Korg Gadget For Mac Coming Feb 28 For $199

Korg has announced that Gadget For Mac – an OS X version of its virtual studio for iOS – will be available Feb 28, 2017, with an intro price of US $199.

The Mac virtual studio follows in the footsteps of virtual-studio style DAWs like Propellerhead Reason, except that Korg’s virtual instruments can not only be used within its virtual studio, but also within third-party DAWs. The Mac version comes with the complete Gadget Plug-In Collection, a set of plug-ins in AU, VST and AAX formats.

With KORG Gadget, you can use the Mac version at home and the iOS version when you are mobile, with a ‘seamless workflow’, according to KORG.

Features:

  • Gadget collection includes all of the more than 30 gadgets.
  • Designed for intuitive and simple operation
  • Takes advantage of the large screen with a single-window four-split (divided in four) screen design.
  • Supports AU, VST, AAX, and NKS (planned).
  • Two new gadgets provide long-awaited audio recording.
  • A new powerful drum gadget with 16 pads.
  • Supports Allihoopa, Ableton Link, and Bluetooth MIDI.
  • Seamless connection between KORG Gadget for iOS and KORG Gadget for Mac

In addition to Gadget for Mac, KORG has announced that Gadget for iOS version 3 will also be available February 28 and will also get Audio Track recording and playback.

Pricing and Availability

KORG Gadget for Mac will be available February 28, 2017, with an intro price of US $199 (normally $299).  See the KORG site for details.

70 thoughts on “Korg Gadget For Mac Coming Feb 28 For $199”

    1. I guess you don’t realise that a Mac VST is different to a Windows VST.. They are written for a different OS in a different language.

      So, for now there is no Windows version…. Just Mac.

      1. The point of VST (or any other plugin format) is that you do not have to worry about the operating system but only about the small part of the world that the plugin standard provides you. Of course, you need to build different binary versions for different platforms but that does not mean you will use a different programming language to write your plugin in the first place. There are cross-platform solutions like JUCE that allow you to build plugins in multiple formats like VST2, VST3, AU, or RTAS for different platforms (e.g., Windows, Mac) from the same code base. This is not to say that Korg did some “clever” thing where they took the AU code they had and put a thin wrapper on. The main reason for not supporting multiple platforms is usually that it costs a lot of effort to test your product. The Mac is a relatively controlled environment compared to a Windows system and you already run into many problems just supporting that single, rather homogeneous, platform, let alone with different plugin formats.

        1. All very true.. but the point I was making is simply that a Mac VST is not the same as a Windows VST and just because there is a Mac VST available, does not mean that because its a VST will mean it could work under Windows which is what the Original Poster was intimating by his/her question.

        2. Audio dev here,

          The point of VST, AU etc is strictly as a communication API between the DAW and the plugin; MIDI, audio buffers, parameter controls etc. It’s still up to the developer to use OS APIs as they so please. Most developers will choose a cross platform library to handle their UI (JUCE for example). The audio engines are usually in generic C/C++ so there shouldn’t be issues there except with threading and timers, though there are cross platform ways to handle that too.

          Since this was an iPad app first, it’s very likely they used a lot of Cocoa specific code, especially for the UI, and that could be a major factor for Mac only. They probably only did the work to support VST as far as getting audio and automation in and out to support Mac DAWs that don’t support AU, such as BitWig.

    2. With all of the devices that you have with this program $199 is easily worth the cost of this program. I’ve spent over $200 on my iOS gadget and there are several instruments that I haven’t even bought. Have you played with a full version of gadget before? Buy another recording device if you don’t think that’s a fair price.

  4. 30 plugins (lexingston, m1, bilbao, etc) for $199. That’s really not too bad when you think about it. This combined with logic for 199 and you have a really powerful dual DAW going on. I’ll be buying…

    1. Logic is also a powerhouse with a proven reputation. Korg Gadget? Eh, not so much…. That $199 could be better spent on high quality plugins rather than on a collection that is just ok. I think Korg missed the mark by a lot on this. At $99 it would get people to try it and quite a few people would pick it up for 50% off when Korg does their yearly sale. At $199 I expect the desktop user base of Gadget to be almost nonexistent.

      Edit: I just saw the intro price is $199 with the regular price being $299. Lol… Korg has lost their damned minds! In what world is the desktop version of an iOS app worth 6 times the price???

      1. I agree, still a little pricey. For me though. my workflow in Korg gadget supplements what logic cant do. I want to learn ableton, but I have invested so much time in learning logic that its hard to switch. But with Gadget it acts like ableton (i.e) scenes and such. I think if I combine the sequencing and scenes of gadget and add it to the power and familiarity of logic, I will be much more productive! Fingers crossed at least…

        1. ive used ableton live for over a decade.. and gadget for about 2 years now…

          gadget is nothing like ableton live

          yeh it launches patterns in a row… thats it, and thats like 1% of what live does

          for example, gadget doesnt launch clips independently, doesnt timestretch audio, doesnt have envelope clips, doesnt use VSTs, doesnt have a linear mode that interchanges with clip mode, etc. etc. etc.

          its a good tool on its own, sure – but its not live at all

          its more like a modern version of Reason, without any of the back panel modular tweaking that is arguably Reasons best feature

  5. €200 intro, €300 full?
    No.

    €90 intro, €180 full?
    Yes.

    If they were to throw in a controller along with the higher price?
    Yes again

  8. Korg Gadget with all in app purchases for iOS costs $200.
    Korg Gadget for Mac will be $199 with all inclusive.
    Don’t understand where the problem is..?

  9. rrp of $299

    um…nope.

    looking at the list it does have a gadget version of
    korg m1
    korg wavestation
    and a gadget odyssey

    are they as good as the standalone ios apps?
    no idea….

    1. Korg used to rely on Steinberg based eLicenser key dongle not iLok for their copy protection, but moved away from hardware based product activation in favour of software/web based some years ago.
      Can’t see them going back to it.

  13. I know this comment is redundant at this point, but shoot, was hoping for a considerably lower price – I love Gadget on my iOS devices but I’m not a musician by any means and just like tinkering with sounds basically, so I won’t be throwing that kind of real money for a Mac version any time soon….(at least with the iOS version you can choose which additional gadgets to spend money on instead of paying up front for ones you might never use) But still, glad to see they are providing a source for those who want Gadget on something other than their phone or tablet.

  15. Next step: Come out with a new workstation line to replace Kronos (or it is just the new Kronos 2.0) with the Gadget paradigm as the core of it. Then you have mobile, computer based, and hardware workstation total integration. You can truly take your project with you in most sense.

  16. I love Gadget and have spent a fair bit of money on the in app purchases but I think Korg have messed up here, not only on the pricing but the delivery of the product. There is no cross purchasing model so the fact that I’ve already the almost fully loaded iOS version I am still expected to pay the full amount again for the Mac version. One of their selling points is they you can use the software anywhere on any device but that is not economically realistic. I don’t know why they just didn’t have a base price for the product on each platform and then in app purchases are unlocked on both.
    On the Mac side they are competing with very well featured software at this price point, even GarageBand which is basically free but Gadget is still fairly simplistic and lacking compared to the competition.

    1. I agree. Also I think that the ‘fairly simplistic and lacking’ aspect is what makes it so compelling to use on the ipad while sitting on the couch or on a bus. It works well with touch and if you needed, you could use the stuff that was created in a ‘real’ daw like Live. Also connecting the ipad to the studio is a no-brainer nowadays. Porting Gadget to the mac doesn’t (at least for me) add anything to this flow. And also for $200 ?! I have a part of that money already set aside, waiting for Beatmaker 3. Hopefully that will up the IOS daw industry once again.

  17. I agree with everyone that Gadget, containing the same feature set as on iOS, is not worth $199.

    Now I would also play devil’s advocate and say that Gadget could become a real contender in the DAW space with some further development and future updates with desktop capabilities more-in-mind.

    Which could DEFINITELY be worth $199 eventually. Just not yet.

    1. One thing that people are missing is that on the desktop, you’re basically getting 30 separate plugins that you can use in your DAW for $200. To me, that’s a huge bonus over the iOS version.

      Also – the $200 price is about the same that you’d pay for the complete collection on iOS, and nobody seems to be whining about that.

      Mark makes a good point, though – it would be a lot more palatable if you could pay a reasonable base fee to use the Gadget platform on Mac – say $50-100 – and then use any Gadgets you purchase on any platform.

      Based on what we’ve seen Korg do in the past, though, Korg will experiment with pricing for the Mac version until they get it right.

  20. I don’t like the price either. And amusingly enough, Gadget’s user interface is actually better on iOS than on macOS, because of multitouch control. (Though if they had a Windows version perhaps they could support multitouch, but of porting to Windows is a *lot* more work vs. macOS which shares much of its API with iOS, so I wouldn’t expect that any time soon…)

    Unfortunately it looks like Korg has decided to match the $199 list price of the Korg Legacy Collection – which incidentally has bizarre pricing of its own since it’s actually cheaper to buy a hardware controller that includes M1LE and then to upgrade to the full Legacy Collection than to buy the software by itself!

    I agree that a 200% markup vs. iOS would be a lot easier to swallow vs. 500%.

  21. Actually does this include OdysseI, Module, and the whole legacy collection (PolySix, Mono/Poly, M1, Wavestation, etc.?) If so, that’s not a terrible deal since the legacy collection by itself is something like $130-$200, depending on whether you buy it with a controller. Odyssei and iWavestation are definitely winners, and Module would actually be decent if they fixed its awful, unusable voice stealing and added resonance.

    1. Checking the product page, it does look like they include the Gadget versions of Odyssei, iWaveStation, iM1, and Module.

      The macOS Salzburg instrument doesn’t include Ivory, but as I noted it has awful voice stealing anyway so you have to be careful using it live or for anything with a lot of pedaled/repeated notes. They claim that it supports resonance but that also hasn’t worked well for me in the iOS version.

    2. I thought the same about the Legacy Collection, but do the Odyssey, Wavestation and M1 _gadgets_ have the same functionality as the standalone iOS apps?

  22. As much as I love gadget on iOS, I doubt the lions share of the mobile plugins will translate well to desktop. There basically too simple, in sound and flexibility when compared to the mature desktop plugin scene. I would expect them to be cheap TBH.

  26. I too am balking at the price a bit… but the ability to move seamlessly between mobile and desktop might be worth it. Not only for sketching out tracks on the go, but for programming synth patches. For this, I find an iPad interface much quicker and less painful than a mouse and keyboard. Wonder if they’ve accounted for shared gadget presets between mobile and desktop.

  27. I think they’ve completely missed the mark on pricing, especially at $299. I won’t get into the ‘worth it’ discussion since that’s subjective, but what’s objective is they have decided to enter the market at a premium.

    I thought they’d use the app itself to establish a user base and rely on in app upgrade purchases over the long term like they have with iOS.

    Instead, they appear to be trying to go head to head with the likes of Logic (especially since it’s only Mac), Reason and the lesser versions of Ableton and that seems to be an odd choice no matter how cool the software might be….

  28. Thinking a bit more with my developers hat on about my previous point of having the same model of base purchase + IAP sharing between iOS and Mac. It won’t work the way they have done it and suggests the Mac version was not planned early on. If all IAP was done within Gadget then they could of used iCloud to sync the licenses between iOS and Mac. But M1/Odyssey/Wavestation are separate buy it now apps. They can share data between the standalone and Gadget as they are from the same developer so buying it separately unlocks it in Gadget. But if you bought one of these Gadgets on the Mac you could not unlock it on iOS. The only way that would have been possible is if they were sold as download for free and then IAP to unlock them. Apples iOS and Mac app stores or still separate entities, there is no sharing of purchases between them.
    They are selling Mac Gadget outside of the app store as the install can provide AU,VST etc which I don’t think is possible in the sandboxed app store model. Either way it is not an ideal situation.

  31. so, first wanted to make us pay for ios versions of their desktop plugins and now they really expect us to pay $200 again for stuff we already bought for the iPad? dream on…

  32. The apps are already done. It will basically cost them nothing to get them to Mac so they are just milking it. 99€ would be fine but no go on 199/299

  33. 200 “sale” and then 300? Wow that hurt. I find it cool but i believe my ios version will have to suffice. Not buying this. Yes it has some fun instruments but i have gathered literally dozens of fun instruments and Ableton on my computer over the years. 100-120 euros would be ok and maybe a discount for “upgrading” from ios but the current pricing is the opposite of what they achieved with the Mini-Monologue. It will be very interesting to witness how it goes. Thank God i am saturated and bloated when it comes to plugins and software so i can sit back relaxed and say “whatever” and let it go without pain

  34. After investing in iOS version and few IAP, I don’t feel like spending 200/300$ for desktop version. IMO there should be some heavy price reduction for people that own it on iOS. Also, Gadget is heavly limited and primitive comparing to other more “serious” desktop DAWs. The pricing is just crazy.

  35. If the intro price had been $99 then that would have been too expensive and everybody would have said “WTF $99!!! I’d only pay $49”

    1. No, I would have said, “Can’t with to buy it.”

      At $200-$300, though, I am thinking about overdue upgrades to Reason and Logic or even hardware like the Monologue instead.

      If I was a heavy iOS Gadget user, I might feel it was worth it, but as a less committed user, it is too much.

  37. As much as I hate to complain about price, I’m just so darn good at it. I really like what Korg has done, and Gadget IOS is one of my favorite apps; however, I always try (sometimes successfully) to justify any software or hardware purchase. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t justify $200 for what Gadget does, especially since I don’t feel too constrained by the IOS version. If anything, the RAM limitations of the IOS version force me to be a bit more creative. $200 would get me duplicate copies of the instruments, plus seamless integration with my more powerful Mac; I’d personally pay $100 for that, but not $200…and definitely not $300.

    Will I buy the Mac version? Maybe someday, but it’ll have to be at a lower price, or include a controller

  38. Korg too many bad choices, you should listen to real users when building new tools. The price is way too high especially when you have successfully sold tons of new stuff for the past few years.

  39. I think Korg Gadget on iOS is pretty great, because a) a lot of sounds b) how quick you generate loops c) how easy it is to automate and play everything d) how easy it is to play together over ableton link and e) to export the loops/tracks to ableton live for example. In short: I was never so fast & productive as with Korg Gadget.
    Regarding the Mac-Version I´m a bit on the fence to buy it or not to buy…
    The price is in my point of view not too high.
    You get a pretty complete studio.

  40. For those who want an alternate to this how about caustic 3?
    http://www.singlecellsoftware.com/caustic

    it runs on a mac
    it runs on IOS
    it runs on android
    it runs on windows
    free to try on android, 9.99 to unlock
    9.99 on IOS
    and it is free for the desktops windows and mac

    And it was around before gadjet

    Oh by the ways for those who want to do non pattern based playing it is possible in caustic

    1. free for windows and mac
      9.99 for IOS and android (free trail on android)

      older than gadjet and there is some debate that it was what inspired it

  43. if you already have an ipad you can simply just use the ipad with korg as a VST with something like studiomux i believe….

    this price is ridiculous!

    Also having it on mac only is stupid… imaging what could be done with korg gadget on the microsoft studio screen!

  44. The introductory price seems very reasonable to me even given the current poor exchange rate for the Aussie dollar but as long as the product does what the manufacturers claim I’ll probably really like it but frankly I can’t see myself using it in anyway other than with the VST plugins in Logic Pro X which is my DAW of choice and although they say an NKS version is coming I haven’t been able to find out when and I really like it when products are compatible with Komplete Kontrol and although it’s not essential it does make it easier for me to work with.

    The main problems I have with this forthcoming release is that there’s no demonstrations or reviews of the product worth mentioning, we haven’t seen it in action (I’m talking about the Mac version not the IOS version) at all. I want to see and hear it in action. The introductory price is for a limited time which I presume will be the usual 1 month. So I doubt I’ll have time to make a considered judgement as to it’s worth before its price is bumped up which means I will therefore wait until sales season unless they release a fully functional trial version.

    Obviously as a iMac user I don’t have a touch screen but to be perfectly frank, who needs a touch screen? I already have a keyboard and an NI Komplete Kontrol S61 in front of me with the 2 screens behind that and to me its a far stretch to reach over and touch the screens so I probably wouldn’t use touch screen even if it were available. Plus, I have been using touch screen on my iPad for years and found they get grubby really fast.

  45. Way too expensive !!! especially since I already spent like 140 on the ios version with many upgrades…. this might be what I needed to justify myself and buy Logic which is way more bang for the buck…

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