Remarkably, Korg Gadget 2 isn’t the first music production suite to jump from iOS to Mac – but it’s almost definitely the first to jump from iOS to PC and with a stop on Nintendo Switch along the way.

With the release of Korg Gadget 2, the mobile production software has rolled out on multiple platforms, and a new update brings the total number of instrument plugins (or “gadgets”) past 40.

In our overview of mobile music making apps from 2016, 5 Mag had high praise for Gadget, which went beyond the question of how to condense a DAW down to a mobile screen in favor of a whole new way of thinking about digital production. Gadget used an elaborate metaphor: instruments were “gadgets” or plugins named after cities (for example, “Chicago” is for acid/303 emulation). “Gadgets” played “Notes,” “Notes” were organized into “Clips” and “Clips” were organized into “Scenes” which could be integrated into “Songs.”

With Gadget’s expansion onto the desktop, many observers have made the overblown suggestion that this was now a full-fledged DAW. If it is, it’s a very limited one. Using the entirety of Korg Gadget 2 as just one “gadget” in a more robust studio is more suitable, as users can easily export stems. Korg’s exact language is usually something like “all-in-one music production software suite,” which strongly implies it’s a DAW. If it’s bought as one, and used by itself, users will probably not be terribly satisfied. (The Windows version is for the plugins – the “gadgets” themselves – for which Korg claims compatibility with nearly every top-shelf DAW on the market.)

The price of Gadget 2 depends on the platform, how many “gadgets” you want and any introductory offer from Korg. For instance, the homegrown iOS app is available for $20 on the App Store with Gadget plugins ranging from $7 to $10 each.

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