Sensual sounds: KORG M1 Soundsets
Play General MIDI sounds with a Korg M1 synthesizer.
Send standard MIDI files to your M1 (up to 8 different sounds
simultaneously with help of a special General Midi compatible combination).
Get a lot of expressive and sensual new sounds.
Get the best M1 piano you ever heard!
M1gm.zip – Sensual sounds, commercial General MIDI compatible sound set from Olaf Posdzech (see below). Please donate a symbolic value.
PDcollection.zip – Best of free Public domain sounds (1994), contains more than 400 patches.
Versions of this soundsets for Korg I3 and Korg X3, see here: KORG I3 patches, KORG X3 patches
This commercial sound set which has been sold now is donation ware (5 … 10 €).
Sensual sounds from Olaf Posdzech were created to provide the user with analog feeling. The goal of this set are expressive sounds that greatly react on how you play.
Also this set gives partial General MIDI compatibility to a M1 synthesizer (General MIDI sounds, General MIDI drum sets and a special General MIDI combination).
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| M1gm1 (MIDI, Sysex) M1gm2 (MIDI, Sysex) (2× 100 programs) |
Two sound banks making available most standard General MIDI sounds
for KORG M1 (except some special effects). (Detailed list)
GM1: General MIDI sounds 01...100
GM2: General MIDI sounds 101...128
8 drumsets
11 more sensual sounds
13 public domain sounds
and the rest of adapted KORG M1 factory presets
This sound set contains |
| GMmix (100 programs + 100 Combinations) |
A best of selection from the soundsets GM1 + GM2, fitting most significant General MIDI patch numbers in the range from 01 … 100. Less significant patch numbers are provided with additional usefull sounds. (Detailed list) |
| GM drum sets | Two drumsets making available most standard General MIDI drum sounds for KORG M1. (Detailed list) |
The sound sets and global data are included as Standard MIDI files and as sysex files.
With a step by step guide how the sounds can be loaded into M1.
1. General MIDI
When KORG M1 workstation was born, no one thought about a standard
sound set. Some years later the the General MIDI Standard has been established.
General Midi has two main advantages:
2. Sensual sounds
Many factory presets of the KORG M1 sound a bit death and digital.
But the M1 the has many possibilities to take influence on a
sound character by the way you play it (velocity, after touch,
joystick, modulations).
Sensual sounds
use the expression capabilities of the M1. They give you a very analog playing experience and expressive sounds.
In fact I decided to never give away my M1 since I have these sounds.
1. Really sensual sounds
Watch the change in sound expression when playing with different
attacks, pressing aftertouch, pulling joystick!
Try out this examples:
| GrandKeith | Still the best dynamic M1 grand piano I ever heard. Watch the difference in sound and attack when changing from soft pp to hard ff. |
| El. Grand | Reminds to 80's Yamaha electric grand, warm and full electric sound |
| Superorg 3 |
Multiple church organ with rich living harmonics and nice different sounds
when playing with different velocities. p: soft registers 16' + 5 2/3' f: sharp 16' + 8' + 5 2/3' + 2' |
| Bari Sax | Very tricky! You wouldn't believe that this sample was in your M1 before.
Play it in lower tunes. |
| Saw Wave | Fat sawtooth!
Aftertouch or velocity add more sharpness. Joystick down adds a rising sawtooth filter envelope. |
| Eyes Rain | It's raining something strange |
| SoundTrack | Gentle strings
Joystick down -> rhythmic pattern. |
For more information see the complete descriptions of the soundsets.
2. Classic vintage sounds
I've included some of my own favorite vintage sounds in this collection
(mellotron, wurlitzer, electric grand piano, yes pad, Zappa ... )
3. General Midi compatibility
All sounds are in General MIDI standard tune, and they are stored at the default standard program numbers.
The included M1 factory presets were re-engineered to match General Midi standard.
Attention: Before loading any new sounds into your instrument you
should back-up your own sounds.
You can do this by recording a MIDI data dump with a sequencer software
and saving the result as a standard MIDI file (*.mid).
In the sequencer any MIDI filters must be switched off (enable record and play of
Sysex data).
Adjust the KORG M1 Global menu as follows:
- MIDI GLOBAL CH = 1 - MIDI-FILTERING PRG: ena EXCL: ena - PROGRAM MEMORY PROTECT: off - COMBINATION MEMORY PROTECT: off
Now start recording in the sequencer.
Start sending a sysex dump ("ALL DATA") via the
Global menu of the instrument.
When the display shows up "completed" you can stop recording. Save the
result as standard MIDI file ("mysounds.mid").
IMPORTANT:
Test integrity of the saved file before loading other sounds!
This is how you can do that. Change a letter of the last patch name
(program 99). Save the changes. (The sound remains the same, only the
name has changed.)
Check: Chose patch 99. Is the new name visible?
Now you can send back your data recorded previously from the sequencer
back to the synthesizer. This is done by simply playing the MIDI file.
After receiving this data the name of patch 99 should be the original
again. (You have to recall the patch.)
If this worked fine you can start sending new sound banks to the synthesizer in the same manner.
Loading of sysex files is accessed via the File button on the left, but not via the File menu.
Loading GMmix Soundbank (programs + combinations)
1. select on the left side: File > Import > All data...
2. then chose gm_all.syx
The sounds (programs and combinations) are then loaded into the "Card" slots
User1 and User2.
User1 has the first 50
patches, User2 the second half (50...99).
In Combination mode User1 and
User2 have the combinations, that are using these patches.
Loading GM1 and GM1 Soundbank (programs only)
To load the General midi compatible banks (gm1 + gm2) into the Card slots:
select: File > Import > programs...
then chose m1_gm1.syx or
then chose m1_gm2.syx
Loading sound banks into Card slots "User3" and "User4"
The slow way:
1. Select a name of any Program in any Card slot or User
slot, right click > Copy
2. Go into the desired user bank, select a progam
number, right click > Paste
The fast way:
No way known to copy a complete user bank into User3 or User4.
Accessing combinations:
On top of the M1 click the COMBI button. This changes M1 into Combination mode.
Now press the BROWSER button or click into the grey field left from INSTRUMENT on the left side.
Now a table appears where you can select sounds (combinations). To access User presets you have to click CARD and than the USER1 button.
Combinations 0…49 are stored in the USER1 slot, Combinations 50…99 in the
USER2 slot.
Accessing Programs:
On top of the M1 click the PROG button. This changes M1 into Program mode (single sound).
Now press the BROWSER button or click into the grey field left from INSTRUMENT on the left side.
Now a table appears where you can select programs. To access User presets you have to click CARD and than the USER1 button.
Programs 0…49 are stored in the USER1 slot, Programs 50…99 in the
USER2 slot.
There are some limitations.
Note:
The KORG M1 softeware synthesizer can play a much greater number of voices simultanously which only depends from the power of your computer.
The Korg M1 has a very unique sound character. This results from the combination of its limited frequency range of 12 kHz and the good quality of some samples. Also the effects section with some fine reverbs, chorus and an exciter module helps a lot. Even some of the later KORG synthesizers are not able to replace M1 sounds. They are unique.
| Korg M1 | Korg M1 software synthesizer | |
|---|---|---|
| Polyphony: | 16-voices 8-part multi-timbral via MIDI interface |
up to 256 simultanous notes |
| Presets: | 100 RAM Programs 100 RAM Combinations 4 drum sets with 164 drum sounds |
200 Programs (USER1...USER4) 200 Combinations (USER1...USER4) + huge sound collection >2700 presets |
| Sound generation: | AI Synthesis System (same as KORG T3) 16 oscillators |
up to 256 oscillators |
| Effects: | 2 digital multi effects | 2 |
| Waveform ROM: | PCM 4 MByte, 340 multi-sampled waveforms |
PCM 900 waveforms |
| Sample frequenzy | max 32 KHz | sampling rates: 44.1 kHz – 192 kHz |
| Sequencer: | 10 songs, 100 Patterns, 7,700 notes max., 8 tracks | |
| Keyboard: | 61 keys | |
| Sensor response: | velocity, aftertouch, x-y pitch wheel and others | |
| MIDI: | in, out, thru | |
| Outputs: | stereo pair | |
| Inputs: | sustain pedal, foot switch 1 /2, volume control | |
| Display: | backlit green | |
| Mass: | 13.5 kg | |
| Year: | 1988...1994 |
The KORG M1 is also a very good Midi Keyboard, robust, leight weighted, has good sensitivity and after touch and you will love the x-y pitch and modulation control joystick.
www.synthmania.com/m1.htm – Technical info and a lot of demo sounds from the KORG M1
Korg home page (German) – Technical info and manual of KORG M1, also info about other outdated KORG synthesizers
Korg home page (German) – KORG legacy collection, software emulation of a KORG M1 synthesizer
Patchmanmusic.com – Commercial M1 patches designed for use with a wind controller
Korg M1 at Wikipedia.org
Contact, contributions and suggestions: op@engon.de
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