An incredible recompilation of this iconic synthesizer

I decided that I should play with this for a bit (hadn't used this since last year) just to check if my opinion changed over time and I have to admit it sounds even better than I remember:

The pianos (of course) sound great as I messed around with the Legacy Collection presets: 70s Stage EP, EP Pad, and Filter Clav; for over thirty minutes and it was really inspiring (i had a rough day today).

What really surprised me though was the more unconventional patches and soundscapes (Crystal Code being a new favorite!). I don't think I ever messed with these before and that's a shame as I've come to realize that these sounds can give really unique tones (especially in chords--that's the real magic right there). I then spent some time with the brass (brassofpower, spirit brass, and brasssectn are highlights) as it really stuck out to me since they had dark and warm low ranges that complemented their brighter (and more popular) higher ranges. The choir/vox seem to be a much more niche in usage (especially the leads) but they sound really unique when stacked (especially with midi cc) and can make an interesting leads.

I didn't have time to play with every program in one setting but I can't help but appreciate that this software synth release includes ALL these expansion cards giving everyone access to M1's complete legacy. If you're a fan of the sounds of that time it really doesn't get any better than that.

A legendary workstation made affordable

(Updated 17/04/2020) The Korg M1 is one of those synths that, like the DX7 and D50 from Yamaha and Roland respectively, went on to become extremely popular. It was used in a LOT of music in the early 90s, a popular example being the Seinfeld slap bass. It's got a lot of cheesy, but still really pleasant tones, like the organs and pianos being iconic for being used a lot in dance music.

This softsynth version basically brings all of that and all the expansions/cards that were made for the M1, at an affordable $100. It's not just a simple preset thingy either -- all sounds are 100% editable, and even add some features not previously seen on the M1, like resonant filters.

Really, it's got all the bells and whistles of the real, hardware unit, with added perks of having all cards and expansions at your fingertips and not having to worry about it failing somewhere along the line.

The one downside I had when I wrote this was the small size of the plugin, but Korg recently put out updates for all these Legacy Collection plugins, giving them a new coat of paint in the form of a vectorised UI that can be resized as big or small as you want. That alone removes ANY problems I have ever had with this plugin, and I am serious about that.

Scratches every M1 itch I will ever have

The Good:

1. It contains damn-near every M1 expansion card ever released

2. Korg has kept these Legacy Collection plugins updated through decades of OS updates... so commendable. Thank you Korg Engineers!!!!

The Bad:

1. The interface isn't going to win any awards in 2020, but given they haven't changed it much since launch, I've had plenty of time to learn it well through all the quirks. :) Still beats navigating a tiny LCD screen.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Beautiful.

The sounds of the Korg M1 have accompanied me right from my early childhood. Today, it's one of my favorite synthesizers ever made. I love its lush pads and crisp piano sound. And with the VST it's easy to find the right sound within a fingertip.

Mind-blowing

This is the biggest bargain I've ever encountered, at $40 for what appears to be the best non-analog-modeling synthesizer yet created. The pad presets alone make it worth a lot more than that in my opinion. They will have you fondly recalling late '80s movie soundtracks and pump urgent vitality into your own melodies.

Great emulation

I have this as part of the Korg Legacy package I bought years ago...when I fool around with it I have fun but I do not use it in my tracks often. More likely to play around with the iPad version. Very fun to play around with and expose yourself to a part of synthesizer history, arguably the first "workstation" keyboard though I might argue my multitimbral D-10 was, with its Roland PR-100 sequencer.

A crazy cheap synth, and not half bad either

I was kind of shocked when I found out that the software emulation of (from what I've observed) one of the biggest old-school synths out there was only $25 (at least when I bought it), so I reasoned, "Even if this synth sucks, I'll only have lost 25 bucks." Luckily, the M1 doesn't suck. It's really good for nice, pretty sounds.

THE No.1

Literally my go-to VST. Ever since I bought it, it's been the first thing to load into my DAW whenever I start jotting down ideas. Lots of great sounds to choose from, absolutely quick and easy editing, and barely any memory usage.

Pretty and well worth it

I bought this for $25 on sale and I don't think I could have found a better, more musical way to spend that money. This is really fun to play and great for house music, atmospheric, electronic, and so much more.

Very good emulation of one of the best selling rompler synth

It's very affordable and gives you instant access to all the classic (but somewhat dated) sounds of the M1/T1 era. This is not an all round powerful synth but a very good emulation of one of the best selling romper synth (including all the official expansion cards).