In 2013, 3DS owners around the world are to experience their first taste of a brand new collaboration between industry giants…Korg & Nintendo!
Now whilst this may sound like an unlikely match up, it is true that music making has always worked alongside the gaming world on consoles.
Korg is one of the world’s leading brands when it comes to music synthesis, manufacturing hardware and instruments for the past fifty years.
Brief History of Korg
Korg was established in 1962 when two great minds came together (one accordionist fanatic and one nightclub manager).
Osanai was unconvinced with the performance of the Wurlitzer sidearm rhythm machine;
convincing Kato to build a better one for him to perform on. Thus, Korg was born.
During the next fifty years, the company would go on to change the sound of the music industry.
In both music production and live performance, every setup would include at least one piece of Korg equipment.
Korg currently re-releases many of its classic synths onto digital platform, so the KORG M01D synthesizer on the Nintendo 3DS is to no real surprise.
M01D Synthesizer Suite
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Based upon the Korg M1 classic synth, the workstation aims to replicate the digital sounds of the 80s,
which are very current still in the music industry.
Using a touchscreen keyboard,
the hardware will come equipped with a 24 voice polyphony and an eight sectioned multi-timbral synth which has the capacity of outputting 342 different individual sounds.
This all comes with a host of fun effects.
Of course, it isn’t just a synthesizer – it’s a music production suite also.
Using an eight track mixer with a 64 step sequencer, users can create up to 99 scenes worth of music whilst viewing the digital synthesizer in 3D on the bottom screen.
Here is a track which has been made using the synth.
Within the suite, the musician can also access KAOSS mode.
The KAOSS mode utilises the well-known KAOSSilator layout, so that musicians can input a variety of notes, chords and drum hits at simple touch of button using the bottom screen.
This automatically will quantise notes and correct the tuning to make your masterpiece sound ultimately masterful.
Users are also able to share their compositions via the Nintendo network; so that you can have pieces of music being finished by different people around the world.
Ever wondered what an Irish/Mongolian piece of dance music sounds like?
It may be time to hear many brand new sounds emerging from international collaborations, which is very exciting to say the least!
By using the Korg M01D synthesizer suite, perhaps it will open up a brand new market in music production on gaming devices.
This avenue has been explored in the past, but if Korg have truly stepped in up with the M01D than they could then capitalise with more digital synth follow-ups.
Who knows, maybe we will see a Korg Karma for the PS4 or even an MS-20 for the Xbox 720!
In short, the Korg M01D could bring a whole new audience to Nintendo – possibly resulting in 3Ds’ to fly off the shelves once again.
Since this is completely 3Ds exclusive, it perhaps will convince people into buying one of the handheld consoles for the reason that they not only can play Mario on the go;
but perhaps create the theme music for the next game also.
Featured images:
License: Creative Commons
image source
License: Creative Commons image source
Author: Jen Beswick is a massive Korg MS20 fan and loves how the Korg products are developing with technological gaming devices. Are you a fan?