A Guide to the Korg DS-10

Use the "Step" sequencer to make tunes if you are unfamiliar with a piano keyboard. The sequencer is a grid, and the filled-in patches represent notes that are played. Tap a spot on the grid to fill it in with white and thereby create a note in that spot. Space notes from left to right to establish the time between them. Set the pitch of notes by placing them at different positions on the vertical grid. Fill in a high square for a high note, and a low square for a low note. Notice how the grid is split into four horizontal sections of four blocks each; these represent musical bars.

Tap out the required notes on the piano keyboard if you are more comfortable using this method. Press the notes on the two octave keyboard to make your tune. The white notes are "natural" and the black notes are "flats." For example, to play "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, play the C, E, G, C, G, E, A, C, E, A, E and C notes on the keyboard. This will repeat, and play the familiar opening. Press the "Record" button if you want to save the pattern you are going to play.

Move your stylus or your finger across the screen to produce notes using the "Chaos Pad." This creates tunes by attributing a jumble of notes based on the movement of your stylus. Play around with the "Chaos Pad" to get used to the sort of sounds you can create. Change the various parameters on the "Synth Edit" page to alter the sound created by your synthesizer. For example, adjust the "Octave" dial to put the notes in a higher or lower octave. To create a bass line, record a tune and then turn the "Octave" dial down.

Create a drum beat using the drum machine. Note that the drum sequencer is broken down into four horizontal sections, like the "Step" sequencer, which again represent bars. Vertically, four different boxes represent different drums. Tap the top line in the desired position to add in a bass drum, the line underneath for the snare drum, and the line underneath that for the hi-hat. Add in special effects using the bottom line.

Use the "Pattern" screen to combine the patterns you have recorded into a full song. Tap each rectangle, which represents a pattern, in your desired order. Alternatively, use the pattern "Step" sequencer to arrange the patterns on a grid. You can set your patterns in the order you want and then allow the song to play in full.