Once, everybody tried to tamper with desktop music (DTM). Equipped with a soft synthesizer and powerful music software, even an absolute dodo could pretend to be a virtual maestro and produce tons of digital music before and after each breakfast.

There, one thing was sadly lacking. Talent.

Korg DS-10 soft synthesizer running on Nintendo DS. Actually, two synthesizers in one.

Therefore, 99.99 percent of so-called DTM thus produced have turned out to be high-quality digital noise, nothing more, nothing less.

The noise dissipated into thin air immediately. And soon, the fashionable DTM trend fizzled out, too.

MikuMiku Revolution has reignited the DTM passion suddenly, at least, in Japan. The voice synthesizer software brought in tens of thousands of novice DTM artisans into the field. You don't need to have the muse living in your brain to make lovely Hatsune Miku sing your favorite oldie. Only thing you need is patience to read through the lengthy instruction manual!

Also, a synthesizer is back again to accompany this Vocaloid2 girl, that old workhorse of electronic music. Korg MS-10, the analog monophonic synthesizer of 1978 vintage.

This is not a simple revival, though. As an incarnation without a physical body. A transmigration to Nintendo DS. Sure, as a virtual analog synthesizer.

Original Korg MS-10 analog synthesizer. Old workhorse for hundreds of bands.

Korg DS-10 is approved by Korg (I don't know what "approved" means actually!), but will not be released from this firm. A Japanese game developer, AQ Interactive Inc. of Tokyo, will distribute DS-10. Actual development has been done by Korg and Cavia, Inc., another speciality game developer in Tokyo.

The original MS-10 (price 53,500 yen in 1978; US$300 then) was a monophonic, single oscillator job. DS-10 simulator works as two synthesizers (each of them, dual-oscillator affair), since Nintendo DS has dual-screen, upper and lower.

Adding to this two tracks (or two synthesizers), four tracks of drum machine sounds have been built-in. Altogether, DS-10 can be treated as six tracks, 16-step synthesizer/sequencer. Maximum, tune of 99 phrases long can be produced.

Three ways of note entry input: Touch-control screen, keyboard screen, and X-Y matrix screen. All three of them controlled by DS stylus.

Note-entry by soft keyboard.	By X-Y matrix screen.

Variable resistor nobs and patch panel wiring, too, are easily controlled by a stylus. Sound effect modification has three modes: Delay, chorus, and flanger. Controllable on mixer screen. Only drag is the sound output. DS' line output is rather feeble and full of noise, but no midi-in/out are possible. Sure, restriction from the DS platform, a revenge of hardware!

Already, thousands of DTM freaks have queued up in Japan to get Korg DS-10. Their waiting will be rather long. Release date, July 24, 2008, and only at Amazon Japan (amazon.co.jp). Only consolation would be its price tag, just 4,800 yen (US$46), very much affordable for everybody with Nintendo DS already in his hand.

Thousands of overseas music freaks are trying hard to find some loopholes. Loopholes to beat this inhuman "Japan Only" madness. But ordering DS-10 from Amazon Japan directly would not be very easy if you lived outside of Japanese isles. Some desperados will simply fly into Tokyo, just for buying it. July/August will be excellent months for Amazon Japan.

 

cheewee
Level:

kaisei1
Level: