Korg M1

The M1 Manual is excellent and quite comprehensive. The other side of the coin to that is that there is a lot to learn, and some will find the learning curve steep.

It took me about a year to really learn the M1 and even though newer keyboards have more features and capabilities in someways, it goes to show that for some the M1 will still be more than enough.

But again, its a trade off. A lot of features vs steep learning curve.

The M1 has the ability split its keyboard into sections and then assign different instruments to different sections. When you add effects to the various splits and combinations this is where you hear some of the most gorgeous sound capabilities of the M1.

As time has passed on a lot of the limitations of the M1 such as its 100 patch limit have been overcome with pc librarians and sequencers. For example I used the freeware sound library "SoundLib" to create a 7000+ patch library for my M1 over the years. Later I switched to the more powerful (but payware) program, Midi Quest, which allowed me to edit the M1s patches on the pc itself. (As mentioned above this helps protect the M1's buttons from excessive wear).

The M1 has card slots so you can add patches/programs/combinations;but, since I started using software librarians on the pc I find this feature obsolete. The one advantage of sound cards is that there are some truly great sounds you might wish to pay for so that you can add them to your library.


One thing you will want to do with your M1 is set it up so that its general midi compatible. Now you can manipulate it from Cubase or Fl studio (or your favorite sequencer). You also need to set up your sequencer to access the various midi tracks on the M1.

TIP: A lot of people put the M1 in combination mode when they set it up for general midi. But consider putting it in sequencer mode so that all those pattern capabilities can be added to your song. The sequencer just needs to be set to an external timer.

Cons:
-The 16 note polyphony has never been a barrier to the music I compose, but, Ill just note this for others who make more complicated music.
-The M1 has some great effects but they can only be applied universally to the entire keyboard output. One workaround to deal with this is to use the internal pan-pots to rout effects to your quad outputs.

Feature Summary:
61 Keys. "Spring Weighted". Velocity sensitive. Joystick Mod. 100 Patches/programs at a time. .You can use 1-8 patches at a time, and assign 1 or 2 oscillators to each patch. 100 Combinations at a time. Damper pedal port. Midi in out and through. 2 additional assign pedal ports. Quad output.

Different players like different key weighting/action. I personally find my favorite M1 feature is its spring weighting. The wonderful feel of the M1 has a lot to do with its rise to classic status imho. Obviously this is also something that will never become obsolete.

The M1 presets are a mostly ambient collection of sounds. To balance your collection with more fat or analogue sounding patches I strongly recommend you get a librarian/patch editor and then peruse the available collections on the net. Librarians compatible with the M1 include freeware Soundlib or payware Midi Quest.

In addition to ambient, the M1 is also powerful on organ and patches based on square wave. With some tweaking I have also added some nice guitar patches to my collection.

While the M1s sounds are quite good when you start laying them in combination mode you really start to see the beauty of this machine.

The main drawback is effects. While with tweaking I find the M1's effects quite nice, they must be applied to the entire group. Basically, what this does is force me to create music in such a way, that when I bring in the M1 into the song, a group of layered sounds come in with 1-2 layered effects. Because this is still quite powerful I didn't deduct any points for this..but others might feel differently.

To summarize, the M1 has an incredible sound collection but you are going to want to bolster it by getting into its patch creation abilities and then saving your new patches to a library. Also, you can buy or download the patches others have created and add them too. The M1's effects are very nice if you are willing to sit down and really do some tweaking, but, they have limitations in how they are applied.

Incredibly reliable machine. I've heard of M1s being dropped from trucks and basically working as normal. (However I will not be trying this experiment myself).

That said and done after many years of use the M1's buttons can begin to wear out. I had some wear out after about 15 years of use and I ordered a few new ones from Jam Industries in Quebec, with no problems. As far as I know they still supply replacement parts for almost every korg machine.

Let me note that I now use the program Midi Quest to do all my patch editing on the pc now, and the buttons receive almost no wear.

There is also a way to cycle through the M1 on-board menus using my sequencer; and, again this prevents adding wear to the buttons.

The one other thing you may have to replace is the internal battery which keeps all the information backed up. Because of the battery issue I strongly recommend regularly saving your korg information on your pc using a librarian. I have replaced the battery once since I bought the keyboard in 1990.

I have been hurt physically, I have had women break my heart, but the only time I ever cried was when I accidentally broke my M1.

I was replacing some of the buttons that had worn out after about 15 years of intense pushes and the M1 is so compact its quite a task removing the guts to get to the buttons. That is, you have to open the M1 from the bottom and then work your way through the guts to get to the surface panel.

When I was putting it back together I put one screw in the wrong spot and I hear a cracking sound (YOW! It hurts just thinking about it!)

Turns out I had driven the screw through a B flat key. (Any scorn or ridicule you heap on me for doing this...is well deserved!!) I called Jam industries in Quebec and ordered a replacement key and a couple sets of extra buttons. The total cost including shipping was under 15 dollars Canadian. I can not plug Jam industries enough for the help and service they gave me.

I should note that since its so cheap to replace parts for this keyboard some of you can greatly increase the value of your M1 by fixing that broken key or button before putting it for sale on ebay.

As I said above, I love the feel of the M1 spring weighted keys. To be honest I like it better than full hammer feel of an actual piano. If you like a different feel it will make a big difference to how much you like the M1. (So try to find one to play before you buy it.)

That said and done I want at least one 88 key instrument in my instrument collection, so its fair to say, even for an M1 fan like me it is not a complete studio by itself.

Based on that theme, my strong recommendation of this keyboard comes with the caveat that it has to be bolstered with a general midi setup. Yes, that means there will be work involved and some of it involving technical things.

You will also need a librarian so that you can create a big sound collection on your pc. Luckily there is freeware like Soundlib and payware like Midi Quest (and a few others) to make this job fairly easy. Feel free to email me for advice on any of these or possible repair issues.

I paid 2000 Canadian for the M1 in 1990. It was worth it.

In addition to the M1 I also own a Tokai Love Rock and a few other guitars. In terms of electronic music my focus has become very PC and software based with Cubase and Fl Studio as the core of my setup.

The M1 plays a BIG role in this new and constantly modernizing environment. It is an outright powerhouse for ambient sounds. This is not to say you can't add a few decent fat/analogue sounds to your library if you are willing to start messing around with the synthesizer. (Or download some patches others have created).

Given the power of the M1 once bolstered by a decent librarian and sequencer I have not come close to exhausting its capabilities even after all these years.

The drawback to the M1 is the same with most keyboards. Over time parts become harder to find in a way that doesn't seem to happen with guitars. (One way to look at it is that parts for guitars, such as pick ups and tuners, are basically more standardized.) Luckily in Canada we have Jam Industries which provides parts for the M1 for extremely cheap rates.

I would definitely buy another one if this one was stolen. And lord have mercy on the soul of the person who took mine.

4 outputs, two expression pedals. Midi In, Out Through.

Has one of the best keyboard actions on a synth I have found, speaking player with a piano background. Not too springy with long keys.

Built like a tank. Buttons do wear out and are very expensive to fix now.

The Korg M1 was great in it's day and is a classic. Unfortunately I think it is now past it's use-by date for many reasons:

1) Newer Korg synths can recreate most or all of the sounds with better sounding samples. (e.g. N5 has most of the classic M1 counds likes Lore, the M1 piano etc).

2) Used price is often higher than newer used synths like the Korg N5.

3) The expansion cards are hideously expensive and hard to get. Newer Korg synths basically have all these soundsets built in.

4) Unit has some background noise, especially for long held notes - the AI2 synthesis system doesn't.

5) It is very heavy for a 61 note keyboard.

6) Joystick pitch/mod is a pain to use.

7) Limited polyphony.

The Korg M1 is a classic, bordering on collectable now, but I doubt that in 10-20 years time people will use them like the old Hammond organs, Rhodes pianos, analog synths etc are. Simply put there is nothing unique about it anymore - newer synths can do everything the M1 can and more for less money.

If you must have an M1, get the T3 (or T2 or T1) instead - same synth but with the PCM multisounds loadable from floppy disk.

Needless to say I've upgraded to a Korg N5EX, for an extra $75. The only things I miss are the slightly better action of the M1 and the extra pedal ports, but everything else is way better.

c1990. Presets vary from very bland and thin to wonderful and expressive.. and thin. Patche editing is menu driven which is never good even with dexterity. No substitute for a bucket-full o'knobs. Get a patch editor and make life easy cos there are hidden wonders in the M1 way beyond the obilgatory sounds.

16 Note Poly which rapidly looses usefulness once you get into combis and sequencing. Oodles of in-built effects but no useful choruses or flanges. Plug-in cards for memory (more patches) and PCM (waveform samples) - never seen any though! Good velocity and aftertouch but mine's a little knackered now. The on-board sequencer did me just fine til I got myself a pc. I used is recenly (after well over 10 years of using pc) and was surprised at how easy it was to get back into. Not much memory as standard for sequencing though unfortunately.

The sampled instruments are all very good if a little thin, and some of the multi-sample cross-points are dodgy, esp the sax! I say this was a pop instrument myself - and that piano must be on a zillion dance records. The effects are standard digital affair - delays and reverbs excel, choruses etc do not and never will.

Very reliable unit. Gigged a billion times and never let me down. My original was stolen and the replacement did have a few quirks - it kept muting and overloading the MIDI line crashing the pc - a bit crap in a live situation not to mention embarrassing. The problem was traced to dry joints on ballast resistors in the power supply which apparantly was it most common failing. Easily remedied and works a kipper now!

Korg UK techs directed me to the above problem and so I'd say they were very useful. The french guy who works there is a bit a twat though!

It was stolen and I did replace it - immediately. Despite it's minor shorcomings this is a landmark synth. Would have been nice to have a resonance filter and some potamento. I've gone right off the piano sound though. I can spot that sound in a full-on Phil Spectre production -30dB in the mix. Boring. But I'm not selling it. It has hepled me a lot of money over the years, paid some bills and purchased some cheeseburger. And it has a joystick. Why don't they put Joysticks on 'em anymore? WHY?

I have a M1 circa 1990 and have enjoyed the use in two different groups. I use it mainly with modules and would like to learn how to attach to my PC (contact me) The sounds that I have used when gigging are the tenor sax, the pan flute and some organ sounds with an organ from another module balancing the outputs to blend them. Alas battery is dead and I cannot do that any more or until I change it and down load the sounds.

I also use a yamaha 88 key weighted but for improve speed, I would rather use the M1. The action has spoiled me. I would love to use the sequencer but I always run out of memory.

I used the tenor sax sound for a country song and had people looking around for the sax. As mentioned above, in gigging I only used a few sounds, I mainly now use modules so the M1 is mainly a controler

It has never failed me, even after the great coffee spill of 97. Got a little sticky after that but has worked itself out after all the years.

Sorry, but have never contact Korg for any of my Korg products that I use.

I would buy another if something happened to this one. I have had offers to buy mine, no way. I have been playing in bands for ten years and I also use the Roland VK7, a roland PC 200 that I love the touch for midi strings.

I would score this machine more, if the sequencer hadn't taken me such a long time to get going. In fact, I used MusicX on my Amiga in the end. I bought this in 1990, and I still have it. Really easy to knock up a quick program that doesn't sound out of place alongside all my other equipment.

Really, for it's day, this should be a 10 rating. 16 voice polyphony and 8 track sequencer, meant you could take this machine to a friends house and impress their family to the point they never touched their big unweildy home organ ever again. Obviously by todays standards, it's pretty dismal, but it's expandable both by PCMCIA cards and internal boards. Also, it looked awesome. I remember the 1st time I took it to practice with a band that needed my help, and I opened up my flight case and heard "Oooooooooooo" and "Wowwwwwwwwwww". I only wish you could plug in multiple PCMCIA sample rom cards at once, as I have a pile of them.

I was a teenager when I first played this in my local music shop. I'd been in love with some Roland machine (D-50 I think it was) but then this sleek beast appeared. Ok, so now I think the guitar and piano aren't so great, but back then I was smitten, especially with some of the pads and combinations. The demo tunes on the sequencer just blew everything else in the shop away, and I spent many many weekends annoying the hell out of the shop's staff by going there and playing on it all day as loud as they would let me

Well over 14 years, and some considerable moving around and trips in cars that it didn't fit well in (the flight case made it FAR too unweildy, plus the case I had made specially for it, weighed more than the machine) and it never once went wrong. A couple of small wounds in the plastic pieces on the sides if you look closely, other than that, looks brand new still. Damn that battery (or myself for not regularly saving my sounds) for saying Battery low, when it meant "Battery died. All your sounds have gone already. The kleenex is by the window"
Also, the PCMCIA slots require a lot of jiggling with the cards and much on/off action on the power in order to get them going. I guess that's going to be an issue for anyone with a number of sets of PCMCIA sound sets

Wouldn't know, it never did anything it shouldn't.

I figure I have to rate it 10, as 14 or so years on, and it's still part of my home studio. I still love the way it looks, and there are still a few sounds I occasionally use it for. It's worth more to me than the paltry second hand value it has now, so it'll probably remain there. I can't think of anything useful the 200 quid would get me that I couldn't just pay 200 quid for without selling it.

If it were lost or stolen though, I probably wouldn't replace it, due mainly to the age of the machines, and the fact you don't know how well one had been treated that wasn't yours. I never buy used. Period.
Hopefully then, it'll never be stolen.

I am not sure of the software version. There is a galaxy of features, which are quite easy to use. Editing sounds is really easy. The manual is quite complicated to understand, focuses more on how the Korg actually makes the sound rather than how to process and use the actual keyboard.

The M1 uses the A1 synthesis system, which produces fantasic sounds. The built-in sounds and combi sounds are fantastic and sound great. There are expansion capabilities, via a PCM card, which, sadly are discontinued but you may find some hanging around on Ebay. Some music shops will do services for the Korg M1. The Korg has pressure sensitive keys and you can vary the attack time etc for each sound. The sequencer on board is fantastic, very easy to use and there are 8 tracks. All you do is select your track, press Start/Stop and you're away.

The sounds are great, especially the ones from 80-90. A pity that there are only 100 sounds and 100 combi sounds, but that is plenty for a keyboard novice. The onboard effects are quite good, including the combi sounds, and the reverbs. It reacts very well to my playing, and performs very well to fast pieces.

It is a very reliable instrument. I use it in my band (it has become the celebrity in the band). Once, in April 2003, whilst I was playing, the internal battery went (it hadn't been replaced since November 1990) so I still take my secondary keyboard, a Roland A-33 MIDI controller on stage, just in case. The internal battery lasts years, and all in all, it is a very reliable instrument from a well-known company.

I have never had to deal with the customer support. However, there is a shop in Sheffield, UK called Sound Control (on Paternoster Row) which do a huge amount of stuff for the Korg M1.

I bought the Korg M1 over 15 years ago, and at the time, it seemed well worth it. Nowadays, I do not regret buying it, seeing as they are still quite rare. I love the look of it and the sounds it produces. If it for some reason got lost or stolen, I would try and buy another M1. When I bought my A-33 five years ago, I did a few comparisons, and I found out that the M1 performed better. I wish it had a floppy disk drive, so I could upload songs onto it, but, sadly, it's only got a PCM card slot, and the cards have been discontinued. It is a wonderful and worthwhile instrument, I use it in my band and it's great on stage, and when I hook it up to my Powermac G4, the possibilities are endless! If you're thinking of buying a Korg, consider the M1. Although it is old, it is very good, and modern Korgs are built on the M1.

This workstation is an ever-green.Korg at that time perfectly understood what a musician needed:large and recognizable buttons,simple and friendly interface,solid built machine,and good sounds.That's why we talk still nowadays about this little jewel.The factory patches need to leave their space to ones you find on the net or to your skillness to progrma the sound:in this way m1 remain actual and its factory sounds turn fro mediocre to good.Editing patches isn't hard:the fx really helps you in this way.Editor librarian,everything you want in the net for this old powerful keyboard

polyphony is 16(what a s..t!).This is the LIMIT of this machine.You can't pretend to use the wannabe-richful combi sounds with 16 polyphony:it's like making Pavarotti sing without air,food and water.
37 internal fx:wonderful,this is a point of strenght for m1,every effect is powerful and able to change radically the sound you want to get from a single pcm.4 audio output(never understand how they work),sustain,switch1,switch2 jack,midi In,Out,Thru.No externale adapter.2 slot:one to load program and combi,the other to load new pcm using the extremely rare and enough expensive pcm card.

Its sounds today are old.The newer workstation are miles ahead from m1.But,this is like those men that are able to build or repair everything in a house requiring little money:plumber,electrician,mason all in one.It save you in every situation.Factory Sounds are poor.From the net you can find quite powerful strings and choir, quite decent piano,good e.pianoz, so and so organ, good leads and powerful brass.For Van halen jump its synthbrass are perfect.Aftertouch is decent,you have to push on the keys to activate;velocity ok;keyboard action is enough good.

Never had ANY problem in 10 years and i don't keep it in a iron safe in a remote corner of my house.I've always use it gigging and now it's my masterkeyboard.Some more expensive keyboard may look at m1 for the solid way it is built.F..k the weight!i want something i can put my hands on without worring about breakin a part.The buttons become harder with time and the internal (that's not eternal)battery goes out:do like i do.i open the m1,change the internal battery,and clean everything using air, a brush and our spray-protector W*-40.Now it's like new.I took it 2nd hand from a boy who keep it in a studio to make dance music.he gave me a lot of cards(unfortunately not the organ one,but piano, synth1&2,brass,strings etc so it doesn't matter).Be careful when you clean the m1 on his black metal surface!use only water-wet cloth:with other things the paint could leave the keyb and remain on the cloth!

Who do knows them?

Lost or stolen,today i'll look for something better like a 88 weighted digital piano or master keyb.I started playing in a band with a roland d50 that still use and probably never leave,then i took m1 without knowing anything about it,hoping only in a good piano and organ sound,and recently took an ob3^2 for organ and a n1 rack.N1 piano it's a shame:ten year after the m1 piano sound that is well known Korg made a piano sound for x-n series that is as useful as the toilet paper:it's important to be there but the quality is not so important.Good general keyboard,solid and complete.Low polyphony,well-done pcm sounds,very reliable!Here in Italy strange things happen:i took my m1 to evaluate in a shop last year with its backup(an Sbk,made in usa,paid 80 euro 2nd hand),all the cards(piano,synth 1-2,brass,drums1,orchestra,world omnibus,variety and the ram one plus the downloaded file and software from the net), they told me 200 euro.I've got 200 euro selling half the cards and some d50 ones on ebay.Lot of people more expert and more musicians than me often tell me not to sell m1 or d50 because even with their cons,are overall good keyboards and the shops know it well.

What an excellent unit. The M! is still used by Mr Bruce Hornsby himself in current concerts. I really like this products durability. I can agree that some sounds are outdated, but nonetheless it still holds that Korg reliable reputation. I was fortunate to have just purchased this unit second hand in great condition via ebay. If anyone knows how to acheive the Hornsby deep synth sounds which are a factory preset, please email (brianrszymanski@yahoo.com)me and I will be forever greatful.

Sincerely,

Brian

I got mine more about 12 years ago, and at the time the Workstation concept was new; even so, I started using all its features right away.

I've been using it ever since, and nowadays I miss a resonance filter and glide/portamento functions. For a plastic non-weighted keyboard, it has a great feel

The sounds used to be great then, now they sound a bit dated, but I have the feeling that they are about to become "vintage cult" anyday soon. There's something characteristic about the Korg filters that give everything I program some shallow colour. It can be a defficiency, or a characteristic, it depends on the use.

This is what it's good about the M1; this machine is unbreakable. Falls, rainwater, bad AC outlets on stage, mine has been thru everything, and always kept on going.

Ok. Not bad

Because it is reliable, but also because its sounds are outdated, I use it today as a stage controller. I wouldn't use it without external modules, but it's also fun to program, so I intend to start using its internal sounds someday again.

I got mine for $360 on eBay last August, which is about the average going price these days. Price tends to fluctuate depending on supply and demand on any given day. Actually for some reason it's become more in demand over the past few months and I've seen them go for as much as $420 or more. I guess mine is an original (non-expanded) version. I really love this keyboard; it's very sturdy, easy to use, has great sounds and a great keyboard action. It's best used for glassy atmospheric pads, organs, choirs, and strings (awesome strings!). Some of the basses aren't bad, but it's not good at all for imitating analog synthy lead sounds. You should use it for what it excels at, and you will be very satisfied. If the engineers at Korg thought that the M1 should have resonance, they would have included it. (Please get off this bandwagon people, it's getting old.)

I took the advice of some earlier reviewer and modified the Organ2 (hammond organ) patch to include Overdrive and Rotary Effect from the effects section. Wow, what a difference. Works great with a pedal switch - brings the leslie effect right in and out as you step on and let go of the pedal, keeping both hands free to play the keyboard. The Overdrive effect makes the organ sound very Keith Emerson-ish: dirty, gritty, and full of character. Aside from the modified Organ2, I found the most useful presets to be Softsynth (very Vangelis-like), Choir, Smphonic (sounds like a Mellotron a la King Crimson, early Genesis), PanMallett, and a few others. Of course Lore is cool as hell for drop-in effects, and I don't care what anybody says, the first patch Universe is just so cool (my girlfriend loves that sound too!). I can't think of a single other synth that can create that sound. I did not like the Pipe Organ patch all that well, so I went in and modified it to beef it up. Even so, I have to MIDI it up to my SoundCanvas Pipeorgan sounds to add more high-end and brilliance to the sound (it's too low-end and dull). But with that combination of M1 and SoundCanvas, and run through a Behringer stereo exciter & compressor and out through a Peavey 500 watt amp and two Celestion 250 watt speakers - I've just turned my music room into a friggin cathedral!

Other keyboards I use are: Yamaha Clavinova CLP350, Korg DW8000, Korg DSS1, and Roland Super JX10 (and the SoundCanvas of course, my only module). I tend to prefer stacks of keyboards instead of everything shoved into a rack with one master keyboard. Lots more flexibility and ease just to reach for another keyboard to get a different sound, and each board has its own character. I rely on the JX10, DW8000 and DSS1 for all of my analog brass, strings, leads and basses; Clavinova of course for piano; and SoundCanvas mainly to thicken up any of these other keyboards if needed. For some reason, my SoundCanvas still has the best Rhodes sound of any of this gear, I couldn't find a decent Rhodes sound on the M1, just DX-Rhodes stuff which I don't care for. The DSS1 actually doubles as both a sampler and analog synth, but I use it mostly for analog sounds because of its great voltage controlled filter. I have downloaded some custom M1 patch banks off the web, and used the best sounds from these to replace the crappier factory ones on the M1 (examples: GhostPain, Discovery, VocalWind). I also use a software called M1LibEd to edit patches directly from my laptop, which makes patch editing so much easier. It's also a library, and will load up all patches, combos, and global settings from your M1 if you ask it to. While I tend to use PowerTracksPro on my laptop for serious sequencing, I found the built-in sequencer useful for its 'real-time' feature in which you can get an instant loop going, and then add more notes to that loop just by playing the keys, without having to hit any more buttons! Very cool feature, I like just being able to do something like this without having to fire up my laptop software.

I rate this board highly for its very warm PCM sounds and excellent effects section. Not made for analog stuff and tweaking, so don't expect that from it (this is why I got a JX10 and PG800 programmer for that kind of stuff). Great MIDI implementation. Great keyboard action. Great sounds. Takes ROM and RAM cards. Built like a tank. Reliable. What more can I say? This beast still holds its own compared to modern PCM synths. No wonder it sold over 250,000 units and is still widely used by professionals even today. Just one point off I suppose for want of more polyphony and sequencer memory, but let's keep things in perspective, it came out in 1988.

Never used customer support. The battery died on me after 4 months of ownership, but I saved my personal patchbanks and factory patchbank via sysex to a software librarian ahead of time, so I was prepared. Got a new battery for $4 at Walgreens.

If stolen I would first hire Stephen Segall to beat the living shit out of the person who stole it. Then I would probably make them buy me another one.

This keyboard is very easy to use. The preset sounds are simple and quick to select. Modifying the sounds can be done without the manual but it's trial and error. The manual is pretty big and easy use.

Everything is already said below. This baby is over 10 years old now and I still gig with it. Of course the sounds aren't as good as some newer (and far more expensive) models. I gig in a pop/rock band and it covers all bases for me. It has midi but I don't use it.

Sounds are good for a 10 year old keyboard. The piano sound is pretty good but not as good a the new digital pianos. The brass is ok and the strings aren't too bad either. Its got 100 patches and 100 combos. I'd use probably 10 of the patches and maybe 5 of the combos. She no B3 clone but for a couple of hundred buck, what can you expect. Aftertouch on the piano and organ patches is great. Pushing harder on the keys when playing the organ sound builds up the Leslie effect.

I've gigged for 10 years with it, maybe average once a week or two. It's never ever let me down. You can be confident of it and not require a backup keyboard. The internal battery did go flat once. It's an easy replace job. Unfortunately, when you do this you loose your patch/combo library. I just downloaded it from the net and reloaded it into the keyboard. I had to buy a serial to midi port lead for about AU$20 but I can use this with any other keyboard. There are heaps of different libraries you can download from the net also. The only small issue I have is sometimes the patch number buttons don't work on first click. Sometimes the "0" button has to be click 2 or 3 times to work. No big deal though, it probably could do with a clean up under the button assembly.

Never needed it !!! Great work Korg

It a great keyboard. I'm looking at upgrading now to a good digital piano because I now only really need a good piano sound and a good organ sound. I'm looking at the Yamaha P200, P250 or maybe the Roland RD-700. If this was a brand new keyboard it wouldn't stand up against todays quality but it's 10 years old and can be bought now for about AU$500 or cheaper. So for that reason it's a beauty !!!

There is no KORG sofware for editing, but reading the user manual once or twice is long enough to start editing patches. I tried free software editors but the esaiest way is editin by the main panel.

Polyphony is good, unless u make combinations of lots of programs and play "ten finger" chords =).
Keyboard action is great... weighted keys, not like a real piano, but more than a standard synth.
There are Expansion Cards, RAM and Multisounds but nowadays are dificult to find...
It has full midi action. (exept General Midi compatible)
Built-in sequencer is not so much easy to use, and not so flexible... it has lots of limits.. only 8 tracks, you can only use 1 effect in the whole song.

Even thoug a synth would NEVER sound like a REAL piano, the M1 is well known becouse of it`s piano sound... the other sounds are quite intrestings. Strings are INCREDIBLE!!!
I used it to play Melodic Metal, and maybe 80s Rock/pop but i think it fits for much more styles...
Velcyty response is very good.... aftertouch... mmm... well....err....

you can surely use it on a gig without a backup.... but well... if i had the chance to have maybe an X5D helping, it would be great!!!!

They didn`t want to tell me approx whow much would cost some "general service" (cleaning the inside, etc).. so i took it to som "non-korg" support. (and finlaly i paid less than the half of what Korg support intended.)

I do not think if i`ll buy it again. I mean it was one of my first synts. at that time it was excellent, but now i would try to buy a new one which fits my needs. But i y had the money for it i`ll do it`s cheap for what it can do!!!
The only thing i hate is the it weights 15 Kg... too heavy for hand-carryng.

I can't say anything that's not been said before, I just wanted to pay homage to my beloved.

Nice action. All other non-weighted keyboards deel spongey and unresponsive in comparison.
I actually really like the effects too.
MIDI isn't as comprehensive as I'd like.

I think I've overwritten all the factory presets now. The beauty of this machine lies in the sounds you can create- I start off with layered basic waveforms, then let the filters (not resonant- boo) and FX do the rest; can't beat it for rich textures.
Orchestral instruments and electric guitars aren't so hot.

The poor thing is a little tired now. Numbers 2 and 5 haven't worked for 2 years now, and 1 and 6 are a bit dodgy. Plus the 4th octave Bb keeps sticking. But it's nothing you can't work around, and not bad for a 13-year old kb.

Never had to deal with Korg customer support, but I will be trying to get the buttons and sticky key fixed soon- I think it deserves that much!

So many of my bestest sounds are on my M1, so I'd have to replace it in some way- I'd probably get an M1R or M1R EX out of choice.

The presets sound pretty awesome, anyone who listened to the radio in the 1980s -- especially New Age stuff -- will recognize most of these patches. Some of them have fairly limited use as an occasional atmospheric drop-in and several sound a little similary, but very good quality sounds. From a programming standpoint, though, give me some buttons and knobs to turn. The design of the M1 looks sleek as hell, but toggling through a zillion programming options with a handful of the same buttons is tedious.

Decent 8-track sequencer, a little difficult to use, IMHO, because of the fact you have to click your way through menus, but you get the hang of it. The effects are top-notch. It accepts ROM cards, which I dont think anyone makes anymore, but you can find a lot of them out there in the secondary market, EBAY and such. Keys are not weighted, but the sounds are velocity sensitive.

The M1 doesn't do the best job of modeling other instruments like horns, saxophones, etc. They are passable, but aren't likely to fool anyone into thinking that they are listening to the real thing. That being said, some versions are better than others, it depends on the card you got it from, I suppose. It does pianos well enough. It's strength lies in its signature unique sounds, layered with some good stereo effects, two effects available per sound. It's decent for classical and good for rock, but really shines on new age and atmospheric stuff.

This board has been around for 15-20 years, and people are still buying and selling them secondhand. That says alot for the boards durability.

My version is the M1 EX, I've wanted an M1 or a T1 since they were knew and I was young and the two combined meant I couldn't afford it back then. I'm stoked to get one now. I'm still learning my way around it, but I could see it being someone's main board in a gigging setup, though you would want a couple other boards around for flexibility. If I was setting up a modern pro studio, obviously I'd want something newer as my central axe. At the current prices you can get out there, it's definitely worth the money just to get those signature M1 sounds.

I originally bought my Korg M1 in 1988, about a few months after they were launched. The factory presets were excellent with the Piano's at the time being the best you could get other than actual samples.
Programming new sounds and building sequence tracks is very easy, there is not loads of menu screens.

In its day the features were second to none, nowadays it is dated, 16 note polphony, 8 part multi timbral, dual effects processors. I still think this keyboard is still so versatile. I can still make complete songs from start to finish on just my M1. You have two ROM card slots, one for program patches and the other on the back of the keyboard for ROM samples which can be used in addition to the built in ROM sounds to make new patches. The sample ROM content is varied but not very big in size but was at the time very good. I'm giving it a 6 but would have got a 20 in its day...

I still use my M1 sounds all the time, used on their own or layered with other sound sources. They still sound fresh to me and making new sounds is a breeze.

Well I have had my M1 since they first came out, although after a good few years my brother was using it, he took great care of it and just recently got it back of him. The M1 is a bit heaveier than most 61 note keyboards due to its solid metal construction. I have gigged with it a couple of times. There are a couple of tiny scratches on it but it, no dents or bad bumps and has been bumped a couple of times.
For a 15 year old keyboard it is still more or less like new. I did give it a fairly extensive clean up after I got it back due to dust as my brother hardly used it, hence getting it back. I always regetted selling it to him but luckily, unlike most who get rid of their equipment, was able to get it back in near enough the same state I sold it.

Not had to deal with Korg for my M1, I am getting it serviced very soon due to the internal battery failing, it failed only a month ago which is brilliant seeing as its the same battery from new.

I am glad I got my M1 back. It was my first pro keyboard I ever bought and was so proud of it, I only sold it to my brother to finance a purchase for a korg wavestation and have had so much equipment since owning my M1. Its ironic that now, I have my M1 which is now my one and only physical keyboard, I use it as a sound source and my master controller. The action is still the best I have ever played on an unweighted synth keyboard, it feels semi-weighted to me and feels great for piano playing etc. The Joystick (especially on the M1) is the best ever pitch stick made IMHO and with a piano damper pedal and expression pedal I now use my M1 to control my virtual rig consisting of Emagic Logic 6, EXSP24, ES1 & EVP73 and will be getting the virtual korg wavestation & polysix instruments when they are released. I can't wait.

I am using an original honest-to-goodness unvarnished 1988 M1. The sounds still sound great, even though subsequent generations of Korg workstations sound glossier and have more features. But simplicity is good -- editing patches on the synthesizer is easy, and the manual is tolerably helpful (though not great literature)

Polyphony is 16-note (I think) and this is mainly OK though dropouts occur in complex patches. The effects are comprehensive and excellent, though FX routing takes a little while to get your head round; expansion is possible through cards (probably hard to get nowadays) and probably MIDI though there is no onboard disk drive or similar. The limitations of the onboard sequencer (less than 5000 notes, just 8 tracks) are easily overcome by artful use of pattern-based programming and it is possible to get really good, workable demo sequences, especially for bass and drums, if, like me, you are not too ambitious.

Of the sounds, the piano has become a dance classic, though several others -- brass, strings, some percussive noices -- deserve mention. Good workaday sounds that caused a stir at the time, though not as lush or detailed as subsequent generations of keyboards. The great thing is that the majority of the factory sounds are imemdiately useful in a mainstream setting. You can program some fairly analog-like noises though it must be borne in mind that it is a creature of its time. It is neither an analog synth nor a modelling synth, and will not satisfy those who like very experimental sounds or want dramatic filter sweeps and so on. It is very much a workhorse instrument. I've used the M1 in all styles though it is geared towards pop and funk. The keyboard is velocity and aftertouch sensitivity and with the joystick (which I prefer to mod wheels) it is very responsive and good for fluid lead synth work.

Virtually indestructible. My first M1 cost 1600 GB pounds new and I used it for years as my live master keyboard with no problems at all. I am now on my second M1 -- I sold the first, and missed it so much that I bought one secondhand for 400 GB pounds from a friend who had only ever used it at home. I think it had spent many years with piles of washing on it as some of the black keys have lost some of their spring, but mostly it's OK.

n/a

The M1 is an invaluable piece of kit for a home studio or gigging player. Yes, it has been superseded by other keyboards, but simplicity is a virtue and the M1 strikes a good balance between features and ease of use. I have used the M1 live as a master keyboard controlling racks of MIDI equipment. These days I use it mainly as a combined sound generator/sequencer, slaved to my Yamaha Clavinova CLP820, as a way of generating quick, easy song ideas for demoes.

the first wavetable synthesizer that started it all.

pros

when this came out in 1988 the effects section was ahead of its time. effect on this keyboard can still compete with newer models. about the only thing lacking is parametric equalization.

landmark samples. the m1 was the first instrument to use some perfectly recorded pcm samples that have not been bettered since. ie. pan flute, harpsichord. some samples have been improved upon like piano 8'.

Cons
programming the global drum assignments it both very difficult and buggy. it so bad you need an editor like sound diver or unisyn to do it.

aftertouch on the keyboard takes way to much force. forget this is you want to use this synth as a controller with aftertouch.

polyphony is too low. all the really good sounds it can make are two
oscillator programs in 2 program combination mode. this make 16/2/2=4note polyphony!

m1 a gm instrument?
you could download that gm patch set someguy made on the inet. but in order to do gm on the m1 you should use midimapper to route the drum samples on channel 10 to another device. 16note polyphony get reduced to 12 notes (some gm bank require dual oscillators) so you can see with only 12 note polyphone for eight channel of gm instrument you certainly don't want drums sound taking up more polyphony. considering that the m1 drum set is also weaker than newer instruments.

the keyboard is built like a hummer or fort knox. you can fall on the keyboard. drop 100 pound weights on the keyboard and it still works like new. (don't try this with the function buttons however)

t1,t3,M1ex,O/1w,X3 are all slighty better than the m1
x5d,x5(despite being released later) are worse than the m1(except drums)
anything released earlier than 1988(ie yamaha dx7) does not even come close to the sound quality of the m1.

Select an hammond sound and edit prog; now select on effect 1 :Rotary Sp;
now select effect 2: overdrive;
Now push a pedal switch in the 1 switch ass and after tell me...
I never read this in the manual

I'm using the very first version of the M1 along with two used racks (M1R's). Out of all the presets, I've kept maybe 50 and dumped the rest. I love the choir, symphonic and slap bass presets the best and they get the most use overall.
Editing the patches is a breeze and you'll be surprised (even now) at how much one can do with this instrument! The Manual is in greek however, and not the best it could be, but enough to get you up and running in no time.

The polyphony is a bit limiting considering the fact that I'm spoiled and used to 48 notes, but its enough to get you started. The effects rock! There is an upgrade that adds more presets that is really cool too. The M1 has 16 cardsets available (got mine through ebay) anywheres from $20 to $60 on average. The 8 track sequencer still kicks butt, and the bounce parameters allow you to get more tracks for the buck.

I enjoy the symphonic presets, drum kits, and choirs. A lot of the sound fx presets really are lacking of any punch. This board works great for Rock, Dance and classical work. I use it mostly for ambient work.

Only had to have a single button replaced on my main board, and that was expensive even for 1997. Getting the button to have it replaced was a real pain, but I did manage to get it done. The racks have yet to have a problem. Gigwise, the M1 has been truly a dream to work with. This baby is reliable!

Simply put: KORG customer service SUCKS! Read the other posts here and you'll see that I'm not just whistlin Dixie! As much as I truly LOVE the M1, I will NEVER buy another Korg product. If I can't get the technical assistance when I need it, or replace parts, then its simply not worth the effort to buy anything else from this company.

I would easily buy another M1 or M1R if I needed to. Ebay has em all the time and to me its worth the investment. I've found that the Kurzweil line of keyboards are the best overall, and their customer support really ROCKS! They stand behind ALL their gear, even the earliest keyboards they released years ago. The M1 has some unique sounds to it that no sampler can copy. Which is why I keep it onhand. Its a diehard board thats dependable, road worthy, and reaqdy to go at a moments notice!

It was great until the battery went dead without warning on me a week before xmas, and if I hadnt had a DX7 to use as back up..completely ruining my evening playing the pub in a four piece..

BECAUSE it lost memory a week before a xmas do and our guitarist knew of a Yamaha PSR at a local music shop, we went after it and I had to START LEARNING ALL OVER AGAIN...I STILL HAVE the M1 in a decent case, no one seemed to know for sure WHO could replace the battery OR provide the neccessary download to get it normal again.PLUS the number one button had long since broken..I went for the number nearest and adjusted TO IT? BUT THEN ANY new keyboard will hopefully be a step up from the previous? IF ANYONE would like to make me an offer..Herts.UK..

I own a very old version of the M1, I don't know if some other release was presented later on. I don't feel the M1 difficult to use, although you have to work with it deeply to understand how to successfully modify sounds.

M1 is definitely an old synthesizer. All its sounds are good but have too much personality and I feel that some other sounds could be better: the piano, for example. I don't want to add much more because I feel that you can find any kind of tech documentation about the M1 everywhere.

IMHO, use the M1 if you need for cheap:
1. a good keyboard that can also work as multi-effect and very powerful midi keyboard controller.
2. violin, reed, voices cheap sounds

forget pianos (acoustic and electric) and synths.

Never had any problem, and I used it VERY HARD on stage moving it very often. Only one thing: the joystick moved a little, but continued to work perfectly.

Buy it if you need a cheap, solid keyboard.

Small LCD with a lot of pages! I paste the function table on my M1, and this much better...preset voice are good...

16 polyphony but enough! Internal effect is not so good...I have two set of cards...Sequencer don't have undo function:(

I like the sound of M1! Very typical KORG sound! Especially a.piano with metallic taste and the panflute

I have to change all the 34 panel switches because most of them are not so well...

Very good keyboard!

Os 100 Prog e 100 Comb s?o satisfatorios, devido a possibilidade de expans?o com um card. Para um iniciante editar um "patche", pode ter alguma dificuldade

A polifonia dele e pessima para quando editamos COMBs ou usamos o SEQUENCER. As teclas s?o de boa ac?o... Os efeitos s?o poucos mas devem ser estudados com muito cuidado, podemos obter resultados muito surpreendentes... Em conex?o MIDI achei o inadequado para algumas tarefas...

TCHAN,TCHAN!!! Aqui esta todo o poder desta maquina: sua qualidade em varios grupos de timbres e otima, Usava-va o em Rock (and Roll, Blues, Progressivo, Metal...), musica classica (otimos strings...) e jazz, ... o unico problema e quando vc empolga e esta tocando num teclado de 5 oitavas...

Permite backup usando um CAKE...

Em meu pais (Brasil) em geral e dificil termos uma boa loja autorizada para servicos tecnicos...

After you've figured out how the menu works it's quite easy. I got no manual so just trying everything is what I can do. I can't rate the preset sounds 'caus I don't have them. Editing is simple.
The number pad does not edit values, it can only be used for loading patches etc. Therefore only 9 points.

I don't know about the polyphony but is seems enough for me.
There is aftertouch and key velocity. Both of them are very hard to use for me because I am used to those heavy keys of my stage piano. The M1 keys are very lightweighted and I find it difficult to use the touch response.
You can insert cards with sounds and use them straight from the card or load them into memory.
There's a sequencer on board but no arpeggiator. The effects are out of date but useful for most of the sounds.
Very nice feature: 2 additional outputs. In split mode you can e.g. put your right hand on the other outputs. This way you could send them trhu some external effect processor.
There's a single mode, split mode, layer mode and such stuff. You can save these settings - very fine.
Two effect processors on board, they can be switched serial or paralell.
The joystick can control filter, oscillator and bending.
MIDI is great. You can switch channel and have some MIDI filter that keeps out aftertouch, sysex etc. from the data received and transmitted.
There's lot of other stuff in this box I didn't try yet. Thinking about the age when this synth was new, I surely have to rate the features 10 points.

Oh well... some sounds are really a mess. There were times when "digital" was a bad name for sound quality. That's exactly what you find in the M1. (Nowadays digial sounds can be really brilliant).
On the other hand, there are some really great sounds, like the DX7 e-piano or some hammond sounds. These great sounds do not sound thin or something. They are rich and very useful.
There should be a lot of great sounds available in the second hand market (on those cards...).

Well since I bought it just yesterday... no rating here.

*grrr* What I write about here is Music Meyer in Germany, the local agency of Korg. Well they reply very quickly, that's fine. But the fact that manuals do cost 20 Euro is a shame! Alesis have there manuals available for free download in PDF format.

I don't know if I would have it replaced when it got lost. Thet's because it os new to mee. (As said, I bought it yesterday.)
I love the beatufiul hammond sound and the DX7 e-piano. I also love the bunch of very nice features. I did not compare it to other products. The M1 is a rompler device and my other machines are real synthesizer. Therefore you just can't compare them.
I wish it had an arpeggiator.
Well I guess I'll have to sell my Korg Poly61M. I like it but I need the money and the M1 is far more flexible. If anyone wants to gift me the B3 memory card - just write me an e-mail. :-))

It's so easy to edit patches , I used midi cable and attach my m1 with my PC and whenever i want to change the tones or sequence I just send data through computer .. so very easy to use

It has all the neccessary features which a group wants....
it has great effects in it... I just like it ....I wonder if my M1 had mic in facility....

I use it without backup....when you use your m1 with your PC .. you don't need any backup because your PC is your backup of M1

I have no customer support in my country.....whenever my M1 has any defect ...I repair it myself....because i'm electronics engg...
I have much experienced to repair M1 ...

A little bit fiddly to get started with the small LCD screen, but
once you know what your doing and what does what, it's a breeze.

A lot of features and even more when once you find them.

The Multi Sounds are great.
The M1 is capable of producing some great sounds with a little tweaking here and there.

Some keys started to stick after a couple of years hard hitting.
But I did buy mine 2nd user, so I can't really complain.

Never had and I don't think I'll need it

Don't ignore this synth, you will regret it.
The unique red glowing buttons and large, sleak, black panel make's this synth look a true pro-synth.

This is one of those synths that you keep. I'm still amazed, after all this time, of what can be gotten out of this synth. Programs and Combinations are pretty straight forward. You can even make quick edits from the front panel without digging around in the Edit menu.

A lot of people don't know just what this synth is capable of, like for instance you can play General Midi files thru it. For all the files needed for this, head to The Korg M/T Series Super Site at...

http://korg.terrashare.com

The factory patches don't due justice to this synth. It's only after aquiring new sounds that'll you'll really appreciate what this synth can due. If you need the factory files though, they can be found at...

http://korg.terrashare.com

Rock Solid. The only problems you'll have is the internal battery will eventually die out, and some of the switches will go bad. The battery only costs a few bucks, and the switches only ran me a dollar.

Korg no longer supports this synth, but many service centers still do as this synth was very popular. In it's day though, Korg did provide free ROM upgrades, even paying for a service center to install it.

Defintely a keeper. I would repurchase it, as they are pretty cheap used and there are a ton of patches out there for this synth due to it's popularity. It deserves it's "classic" rating.

Pretty easy to move around,once you get the hang of it and considering the ancient technology. I am not sure when these boards came out, but I bought mine in 1987 brand new. I see that the price really came down after a couple of years! >:( Oh well, that's the way technology works.

Top of the line board in it's day. The 8 track sequencer, effects, midi, and combo sounds all make this a great board for it's age. Compared to my new Triton Pro, it is a dinosaur, however! :)

I love the sounds on the M1. Many are still unmatched today. I saw a review that one guy didn't like it's drum sounds. I like them! I love them! I think they are powerful, tight and expresive. I might even like them better than the sounds on the Triton. The SAX is awesome and I like program 47 - Pipe Organ.

What is it, 13 or 14 years old. I had to replace the battery once. It still goes strong. Not one little problem, even after my kid poured V8 juice all down in the keys back in 1991. :)

NADA, ZIP, ZILCH! I am very disappointed in Korg for their support on this board. How can you make a product as awesome as the M1 and then turn your back on it. I mean, sure, move on to bigger and better, but help your customers maintain their old products!! It makes me scared of how long it will be before they ditch the Triton!

Overall, spectacular machine. I am not sure at what price you could buy one today, but if I lost it, I probably wouldn't replace it. It is a great box, but the technology is just so much better now. Light years appart. It is severely limited by the fact that it came out prior to general midi and it's data transfers are cumbersome and lack signifcant memory capabilities. Many years of faithful service. :)

The factory presets are rather bad, unless you are using the string and piano sounds, but I prefer to tweak my own sounds! If you save your original keyboard set-up, you can get in there and start screwing around with the presets to come up with some pretty good sounds!

The effects are fairly good for a ten year old keyboard, and they are fairly easy to use. Lately, I've been using it as a master keyboard, triggering my E-mu sampler and Roland Super-JX with the built in sequencer! When you mix it's sounds in with the other boards, they fit really well! ...O-yeah, by the way...I have RARELY gotten good drum patches from the korg! I always use outboard drums, mainly Alesis drum machines and modules, or sampled drums on the E-mu! I only wish it had a bigger memory capacity in the sequencer!

Very good techno/dance sounds...IF you tweak the crap out of existing presets, or edit your own presets from squarewave, etc.! Great acoustic piano, strings, and some good horns! I LOVE the sax sounds on this board!

I bought my M1 new, when it first came out, for around $1500.00 (I think!) I haven't had any problems, other than battery replacement!

NON-EXISTANT!!! If you want support for this board, search the net! If you go to the Korg site: http://www.korg.com , and type "Korg M1" into the product search box...they come back with the message "Product not found!"

I would definitely buy another M1, if anything ever happened to mine! I can't imagine life without it!

I just want to say that I bought my M1 in around 1990. I think I paid about $1400.
I have to say that I still love it warts and all because I made more money with this keyboard than any other piece of equipment that I have ever owned!
I still hear the piano sound being used in commercials today!
I think its strengths are the saxophone, horn, acoustic guitar and pad sounds. The organ sounds are weak. The electric piano sounds are pretty lame, in my opinion. (Buy an 01W for those)
The piano sounds do not stand up to critical listening tests, but in a live situation they rock!
I have edited many patches and combi's for live performance. Most of my tweaks involved reducing the long reverb times and cutting the bass EQ.
This keyboard sits well in the mix!

Keyboard action is classic synth. (Pounding the plastic!) It is more reliable than my 01WFD which is four years younger and has some sticky keys.

This keyboard is still a money maker. Its sounds have transcended "flavor of the month" status.

This was my main ax for about four years. I still use it in my rig along with an 01WFD.
I have never ever had a problem with this keyboard. I always use a medium duty case when I take it out of the house.

If I had to replace it, I would buy the M1Rex, or if I couldn't find one of those, I would buy another M1 in a heartbeat. I believe they sell for about $500 used these days.
My main ax has been an 01WFD for the last 5 years or so, but the M1 horn sounds are punchier, and the piano sound is more identifiable. The keyboard action is also better.

I don't use the sequencer, so it's not a problem for me. The general layout is good. It's not too dificult to operate directly form the front panel, but some aspects are a bit annoying (4 drums patches definable only in the global mode, etc).

Generaly speaking I find it rather easy, but it's age shows a lot here.

Not much features here: limite expansion thru the ROM cards. Polyphony is rather low. There's 2 pairs of stereo outputs. I use it for what it is: a sound source to make M1 like sounds, so I don't expect more from it.

Let me surprise you: it's sound GREAT! I have lot's of synths (not just oldies: P2000, JV, K2000, Wavestation, etc), and I can assure you that the M1Rex sounds is thruly great.

DON'T expect it to do TB-303 emulations, TR-909 grooves or Nord Lead styles solos. It's a M1, so buy it for that: M1 type sounds. M1 sounds have a character which only a M1 can do.
It has a classic sound and it's still a valuable piece of equipement.

Do you expect a Prophet-5 to do convincing piano? Do you expect a Jupiter-8 to make a great acoustic guitar emulation? Of course not. So why expect the M1 to make other things than M1-like sounds (pianos, pads, dreamy-pads, voice-like-pads, ...). See my point?
#

They are rather reliable. Mine has a broken button, but everything else is ok.

The M1 isn't up to today's standard, but if you happen to like it's sounds (like me), then there's nothing like it. And it can be bought for peanuts nowadays.

I consider the M1Rex to be the best buy in the M1 line: it's rack (why bother with the keyboard, get a descent controller instead) and the EX gives you very good additional samples.
Don't buy a M1 as your main synth and expect it to do late 90s type sounds. It's a waste of money and time. Buy it to complement your rig.

My M-1 is one of the first and I have to say that I learned all of the ins and outs in no time!!! The set-up is very easy to follow and even changing parameters is easy. A+ to Korg

The ployphony is 16 notes and the key action is fine. The effects are ok and are easy to use. it can take cards, although I have never used one other than a memory card...but you can not add new samples. I have loved using the on-board sequencer! It is very easy to use!!!

I found the sounds to be great! The piano and brass instruments are a bit flat, but the other sounds are fine. I was most disappointed with the strings. They are not very good and the loop is poorly made.

I have had no problems with the M-1...in fact I replaced the battery myself. I have never used it on the road, but between all of the places I have lived it has held up wonderfully.

N/A

I have enjoyed this keyboard and have found new ways for it to grow with me. I have been using Unisyn to import and create new fresh sounds. I wish I could import new samples, but in 1990 this thing was top dog!

Easy-peasy, although this is partly because is doesn't do an awful lot. Ahhhh, bless. Sequencer might be mildly challenging.

Quite limited by today's standards. Basic filters and low polyphony, I'm afraid. You'll soon get tired.

I'm sorry but it really is truly awful. Okay, there might be the odd usable pad and the piano impresssion is almost acceptable. But the main problem is its lack of potential; what you get with the factory presets really is the best it can muster - not acceptable.

Utterly reliable - its best point.

Not sure.

Fine as a stage instrument for a crappy Country & Western band, but of no use here in the UK where such abominations have thankfully been prohibited by law. I sold mine and made a 50 quid profit, if you've got one then I suggest you do the same.

Presets were ok. The user interface was the best what i had seen in embedded devices in year 1990. Manual was good.

Korg M1 is 16 voice sample playback synth with good sound and effect editing possibilities. Keyboard was ok if i compare it my current master keyboard (DX7). "Buy a piano if you need a piano touch" is my current philosophy. The only thing i missed was polyphony and no possibility to update samples. You can use external ROM cards, but they are very expensive if you compare to free samples that are available from Ensoniq EPS 16+ and other similar machines. The keyoard is has a channel after touch. On-board sequencer was 8-track if remember correctly and it was very easy and inspiring to use.

The best sounds of presets what i am some times missing are a very tight synth for songs like V Halen "Jump" and a pad for songs from G Medeiros or W Houston. On board effects are good. M1 has 4 separate outputs for external mixing. M1 was nice, easy and inspiring to play and to compose with.

I compare the device to Ensoniq EPS 16+ and it was really stabile. Suitable for home musicians or live players that do not want to hassle with samples and be afraid of the next crash.

If i need to buy only one synth in the same price range, i would buy Ensoniq EPS 16+, but if you really love some sounds of M1, buy it. In 1991, when i get bored to the sounds, i wonderd why didn't Korg put 256KB RAM for own samples and allow sample dump through midi. Anyway, if you need a really fast composing synth, M1 is so easy and ok sounding device that you can record your ideas very fast. And you don't have to hassle with floppies;-)