Recording - June 2018 - 56

Korg plugKEY
The plugKEY is an iOS interface that's designed to be a highly portable way to turn any iOS device into a professionalgrade electronic instrument-e.g. a drum machine, synthesizer,
sample player, etc.-using a specific set of ports optimized for
that task. Essentially, you plug it in and you get to use your
iGizmo as a keyboard... hence the name.
People who want to play their virtual instruments on an iPad
or iPhone are limited by the lack of ports. The usual solution
is to plug in some sort of USB controller to the Lightning port
(while hoping that it doesn't draw too much current and be
rejected by iOS) and then take audio out of the headphone
jack (which sounds pretty good but isn't exactly pro-grade).
And if you have an iPhone 7, 8, or X, there's no more headphone jack.
Sure, you can use any USB interface with an iOS device
if it's hooked up to a Camera Connection Kit, and the USB
3 Kit has a passthrough Lightning port for charging your device as you work. But the interface will almost always require
a separate power supply of its own, which can be a major
hassle, and might be too bulky to easily carry around. There
are small iOS interfaces out there, but many of them have no
MIDI or rely on a single minijack for audio output, sometimes
barely better than the headphone jack.
All of these issues go away when you use the plugKEY. It's
a small box (about 2.3 x 3 x 1 inches) with a Lightning plug,
Micro-B USB charging port, 5-pin MIDI In, a headphone minijack, and a pair of 1/4" unbalanced line outputs. There's a
global volume pot and a flush-mount power LED, and that's it.
The plugKEY is Apple MFi certified, so it should be plugand-play with nearly any device running iOS 8 or newer; plug
in your MIDI controller and route audio to your headphones
or mixer/PA, and your iOS device is now a
proper keyboard. It can work on its own using
the iGizmo's battery power, or you can
plug in any iOS charger to charge it
(or at least retain its charge) while
playing. There aren't any audio inputs, but that's not what this box
is for; there are lots of other iOS
interfaces out there that provide
inputs, but practically none of
them also offer the plugKEY's
other features.
In use, the plugKEY worked
like a charm, recognizing all

RECORDING June 2018

MIDI controllers I tried and playing back audio from my iOS
devices with excellent clarity, a noticeable improvement over
the headphone jack. I used it for several weeks and noted a
couple of things I'd like to see improved on the next version,
but none of them was a deal-breaker. The plugKEY really
needs a second Micro-B port so the user can plug in a USB
controller that doesn't have an actual 5-pin MIDI Out; they're
very common now, especially in portable/laptop situations.
(Korg makes some great models, like the nanoKEY2.) Also,
the built-in Lightning cable has good strain relief, but I'd still
prefer one that was detachable/replaceable.
Even with those things in mind, this little box is a real winner
for folks who want to get professional sound out of their iOS
devices. In no time at all, it gives the on-the-go songwriter
top-quality results with no configuration headaches. I used the
one I had for several weeks of mobile composing, practicing,
and playing live gigs, and it never let me down. I'd be hard
pressed to get along without it now... at least, not without
hauling around a bagful of other gear to do what the plugKEY
does so easily.

$99.99; korg.com

http://www.korg.com

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