Nerd Funny

I don't ever pre-order things. But the Korg DS-10's US release has me giddy with excitement so I did the unthinkable a couple of weekends ago: I plunked down my cash to purchase the idea of software. I pre-ordered this thing and I can't wait until they ship it to me on October 14th.

For those not in the know, the Korg DS-10 is a full-fledged synthesizer with step sequencer for the popular Nintendo DS. I was just over at Amazon watching the tutorial videos and getting excited about programming this thing. I haven't had a chance to really dig into sound synthesis for quite a while and this is going to be my fix for sure.

I can't think of any better concrete way to learn about the science of sound in a hands-on capacity than using a sequencer that lets you build a sound from its basic elements: sine waves. VCOs, VCAs, VCFs, EGs, S&H: all of these are acronyms with which you'll quickly become familiar and then after you play around for a while, suddenly it all starts to make sense. Actually, I think the VC part of those letters is pretty funny in the context of the DS. Those letters stand for Voltage Controlled, meaning actual electrical signals are being produced to generate the desired effect, but there's nothing voltage controlled about the DS-10 software. It is software, after all, and already completely in digital form. See? Ha ha. I told you it was funny. Nerd funny.