A review of the Korg DS-10 from a musician's perspective. One correction: There are now North American and European releases out with appropriate documentation.
More than a decade later, I've just found a copy of this kicking around in a box my brother gave me, and this is pretty much the only video that I've found that gave me a good overview of what the hell I'm doing with it. Awesome discovery! Thanks for the vid.
I wouldnt say it was ahead of its time considering that VSTs in 2008 were about just as impressive as they are in 2021, but making it run on a DS is impressive. These synths and drums are very basic, though. It seems like something people can write chiptunes on easily.
Is this channel still active? I'd like to see what you think of the new DSN-12 for 3DS. I am just so amazed by what it can do, even if there are a few changes I would like (such as displaying absolute values of knob positions so I know how many cents VCO2 is at, more than just 16 steps in the Kaoss sequencer, etc).
If someone is interested in this but doesn't want to produce music on a DS, this comes pretty close to a really nice mobile DAW called Caustic which has a built in modular synth. Both the free and full version are the same aside from exporting, and you can download and run the full version for free on a PC.
very useful review. thanks. I've got the DS10 myself. despite the mentioned limitations it's great fun, and linking it up with friends machines is great for small gigs too. looking forward to the dsi :-) and the ds10+.
Thank you for the great review! I became curious, bought the Korg DS-10 and had been happy with it for weeks. But soon the lack of memory (only 16 Patterns to save per Song) was a little problem. So I am using now additionally the DSiWare "Rytmik". (it's the european version; USA and Japan are coming soon) For me it's besides the Korg DS-10 PLUS an enrichment in the DSi-Music-Software-Collection.
This thing was great, I spent ages playing with it back in the day. I learned quite a lot just tinkering with it, I remember you could do chords using the drum samples. Nothing on the iPhone ever felt as good, the stylus was so much better than using a fat dumb finger!!
This would be a good and very cost effective introduction into synthesis. You could easily learn the basics on this music app for the DS. I'd suggest buying the more recent version coming out called the DS-10-Plus.
I don't think it's made for stage use - it's more of either a way to write basic music on the go (like on an airplane or a bus, and you don't want to lug around a lap top), or something to entertain yourself with. I don't think everyone has the money for a real synthesizer. Particularly in this economy.
i am not a musician at all but really want a synth to make weird noises with and to try to make some sort of music with. as i just recently bought a 3ds xl and saw that there are a few korg synth programs for it. i will definitely be buying both this and the m1 korg synth as it would be a crime not to tbh. am expecting a lot of head scratching though as to beginning to understand how to use them. nice review.
But i assume the song arrangement isn't the only way to play right? I mean if you'd wanna play clips live and cue them up on the fly, that would work too right?
loved your review and your playing. You make the sound editing look so easy!! I have been playing around with it for a week and I've come up with some cool sounds but it's been hit or miss...guess I should read up on synthesis....lots of fun though...I LOVE it in fact...thanks for the humorous and educational review!!
I routed the MG Triangle Out (an LFO) to Pitch In. If it isn't working, check the depth on the Pitch In. If it's in the middle, that means zero. Turning it to the left or right applies negative or positive modulation.
If you're familiar with synthesizers and music software, it's very intuitive and quick to use. I'm not sure how it would be if you don't have that experience; I'd imagine it would be a bit difficult as you'd be trying to learn too many things at once.
Trust me folks! Buy the thing.., worth every penny. I can't put mine down. It does however help to have at least a basic understanding of synths. It's literally a pocket synth with many parameters to adjust.., add to that a drum machine too and BAM!!!! Great bargain.
@Atreyumetal1417 - This was a review. I wasn't paid by Nintendo to make it - I doubt they'd let me say the negative remarks if this was just an advertisement.
It's amazing that you can get a $15 game card that has the functionality of $$$$ thousands of dollars. I remember having a DS when I was younger and never remembered this coming out and now that I like making music I ordered one of these game cards. Sounds much better than any phone music app I've used. Although it will still never beat a real synthesizer I have a Roland Gaia but I need to get a proper analogue synth
There's another version of this cart for the DSi, called DS-10+. It gives you even more synth voices, and I believe extra patterns as well, allowing for the creation of much longer songs. There are a couple other enhancements as well, I can't remember exactly. I have a brand new unopened copy because I still haven't bought a DSi yet.
but don't hate on Electroplankton, ;-) it isn't standard, but is very interesting in it's own right, from the guy who later made Tenori on! (gee, how about a Tenori DS cart? can you say "super hit"?)
found it at EB games canada today, it's awesome! So glad it works perfect with just the touch screen or I'd be cheesed.(my DS is a 1S or an SS, single screen lol) Theres always the interweb to but it. First place I called said the game was discontinued(wouldn't be if they advertised properly, who wouldn't buy this?!) Can't wait till my DS is all charged up again!
@culo9999 You have to record the sound out of the your ds headphone jack. Shouldn't be too hard at all. Have a computer with a line in, connect your ds to that and use some recording software and bam your done. Or use a line in a digital video camera than send it to the computer and extract the sound.
Hey my korg ds 10 synth isnt workin on my ds. I t just comes up a load of Asian Lettering and i can't do anything. I got it on a torrent site if that makes a difference?
@Johnny123456789x you can go old school and plug into your pc with a 3.5mm dubbing cable. record your real time actions on the ds with music making software that you have running on your pc. plug the one end of the dubbing cable into the head phone jack on the ds and the other into the mic jack on the pc. If you want to hear what your doing on the ds real time get a head phone splitter.
I am considering buying a DS myself. This looks like a good program, but if you want a musical instrument, then buy one. The thing about game consoles is, they are meant to play games. There is nothing wrong for wanting a "musical instrument" on whatever console you may have, but don't whine about previous music programs that could'nt match the standards that your "real instruments" set. That being said, i really like the DS-10, i just don't like the comment in the video.
Works on both but no doubling features on DS Lite. on both though, it allows you to program muting in the song pattern tracker (for longer songs and more versatie use of the 16 banks) and you can also eedit the synth sounds and mess around while the arrangement plays, which you can only do in one pattern at a time in this version. Site says it came out ten days ago, WHERES MY IMPORT OPTIONS?! :D
I got mine for less than 10$. I obviously have a ds already I bought years ago. They made a updated version for the dsi I believe and the 3ds with a oscilloscope.
That's an interesting interpretation of my comments, and the first time I've seen it. I haven't found previous console programs useful. I don't think I was "whining" by saying that the DS-10 is worth a look even if you haven't like previous console based programs. I think it's certainly possible to use the DS-10 as a "musical instrument". That's the point here. It could never be a writer's only tool, but it could be used to make original tracks (unlike other programs on consoles).
The Roland Sh-201 is said to be the cheapest synth and the best one to learn about synthesizers... well, IMO the DS-10 is a much better way to learn, and a lot cheaper (and besides sound synthesiz you can practice mixing, step sequencing etc etc)
Touche' :) All disagreements aside, it was a good review and very informative. (i only used "whining" for lack of a better word; now that i look back at my comment, i realize it didn't capture what i was really trying to say.)
Sanog the videogame composer of Tekken and Ridge Racer do some demo with this cute stuff ^^ !!! but the Korg soft for Ipad from apple is more ambitious with the multitouch stuff, it's more like using a real BAR ^^
well he did say at the beginning of the vid that there is about 21 saveslots... so unless you forget to save or throw your ds out of the window of the 7th floor they should be there when you turn it back on :)
@averoc2012 you can take an 1/8 inch cable, plug it into the ds headphone jack, then plug the other end into the mic jack of your computer, then u can record the ds audio in any recording software
bonitachika792, So far it's great. It works really well for my music and I'm not really that good at it yet. I wanna get the expanded one and a DSi later so I can sync them fo rmore sounds!
honestly. that sounds pretty good. ide use one on stage if you could rout midi with it. you wont get true analog fatness. But ive heard hardware synths worse than that, and its on a ds.
greatman ) I bought nds cause of korg, then i gave up it cause i m clueless nab was going to sell it already but this video revived ds user in me ( a bit)
Definitely agree with your evaluation of this. If you're at all interested in music creation, especially semi-modular synthesis, and you have a DS, it's a no-brainer. They're a little harder to find now but still plenty of copies out there. One thing to note is that if you have a DSi, there's Korg DS-10+ which is basically the same cart, but about twice as powerful (so you can have more instruments and longer songs). I took DS-10 with me when I went on vacation for a week at the beach back in 2013. I ended up spending most of my time just making songs with it. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot just by designing new sounds. DS-10 is a great introduction to synthesis if you're not that familiar. One thing I noticed you didn't mention was that, thanks to the drum samples being created by what is essentially a slightly limited third synth engine, you can use one or more of the drum samples as extra voices. I did that in one of the songs I created, making a kick, snare, and closed hat, while using the fourth as a third synth voice. It's amazing how powerful and flexible the software is, and like you said, it sounds better than it has any right to. Here are the three "finished" songs I created while on vacation (I started 3 more but never finished them): soundcloud.com/rarson/sets/ds-10-tracks I recorded them from the DS straight to the line-in on my computer, and other than a fade-out in the second track, and possibly some normalization, it's just the raw DS sound. This is a really fun but capable tool that is worth playing with if only for the immediacy and simplicity of using it. There are no physical cables or wires to route, no computer connection, no external sequencer required, just pick it up and go. Its limitations can be slightly annoying but I also find them creatively inspiring, forcing some out-of-the-box thinking to come up with new ways to utilize what is available. While I have had quite a few synths both before and after buying DS-10, I will always keep it and my old DS around, as it's still a useful piece of software. And one of these days, I will buy a DSi and finally open my still shrink-wrapped copy of DS-10+!
It's been a whole year, where you at with all this now? I'm thinking of getting this just to mess around and maybe actually learn, or should I get the Plus version of the game instead?
@@phabeondominguez5971 I still haven't gotten my hands on a DSi yet, so I haven't used the Plus cart yet. I would get the Plus cart if you have a DSi, there's really no reason not to get that one as it's the same thing but better. You can kind of hear it in my songs, especially if you know how the songs are created in the DS-10 sequencer, there are only 16 patterns to work with that you can switch around and I forget how many total pattern changes, but most songs work out to be about 2 and a half minutes long depending on what BPM you use. You can get creative and use a half-time BPM to stretch the patterns out longer, but this means you have to do something to make the patterns more interesting. If you want to do a lot of rapid notes like I tend to do, you won't be able to do that with a slow BPM. You can tweak and completely change the patch settings between patterns. So for instance, if I have synth A patched for a certain sound in pattern 1, I can completely change the patch for synth A in pattern 2. Along with this, there are some automation steps you can use within the patterns, like note length and the XY Kaos-pad style control, so there's a lot of tweaking that can be done to make sounds that might seem impossible to create at first. DS-10+ includes two of everything, so there's more patterns available and longer songs are possible. I believe there are also a few additional upgrades over the base cart that I can't recall, all of this made possible because the DSi uses a more powerful processor than the DS. IMO these are definitely worth playing around with for the price of a cart, even if you don't get too deep into it. There are lots of better DS-10 tracks out there than mine, too, which can give you an idea of the crazy stuff these things are capable of. If you have multiple DSes (and carts) you can link them together and play them in real time. An alternative would be something like a free VST you could play with on a PC, but IMO this is a less appealing option for newer users. Lots of VSTs sound great but can be daunting for someone first starting out to figure out their way around. The DS-10 on the other hand provides a pretty intuitive interface. After 10 minutes or so, you get used to the navigation and breaking things up into different screens makes it a lot easier to know what you're doing on each one. You get to figure out how create various sounds using something pretty close to the classic MS-10/20 interface, and how patching and stuff works. It's a great way to learn some basics and some new tricks, and have a whole lot of fun making music.
@@rars0n holy smokes, this is INSANE, this is literally the sort of feedback I was hoping to get. Yiubwent above and beyond with it and I completely SOLD!! I will definitely pick up PLUS version, but just need to make sure my Gameboys are DSi's first. Again, thank you, SPOT ON with your reply and I am sold after reading it, sounds like this is exactly what I want/need. A clean, simple way into music making.. THANK YOU
AWESOME REVIEW MAN! This thing freakin ROCKS! I got mine about 2 weeks ago and I'm still geekin over the thing :) This is not a game.., it has been designed by musicians FOR musicians. Now if only Yamaha and Roland would jump on the wagon and release some of their vintage synths in DS format... I just posted my first song using this app... check it out.
More than a decade later, I've just found a copy of this kicking around in a box my brother gave me, and this is pretty much the only video that I've found that gave me a good overview of what the hell I'm doing with it. Awesome discovery! Thanks for the vid.
Look up Anthony Seeha here on UA-cam.
this was before its time, amazing
i have this program on my nds fat xD, totally amazing
yep I remember having a DS when I was younger than never remembered this coming out and now that I like making music I ordered one of these game cards
How do you export the music?
I wouldnt say it was ahead of its time considering that VSTs in 2008 were about just as impressive as they are in 2021, but making it run on a DS is impressive. These synths and drums are very basic, though. It seems like something people can write chiptunes on easily.
Aaaahhh... 2008. Korg DS-10, Technics headphones and fiddling with knobs, slides and steps and beats. And the wiring! Ooooh the wiring...
Is this channel still active? I'd like to see what you think of the new DSN-12 for 3DS. I am just so amazed by what it can do, even if there are a few changes I would like (such as displaying absolute values of knob positions so I know how many cents VCO2 is at, more than just 16 steps in the Kaoss sequencer, etc).
there's a story mode? lol
Wait what
3:45 Portal much?
I’ve just recently found korg on switch, this seems to have better features to adjust sounds than that does , good vid
What is this? 'For sale and use in Japan onl-' oh sh**
Kick ass review man. Seriously, well done and very informative.
Love the synth line for 'Stripped', great taste ;)
If someone is interested in this but doesn't want to produce music on a DS, this comes pretty close to a really nice mobile DAW called Caustic which has a built in modular synth. Both the free and full version are the same aside from exporting, and you can download and run the full version for free on a PC.
Thank you !
I've only heard of this today and it's insane. I never knew. I might have nightmares about not knowing.
very useful review. thanks. I've got the DS10 myself. despite the mentioned limitations it's great fun, and linking it up with friends machines is great for small gigs too. looking forward to the dsi :-) and the ds10+.
Thank you for the great review! I became curious, bought the Korg DS-10 and had been happy with it for weeks. But soon the lack of memory (only 16 Patterns to save per Song) was a little problem.
So I am using now additionally the DSiWare "Rytmik".
(it's the european version; USA and Japan are coming soon)
For me it's besides the Korg DS-10 PLUS an enrichment in the DSi-Music-Software-Collection.
Thank you for doing such a good job reviewing this and going over all the features/workflow. You totally answered all my questions about it.
This thing was great, I spent ages playing with it back in the day. I learned quite a lot just tinkering with it, I remember you could do chords using the drum samples. Nothing on the iPhone ever felt as good, the stylus was so much better than using a fat dumb finger!!
I don’t think I’ve heard a 2008 video from UA-cam with better voiceover quality than this one
All I hear is Depeche Mode :)
you need to go back to mtv music generator 2 and 3 lol even part one was used actual music tracks...
The DS-10 doesn't have any tutorial information in it, so you pretty much need to know the basics of sequencing and programming synthesizers.
@TellTaleLie - Sure - you just use a 1/8th inch stereo audio cable, and plug it into your PC or laptop.
This would be a good and very cost effective introduction into synthesis. You could easily learn the basics on this music app for the DS. I'd suggest buying the more recent version coming out called the DS-10-Plus.
I just ordered a copy for my birthday :3
I don't think it's made for stage use - it's more of either a way to write basic music on the go (like on an airplane or a bus, and you don't want to lug around a lap top), or something to entertain yourself with.
I don't think everyone has the money for a real synthesizer. Particularly in this economy.
I still have that program on my Ds
Great review, I own Korg on DS and your video made it all seem much more simple (I'm not a musician, just a nerd!)
i am not a musician at all but really want a synth to make weird noises with and to try to make some sort of music with. as i just recently bought a 3ds xl and saw that there are a few korg synth programs for it. i will definitely be buying both this and the m1 korg synth as it would be a crime not to tbh. am expecting a lot of head scratching though as to beginning to understand how to use them.
nice review.
@LSmith92360 - You'd need to record it to a computer, and then convert the file to an MP3.
Not with the DS-10 software, at least not with any sort of realism.
Not with the DS-10 software, at least not with any sort of realism.
But i assume the song arrangement isn't the only way to play right? I mean if you'd wanna play clips live and cue them up on the fly, that would work too right?
the PLUS version is fully made for live play or not live play. And on a DSI or 3ds it lets you run two copies at once.
loved your review and your playing. You make the sound editing look so easy!! I have been playing around with it for a week and I've come up with some cool sounds but it's been hit or miss...guess I should read up on synthesis....lots of fun though...I LOVE it in fact...thanks for the humorous and educational review!!
Great review and funny commentary.
I routed the MG Triangle Out (an LFO) to Pitch In. If it isn't working, check the depth on the Pitch In. If it's in the middle, that means zero. Turning it to the left or right applies negative or positive modulation.
I found mine on eBay, but the version I have is the English version. I had to wait awhile to get a copy because they sell fast or are priced high.
If you're familiar with synthesizers and music software, it's very intuitive and quick to use. I'm not sure how it would be if you don't have that experience; I'd imagine it would be a bit difficult as you'd be trying to learn too many things at once.
Trust me folks! Buy the thing.., worth every penny. I can't put mine down. It does however help to have at least a basic understanding of synths. It's literally a pocket synth with many parameters to adjust.., add to that a drum machine too and BAM!!!! Great bargain.
@Atreyumetal1417 -
This was a review. I wasn't paid by Nintendo to make it - I doubt they'd let me say the negative remarks if this was just an advertisement.
I got it on this XBERSTAR 500 Games in 1 NDS Game Pack Card Super Combo Cartridge for Nintendo NDS DS 2DS New 3DS XL not sold on Amazon anymore
It's amazing that you can get a $15 game card that has the functionality of $$$$ thousands of dollars.
I remember having a DS when I was younger and never remembered this coming out and now that I like making music I ordered one of these game cards.
Sounds much better than any phone music app I've used.
Although it will still never beat a real synthesizer I have a Roland Gaia but I need to get a proper analogue synth
There's another version of this cart for the DSi, called DS-10+. It gives you even more synth voices, and I believe extra patterns as well, allowing for the creation of much longer songs. There are a couple other enhancements as well, I can't remember exactly.
I have a brand new unopened copy because I still haven't bought a DSi yet.
but don't hate on Electroplankton, ;-) it isn't standard, but is very interesting in it's own right, from the guy who later made Tenori on! (gee, how about a Tenori DS cart? can you say "super hit"?)
found it at EB games canada today, it's awesome!
So glad it works perfect with just the touch screen or I'd be cheesed.(my DS is a 1S or an SS, single screen lol)
Theres always the interweb to but it. First place I called said the game was discontinued(wouldn't be if they advertised properly, who wouldn't buy this?!)
Can't wait till my DS is all charged up again!
@culo9999 You have to record the sound out of the your ds headphone jack. Shouldn't be too hard at all. Have a computer with a line in, connect your ds to that and use some recording software and bam your done. Or use a line in a digital video camera than send it to the computer and extract the sound.
amusingly, his final 'minus' was fixed on the DS10+ version, but almost nothing else was changed
i wonder what this guy would think of the ds-12 for the 3ds
Hey my korg ds 10 synth isnt workin on my ds. I t just comes up a load of Asian Lettering and i can't do anything. I got it on a torrent site if that makes a difference?
There are step sequencers for the 2 monosynths, plus for the drum machine.
@Johnny123456789x you can go old school and plug into your pc with a 3.5mm dubbing cable. record your real time actions on the ds with music making software that you have running on your pc. plug the one end of the dubbing cable into the head phone jack on the ds and the other into the mic jack on the pc. If you want to hear what your doing on the ds real time get a head phone splitter.
I am considering buying a DS myself. This looks like a good program, but if you want a musical instrument, then buy one. The thing about game consoles is, they are meant to play games. There is nothing wrong for wanting a "musical instrument" on whatever console you may have, but don't whine about previous music programs that could'nt match the standards that your "real instruments" set. That being said, i really like the DS-10, i just don't like the comment in the video.
Works on both but no doubling features on DS Lite. on both though, it allows you to program muting in the song pattern tracker (for longer songs and more versatie use of the 16 banks) and you can also eedit the synth sounds and mess around while the arrangement plays, which you can only do in one pattern at a time in this version. Site says it came out ten days ago, WHERES MY IMPORT OPTIONS?! :D
Anyway this can be used In a digital audio workstation like FL Studio as a virtual instrument? probably not but worth a shot.
I got mine for less than 10$. I obviously have a ds already I bought years ago. They made a updated version for the dsi I believe and the 3ds with a oscilloscope.
That's an interesting interpretation of my comments, and the first time I've seen it.
I haven't found previous console programs useful. I don't think I was "whining" by saying that the DS-10 is worth a look even if you haven't like previous console based programs.
I think it's certainly possible to use the DS-10 as a "musical instrument". That's the point here. It could never be a writer's only tool, but it could be used to make original tracks (unlike other programs on consoles).
Thanks for this. Also, your voice is amazing.
The Roland Sh-201 is said to be the cheapest synth and the best one to learn about synthesizers...
well, IMO the DS-10 is a much better way to learn, and a lot cheaper (and besides sound synthesiz you can practice mixing, step sequencing etc etc)
Touche' :) All disagreements aside, it was a good review and very informative.
(i only used "whining" for lack of a better word; now that i look back at my comment, i realize it didn't capture what i was really trying to say.)
Sanog the videogame composer of Tekken and Ridge Racer do some demo with this cute stuff ^^ !!!
but the Korg soft for Ipad from apple is more ambitious with the multitouch stuff, it's more like using a real BAR ^^
well he did say at the beginning of the vid that there is about 21 saveslots... so unless you forget to save or throw your ds out of the window of the 7th floor they should be there when you turn it back on :)
I believe you're right because the DSi has a beefed up cpu/ram setup which would allow for the double content.
Is there any possible way to connect a MIDI cable to this to use an external controller?
@averoc2012 you can take an 1/8 inch cable, plug it into the ds headphone jack, then plug the other end into the mic jack of your computer, then u can record the ds audio in any recording software
bonitachika792,
So far it's great. It works really well for my music and I'm not really that good at it yet. I wanna get the expanded one and a DSi later so I can sync them fo rmore sounds!
honestly. that sounds pretty good. ide use one on stage if you could rout midi with it. you wont get true analog fatness. But ive heard hardware synths worse than that, and its on a ds.
You can connect some DS with this game and do amazing things !! Very cool "game"
greatman ) I bought nds cause of korg, then i gave up it cause i m clueless nab was going to sell it already but this video revived ds user in me ( a bit)
Me too! Unfortunately I'll only have 2 synths and 4 drum tracks 'cause I don't have the DSi, but whatever. Gonna mess around with this so hard.
how to upload your project or song?! any way to save and upload as a song ?!
so, when you have made a song, what can you do with it. Can you play it on your computer?
@hiimtre Thanx!.. It would have been better if there was an option to export it as a file for better quality. But still cool thank you dude
The guy who made this synthesiser, Nobuyoshi Sano, is the same guy who composed the Tekken 3 and Ridge Racer soundtracks (with others).
this is a great review for a great game, but who here thinks itd be cool if you could record vocals? i mean, the ds DOES have a microphone!
would be awsome to make some 8bit tracks live with this like a updated version of nullsleep lol instead of using old gameboy use ds lol.
I just bought this game yesterday, and it's AWESOME. Got it for 20 bucks. Still trying to figure out what everything does though.
Excellent vidéo ‼️ thanks
It should be mentioned that KORG DS-10 Plus is only compatible with DSi devices, it will not run on a DS Lite or on a phat DS.
Was anyone else thinking he was about to play "New Junk City" from Earthworm Jim at the outset of the video?
Is the Korg DS-10 a separate system or something you connect to regular ds because i have a DS I....?
This video came out 5 years ago. When it was only release in japan.
Dose it work on Nintendo 2DS
it should, given that it works on the DS fat or the DS lite. backwards compatibility for the 3ds and DS both work on the 2ds.
if u dnt know how to use a keyboard and u want to learn how will this teach u or it wont?
"For sale and use in Japan Only..oh s__" Lol! haha but It's now already released here n_n
@averoc2012 Im wondering the same thing, but I will find out next week, Im getting this
his voice sounds verry... WAHOUGH!!! like he's about to go HADOUKEN!!! or something :L
I want to use it looks like fun but too complicated for me....
DAMN, looks cool! Would be perfect if you could hook it up to a real keyboard...
NOT Japan only. I bought my copy of DS-10 locally and the manual is in English.
Definitely agree with your evaluation of this. If you're at all interested in music creation, especially semi-modular synthesis, and you have a DS, it's a no-brainer. They're a little harder to find now but still plenty of copies out there. One thing to note is that if you have a DSi, there's Korg DS-10+ which is basically the same cart, but about twice as powerful (so you can have more instruments and longer songs).
I took DS-10 with me when I went on vacation for a week at the beach back in 2013. I ended up spending most of my time just making songs with it. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot just by designing new sounds. DS-10 is a great introduction to synthesis if you're not that familiar.
One thing I noticed you didn't mention was that, thanks to the drum samples being created by what is essentially a slightly limited third synth engine, you can use one or more of the drum samples as extra voices. I did that in one of the songs I created, making a kick, snare, and closed hat, while using the fourth as a third synth voice. It's amazing how powerful and flexible the software is, and like you said, it sounds better than it has any right to.
Here are the three "finished" songs I created while on vacation (I started 3 more but never finished them): soundcloud.com/rarson/sets/ds-10-tracks
I recorded them from the DS straight to the line-in on my computer, and other than a fade-out in the second track, and possibly some normalization, it's just the raw DS sound.
This is a really fun but capable tool that is worth playing with if only for the immediacy and simplicity of using it. There are no physical cables or wires to route, no computer connection, no external sequencer required, just pick it up and go. Its limitations can be slightly annoying but I also find them creatively inspiring, forcing some out-of-the-box thinking to come up with new ways to utilize what is available.
While I have had quite a few synths both before and after buying DS-10, I will always keep it and my old DS around, as it's still a useful piece of software. And one of these days, I will buy a DSi and finally open my still shrink-wrapped copy of DS-10+!
It's been a whole year, where you at with all this now? I'm thinking of getting this just to mess around and maybe actually learn, or should I get the Plus version of the game instead?
Also well written review and I'ma peep your tracks now as well
@@phabeondominguez5971 I still haven't gotten my hands on a DSi yet, so I haven't used the Plus cart yet. I would get the Plus cart if you have a DSi, there's really no reason not to get that one as it's the same thing but better.
You can kind of hear it in my songs, especially if you know how the songs are created in the DS-10 sequencer, there are only 16 patterns to work with that you can switch around and I forget how many total pattern changes, but most songs work out to be about 2 and a half minutes long depending on what BPM you use. You can get creative and use a half-time BPM to stretch the patterns out longer, but this means you have to do something to make the patterns more interesting. If you want to do a lot of rapid notes like I tend to do, you won't be able to do that with a slow BPM.
You can tweak and completely change the patch settings between patterns. So for instance, if I have synth A patched for a certain sound in pattern 1, I can completely change the patch for synth A in pattern 2. Along with this, there are some automation steps you can use within the patterns, like note length and the XY Kaos-pad style control, so there's a lot of tweaking that can be done to make sounds that might seem impossible to create at first.
DS-10+ includes two of everything, so there's more patterns available and longer songs are possible. I believe there are also a few additional upgrades over the base cart that I can't recall, all of this made possible because the DSi uses a more powerful processor than the DS.
IMO these are definitely worth playing around with for the price of a cart, even if you don't get too deep into it. There are lots of better DS-10 tracks out there than mine, too, which can give you an idea of the crazy stuff these things are capable of. If you have multiple DSes (and carts) you can link them together and play them in real time.
An alternative would be something like a free VST you could play with on a PC, but IMO this is a less appealing option for newer users. Lots of VSTs sound great but can be daunting for someone first starting out to figure out their way around. The DS-10 on the other hand provides a pretty intuitive interface. After 10 minutes or so, you get used to the navigation and breaking things up into different screens makes it a lot easier to know what you're doing on each one. You get to figure out how create various sounds using something pretty close to the classic MS-10/20 interface, and how patching and stuff works. It's a great way to learn some basics and some new tricks, and have a whole lot of fun making music.
@@rars0n holy smokes, this is INSANE, this is literally the sort of feedback I was hoping to get. Yiubwent above and beyond with it and I completely SOLD!! I will definitely pick up PLUS version, but just need to make sure my Gameboys are DSi's first. Again, thank you, SPOT ON with your reply and I am sold after reading it, sounds like this is exactly what I want/need. A clean, simple way into music making.. THANK YOU
for any countries that don't have it available there is always the R4 card :P
Is it possible to export tracks or a mix to a computer from the nintendo ds?
0:47 - 0:50
what did you say i didn't catch it.
Something like nanoly?
AWESOME REVIEW MAN! This thing freakin ROCKS! I got mine about 2 weeks ago and I'm still geekin over the thing :) This is not a game.., it has been designed by musicians FOR musicians. Now if only Yamaha and Roland would jump on the wagon and release some of their vintage synths in DS format... I just posted my first song using this app... check it out.
Korg did not develop the DS-10. They licensed it or collaborated.
rammstein's stripped > depeche mode. everthign better by rammstein! >:O
I saw it at Gamestop for 19.99 Getting it tomorrow
Props for sequencing Depeche Mode's "Stripped" around the 5:25 mark.
This sounds a bit daft but do you recommand this for real projects?
2008 and just saw it now ahhaa im late
HEY wow this is soo cool, so I wanted to by maybe a korg drum machine but I have a ds. Could I simply just get that and start doing beats on the go?!
Yup!
There’s a later version than the one I reviewed called the DS-10 Plus that’s a bit better.
I used the headphone output on the DS-10 for the soundtrack, and an external microphone for the narration.
Man this thing just sounds good