This information is from MS2KTips folder from the korgms2000 yahoo group. Information for the Korg MS2000 Synthesizer.
When using MS2k in unison try adjusting the detune [03E] in edit mode. This detunes
the 4 MS2k voices relative to each other to up to 99 cents (100 cents= 1 semitone
or a 1/2 step). For fatter sounds try increasing the value. The default value is
10 cents. For even fatter sounds also detune the oscillators.
Amp and Filter Velocity Sensitivity
Both the Amp and Filter sections have a menu option (but no knob) for velocity
sensitivity. Don't forget to use these options rather than two of the precious Virtual Patch entries to achieve this. The Filter velocity sensitivity option is
on page 8E, and maps velocity to filter cutoff. The Amp velocity sensitivity option is on page 9E.
just a little eq tip to experiment with if you find your synth patches take up too much room in the front of the mix/ or want them as background- try reducing the high-mid eq (in page 26 of edit screen?) at around 5,000khz by 2-3 decibels- maybe even more- dont forget to take the master volume back up- to even it out. similarily if a patch is too muddy try reducing the low mid at around 200-250khz by 3-4 decibels and bringing up the master up to match the reduction in volume. the eq in the ms2k can be used very effectively if used properly- if people are interested i would try and find a list i have which explains what fundamental frequencies do what when reduced/boosted, anybody?
Constant pitch over the keyboard range
A constant pitch (C4) over keyboard range can be achieved by routing [KBD TRACK] to [PITCH] in the VIRTUAL PATCH and set the intensity of the modulation to -48. (Useful for drum sounds)
Don't forget the EQ's when creating patches
On Page 24 of Edit mode you have access to a 2 band equalizer for your patch. Really useful for fattening up bass sounds, livening up lead sounds etc.
Thought as i had my old eq chart to hand i could share what it says:
40hz- increase to cause nausea in club mixes
50hz- increase for fuller low frequencies decrease to reduce bass 'booom'
81.102?hz That magic 'Female' frequency- increase, increase, increase dammit!!
100hz- Increase- hardens low frequencies, adds warmth and fullness reduce to remove 'boom'
200-300hz Increase to add fullness decrease to remove muddiness
400hz- Increase to hear bass in 'home-stereo mixes' reduce for club mixes
800hz- increase to add punch to the low end decrease to remove unwanted presence of synth
1.2-1.5khz increase to for presence decrease to reduce 'lifelessness'
5khz increase for uppermid presence and attack reduce to take the sound further back in mix
7khz- increase for sharpness
10khz- increase to 'brighten' leads etc
12-14khz the 'air' frequency increase to add 'air'
thought people could add to this as they go along- its by no means complete and its subjective, although these frequencies have been recognised to cause such
psychoacoustic phenomenea the desired results depend entirley on your monitoring
setup, listening space (acoustics, ambience etc) and style/ complexity of music,
so think of this as a rough guide- one common technique i use is to find the fundamental frequency that i want to reduce or increase is to do just that, take
off -2 or add 2 db (or more) to the roundabout frequency and then go through the
different frequecies to see whats closest to the sound i have in my head- remember this doesn't work with the sound in isolation so make sure everythings
playing and experiment- also remember to make up the master gain/volume after you eq'd to bring the sound
to its intended level- i only say this as i prefer to reduce than boost but didn't find this a useful technique until i realised that by reducing a frequency
your reducing the volume by a proportional amount and that need to be adjusted to
keep the sound in the song.
have fun, and pls add/ correct or post your suggestions to make this better.
smeg
Funky Riddims
Create strange and funky beats by using the LFO's and tempo locking them...but use different Sync Notes. For example, map LFO1 to AMP level and LFO2 to CUTOFF
freq. Sync LFO1 to 1/4 or 1/16 (or whatever) and LFO2 to something else, say, 3/16. Cool effect, no? Well, if it isn't, try using the mod sequencer and use
SEQ1 to modulate pitch. Modulate the step sequencer until you get a nice rhythm.
LFO2 to Pitch
LFO 2 is used to control the vibrato via the Mod Wheel, so use that instead of snagging a virtual patch spot. Look on page 4C of the
edit menu to adjust the intensity.
MS2000 extended delay.txt
From: KB6402000
There is a way to DOUBLE the delay time in the effect section:
Normally the maximum delay time is about 1.5 seconds when the delay time value is set to 127 (maximum), but if you set "TEMPO SYNC" to "ON" in
the delay effect section and choose 1/1 in the "SYNC NOTE" delay parameter AND
set the sequencer tempo to 90 beats/min, you'll get about 3 seconds of delay!
Note: if you try to set the sequencer tempo lower than 90, you'll get the equivalent to setting 1/2 ratio(even though 1/1 is showing) in the
"SYNC NOTE" parameter, thus giving you about 1.5 seconds delay again.
Also give the synth a few seconds to synchronize the delay to the tempo to get a steady delay.
Of course you can choose any tempo value between 90 and 300 (maximum) to get a delay between 3 seconds and about .7 seconds with "SYNC NOTE" set
to 1/1.
Have fun experimenting with other "SYNC NOTE" values also...
No Virbrato on Mod Wheel
In the edit menu "04 Pitch" you will find an option for Vibrato Int: xx. If you set xx = 0 your mod wheel will not have any vibrato on it.
You can then set Midi 2 in the Virtual Patch to Cutoff, Pan, LFO Freq or whatever you want, and the mod wheel will control that
parameter instead.
Not again! I overwrote another good patch
Ok, so it is not possible to view the name of a patch before you overwrite it; only the program number (ie. A4) is shown. This is not very safe or reliable
method of saving patches, unless you know what patches correlate to which program
numbers. Using patch buddy can alleviate this potentially disasterous situation. Before you start fiddling with patches, initiate a full MIDI patch dump (page 3F
in Global) to Patchbuddy. Save the file somewhere. Then, program the MS2K at will. Once you have something that's worth saving, open up the recently dumped
.syx file in Patchbuddy to view it. You should see all of your patch names, which should keep you from overwriting an important patch. Remember to dump your
patches regularly to keep the .syx up to date.
OSC1 Tuned Noise
With the Oscillator 1 waveform set to NOISE, setting the 'Control 1' parameter to
24 will cause the oscillator to generate tuned noise. This is a great way to create some very cool sounds. Try different values around 24 (20 thru' 28) to add
a little extra spice.
Poliphony Trick
Set the oscilator 1 to [AUDIO IN]. Connect another synth to its audio and MIDI ins.
You can press as many keys as you want the voices (maximum voices allowd by the external
synth) will get through and are procesed by MS. Pitch modulation cannot be applied to external sound using the [virtual patch].
See what you get
When editing a patch always switch to edit-mode (press the Edit button). This way you can see the the values in the display and will learn! Also
there are a lot of parameters only available in the menu and not directly on the front.
step length values
If seq resolution = 1/4
-1 = dotted 1/8
-2 = triplet of 1/4
-3 = 1/8
-4 = dotted 1/16
-5 = triplet of 1/8
-6 = 16
1 = triplet of 1/2
2 = dotted 1/4
3 = 1/2
4 = triplet of 4/4
5 = dotted 1/2
6 = 4/4
Stuck for a new patch - try the patch randomizer
If you are stuck for a new patch, or want to tweak up an existing one, try the patch randomizer. Download the file "MS2KPatchRand2.zip" from the Utilities
folder of the group's Files section. (Windows only)
Super-Distorto Feedback Patches
Is the MS2K too tame for you? Want that Virus-like bite? Don't worry! With a little genuine modular patching (ok, there's only one connection to make...), a
crazy/distorted/fat/annoying is not far away. Do this: connect the headphone output (or one of the main outs) to one of the audio inputs, adjust the INST or
VOICE levels, and go wild! Watch out for feedback though. Oh, by the way, if you're using the AUDIO IN2 input, be sure to switch it to LINE instead of MIC.
You can "add" a virtual oscillator to oscillator1 by selecting SAW waveform and adjusting CONTROL1 fully to the left(minimum) and
CONTROL2 fully to the right (maximum) and adjusting LFO1 to the desired rate to create two saw waveforms detuned, thus simulating two
oscillators detuned with only a single oscillator!
And, of course, you can mix in osc2 as well to produce a rich 3 osc string, or pad sound! The only drawback is that you loose the ability
to use LFO1 at a different rate for other modulation, and you can only do this trick with OSC1 not both.
Have fun!
Trigger the Envelope
When using the arpeggiator and want the sound to follow the envelope and not the
gateturn the gate to 0. Increase the release for both envelopes. Now the decay and
sustain stages behave the same, so set one of these stages to 0 and adjust the other.
Up-side-down keyboard.
Route [KBD TRACK] to [PITCH] in the VIRTUAL PATCH and set the intensity of the modulation to -63. The lowest
pitch becomes the highest and as you go higher on the keygoard the pitch goes lower. Start on E to play
backwards a C major scale.
Use Arp for auditioning quick moving sounds
If you are creating a patch that will be sequenced for a fast moving piece, use the arpeggiator to audition the sound rather than playing by hand, even
if you don't intend to use the arp in the final sound.
Ok, so we know the MS2K's arp is utter crap. So what? Use it! Specifically, use it in conjunction with the mod sequencer to create off-beat, swingy type
rhythms. Since the arp is off by a half-step to a step, using it with the (more
accurate) mod sequencer creates an undulating rhythm effect. Sometimes it sounds
great, but not always.
Using The knobs For Mixing in
Cakewalk
The audio mixer in Cakewalk allows you to assighn any CC number to the faders, pan pots, or any mixer control. I found that by assighning these to the knobs on
the MS2000 makes for a great hardware mixer interface. Much nicer than using you
mouse to adjust levels and so fourth. All you have to do is right click on any fader in cakewalk and assighn a CC# to a corresponding knob on your MS2000. I
like to use the 16 knobs on accross the bottom of the MS2000 for my track volume
faders. Break out your manual so you can refrence the CC#'s. Then save it as a
template.
Writing names
You can write names using the 16 knobs by holding down [EDIT] button.
You can also use [<] to delete a character or use [>] to insert one. Don't forget to hold [EDIT] button when you edit names. (pg 29 of the Owner's Manual)