Less is more: Creating a dirty electro track using the Korg MS-20 as the only sound source
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- In this video I'll go through a patching session on the Korg MS-20 FS with as goal to create a dirty electro style track using this synth as only sound source.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:28 Creating a kick
2:22 Patching up a fat snare drum
4:30 Hihat and shaker
5:57 This needs more cow bell
7:39 Lets add some melodic elements
8:12 Friggin' lasers
9:02 Drop some bass
10:03 Wah bass
10:44 A lead that sings (or screams)
12:43 But what about a second lead
14:02 Blippy riser fx
15:32 Putting it all together
16:37 The finished track
estuera.com
/ jonassteurmusic
/ estuera
open.spotify.com/artist/0aPas...
open.spotify.com/artist/1dpap...
Want to support the channel ?
The music that has been created especially for the videos here is available on bandcamp: estuera.bandcamp.com/releases
#electro #ms20 #korg If you are looking to buy new gear you can use my Perfect Circuit affiliate link: www.pntrs.com/t/TUJGR0tHS0JHS... 
Видеоклипы
I only ever need one more synth
lol... yes, its called "addiction"!
Written on a synth addict’s tombstone..
One more couldn’t hurt right lol
The correct number of synths is n+1 where n==number of synths already owned.
@Groovebox Channel I love my TI2 Polar too but it’s nice to have multiple strings to your bow.
The problem is knowledge! Many people have a ton of synths in vst-version or in real. But no one learn how to use it! If all presets are gone they need a new synthesizer with more presets...
The older analogsynts without a storage-function are much better because the people must learn how they work to recreate some sounds they love. To be honest I have a MS20 for years as a vst but only using it with it's soft-presets. Now I own a real MS 20 FS (in blue like in that video) because I want it so much. I have learned how it works and I love it!!
Only my 3 polys have presets. I much prefer my monos. Forces me to start fresh. Find my ms20 very intuitive to patch and love using it as a drum synth.
Love the MS20 . It was my 1st synthesizer, bought it at age 15. That's 41 years ago ! The storm and thunder sounds I created with a bit of pink and white noise are still on my mind. I could create all my favorite Italo bass sounds with it to play along with my favorite tracks at that time. Later I trade it in for a Korg Mono/Poly which is a beast to . thx for bringing back the memories ! b.t.w good headliner ! :-)
Do you still have the mono/poly?
@@javiceres Nope, sold it 38 years ago. So you are to late...
@@neuronmind It was just out of curiosity....
@@javiceres Don't be ashamed... You want one ! :-)
@@neuronmind Oh, I totally do!
I just can’t afford one.
I might be getting a MS-20 mini by Christmas though :)
Love these one-synth challenge videos. Keep'em comin'.
Du bleu partout !
Great job with the MS 20 !
People who do not practice musical composition can not imagine the time spent to make this title(search for sounds, creation of the song, mixing)....
Personally, I spent 39 hours creating my song "80's Nights" wich only lasts 4mn35...
Well done and thank you Mister Blue. ☺️
Keep the Ms20 videos coming !!! Thanks for sharing !!
Great job man, a complete track full of rich analog vibes!!!
Great to see someone else making this kind of music! 😄👍🏻
Excellent. So glad I have found this channel.
This is a great exercise for electronic music composition! Well done!
Pulsating creative energy. I enjoyed this video immensely.
So many great patches! I love it!
Thanks a lot
My pleasure :)
Absolutely fantastic sound design
Excellent! Going to try some of the patches on my mini
Enjoyed watching your creative process. Cheers!
Nice one. Well done!
this video both inspirative and educative... ms20 is truly a legend
This is a great series
I've always wanted to learn from someone who loves making music like this, thank you!
Dope sound for sure..proper electro! Great work!
Your videos are so great and inspiring. Thank you for putting in all this hard work!
My pleasure ! :)
The Korg MS-20 is probably my favourite analogue monosynth, and such a great source of sounds. I've created several drumkits with it, which I've sampled into an Ensoniq EPS. For synth bass sounds, I love the way the two oscillators sound when you detune them against each other - instant Die Krupps and DAF sounds.
awesome as always!
So much knowledge. Nicely done🦑
That was actually a pretty cool track man, welldone!
Incredible
That was impressive. This synth is so flexible.
Excellent. Clear and inspirational.
These videos are really helpful. Until recently, I had been relying heavily on presets with some trial-and-error tweaking. Now that I'm looking a bit into how synths actually work, a lot of sounds I've known for decades are suddenly starting to make sense.
That's really great to read :) Glad I helped spark the interest into looking deeper into sound design.
WOW...Awesome Job...WELL DONE
Great work!
Three words - "Less is More" these words are true. If you understand the gear you have almost any synth can be used to create all the sounds necessary to create a track. Nice Job!!
@Estuera - I currently have the Behringer K-2 (amongst other recreations of Classic analog synths: MS-1 & Model D) and this video is really helpful for sound design on the K-2 as well. This is actually the first video I've seen from you, and first time I've come across your channel at all. Really good content!
I enjoy your work and your channel.👍
Thats amazing and so interesting. Thanks
Great track !!
Dope sounds like a breakdancing track. Nice bass
Need to try this with my MS20, great video.
this man is the few ones in YT who know how to use synthesizer
Loved the track. I just got an ms20 mini and have so much to learn it's great watching you create such a range of sounds.
My pleasure 😊
Fantastic
Ironically, these "You only need one synth" videos probably do a great job of convincing people that they should buy another synth! I've already got the Reface CS and having been eyeing up the MS-20 mini for a while now!
eventually you get to use one of them the most and the rest just get to collect the dust :) I guess it's a process one has to go through but it's fun
You only need (another) synth ? 😁 (I'm guilty myself as well, I'm having quite a new beast on the way)
@@xradical89x I've got myself a Reface DX/CS pair which in reality is more than enough! I am definitely the limiting factor in that setup! I'm definitely getting better at taking a step back and realising I can probably create all the sounds I need on those two, but there'll always be a bit of synth envy
While the Refaces may not be the most powerful, they're simple and portable enough that I can just grab the pair and jam on the sofa for a bit! I can definitely see a scenario where you've got a bunch of really nice full-size synths but it's such a faff moving and connecting them that you end up actually limiting yourself more than anything! It's good to keep things simple
@@Estuera If more new synths mean more new videos showing them off then I'm all for that!
You bet it does ;)
Love this bass and kick sound! Very fat! Thank you for this video!
That MS20 filter surely can bring down the roof :D
Appropriate t-shirt dude, your like an astronaut at synthesis
I was waiting for such a project! I want to do it too.
I think the MS-20 is the most versatile synth you can buy at a low price in the last 40 years of history.
Its a true classic for sure !
That thing is from the late '70s and you proved it's still a very capable machine even by today's standards, great work! PS you seem to like blue a lot and I dig it 😁💎💙
MS-20 is famously versatile for all kinds of electro genres, you can create entire track with it easy.
Beautiful synth. The Yamaha REFACE CS can do this too. I've got a complete analogue style drum kit out of mine. Including 808 style cowbell and claves.
This video reminded me of Mr Oizo, who made his hit "Flat Beat" with minimal equipment. He made the famous wubs with the MS-20, sampled them with an Akai, and sequenced it with a trial version of Cakewalk.
So pretty much, Flat Beat was technically made with one synth. I thought that was interesting.
Good video. Keep it up.
A great example of 'less is more' indeed
Liaisons Dangereuses los ninos del parque the same ;)
Wow. Ms-20 in blue. Awesome. Mine only is the usual black :)
Looks very cool.
I love your 90s trance and Eurodance vids, you really have that sound and heritage and culture nailed.
This though isn’t electro, in-fact I think you’ve made up a new genre. 👏🏻🎶
Thanks :)
And yes , its always debatable what label to slap on something. 'Dirty electro' is what flashed through my mind when creating this so that's what I put in the title. Could just as well have callled it 'neo electric analog pumpcore' or something 🤷♂️😁
As long as you like it, I'm happy 😉
This is certainly electro, in the detroit sense
Excellent video, you made that look so easy to do and it all worked out nicely in final track , with computers even a crap keyboard can sound damn good and if played right a crap keyboard can sound good too , big thumbs flying high again !!
😎AK ☘👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘
I like your Apollo 11 rocket! And thank you for this video!
Well spotted 😁
This video is good and interesting. It is true that you only need one synth for composing, but if you are in a waveband, lets say a coldwaveband like mine and do reharshals you have two synthplayers, sometimes a live drummer but mostly addictive drums. So we use 3-5synths during reharshals. Without a daw you will allways need more than one synth. But for studio music you can do great things with any decent synth.
mooi! hier kan ik maanden mee op weg :)
that's a mean kick drum!
When he played the wood block I was like meh... but then when he played it in the mix I was like whoa 😲
Dope work. It brought me back 10 yrs ago when I only made music with a multi-tracked blofeld.
I gotta do this again really inspiring
I like this type of video. I'm all software but can definitely take inspiration from this.
gr8 track!
keygen music and visuals, lol. thanks by the way, very interesting and inspiring for doing my own music!
Haha yes , it _does_ have that keygen vibe. Can not unhear now
Nice!
Fantastic exploration here. Thank you for taking the time to do this!
Strong!!!
reminds me a bit of le syndicate electronique!!
That was like giving the keys of your car to a 'Rally driving stunt man' and after fifteen minutes of mayhem he gently pulls up and parks it for you like nothing out of the ordinary had happened ;-) you got my Subscription! Well done that was cool
Haha love that description 😁 Thanks !
Ms 20 is dope!
This video qualifies you for a french citizenship
Nice. Glad to see some of these are finally making it out to customers. I've got a blue one on order, ETA is April though. :(
Thank you, it inspired me so much. Created a cool sequence with this approach and an MPC. Combined with a sampler it is so much fun. Thanks!
Always welcome to share the result. I'm curious !
@@Estuera The Sequence turned into a song today. I Send it tomorrow!
@@Estuera Here is my first MS 20 only Track: soundcloud.com/as2ba/das-ist-mein-weg-sammlerstuck
Even the Chords are MS 20 based: Sampled one note and played it polyphone in the MPC Live.
Had a funny session yesterday arranging and recording vocals. Mixed in Ableton.
Thank you for the inspiration. P.E.A.C.E.
Wow 👌 really great job. The MS-20 percussion works really good for this track.
And those chords, would have never guessed the MS-20 was the source for those. Another great example how versatile this synth can be if you approach it creatively.
Very nice production overall :) Thanks for sharing !
@@Estuera Thank you.
Ur my fav synth RUclipsr just cuz you make the most fun music
Thanks for the big compliment ! :)
Thanks
you made me just rethink my synths and set up. But the joy of having a ton of synths is to have them all play together like a lonely one man band in my studio hahaha . And your track is dope as fuck. you got skills bro
Thanks ! :) And lets get that one band going !
This is like what Liaison dangereuse did. Very educational
Excelent! just got my first synth (Bass station2) and this videos are very helpful.
My pleasure :) Hope you'll get a lot of fat sounds out of you bass station !
Congratulations! Novation Bass Station II was a great choice. I've had one for many years. It's your first synth so I might as well give you some tips here:
By the way, I quickly checked out your channel and watched your "DM Enjoy The Silence Drum Cover". I liked it and the intro you added to it with the Bass Station II was cool. I also saw that you used the latch option to keep the sound playing. (Some people don't know that you can also use the latch without the arpeggiator to keep a sound playing but it depends on the envelope settings. You need to have some sustain in the Amp Envelope...) The latch button is great. Now you have both hands free to experiment.
When you're experimenting and trying out sounds it's a good option to keep the filter's (cutoff) frequency much lower than full. Then use the "Mod Env depth" to make the envelope (Mod Env) to change the filter's frequency. If its value is zero it does nothing. The zero is in the middle position because it can have negative values too, which reverses the envelope. It's recommended to use positive values until you get familiar with the envelopes. It's also recommended to use quite a lot of resonance to really hear all the changes in sound. Getting familiar with how the envelopes can control the sound is essential. (The "Mod Env" can also be used to control the pitch. Then you need to put a positive or negative value to "Mod Env depth" in the "oscillators" section.)
Well, now that I've mentioned the pitch modulation... It's useful to have a vibrato in some of the sounds. Try it by using the topmost option of LFO 1 (the triangle wave) and change the value to something like 67. You can always use the mod wheel for vibrato. Keep pressing the "Function" button and press the key under the "Mod Wheel - LFO 1 to Osc Pitch". Then put the value as low as 2 to get a natural sounding vibrato.
If you want to try some weird and interesting modulations (maybe a little bit like the video's "Blippy riser fx") then you can try this:
Part 1: Try to use only the filter. You can get the filter to self oscillate by turning the resonance to full. (Lower the volume especially if the frequency is at max! Resonance boosts the selected frequency. If the filter is fully open then the boosted frequency is outside the hearing range on many synths. When you start to lower the frequency it can get quite loud...) You can now put every oscillator's volume to zero and only use the filter. You have probably found out that turning the frequency now changes the pitch.The filter produces a sine wave and the LFO 2 also changes its pitch and so does the Mod Envelope...
Part 2: Put the latch on. Then set both of the envelopes to loop. Keep pressing the "function" button and then press the key two times under "Velocity - Amp Env". Set it to "r 1" instead of "r 0". Do the same by pressing the key two times under "Velocity - Mod Env". Try it out by putting everything at zero in the amp envelope but then raise the level of decay a bit and maybe also the attack. Then do the same with the mod envelope. You can also try raising only its attack quite a bit. Remember to add a positive (or negative) value to "Mod Env depth"...
Part 3: Try using the LFO 2 by adding a positive or negative value to "LFO 2 depth". Possibly change the LFO 2 to a low speed and use its saw wave, which is the second from the top.
Part 3 extra: Also use the "Osc Filter Mod". It usually adds an audio rate modulation but you could also change it to an additional low frequency oscillator (LFO) by changing the octave of the keyboard as low as you can. Then change the range of the oscillator 2 as low as you can as well. The Oscillator Filter Modulation does indeed let you modulate both the oscillator one and the filter's (cutoff) frequency with the oscillator 2.
Part 4 extra: You can of course add the oscillators to the sound as well and the noise from the mixer section... Maybe try to add just a little bit of volume to them to hear the strangeness of the filter more clearly. :-)
If you're very new to synthesizers I'll mention this as well. The Bass Station II is an analogue synth that has digitally controlled oscillators (DCO). It keeps a perfect pitch, which is very useful for sound creation. Old school synths with Voltage Controlled Oscillators (VCO) are naturally drifting out of tune and that's what makes them sound bigger. You can do this:
Use two oscillators and put them in the same pitch range. After that change the pitch of one oscillator (usually osc 2) slightly with the "Fine" control. Then you can also try to use pulse width modulation (PWM) on both oscillators to get even bigger sound. You just have to select the last oscillator shape for that, which is the square wave. (The Pulse Width control only works for square wave.) Then put a positive or negative value (try 30 or 50) with the "Pulse Width" control's "LFO 2" setting to both oscillators and change the LFO 2 to a slow speed (maybe something between 20 and 40). Many synths can't have pulse width modulation on two oscillators at the same time. This synth definitely can do that and much more. It's a surprisingly versatile synth.
That's all folks. I guess I've written enough already. :-) Enjoy your new synth and have a fantastic day!
@@Vimana Thanks for sharing this bass station tutorial :)
@@Vimana Wow Fantastic info. I sure have a lot to learn in this new world. Thanks for the time you took writing this comment Stay Safe!
@@cooldrumscovers3786 You're very welcome. I forgot to mention that you probably need to update the firmware. Some of my tips (looping envelopes) don't work if you have an old version. The easiest way to update the firmware is to use the Novation Components site:
Connect the Bass Station II to your computer with an USB cable and go to the Novation Components site. Components web works in MIDI compatible browsers (Chrome and Opera) but you could also download a standalone version.
If you have the latest firmware then the Bass Station II has all the same functionalities as the new Novation AFX Station! Did you know that? There are some hidden features now available via the "Function" button (such as the envelope loop).
The AFX Station has all those new functions written on its overlay. A great idea that worked for me was to download a high quality picture of the AFX Station. Then I kept the picture on my monitor the whole time while I was experimenting with new sounds. You could also print it of course...
By the way, I've also played drums to "Enjoy The Silence". I was a member of a band that played mostly cover songs. You have a good thing going. Keep it up! Take care and have a wonderful day.
"Less is more: Creating a dirty electro track using only one guy who knows what he's doing." :D
I think in this case the tools don't matter. ;)
Toffe video, heel leerzaam over synthese ook! Ben gek op electro en de MS-20 is een heel tof, ding. Misschien koop ik er ooit nog eens een...
Dank je wel ! :)
this whole video is about finding the sweet spot
When I was editing this I realized I said 'sweet spot' all the time 😂 I even cut out a few
@@Estuera Well, i can't really blame you hahah, when working with synthesizers it is mostly about finding... the sweet spot hahah
Not only you are a musician, you are also a technician.😀
Shakta - Lepton Head part 3 is another good example of a track made almost exclusively with a MS-20
so inspiring, thank you! looking forward to any more videos in that direction.
can u put us a small sample pack together with the sounds u have done so far?
That's not a bad idea. Will think about it
Hi :) Is it possible to re-create that particular "marimba" sound from the background of "Voodoo Ray" by A guy called Gerald? I mean with the use of MS20? Thanks :)
Mmmmmm...je t'aime 'KeioOrgans' pour toujours!
I like this guy's videos, so very helpful and informative. I have the Korg legacy connection and am playing around with the MS20 blindly. I am kind of wondering if Estuera could make a tutorial on how to use the patch leads.
I could probably do a more in depth tutorial about how to patch the MS-20 yes. I'll add it to the ideas list
@@Estuera That would be awesome thank you
Is the NASA t-Shirt for real . . .hehehehee
RED SOUND DARKSTAR!
MS-20 really is as versatile synth,
but it takes some time really getting ninja/jedi level with it.
If one? Then moog sub37, save preset + paraphonic 💪
Can you make a video on doing a hardstyle pitched kick drum using the MS20? I was thinking about getting one of those for doing that, but I don't know if it would work. I already have a Korg Volca Kick, but it doesn't seem to work too well with midi, so I was thinking about getting an MS20 for pitched kicks. Basically if you did the kick you had then ran it through a distortion pedal it might sound really hardstyle.
This machine is actually very good at making the dirtiest (and at the same time nicest) tuned kick you can find. If you use the patch I do in this video and open up the low pass filter it will actually already start to sound like that. You do not even really need a distortion pedal as you can feed the phones signal back into the MS20 creating a whole loud of lovely dirty feedback distortion.
@@Estuera Last night I was playing with my volca kick, and it says right on it "MS 20 Resonator" so I think it must be the same. And then I hooked it up to my JDxi and transposed the keyboard, so now it seems to work good with midi and I could play notes on it. Before I was triggering it with MS1 but it didn't seem to work as well with that.
@@Estuera i will try make some kicks and hats with my ms20 :) sounds fun
"The best gear is the gear you have."
Hi, Wondering if you think there is a big difference in the sound of your Korg M1 hardware synth compared to the vst Korg M1 software? If so, which one do you prefer? See that you have both.
The difference is there but its not extreme. The vst version sounds more 'hifi' while the original is a bit more punchy. This is probably because of the DA converter.
@@Estuera Ok like your 90s vibes really good dance music as you can check out my 90s vibes too. Have no hardware just inbox actually think it affects how the music sounds today lost a bit of energy.
You make it look so easy. I'm trying to follow using the MS20 from the Korg Collection (I have neither the space nor money for a hardware MS20). My attempts don't sound anywhere near as good as yours.
I love Korg
Can I have please just 1% of your talent 😅
Would love to see this done for the model D or the deep mind if you have them. Or a volca
I don't think I will get one of the Behringer synths soon but I could do a version of this series with a volca maybe.
Only... which volca ? :D
@@Estuera I know so many options 😂
@@Estuera Volca FM! You can borrow mine if you want. I live in Pelt 🇧🇪 😁
Aha ;) That's good to know
Weet jij toevallig of er wat goede samples op de Roland XP-10 zitten?
Ik heb zelf nooit met een XP-10 gewerkt dus ik durf er niet zomaar uitspraken over te doen. Het lijkt me wel dat je er leuke dingen uit zou kunnen halen.
Is it a real ms20 or a mini ? If it's a mini i had a problem with it very noisy and i had to refund it. How did you success to have a good one ?
This is a full size MS-20. No problems with noise.
Very nice! What lights do you use to light these videos?
One simple led panel to light the foreground. All the rest are Phillips Hue bulbs.
Really great idea and it sounds a bit 80s like too. Funny thing is, yesterday (and maybe later today too) I was creating many sounds with the MS-20 plugin myself (including Kicks and some dirty sounds). It's possible to get lost in it and there are also different ways to achieve certain things.
Now my typical question, can you guess it already ? ;-): Could you do a full track like this also with the plugin?
I wish I had the knowledge you have though Jonas, I needed tutorials for Kicks etc on the MS-20 (there are excellent ones on RUclips). What I noticed is that you can even do acid style sounds with the MS-20. I was a bit surprised about that myself.
It's even more respectable knowing that you can not even save/load anything on the Hardware and need to do each sound from scratch/individually. That along with the complex patching... A long way to go for me. I couldn't handle it or need 100+ hours (to finish only couple sounds probably).
Great mixing too btw, as always a pleasure to see your videos, huge thanks and respect Jonas :)
Yes, you certainly can do this on the plugin as well. It will probably sound a bit different (the plugin is based on filter mk2 while I had my MS-20 in mk1 mode for this video) but you should be able to get very close.
And indeed, the MS-20 is an acid beast, you don't even need any external distortion. The filters are amazing when you're overdriving them.
The process I followed for this video was the following:
1. Create the patch I need
2. Record the audio
3. Take a picture
4. Continue
5. Build and mix the full track
And then when doing the video I used the pictures to recreate the patches again to show and explain.
It was quite labor intensive but that's the way it is with these classic analog synths.
@@Estuera Wow you put a lot of work into these videos then, it's almost twice the work. I wouldn't have a clue though how to patch the cables, only a basic understanding/or youtube help. Probably the solution is diving into it and learn it.
Indeed, dive in, read the manual, check youtube and dive in some more. It looks a lot more complicated than it actually is.
My very dirst synth in 1980! :)
здорово
Спасибо :)
MS-20 is THE electro synth
When i try to create percussive sounds like that in my DAW it typically breaks down, stops doing any sound and then i just restart and stick to pitching around and filtering a of the preset samples. :/
Back in 2014 i had selfmade software where you had to write each instrument as a math function... it was weird, hacky, but you could play around with modulation 'n stuff and the low sample rate gave it an interesting timbre. Sadly it also introduced stray frequencies all over the place which i didn't bother to remove back then. Have to re-write some of those tracks at some point...
That's a strange issue you're having there. Which DAW you are using ?
@@Estuera LMMS, but i'm running it on windows (used to have only a laptop with ubuntu). Some of the problems occur less frequent when i delete a few directories because it still tends to write \/ or /\ in some places when replacing / with \, causing error... the workaround is to produce the "complex" part in a separate project and then use the exported sound as a sample.
Never used it myself. Good you found a workarround
@@Estuera I have a talent for getting strange Computer issues because i always max out the capabilities of whatever software i'm trying to use. And since i often settle with open source stuff that was probably not aimed for that stuff... but then again, somewhere out there there is a guy proving power point to be Turing complete, so at least i'm not alone.
Some people like living on the edge indeed :D
I've had my fair share of those experiences as well. I once did a linux from scratch build on a EEE asus netbook. Compiling for days ...
I go into software development a bit later so I guess I learned a thing or two along the way