Korg Audio Interface (PLUGKEYWH)

Totally love this little gadget. I previously used an iPhone to record GarageBand strings with on certain tracks. The reason is that you can simulate bowing the string by using the touchscreen as opposed to playing strings on a keyboard which sounds a bit mechanical. So I got this for a couple of reasons. I can plug into my iPhone 7 plus using the lightning port. I can then plug the Korg plugKey into my audio interface and also control the iPhone through the midi port on the PlugKey using my midi keyboard. Also has a decent headphone amp as well as a volume control.It doesn't come with a charger or power supply. You can use it without one because it runs on the iPhone battery, with very little extra power consumption. To charge the iPhone you could use the iPhone's charger with a USB to micro USB A plug. Once you plug in the power supply, it will charge the iPhone as well as power the Korg. I could hear no discernable distortion or hum coming from this unit, and the recording quality I got was excellent. The midi worked faultlessly for me as well. Very easy to use, just plug in and go, no setup required. Does what it says on the box.

I really like the size and the hardware, it is made to last. I did have an issue where I was getting distortion from the headphones output. I unplugged and plugged it in and still was there. I then did check updates on settings and once the IOS updated, the distortion was no longer there. So if you do get that, now you know. Great product, I am glad it works well

I have a couple of softsynths and the iElectribe on my iPad since longer, but the whole Apple way of midi in and getting sound out to be honest never really motivated me. This thing is a real game changer for me. Now I plug it in and it works right out of the box. Mostly I play short sequences from the midi part of my Octatrack, while I record audio back from the iPad into the Octatrack to generate loops. Sound quality is great. I haven‘t tried the charge while you play function and the headphone out yet. Even if they were crap (which I don‘t assume) this little thing has made life with iPad music apps a great alternative. Big plus is also the size (space is a rare resource in my homestudio).

I bought this device because I wanted a proper line-level output from my iPad and iPhone instead of using headphone out into a microphone preamp on my audio interface. In that capacity, it works well. With the volume turned all the way up on the plugKEY the unbalanced line outputs are right around the consumer level -10dbV. I did not observe any quality loss playing material from the iPad through the plugKEY into my audio interface vs. playing the identical material on my Mac into the audio interface.When the plugKEY is connected to a micro USB cable that is plugged into a beefy enough USB charger, it properly charges my 9.7" iPad Pro and iPhone Xs Max. Note: if your iPhone/iPad isn't charging through the plugKEY, make sure a) you're using a modern micro USB cable meant for charging and b) the charger you are using can properly charge your device when directly connected.I've not yet tested the MIDI capability of this device (which is really what it's for) - look to other reviews for that info.Quibbles:The hardwired lightning cable on the plugKEY is extremely short - around 8" long. The micro USB cable requirement is a little odd if you mostly live in Apple land where lightning and USB-C are ubiquitous.

I'm a hobbyist assembling a small home "studio" just for fun. I wanted to control some of my Mellotron iPhone apps with another keyboard (such as my Korg Monologue) and I wanted to send it to either a powered speaker or my rack mixer. Well, mission accomplished. I couldn't get it to work on my official Mellotron app, then I realized it doesn't yet have MIDI. Yikes. Well, both Super Manetron (a single Mellotron lovingly sampled) and Mellowsound by fingerlab work perfectly with the plugKey and "just like that" I'm getting loud 8-voice choir and Violins and Flute. So, for my purposes, it works just fine and the Monologue does the job as a small controller. Had trouble with my Microbrute because it doesn't have MIDI out... But if you're hankering to add a sound like the Mellotron (or any of the other synths) from your phone, this will make you smile. It could be a little cheaper, or maybe come in a double-unit package, lol, but otherwise it's a great solution gadget.--W.D. Gagliani, author of The Judas Hit

Ok, I actually own two of these...and while I love the idea of them, there are a few things in practicality that are really not good. Firstly, when I compared the midi timing of this to the midi timing of a midi connection via USB to my computer...the Plug Key causes delayed or even disappearing notes. It seems that it is somehow very sensitive to the midi flow and I guess it gets choked up pretty easily.The other major problem is that when I am running Colossus Piano and I turn up the volume on the app, there is MAJOR digital distortion.....when I bypassed the PlugKey's output and came directly out of the ipad, the signal was much cleaner, more powerful and the distortion was totally gone!I generally don't write reviews on Amazon and especially kind of bad reviews...however, there is absolutely no information on this module on the internet and Korg support is horrendous.The good part of the PlugKey is the charging ability and the MIDI input, when it's not choking on itself. The audio outputs are a fantastic idea...but the sound quality actually sucks.So there you go. I hope Korg redesigns this thing.

Tolles Teil, klingt gut, sehr kompakt und leicht. Enorm niedrige Latenz sowohl Midi als auch Audio. Läuft bei mir problemlos mit einem IPhone 12 mit Lightning Buchse. Ab USB C dann wertlos aber die Handys laufen ja ein paar Jahre. Jetzt noch ein Stereo Audio Eingang dann wärs perfekt.

Funciona muy bien. Lo he usado para conectar teclados midi al iPad Pro.

I. Ended a way to recover audio from my iPad which was connected to my Nextar IMPACT LX 88+. The Korg plugKey works perfect. I also bought a lightning cable extension because I want to place the plugKey away from my iPad. I don’t find the charge micro port to be effective in charging the iPad.Well worth the purchase

Perfecto para conectar cualquier teclado vía midi al iPad

Works well, only criticism is that the cable is a bit on the short side, which, in my situation, means the device sits under my iPad stand. Not the end of the world. Hence still 5 stars.