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Is Gadget 2 still worth it 2023? And when is the next sale?
Holler at all you Gadget guys.
iPhone 8 Plus
iPad 6th gen
“Traditional” song writer on both regular songs and cinematic/ soundtrack type songs
Comments
I like Gadget, but I have to say that since NS2 landed it has pretty much superseded Gadget for me.
Gadget is still one of my few favorite apps, it has a lot of instruments and sounds on board that can help you sketch musical ideas quickly. It also works quite well on an iPhone.
If you're friends with pattern-based arrangements then I'd still recommend it.
I have the Bilbao IAP (for importing one-shot samples), the Stockholm IAP (to use my connection of REX/RX2 files on the go) and Milpitas/iWavestation which adds wave sequencing, M1/D50-like sounds and a huge collection of preset waveforms and synth samples.
I like Gadget. While I also like NS2, the scale functions in Gadget are really useful. Sending MIDI in and out is also painless, and it’s great when used with Xequence 2. The only negative would be lack of auv3 support. It’s also not great if you’re mostly into vocals. For everything else though, I find that it’s useful and very fast for developing ideas. I use it on an old iPad pro. I wouldn’t want to use it on a phone, since editing the piano roll could get fiddly.
Maybe?
I used it between 2019-2021 to write 4 pieces (instrumental/ambient/cinematic). I used the sounds only, mainly Helsinki and some from Module Pro Kapro Orchestral IAP, to build the songs, and used the onboard FX to make a rough mix. Then I'd bounce the tracks out dry and import into Auria and remix with Fabfilter Pro R, Timeless, Volcano, etc...
Good for sketching out ideas, but found I get better results by bouncing the audio out dry and remixing with better FX, and/or bouncing the MIDI and replacing the synth or sampled sounds with something else (replace the piano with Ravenscroft, or replace Helsinki with Fabfilter Twin2 for example). But being a stable app with pretty good sounds, it's quick to get an idea going in it. But I never used it start to finish.
I used an iPad Air 2 for those songs (if you want to listen to them, I can post a link).
Now I just skip gadget and use another DAW to write/mix/master.
Good luck!
Seems like they do sales 3-4 times per year. Here’s their history: https://appsliced.co/app?n=korg-gadget
I would expect a Korg sale around the time when NAMM'23 starts (April 13-15) but no guarantee.
It’s a good buy imho. I admit, I use it rarely (mostly for sketching out ideas), but the fun you have with Korg Gadget is superb. Keep in mind that it doesn’t support AUv3, though. When to expect a sale? Most of the times (with Korg at least) before the summer and also around Black Friday/Cyber Monday. If you can get it at 50% off, buy it.
For me it’s definitely still worth it. I’ve been diving back into it lately and forgot how much I loved it.
NS2 is hard to beat but I was thinking bout diving into gadget but the fact that a single machine IAP costs 10€ or more made it wayyy to expensive to me. Would rather spend this money on AUv3s and so I did.
The IAPs are pricey for sure, but not too bad on sale and as long as you steer around buying into module pro.
Remember you can try it for free by getting the LE version.
Yeah you gotta really want it or keep an eye out for sales. I got some of the IAPs over time but haven’t bought a new one in some years. What I have in there now + module is more than enough.
I’ve been delving back into it lately. I have most of the standalone Korg synths and it really is a good environment to get something going fast. Easy to edit and solid to use. Kind of it’s own world, but it is a quality product. Has a desktop version as well although I’ve never used that.
Why not download the FREE lite version and see if it works for you?
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/korg-gadget-2-le/id1092332319
I don’t use it much at all these days tbh but I wouldn’t say it’s not worth it. Korg hasn’t added any new features in at least 2 years , maybe they feel it doesn’t need anything else but if you get Module and buy sound expansions Korg makes sure they work in Gadget also. I do wish Korg would shake things up and drop a new synths that’s supports AUV3, it would be awesome if they released the Wavestate or Modwave for the IPad. I would mind an IPad version of the Prologue either, but anyway Gadget is still good imo.
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It unlocks 4 or 5 gadgets I think.
Gadget 2 is 100% worth the price in my opinion. I have the entire Korg ecosystem (meaning Gadget, all IAPs in Gadget, all Gadget-compatible apps and their IAPs including all of Module Pro's IAPs released to date) installed on my iPad and iPhone SE 2 (and plan to upgrade my iPhone SE 2 to a 1TB 14/15 Pro Max in the future). While Korg isn't releasing any new features for Gadget, they continue to maintain their apps to ensure they work on the latest versions of iOS/iPadOS.
Gadget 2 is definitely capable and worth every bit it costed me over the years. In fact, I recently produced an EP entirely in Gadget (including mixing down the tracks, and only using AUM to master the tracks).
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/54900/jwm-within-gadget-ep
I'd definitely give Gadget 2 LE a shot as @Simon suggested. Even with a limitation of three tracks and three gadgets (Marseille (a rompler), Dublin (a semi-modular), and London (a drum machine), you can do so much within those limitations.
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/45495/a-korg-gadget-le-challenge/p1
Here's a thread where I challenged people to try and create tracks either in Gadget LE or within Gadget LE's limitations.
An iOS AU version of Modwave, WaveState, or OpSix would be an insta-buy for me, no questions asked.
Gadget+ Module is a killer combo though. Especially if you have some IAPs from Module. You could really do almost everything.
Like this symphonic orchestral dance music piece I cooked up today.
Still enjoying it. Finished an entire EP in it back in 2018 (ran through I think Grand Finale for a little extra oomph) but no other post processing. It’s pretty much the only music app I still open on the iPad (not counting Aum, Blocs Wave).
You can get pretty wild loading up Gadget in Aum and then using stuff like Fugue Machine and Rozeta (or whatever) to feed the gadgets and record what’s going on. Turning on advanced midi in settings allows some pretty sophisticated control on a per channel basis.
I really like the whole “automate any knob” mantra it’s always had, reminds me a lot of Reason (in that mad scientist, playful way). Even though it doesn’t support AUv3 there’s a lot in there to work with, and there’s nothing stopping you from recording a 2, 4, 8 bar or whatever loop out of Aum (or wherever) and dropping that into a Zurich.
So yeah. Still worth it for me. Ymmv.
Quick edit: If you don’t mess with pattern based sequencers it’s a bit of a struggle. I really had to force myself on this front. You could always feed it from somewhere else (NS2, Xequence etc). I found though that when I just gave in to Korg’s layout and way of doing it there was a lot less problems.
Also the mixer kind of leaves a lot to be desired, imo. But it’s serviceable.
Oooo my interest is piqued. Got a link for it? I’d love to hear it.
Just a snippet for it now.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rbdbg3p77cb86e4/JWM - The Wild West-trimmed.wav?dl=0 I didn't master it, just simply used Gadget's Limiter and rendered straight up from Gadget. 
Gadget still works great as a sketch pad for desktop if you make music with Ableton Live or Bitwig. If you have the Gadget plugin suite on the laptop, the tracks sound exactly the same when imported into Ableton/Bitwig. Ableton Note is probably now the better sketch pad for Ableton but I think still you have more variety of sounds in Gadget.
For me, sketching something out in Gadget is easier than in Note. That's not to say Note isn't capable and brilliant, but it's more for the sort of musician who prefers to record their melodies live whereas Gadget is more for folks like me who noodle around with laying out notes on a grid (although that doesn't mean they always stay on the grid
).
And Gadget 2 does have a ton of sounds already in gadgets like Marseille, London, and Recife right out of the box. But, it also has its gadget synths like Chiangmai (simple FM), Dublin (simple semi-modular), Berlin (phase distortion was it?), Wolfsburg (a nice all-rounder synth), Chicago (a sorta-kinda acid bassline synth), etc. Also Gadget has its own IFX (which you'll either love or hate, lol).
That said, I think Note has more variety of nice available sounds that you can select on the fly. (This is in comparison to Marseille only. Gadget has a lot more sounds available through IAPs and Gadget-compatible apps such as Module Pro.) And of course from what I've heard Note has seamless integration with Live.
Bottom line - it all depends on what your workflow is like.
Oh man that sounds really great 🤩 👏
Are you using the IAPs in module for the orchestral stuff? I’m doing the trial now and was blown away by how good they sound. Very storage heavy though.
I've just messed around with Marseille and the iWavestation (milpitas) IAP (Module was a bit too expensive for my taste 😉)
Btw, Stockholm gives me all I ever wanted from acoustic drums and more.
Thank you mate. ☺️
Well here's an unsolicited long answer about how the track breaks down to demystify, lol.
I used the Chicago Kick in Recife for the sidechain. I also used Recife for the main EDM drums. The orchestral drums were from (I think it was called) KAPro Epic Drums in Glasgow (aka Module Pro), and the white noise "whoosh" sound is Wolfsburg. The "boom" sound is Amsterdam, a criminally underrated gem of a gadget for sound effects.
For the basses I used Dublin for the deep bass and Montpellier for the upper bass.
Now we get to the brass section. The KAPro brass pack is amazing for those hauntingly beautiful French horns! However they lacked a bit of high end, so I layered a cheap brass patch from Marseille on top. The string stabs (which are not so audible as they're meant to fade in the background) are from a KAPro pack in Glasgow. The high strings are from Marseille, and I put some IFX to make them sound richer.
The smallish Trance lead is Phoenix. Usually for a big and powerful supersaw Trance lead I layer Montpellier (the phatter, thicker sound) and Lisbon (the crisper, sharper sound) together, which is heard in "The Collector's Heart". However, in the case of "The Wild West" I used Phoenix since it has a thinner sound that blended better in the mix.
When the kick drops out of the mix, you notice a choir and strings come in that would otherwise make the overall mix muddy and busy af (well, too busy that is lol) due to how powerful and rich the sound is. That's one of the choir+string patches from KAPro in Glasgow.
In the beginning of the B section, I used two instances of Darwin for the haunting sound (one of them being a waterphone). The triplet synths in the B section are Berlin and Phoenix. During the final 8 bars of 24 in the B section, I used Montpellier for a powerful triplet synth riser being pitch bended upwards, and I used the KAPro Cluster Choir in Glasgow to give an unsettling feeling.
The snippet you heard is 100% Gadget, no mastering. (One this track is mastered, it won't be so overlimited, lol. I usually mix into a limiter to get the best mix possible (this method won't work for everyone), if not a bit overcompressed. When I master, I try to keep my compression and limiting softer and more amiable, lol.)
Sounds like a fun musical sketch there. You should structure it out into a full track and release it.
Yeah, it doesn't matter how many of the IAPs and Gadget-compatible apps you have mate. I've made music before just by sticking to the limits of Gadget 2 LE.
You can always try the LE version to see if you like it.
Thanks for that! I love reading about everyone’s process so that was cool to see. Marseille is one of my favorite gadgets actually. Love the 90s/Triton workstation vibes of it.
This has me excited to get back into Gadget now. It’s oddly underrated these days it seems.
I love the sounds of the IAPs in Module but man they take up some space. I’m doing a trial of 3 of them right now and it’s gonna be hard to let them go lol. I’m sure I’ll end up buying them eventually.
I love that about Marseille. 🙂 It even has patches for the infamous M1 Piano and M1 Organ Bass.
Which is sad in a way considering that Gadget was one of the pinnacles of iOS music creation/sketching back in its heyday before Korg stopped adding features to it. I guess I'm just trying to prove that Gadget is still worth the money and that most anything can be made in it.
Ha, this is true. A device with larger storage space is highly recommended. 🙂 (I'd say at least 256gb).