Korg KLCDE Legacy Collection Digital Edition

I've been making music for 25 years + did sounddesign for synths for 10 years.
Software version is 1.3.1 on a PC with Cubase 4.
Normaly I do my own sounddesign but sometimes I need a synth with lots of presets so it's easier to try different sounds in new songs, and this Korg M1 and Wavestation provide plenty of them.

Never had a M1 but I did own a Wavestation A/D in the 90ties and ofcourse the software is easier to use than the hardware. It's great to navigate through the presets in the big browser window, not even talking about editing sounds vs. the hardware.

On a reaction to a previous review about the installation :
I also have a stand-alone studio PC + a laptop connected to internet. You DON'T have to be connected to the internet to install the Korg KLC. I just downloaded the license on my Syncrosoft key with my laptop, inserted the key in my audio PC and it activates without problem (I also did this for other software : Cubase 4, Nexus 2,...).

Just went through the sounds and it's back to the 90ties again. Lots of nice pads ?? la D50. Also some good basses and leads. I would recommend it for synthetic sounding instruments.
Real instruments don't sound very 'real' with the limited sample memory of that time, but they do have a lot of character.
All the M1, T and Wavestation soundsets are included + there's also a KLC bank with contemporary presets.

I read somewhere that the software Wavestation sounded weaker than the hardware version. A trick I also did on the hardware : go to the Global page and set output to +6 or even +12, this will beef up your sounds!

I also have some other synths from the 90ties (amongst more modern ones): Roland JD-990, Yamaha TG77, TG500, FS1R and the Korg KLC sound fits nicely with them.

PRO :
- Lots of (classic) presets + all the expansion cards included.
- Easy to select presets and to edit.
- Resonant filters!
- Similar sound character than the hardware.
- Very easy on the CPU (quadcore).
- Much cheaper than the second hand hardware versions.
CON :
- Not as grungy as the real ones (due to the D/A convertors of that time), but I doubt anyone will hear that in a mix.

I've been doing digital music for 10+ years. I'm primarily a pianist, but also play hand drums, acoustic guitar and sing.

I'm using/reviewing version 1.2 of KLCDE in ProTools 7.1 on Mac OSX. I compose film scores, trance dance, songs (folk/pop), "new age"/minimalist pieces and so on.

The M1 and Wavestation interfaces are quite usable. No issues with UI, install, etc.

"Out of the box" I had sounds running in both VI's instantly. Very cool. Too many sounds to go through so the browse window is great. Also, the ability to save my own banks of sounds so that I get the ones I use in one place.

I can load the sounds from the 'net and from my old Wavestation SR saves (in SYX format) and then save them into the native VI file format. Nice.

Sounds? Whoa. Excellent. OK. I really enjoyed the 80's. My wife recently got rid of the last of my wardrobe from that decade. ;-)

These sounds are classic and many of them hold up well now. I love to tweak them, but many of them are immediately useful.

The range of sounds is also quite good. Both the Wavestation and M1 have boat loads of sounds included. The M1 has a useful "browser" that sorts the sounds both by type (string, brass, pad, etc.) and tone (warm, bright, etc.).

Worth the price? You bet. No crashes that I can recall. No need to contact support. Easy to tweak. Great to load my own sounds or banks into.

It's a bit of a CPU hog and copy protection takes up yet another USB port, so it doesn't get full marks.

I am working on a zero-budget independent film, so my synths are primarily for the soundtrack and associated media, since I can't afford a composer. Authorizing the copy-protection on this Korg software has all but obliterated everything I've accomplished over the past year (see below).

Installation of the synths from disk was easy. Authorizing the copy-protection was one of the worst nightmares I've ever experienced using a computer. When I was finished, my host--and therefore my entire MIDI studio--was useless, and I could no longer load all the music I'd previously written.

I have never allowed my MIDI computer on the internet, because I use that computer only for my precious work. That's why it has never crashed. This software package REQUIRES you to connect to the internet to authorize it. The process overall was the most prolonged, degrading, humiliating, personally invasive and tedious authorization process I have ever endured. Korg even asks for your Date of Birth (to register a SYNTHESIZER). Once you're connected to the internet the authorization process is straightforward--unless you are offended by the humiliating license agreement and abundant requests for personal information.

You must enter a 15-character product code, then a 32-character authorization code--once for each USB port you use the dongle on. Yes, you need to reserve a USB port for this silly little dongle, and if you lose it, you must purchase the software and go through all this again. You can only use the software on one computer at a time, which makes this synth useless to me for practical purposes because I often do my composition on a laptop at the seashore, then copy the data files to my studio computer for full processing and mixdown.

When I was done authorizing this product, I removed the Wi-Fi adapter and rebooted. The standalones worked fine, but the VST's crashed my host when I loaded them. So I had to go back on the net and download a 100MB update from Korg to fix this bug. Then I removed the Wi-Fi adapter again, and rebooted again (I rebooted more than a dozen tims installing this product). The patch update fixed the Host crash, but from that point on this computer has worked as poorly as my internet computer always has, the metronome stopped working on my Host, and the octave buttons stopped working on my controller (although it still works fine when not connected to my recently ruined MIDI computer). Worst of all, my Host no longer loads ANY VST or Rewire devices that are in the music I've already created--making those song files useless. Not only that, but the system itself runs slower and more poorly, as if I picked up something bad from being on the internet. That is why I never wanted this computer to be on the internet.

So for $150 I wasted half of a Saturday, lost access to everything I've written for my film soundtrack over the past year, can't effectively use the product I paid $150 for, can't use my controller's octave function on ANY of my synths, and Korg now knows my date of birth. This copy-protection scheme is probably the very worst thing I've ever seen in this paranoid, schizophrenic culture of "intellectual property" we live in. The Korg executives who came up with this asinine copy-protection idea should be held accountable by Korg stockholders, because they have irreparably damaged Korg's reputation, and therefore the value of the company. (Keep in mind that Korg's license agreement says they will not support the Korg Legacy Collection one year after that product is discontinued--rendering that software useless also)

Meanwhile, I can only imagine that people who don't pay Korg $150 and simply steal the software instead merely install the synths and have fun, with no authorization process, no need to give Korg their Date of Birth, and no need to expose their studios to the viruses, spyware and other crap on the internet.

Korg has earned nothing but my eternal contempt with this insanely stupid and paranoid copy-protection scheme. Needless to say, I've crossed them entirely off my list of future purchases. Korg has treated its paying customers like criminals, and I'm appalled to see so many people here treating this authorization process as "normal".

For what it's worth, in terms of editing, the interfaces are quite powerful and intuitive. However, it takes a lot of effort with the mouse to find and change patches. When you change patches, the previous one is abruptly cut off, but the new patch loads very quickly. I hate struggling to move the Wavestation joystick with the mouse, yet I'll admit that the joystick has a great effect on the sound.

The sounds from both synths are simply fabulous, with so many presets, it's ridiculous. That's why the copy-protection scheme is such a tragedy--it completely ruins what could have been one of the greatest synth packages out there. In fact, their copy-protection scheme ruined everything else I've ever puchased in the process. What good is a brand new Porsche if it fills the passenger cabin with carbon monoxide? Yes, this sounds fabulous, but it's useless.

There is no conceivable way I could recommend that anyone spend their money on a soft synth in exchange for the treatment that only those who steal software deserve. The pirates are probably having a ball with their Korg Legacy Digital Collection. But for giving Korg my hard-earned money I've only had the smoothest-running system I've ever owned all but destroyed in an instant in return.

Message to Korg: Wake up--not EVERYONE worships the internet. Stop requiring your paying customers to expose their studios to internet threats.

Thanks to their own actions, KORG is now a four-letter word that makes me cringe when I hear it.

Korg LCDE 1.5, running on Mac G4 powerbook 12", 1.5 ghz, 1.25 gig ram.

No problem installing whatsoever, the USB key dongle is a bit annoying since the powerbook only has 2 usb slots. I have to choose between external HD, Mbox, MIDI interface and dongle... I wish there was a way to control the WS joystick with the touchpad, that would have been awesome. both synths and the fx sound just like they should, and like stated previouslu, a bit 'better' - meaning cleaner - than the originals. I don't really need the manual.

Sounds great, it's nice to have such easy access to these sounds. Having all the expansion cards and an internet full of patches makes this an awesome package. The M1 also supports ethnic scales and both synths deliver more voices than the originals.

It's definately worth it. For almost no cost at all, you get two classic synths, ALL the expansion cards and fx... and it's easy on the cpu, great great great. Like I said, I wish you could affect the vector joystick with the touchpad, and I agree on that you should be able to toggle patches with the computer's buttons, but overall it's fantastic value and so many good sounds.

I have been making music since 1990 and owned assorted synths and arrangers through the years. The last 5 years or so i've been using software like cubase, wavelab and softsynths for my productions. Some synths/workstations have been real milestones and the wavestation and M1 are definitely 2 of those. Meaning they exist on thousands of songs from the early 90's. Beeing able to get all of those sounds in a small box for peanut money is great.

Works like a charm. No problem browsing and get the right sounds out of it.

If you are like me and like those slick early 90's sounds and used to own the wavestation or M1 this bundle is the bomb. And if you are like me using softsynths exclusive this bundle is DA BOMB. You get it all for less money than one of the hardware versions costs on e-bay etc....and you also get the MDE-X, a really useful multieffect plug as a bonus. These effects are basically the the same ones you find in a Korg TRITON Studio.

All, and I mean all sounds for the Korg M1 and Wavestation bundled with a multieffect unit for peanut money.


DA BOMB!!!!!!!

Mac G4 DP500, 2 Gig, Motu 2408MKII, DP4.6, OSX 10.3.9
Stand alone (AU), Plug-in with Digital Performer (AU)

Could not have been easier to configure and play. Included USB Key
dongle copy protection worked perfectly, and I had this up and making
music in minutes. Small install (109 meg, very efficient, and easy on my CPU.
The user interface is nearly self-explanatory, and very reminiscent of the original keyboard. I did miss being able to advance presets with the data up/down buttons on my controller (unfortunately cannot be done according to Korg support site) but this was a very minor non-issue for me.

Sounds just like a Korg M1 only without the nasty noise, hash and aliasing of the original (although I could certainly put it back in if I start to miss it too much). Same goes for the Wavestation.
What a kick!

Compared with most other modern synth/workstation wonder boxes, this sounds fresh again. I forgot how cool these thing were (still are).

For the money, nothing else even comes close.

It fully lived up to my expectations for a piece of software.
Two classic, great-sounding synths with all of the factory expansion
options included for WAY less than the cost of either alone on eBay.

Great value, and highly recommended!