While Nintendo Labo continues to fascinate and confuse via the medium of cardboard, another very different creative suite has made its way to the hybrid halls of Switch. A digital audio workstation (or DAW as it’s known to its friends), KORG Gadget offers a robust piece of music making software that’s been fine-tuned to fit the console’s unique functionality - but it’s an experience with a handful of inherent problems that only serve to undermine some of those big selling points.
This isn’t the first time the Japanese keyboard maker has designed software for Nintendo either. KORG DS-10 and KORG DS-10 Plus (an updated version for DSi) arrived on DS almost a decade ago, while the excellent KORG M01D and KORG DSN-12 made creating your own EDM masterpiece a portable possibility. It’s a series with real pedigree, but one that’s been in need of a fresh approach for some time.
To that end, KORG Gadget is a resounding success. Originally designed for smartphones and tablets, the suite splits its 16 synthesisers and drum machines into toy-like 'gadgets', each with a specific theme. Each one comes with a variety of effects, offering everything from chiptune bleep bloops (so you can channel your inner Anamanaguchi) to classic D&B basslines (giving you the power to sound like a ripoff Pendulum - you know, back when they weren’t a knock-off nu-metal band).
It’s frustrating the number of gadgets has been reduced from the total available on Mac (that version has 30), but thankfully the Switch port is on par with the other mobile iterations. So even if you’re new to the world of digital song-making - or someone with a passing interest in the subject - KORG Gadget will still feel like a vast studio of emulated devices right there in your hands. Even one gadget has enough knobs and switches (including grid-style pads for testing out each sound before you use it) to keep you busy for hours.
While it may not boast as many synthesisers and drum machines as other versions, Detune (the same developer that worked on the KORG instalments on 3DS) has introduced plenty of new features you won’t find anywhere else. Switch being a console with co-op and multiplayer baked into its very soul, KORG Gadget comes complete with a collaborative option that supports local song-making with up to three other players.
With each user’s on-screen cursor defined by a different colour, it’s surprisingly easy to play as a group (using a single Joy-Con is just as responsive as using a Pro Controller or the touchscreen) and makes for one of the strangest yet enjoyable multiplayer experiences Switch offers right now. Whether as a bizarre party game or a fun couchplay oddity with your kids, the fun and clever presentation of its titular gadgets make what is actually a deep music design suite into something gamified in just the right way for would-be EDM musicians.
Detune has also made good use of a device with both buttons and touchscreen functionality. Holding ‘RZ’ will enable you to select multiple bars for creating longer drum loops, while a simple press of ‘Y’ will play your creation without a moment’s loading. A handful of useful shortcuts have also been mapped to the face buttons and the left analog stick, and we find flitting between each section of the app a breeze once we memorise the setup. You can even use motion controls with the Joy-Cons to manipulate your song (an adjust them via ‘-’), while holding ‘+’ enables you to jump between the main Piano Roll screen, your Overview page, each gadget’s individual edit screen and a Mixer for syncing together the whole mix.
As you can see, this is far from a cheap port. However, while it adds in plenty of unique features to set itself apart, there’s one huge issue that holds KORG Gadget back from being a fully-fledged console DAW: the inability to import or export songs. Considering this feature is fully present on the iPad version, it’s bizarre Detune couldn’t find a way to support such a vitally important aspect of the software. So what you end up with is an impressively deep piece of software, but one that exists in isolation rather than part of a wider ecosystem.
Much like the 3DS instalments, you can share songs locally with our Switch users, which is something of a consolation, but considering you could do this with older Nintendo hardware, it’s mind-boggling that the developer didn’t find a way to address this issue beyond an existing feature. The lack of support at launch for MIDI controllers only adds to this frustration.
Conclusion
While Detune has found some special ways to gamify the process of designing, layering and manipulating a piece of EDM, the lack of support for MIDI controllers or the ability to import/export tracks between other devices takes the shine off Switch’s first proper music title. While it’s ultimately more of an app than a game, KORG Gadget still brings an entirely new experience to your hybrid console and one that’s perfect for tinkering on a track while on your commute.
Comments 65
I came here looking for whether I could use my midi keyboard and export the result. Without those I fear I won’t be getting this no matter how good it is.
No export. No buy. And I don't even know the faintest thing about music and yet I've bought the last two apps on 3DS.
I'll get it when it inevitably hoes on sale.
*goes
My bad! 😅
As a simple DAW, it's excellent.
The lack of any means of exporting audio or even MIDI is baffling though.
I've taken to using 3.5 stereo jack to twin mono 1/4 inch just to get my ideas onto PC through an interface, but obviously that's just ridiculous lengths to go to.
Even a workaround of uploading a MIDI track to a specialised web service to download later would have been something.
No reason to get it without export. That was the question I was looking to have answered. While I'm no musician, I was able to make some serviceable tracks for my own indie game attempts using Beaterator on PSP, which allows export to WAV and MIDI. I was thinking about giving this a try, but at its high price with no export, it would be pointless.
Tip: Ian Hinck from Easy Allies made a fantastic video showcasing the combined capabilities of Korg Gadget and Labo Piano a couple days ago.
You can find it on their YouTube channel. Go check it out!
I was very excited by this and would have bought it but no export option means I won’t bother . If they add that then I’m on board but really can’t understand why such an important feature is not on it . Hopefully this is something that’s coming at some point
Buy the iPad version, there's no proper touchscreen implementation for the Switch version.
Want proper export? Get the Mac version for US$299. Can't afford it? Lineout from the Switch to your Computer for recording.
I'm gonna pick this up and probably shut myself down from the outside world for several months. Worth it!
So this is basically more of an instrument that a music production tool
This doesn’t even have effects - not to mention the midi / export issues. I have gadget on iOS with all of the IAP’s and love it. The real version of gadget has assignable effects you can put on each track and even automations to affect them more. I can’t imagine making something without at least some EQ and compression, or playing with filter automation. I will get his eventually, to incorporate a strange theremin-like gimmick to add to my live music show, since this does have motion controls - which looks very cool
I was so hyped about this... let's say... App. But it does not make any sense without an export function.
High hopes - high disappointment.
It would have been a day one buy for me.
No export completely ruins this.
BUT.. it is still an absolutely wonderful piece of software, and at the price it's astoundingly worth it.
I'm hopeful that they’ll eventually add Export, at the very least GadgetCloud support. They’d be insane not to.
...
Such a shame that it's missing. :/
My full thoughts - https://socoder.net/?GotoPost=67305
Was so excited for this, then heard about the lack of midi control or import/export. It's now just an amusing walled-off music app rather than a DAW.
I bought this day one and have had a lot of fun messing around in it but was taken back by the lack of touchscreen use. I must be missing something....
Also can’t find “multiplayer”
After some investigating other reviews it appears I'm not alone in the search for touchscreen, which makes me wonder if the reviewer actually played with this program.
Where is the review of Nintendo Labo?
'Japan Is More Excited About Nintendo Labo Than God Of War'
10/10 - NintendoLife
@piggyinafair I'm loving the Joycon and pro controller usage on Korg Gadget!
I don't use pc Daws so this is far more than perfect for me!
It's an amazing DAW, I love it. But absolutely no reason for me to own this over the iPad version with its broader selection of modules, bigger physical workspace, export options and the ability to draw input from other music apps.
Hm I would've definitely given it a higher score, at least an 8.
Sure, the lack of an export function and touchscreen support are a few cons - on the other hand, the controls are great as they are, definitely better than in FMT18 - but let's be honest:
What good would an export function have been anyway?
If you just wanted to export the whole song as an audio file: record it from the headphone jack.
If you just want to export single tracks from your song: mute all the other tracks and record it via the headphone jack.
MIDI export wouldn't make sense anyway because then you'd lose the samples, which are the heart and main attraction of the KORG Gadget. If I'd export this via MIDI and imported it into Reason (the DAW I use), those beautiful samples would've been replaced by boring MIDI samples.
So while I agree that there should be an export feature, I just want to remind you that it's not a feature one really needs.
Also, the price is really cheap for what it offers, I paid only 33€.
I definitely had a lot of fun with it and don't understand all that whining. Seems to me like nobody here actually knows a thing about music production or the fact that you can always export it via the headphone output.
For me, it's the first app that justifies using the Switch on the go. I always wanted to make music in the train.
@lemonjellydude According to Detune they couldn't add an export function because of the restrictions Nintendo put on the Switch.
@Appleflap Nope, this is definitely a DAW, not an instrument.
@uhhhhhhhh What are you talking about? Of course it has effects, they are on a separate screen.
@gordjscott Are you serious? Putting an audio cable into the headphone jack and into your audio interface is "ridiculous lengths to go"? It's a matter of seconds! How lazy are you?
@Dualmask Well if that was the question you wanted to be answered, it was already well-known since the app was released, you could've found that info anywhere on the web.
And how is this expensive? Other DAW's cost a lot more (in the triple digits)! 33€ are really cheap for what it's offering.
@shani As it happens, I only knew about it because I saw it on the eShop. Never even heard of this before that...as I said, I'm no musician. And as for the price, I could only compare it to what I had experience with, which, as I said, was Beaterator. Point stands...it would hold no value for me as it is, so no buy.
@piggyinafair Once you’ve selected a gadget, use + to switch to the gadget screen, and you can play the gadget's keyboard, and also tap most of the switchable buttons.
The dials don’t work, though. Bah, humbug..
Yes, it would’ve been great if they left in the iPad's wonderful touchscreen integration.
.. and I really don’t understand why they didn’t...
@shani Gadget on iPad features SoundCloud integration to such an extent that it's branded as GadgetCloud.
When you see people complaining about "lack of export", a LOT of those complaints are directed at that (fairly major) integration having been removed.
It was expected. It's really odd that it’s not there.
@shani I'm not lazy, as it isn't a matter of time involved. I'm sure you are aware that recording through the headphone port will never give as clean, quality results as an in-DAW export.
Thanks for the attempt to insult a fellow user though. It was appreciated.
Damn I would have got this if there was a way to export tracks
That's a crazy oversight.
Seems like it must be just for experimentation and practice. Caught my attention simply for how different it is, but I doubt I would get any good use out of it.
@shani Do you work for Korg by any chance?!
It sucks. Huge disapointment.the one on 3ds was way better. You cant even change the beat to 7/8 or whatever.only 4/4.touch controls are terrible.you cant even move a knob smoothly.worst korg app ever
@SleepyOtus L&R😁
@Ahlvin23
Love & Respect to you as well, my friend!
I have used this for a few hours and found it quite fun. A lot of features aren´t immediately apparent.
I would rather they went in a direction where they provided a simple forum for sharing or upload to SoundCloud, rather than professional workflow support with midi.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Korg. I'm kind of like the leader in here. I'm made of rocks, as you can see, but don't let that intimidate you. You don't need to be afraid, unless you're made of scissors! Just a little Rock, Paper, Scissors joke for you.
@Ahlvin23 Press X in a scene to and change scene settings to set the beat to 7/8, you can also use an individual tempo for the scene.
Recordings one slider at a time is smooth with twisting the joy-con, (the analog joystick is a bit fast).
I think the switch-version works pretty well on the TV considering the controls that are available when docked.
It´s a fun creative game I think, but professionals might be happier with one of the other versions and some additional MIDI hardware.
How much does this cost? Also can I make a filly fledged song with this Minute the lyrics?
Where are today's articles? Are my boys at Nintendo Life in good health? (Totally in the U.S. so in different timezone)
Really? What's the point if you can't export?
@Broosh Today's a UK "Bank Holiday" Bank Holiday being the name for a holiday we don't have a proper name / reason for... we just occasionally have them, usually on a Monday, and usually when it's miserably dull and raining. The weather, today, is unfashionably nice and warm for a Bank Holiday.
@JSG87 You can. No way to get audio in means no lyrics, and there's also no synthy-singer, which is a bit of a let down. But, yes, you can produce fairly decent music with the software. As always, the output will depend on your abilities, but it can play up to 16 of its instruments simultaneously, and there's oodles of space to extend the length of your song. It's REALLY very good, and if you find you're using it often, and you're "good" with it, you might like to upgrade to the iPad/Mac editions at a later point.
All the music I've created in the past 4 years has been done with the iPad edition, and as far as actual melodical/audio features go, there's no real difference between the two.
Everything currently on my Soundcloud account is from KORG Gadget iPad. https://soundcloud.com/alodare
And you can (100%) replicate that using the Switch version.
You'll just need to improvise to export it, afterwards!
(Note : Some of my Soundcloud tunes include Vocaloid singers. That's due to the iOS version letting me import the lyrics. Everything else, though, is just KORG Gadget)
@tovare thanks a lot for the explenation.i will try this later.gonna give it another chance.
Now we have an app to make music but still nothing to listen to music, watch photos and video. Call me crazy but this is beyond nonsense imho.
@LuckyLand It isn't meant to be an iphone
I was wondering where all the articles were then I realized it's Bank Holiday weekend.
@JayJ It isn't meant to be a device to create contents with professional tools either, but this one is clearly not a console game.
Maybe people like me who want media players are the minority, but I'm sure that people who are interested in buying a tool to create music (a real tool, not Electroplankton) are even less, far less. But here it is, a tool to make music. It's crazy.
@LuckyLand I mean it's fine to want a media player, but if that is the kind of thing that you are looking for there are far better devices for it.
@JayJ this is not the only thing. I love Nintendo games too. And I hate touchscreens, so I don't want to use a tablet for this. Switch has real buttons. It is not the only thing I'm looking for, but it is still very important for me.
Why is NL site so quiet today?? This is the only article I’ve seen today Monday 5/7! 🤔🤔
Limited touch support is a real let down. Already own it on iOS also
Honestly, this works fine for me. I've got a great audio setup to take audio from my Switch and load it into my more robust DAWs on my computer. The Namco Custom30 module is almost reason enough to grab it!
It's Britney female dog
Better or worse than garage band for e d m ?
@LuckyLand They have physical remotes and accessories that you can connect to a tablet, if you want something for multi-media that is probably your best option. Personally I really enjoy using a chromebook for that kinda stuff.
@joey302 It's a holiday for them.
@Paddle1 ahh yes I see you mentioned a Bank Holiday Thx - just found it as unusual!
@gordjscott why not just use a capture device to record a video of the game as you play it then convert the video to an audio file?
@Koudai1979 You could do that too, but the audio wouldn't be of the best quality sadly.
Not to the standards you'd wish for with studio work I mean.
If you just wanted to take a quick recording off for demo purposes, it'd suffice though.
I mean, good for variety's sake but why would anyone want to use a program like this on a game console? Seems like there are countless better options for computers. And if you need portability, laptops.
I... wasn't really planning on buying this even if it did have exporting. If I do music production, it will be on my computer, thanks.
I can cable my Switch to a recorder so having no export function is not an issue, but no touch controls? Really?? I mean the DS versions all had touch controls.
The lack of exporting and MIDI support is very disappointing. Waiting for a sale if I buy at all.
@Jayenkai Yeah I find it odd too. One of my first thoughts was actually that they could've added Soundcloud support (though maybe the Switch's OS just doesn't allow for that), didn't know the mobile versions have that.
And to be honest, I doubt that most people here already have the mobile app.
That said, an export option would be nice, but I don't see a big advantage over exporting via the headphone jack.
@gordjscott Why would that be? Whether you record the audio from the headphone jack or load an mp3/wav into your DAW doesn't really make a difference, it's just a stereo audio file.
I exported my first track via headphone jack and the audio quality is perfectly fine.
Now if we'd be talking about exporting a project file that can be opened in a bigger DAW on PC, that would be something else. But that's simply not possible. And MIDI is not a viable alternative.
And how did I insult you?!
@datamonkey Lol no and I'm not sure I'd even want to.
EVERYONE!!!!! YOU CAN EXPORT!! All you need is an aux to aux cord and software like Audacity on you PC/Laptop and you can record your musical creations that way. Simple and easy!
@Silly_G You can actually export it on to a PC or laptop by using an aux cable into the headphone jack, and a program like Audacity to record it.
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