's some kind of a grip for when you're going crazy on the joystick but I can't seem to confirm that
Ooooooooooh! The nice Atari in front of the TV :D:D Cool man!
gabriel, respect! i put easter eggs in my videos, a synth or gear that I will be revealing in the future, you're the only one to pickup on the atari :)
Not the only one. ;) Mind you I had to google some image results for Amiga first, then Atari ST. Now I want to buy a C64 again, which was my first computer.
No scratches or dings? Say what?!
ok, fair enough, just very light ones, they'll buff out :)
In 1990 I was looking to add another keyboard to my stage rig, which was an 88-key Roland RD-300s, and a Roland D-50. I was seriously looking at the Korg M1, and a friend of mine who had just purchased one old me not to. He sounded upset about that comment, and shared with me that Korg had just released the T1, T2 and T3 models, and they had more memory, added a 3.5" floppy disk drive and more than quadrupled the sequencer note capacity. So, I took his advice, and got a Korg T3 that I have to this day. I was able to copy his entire internal M1 memory to a RAM card and save it on a floppy disk on my T3, so I also essentially have an M1. He wasn't happy about that. Haha. A few years ago I got them all together again for this video. (Again, forgive the selfish video link sharing.) czcams.com/video/7Muz0Cc5KTc/video.html
Woody, please feel your keyboards more often, even if new.
Come on Woody, The Ensoniq ESQ-1 was the first workstation, 2 Years earlier 1986 and, if you wanna be technical, the SQ-80 had drums as well. you could do a whole song with both of them. Nobody never wants to give Ensoniq their credit.
you have a point, others have said the same, but multitimbral+drums+seq+fx is the first fully featured workstation as we know them today. sometimes not enough to be first, you gotta do it right. having said that, would love to try the ensoniq, rare though, didn't sell in large numbers.
U really sound like u should have ur own tv show! You’ve got that voice & the way u explain 😄haha
well that's very kind of you to say so esprit, very flattering. :)
ur welcome Woody :) ur videos are really helpful & as someone who has no (technical) music background & just getting started in music production, ur videos are really easy to digest....now i really wanna buy a Korg M1 to make old skool beats from yester year & my VST version just wont cut it, i prefer machines to computers so i've been checking out ur videos like this one, i also subscribed :)
Once again a great video, Woody! Just wondering. Which ones of the synths are you planning to get rid off? I would never do that, I still own every single keyboard/synth I've ever purchased. And yes, my house is way smaller than yours haha
You are playing chords using '16bv' presets. How can you possibly distinguish any faults or rogue notes when the 'ear' is not able to make any tonal distinctions within such low zones?
I don’t know how you play without a suspension pedal
I have the M1 VST as well as the version for the iPad. To be fair to Korg they're both pretty damn close to a real M1, but hugely dependent on the quality of the amplification you plug your computer or iPad into.
yeah, for a fair test you should be using the same amplification system for both. looking forward to doing my test, need to learn some m1 riffs and songs first... :)
Great channel, Woody's
very good video indeed. let me add some info: you can find micro switches to replace the faulty ones over ebay or local electronic shop. its not something special made for / by korg.
ah ok, very good to know, when roland provided switches for an old d10 i got the impression they were proprietary and running out of stock
exactly! before knowing it, i ve thought the same. so i know were you coming from. for the matter of facts, of course, we have cheap micro switches from china and great ones from japan. its an economic matter. by the way, thank you again for such inspiring videos
Thanks for the vids Woody I do enjoy them !!! I'm going to try a Casio xw-g1 synth , Trying to keep away from older equipment .
cheers! big fan of the old CZ-series, don't know much about the new ones, don't ever see them over here.
There are two models the xw-p1 is more popular you can use the sliders as drawbars for the Hammond organ , They sell used for around $300 U.S
Great video again woody. I sold my m1 years ago , although now i use the Korg legacy software. You just cant emulate that hands on experience . Its key action is really good too, thou not better than dx7. Thou i dont miss have to lug it about to studios lol , its bloody heavy .
Tengo los mismos sintetizadores, D-50, M-1 y Dx7. Saludos
Bought my M1 in '91. I got so good with it that friends would call me for tech support and I would just tell them from memory what number to press to get to the function they needed. Don't really miss it since all the waveforms where recycled in all later Korg workstations.
I have the VST version of the M1 and its pretty close.
Wow, an Atari ST in the background! :O
i even made some videos where i struggle to use it :)
I’ll take a Yamaha DX7 over an M1 any day
Cool video, Woody :) thanx for the tips.
Now, I'll be hihgly expecting to know what your thinking about the comparison between soft & hard ;)
My M1R is a wonderful vintage machine that still got the big sound, to me.
yes, as soon as i learn some trademark m1 songs and riffs we'll do the comparison.
Great, thanks a lot, Woody!! can't wait.
Out of the three, which would you say has the best keybed? It'd be fun to have one as a master keyboard and have say the D-05 Boutique sitting on top of it whenever you need to reach for the other one :)
I bought one in mint condition. Looks brand new . hard to believe it is so old.
Do you think Korg sampled the CX-3 for organ sounds? If i pull out the 16, and 2 2/3, drawbar it sounds very similar to the one of the organ presets on the M1
My velocity does not seem to work on my, is there a setting I missed?
Yes sir we have one, do u think I can find one there?
Just missed one on gumtree, M1 for £50!!!! I phoned the guy and he says "sorry the guy offered me £40 so I took it" !!!