It's official: you will be able to make music for the first time on your Nintendo Switch from April 26th onwards, the day KORG Gadget releases across all three major eShop regions.
KORG's unique Nintendo Switch edition of the versatile Gadget Digital Audio Workstation comes with 16 bundled synthesisers and drum machines (all emulations based on vintage KORG hardware) and will allow you to cover pretty much any electronic genre you can think of (yes, even old chiptunes).
Some of the unique features of this version include real-time pitch control and even piano roll editing using Joy-Con motions and the immensely fun (despite mixed end results) four player composition mode. You can check out the latest video of Sano-san showcasing that mode at a Tokyo club.
European pricing is unconfirmed at this stage, but in the States KORG Gadget will set you back $48. It will be quite interesting to see not only what people will come up with using the software, but also how artists will begin to incorporate the Nintendo Switch into their live acts.
Does this latest KORG / DETUNE offering on hardware make your inner Jean-Michel Jarre whoop with joy? Are you a music producer who uses Nintendo hardware for your compositions? The comment section is your piano.
[source korg.com]
Comments 54
Yes!great news
That's... Interesting.
I feel like that crowd would have had the same reaction if they were showing old Road Runner cartoons on the screen.
Keep the Korg, I'll have what they're having. 😈
Hell yes! 😊
Amazing app, but way too much compared to the tablet version especially considering it only includes the base 16 gadgets.
Oh... !
I wonder if i can create my Eurobeat song, my favorite genre.
Neat that people who end up digging the LABO recording studio will be able to "upgrade" rather immediately.
Hype!!! As a fanatic of both music gadgets and my Switch, this just looks like insane creative fun to me! I've also got "serious" audio/recording equipment in my little home studio so I really, really hope they've provided some way to export the audio and MIDI data from this so if we create anything cool, users could port it over to Ableton Live, etc. and take it further. Was not expecting this, and now I can't wait!
edit: omg, omg what if.... what if this allows you to host a MIDI controller keyboard connected to your Switch with an OTG USB cable!? Fingers crossed - that would be amazing!
Is the crowd wasted or what?
KORG Gadget is $300 on Mac, so... I'm down. I'm sure it won't be as flexible, but it seems worth it.
May jump on this. Far as I know the software not available on Android so switch is only option.
Wanna try cook up some hip hop beats
Is it possible to export the song to the micro sd? Track it out somehow?
@Nintendo-or-Noth It will be saved to the native Nintendo Switch cloud save infrastructure for easy sharing. Or wait...
think this will be a must for me!
Ahhh crap, and here I was trying to save money this month.
I have this problem where I keep buying more switch games than I have the time to play. It just keeps getting worse.
@Daftbomb What does the tablet include?
While this has substantially less content than the iOS version for 39.99, it does have multiplayer and motion controls which the iOS does not have. And yes, the desktop version is 299.99 so this isn’t all that bad. The Kamata gadget is an in-app-purchase on iOS for 14.99 so t4chnicslly the 48 bucks is t a bad deal
I already have Gadget on my iPad, and it's FANTASTIC. I'm intrigued to see what the Switch edition might be like, but I've forked out such an insane amount of money bulking up the iPad edition (with it's insane number of IAP instruments) that I'm not really willing to start burying myself into yet another version!!
All of my Soundcloud tracks were done on KORG Gadget for iPad ..
https://soundcloud.com/alodare
UK price is 35.09 GBP.
I believe the first time will be tomorrow with the Toy-Con Piano.
Still doesn't beat the satisfaction of learning to play a real instrument.
*Cue song "Long Live Rock N Roll" by Ronnie James Dio-era Rainbow
Can I export the music to the computer? Should I just splurge and get the Mac version if I’ve always wanted to make my own music? I want to make instrumental tracks too. Can it do that? Sorry if these are stupid questions - I’m new to KORG.
Yay!
@MH4 Not in Europe, Labo only releases over here on the 27th.
@Shiryu Yes, I thought about that, but if we're talking about the Switch in general, Labo hits first (technically).
Do you know of any reasons for Labo's delay?
@MH4 Nope. :x
@Mommar I stand corrected, apparently the app for tablets is the same price, I got it for £20 but that mustve been during a sale. However its not clear if some of the better gadgets like Abu dhabi and Bilbao are available to purchase.
The other feature on tablets is the other apps that can link within the app as another gadget. All being said, I retract my initial stance, it is definitely worth the money, as a fully featured DAW its quite versatile and great fun to play around with.
Not double dipping though. It just works perfectly on my iPad pro.
@Pod Actuality, I'm looking at the Labo synth and sequencer and hardware capabilities... I'm thinking it might even be more useful than the Korg!
I really need this. Is a physical copy coming?
Yep, gonna bite.
Going to have to get a Labo band together with piano, guitar and drums.
This is software that Id rather have as physical though.
Wow, Korg did this? My band leader uses an actual Korg at gigs, and the sound he can get out of the thing is amazing. I'm eager to hear how this will turn out.
@justin233 If you have an iPad check out the demo. It has 3 gadgets (think of these as instruments that are made to be played on electronic devices) and will give you a much better understanding than any text.
I doubt you will be able to export. May come in the future.
I use it on the iPad to create loops which i play along with on physical instruments.
It‘s cool on IPad. The Switch Version would only be interisting for my live Set with Ableton Link and Ableton Export Function. Cool would be an online Feature, but.....
@Jayenkai I'm impressed. Good job.
I love KORG's stuff on Nintendo devices, so yeah, I'll be all over this!
No retail version?
I remember on Nintendo DS the KORG series was available on cards.
As a producer who is familiar with DAWs, I’d like to know if you can save and export and upload your projects to Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, or even here to YouTube. If you’re like me and you play instruments, can you connect a midi keyboard or an audio interface for guitar or vocals via the USB-C port on the Switch? Nearly $50 would be a mighty tall price for a DAW that lacks those key features, especially since Korg Gadget on iPad has these features and costs less.
I'll be putting my music made with this up on Youtube whenever I get some songs made up
@ClydePhalanx
I would hope so, but don't hold your breath.
@Jayenkai You raise an interesting point. You upload your music from Gadget to Soundcloud. If that feature is missing from the Switch version, then at $48 it’s criminally overpriced.
Still waiting for it to show up on the UK store.. that's kind of annoying. I was wanting to post a nice "thoughts vs iPad version" post, but... still waiting..
The BIG issue
There is NO export.
There is also no import.
If you want to export anything at all, your options are..
A) 30 second video clip from the Switch's Capture button
B ) Output via audio cable to something that'll capture it.
C ) Capture HD video with a suitable capture device.
There is NO export..
Second issue
Although everything's been well designed to use the controller (and it works really quite well) the touchscreen has been abandoned.
Given Gadget was initially designed for the iPad, and worked REALLY well with the touchscreen, it's a bit of a shame they left that out.
General Thoughts
All the native Gadget synths are intact, and they all seem to sound identical to their iOS editions. Missing are things like Darwin which required a separate iOS app to integrate.
All instruments in all synths are available, and that includes the secondary "bonus" default packs which KORG added about a year ago, so there's oodles of sounds to choose from.
I mean, literally hundreds, maybe thousands of default sounds. Plus you can generate your own, but twiddling with the huge variety of knobs and dials, and even save your favourite instruments for future reuse.
The navigation works surprisingly well, and although it's slightly slower to do musical notation with the dpad, there are at least plenty of quick tools to help you out.
Most options are triggered with the X button, like changing bar lengths and things like that. Start button is used to flip between screens (Sequence, Piano Roll, Gadget knobs and switches) and the Y button is a universal play/pause.
As for Oomph, I tested it with 16 gadgets at once (the upper limit) each playing a four note chord, and it didn’t appear to be struggling at all, so it's more than capable to pushing out the notes.
Is it good?
Yes!!!
Is it worth the price of entry?
Sure.
For the price, you’re getting a TON of instruments to play with, on a wide range of synths. There are drums. There are chippy-tune sounds. There are warped synths of various shapes. And there's even Marseille which has a wide array of orchestral, brass and guitar sampled (I think!?!) sounds in it.
You really are getting a rather amazing suite of instruments, and a nice music editor to string them all together with.
If you like to make music on the go, this is .. good. But without export, it isn't as great as it could be.
Is it as good as the iPad edition?
No. Not without ANY export options. Also, the touchscreen is oddly lacklustre.
You can do a few twiddly things, like playing the little musical keyboard on the little synths, but knobs and dials all seem to be off limits, and require the controller. It's an odd half-assed approach, and given how wonderfully functional the iOS version's touchscreen is, I find it really odd that it doesn’t at least LET you use it properly on the Switch.
I understand the whole "But if it's in the dock, you can't use the touchscreen", but all that has been accounted for by use of the controller functionally. Leaving out touchscreen duplicate options is ... just weird.. especially when those were already in there, to begin with.
It's definitely second-place to the iOS version.
But if you enjoy playing with Music software, and don’t already have an iPad for the "better" version, then this is highly recommended.
Make good use of your Switch's power
But don't expect to export anything.
Hopefully they can fix that in a future update?!?...
@Jayenkai thanks for the mini review I found it helpful. Without export this is a bit pointless. A purchase will depend on whether this and touchscreen controls are fixed at a later date. At nearly £40 I think I will spend it towards the Mac version and hope they address the limitations of the switch port soon.
Anyone know whether the $299 price ever drops in a sale or is it pretty solid ?
@Sulleymonster I get ooodles of spam from my iOS KORG account, constantly banging on about the Mac edition. I'd suggest that, yes, it does go on offer occasionally. Usually after a major update.
If you have an iOS device, that's my recommendation.
I know that when I’m sat at a desk, and am spending hundreds on music software, I'd prefer to spend it on something more substantial.
Gadget works best on touchscreens, and was designed with that in mind.
As someone who's composed over 300 tracks using just an iPad and Gadget, I’m incredibly happy with it, but .. I’d still want something "bigger" on my desktop.
@Jayenkai I have signed up to receive newsletters, hopefully there is a drop soon. Whats the cheapest you have seen it reduced to ?
@Sulleymonster I'll be honest, I never actually paid attention to what price it was! Wasn't until someone mentioned the price here, recently, that I went "Blinkin' 'eck! Is that how much it costs on Mac!?"
But the percentage of discount, usually around 25-50% off, is fairly hefty. During last November it was "up to 50% off".
Like I said, though, I'm sticking to the iPad version, and .. .. Well, it started cheap enough, but after so many upgrades and add-ons, I'm fairly sure I've spent an alarming amount in total!
I guess that's the best thing about the Switch edition.. That it's mostly all-in-one, and one single price.
@Jayenkai that's quite a hefty reduction and probably worth waiting for. Such a shame that there is no export on the switch as I don't have an iPad for portable music creation. Even though all in one, for me it's a nothing more than a bit of fun if it's self contained. It looks like they priotised the gaming element for the switch to separate it from the iOS versions.
@Sulleymonster Yeah. I was hopeful that they'd add, at the very least, SoundCloud support, but ..
'sigh'
Maybe a future update?
@Jayenkai let's hope so. The new one player octo expansion for splatoon 2 was a welcome suprise a year later so there's always the possibility of support. Although I'm guessing that to keep the distinction between switch and iOS versions it's probably going to be unlikely. Why sell one product when you can sell two ... Or even three !
@Sulleymonster KORG stuff's currently on offer on Mac/iOS.
https://www.korg.com/us/news/2018/071102/
Fairly significant price drops, so that’s probably as low as they’re going to get.
@Jayenkai thanks so much for the heads up pal. Really appreciated. Will look into it now.
Would've bought this if it had basic SoundCloud export support. Such a shame, is it really that hard to implement devs? If you look at Switch's success, this could've been far more succesful as well sales-wise.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...