Korg nanoKEY Fold is a new foldable compact MIDI keyboard with built-in scales for on-the-go use.
Music production has become more and more mobile. Small synthesizers like the Korg Volcas, Novation Circuit, etc, or even iPad make it possible to make electronic music anywhere, in the park, in the garden, etc.
Due to the increased interest in making music not only in the studio, a market for compact devices has emerged over the last 10 years. Korg is now going one step further and wants to make it even more portable with the new nanoKEY Fold MIDI keyboards.
Korg nanoKEY Fold
Foldable smartphones have been on the market for several years. Now foldable keyboards are coming
The nanoKEY Fold is a new ultra-mobile MIDI controller with a foldable design. When transported, Korg promises that it’s no bigger than a current smartphone. It measures 147 mm x 73 mm x 17 mm (folded) or 292 mm x 73 mm x 14 mm (ready for use). That’s super thin.
The design is very daring and will certainly not appeal to everyone. Instead of classic white/black keys, the nanoKEY Fold uses 25 membrane keys with an octave shift from -4 to +4 octaves and built-in scales.
Yes, Korg incorporated 15 scales with an LED display on the keyboard. The “Easy Scale” mode goes one step further, as when used, only the notes that actually appear in the selected scale are played. There is also a sustain button.
Playability
Then, it hosts a flexible onboard arpeggiator with 15 rhythm patterns. Besides this, two touch sliders/ribbon controllers can be assigned CC commands such as pitch bend, modulation, and scales. The latter is similar to the KAOSSILATOR series by KORG, which allows melodies to be played with a swipe of just one finger.
Another highlight is the ability to split the Korg nanoKEY Fold into two areas, with each part having its own functions, such as chord mode or arpeggiator. All settings can be saved in 15 user scenes in the device and recalled at the touch of a button.
The keyboard may look a bit spacey, but it is a classic MIDI keyboard that can be used with USB-C with hardware and software setups. USB-C provides both data and power.
Like other MIDI devices, you can connect it to computers, tablets (iPads…) or smartphones. Good, there is also MIDI out via an included mini jack DIN adapter.
And so that it also fits perfectly into the setup visually, the nanoKEY Fold is available in five stylish color variants: Black, White, Alpine Green, Lava Orange, Sand Beige
First Impression:
Korg once again shows that it is open to new ideas. The nanoKEY Fold keyboards are unique and special. They will undoubtedly cause controversy, and not only because of the design. I find it exciting that there are now such thin keyboards for on-the-go. But thinness has its limits, in my opinion.
With a smartphone, that’s not a problem, but with a MIDI keyboard, it’s more tricky. Unlike smartphones, you have to play. I am not sure whether you get the feeling with foil keys. I wonder how well these membrane keys are playable and whether they’re really fun. You would have to try that in a test.
Korg nanoKEY Fold will be available in December for 129€ in five color variants.
More information here: Korg
Available at my partner
omg. bad memories of folding keyboards for iPaq’s and Smart phones galore.
for a guy like me that is constantly on the road this is a great device. I will be buying 2. love that Korg is always pushing to new territory with their products.
I would like to have battery and Bluetooth like my Microkey Air or Nanokey Studio. But this Foldable doesn’t have it.
So the logic is to be super portable, but then you probably have a backpack to fit your laptop in, which could easily house a Launchkey Mini or an Arturia Minilab, with somewhat proper keys and knobs? This is more of a Temu item than a musical accessory, but it seems KORG have lost their way years ago… the weird Kalimba prototype, atrocious build quality of the desktop versions of wavestate, modwave and opsix, microKorg rehashe. And the prices are the topping on the cake.
Amazing and instant buy! I got used to the MBP keys for Logic and I hate it to not have a keyboard layout nor a mod-slider for recording. But I am always on the go, my workplaces always too small. Will wait till this is under 99€. 😉
If this was paired with say cubasis , running soft synths on an iphone this would really show off the true essence of mini musical portability .
Instead your shown a pocket size folding keyboard, but the dude is packing a huge rucksack and laptop.
I found this rather hilarious and somehow defeating a true zero inconvenience of gear size issue….
Price is an immediate no-go. Could pick up an decent 33 key for the same range.