DWGS
After some DCO analog synths like Poly-61 and Poly-800, KORG made their first digital-analog hybrid synth, DW-6000 and DW-8000.
DW's synthesis engine is called DWGS - Digital Waveform Generator System. DWGS is a recreation of acoustic instruments in the form of a single cycle waveform made with additive synthesis.
KAWAI K3, Ensoniq ESQ-1 and Sequential Prophet-VS have similar waveforms and they processes them with analog filter.
M1 has several DWGS waveforms, and it's useful for digital synth sounds.
All later KORG PCM synths and even the virtual analog synth MS2000 inherit some DWGS waveforms.
KORG DW-6000 (1984)
KORG MS2000 (2000)
KORG planned to release X-2000 series around 1987, and they can be seen as a prototype of M1.
X-2000I is the PCM synth, and X-2000II is the version with a sampler integrated - it may be a predecessor of T series and even KORG Trinity.
Soon after X-2000 disappered, KORG announced 731 synthesizer. It's looks almost the same with M1 except the name logo.
The name and the design policy seem to be related to 707 FM synthesizer. 707 is based on KORG DS-8, but its design was dramatically changed to 90's KORG style.
KORG M3R is a 1U rackmount version of M1 with half the ROM size - 2MB, and a simplified voice architecture. Despite this, its sound has almost similar quality to other M/T series.
I think M3R has the best 2MB waveforms in the rompler world.
KORG M3R (1989)
KORG doubled the PCM ROM to 8MB and released T1/T2/T3 Total Workstation and M1EX/M1REX.
512KB sample RAM is added to T1 and T2EX/T3EX, and the samples can be loaded via MIDI SDS (Sample Dump Standard) and KORG samplers disk (DSS-1/DSM-1).
KORG T3 (1989)
Invision M1 Plus+1 is a version of M1 with expanded PCM ROM with samples different from KORG's T Series.
Invision M1 Plus+1
KORG 01/W is an extended version of M1's ai synthesis with 32-polyphony and the new nonlinear function Waveshaping. The filter still had no resonance.
01/W's synthesis engine is called ai2 (ai square).
KORG later discarded Waveshaping from ai2 synths, and ai2 became a M1 with more ROM and polyphony. But I believe M1 has better sounds than later ai2 synths.
Audio Gallery AG-10 is the lowest end one with interesting bug that can be used as a new synthetic function.
KORG released many ai2 synths until N1 in 1998, and still continues to sell X5D.
KORG 01/W (1991)
Alesis QS Composite Synthesis may be most related to M1's ai synthesis, just because it's a PCM synth with non-resonant filters.
All Alesis romplers uses QS Composite Synthesis from their first version QUADRASYNTH to the newest QS6.2.
It's a very simple PCM synth architecture with one distinct synthetic function called Tracking Generator - users can program various tracking curves as modulation sources.
Alesis Quadrasynth (1994)
KORG added M1 softsynth in their new Legacy Collection series. The greatest update is resonant filter.
It's not very clear how this softsynth emulates the sound quality of M1. But it may be one of the first attempt that it's a rare resonant rompler with good PCM ROM.
I wish KORG had emulated T1 (T3EX) - just one step further. Then this rompler becomes a PC-integrated sampler as well.
KORG Legacy Collection Digital Edition M1 (2005)
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M1 / T Series
Deep Synthesis: Home12. 29. 2004
Update: 9. 19. 2005