Korg iMS-20 iPad App Gets External MIDI Control [Video]

Korg has updated its MS-20 analog synth app for iPad with support for external MIDI control. The new v1.1 update uses the USB dongle in the official Apple iPad Camera Connector Kit to hook up a USB MIDI device, such as Korg's own nanoKEY, taking advantage of the newly-added Apple Core MIDI features in iOS 4.2 on the tablet.Video demo after the cut

The update means that you can now use an external keyboard or other surface to control the iMS-20 app, rather than stabbing at the display. Considering one of the big plusses of analog synths is their generally tactile buttons, knobs and keys, that could make a big difference for usability. The best would obviously be the MS-20:Legacy controller, now sadly discontinued, which replicated all the original controls from the synth; we're guessing they'll get even more expensive on eBay now.

Unfortunately, it seems only MIDI in is supported, not MIDI out, which means you can control the iMS-20 app but not use it to control external hardware. Hopefully that's something which will change in future, however; demo of the setup in action in the video below. The Korg iMS-20 app is priced at $15.99 [iTunes link] until the end of January 2011.