We have our second entry from Dagobot.
Enjoy:
If you are one of those Nintendo heads that gets the latest and greatest at each and every launch then you have been enjoying your 3DS for a little bit now. I’m sure you have spent many hours playing through the depth and distance of ‘Pilotwings’, the fast and fun fluid animations of ‘Super Street Fighter IV’ And reenacting the ‘White Knuckles’ video by OK Go. Besides ALL of that and the pre-loaded amenities something else you might have noticed is that your miniaturized console is a compact music studio. It’s true. The Nintendo DS, DSI & 3DS* handhelds (*thanks to it’s backwards compatibility) can easily be transformed into an imaginative magnum opus where you can create sound design and musical compositions on the fly, at will.
This is good news. Because, the ‘games’ at launch were few and far between (No flagship title? No Zelda? What?) Meaning while you are waiting for ‘Kid Icarus: Uprising’ or the re-mastered ‘Ocarina Of Time’ to drop, you can be brushing up on your ‘Korg DS-10’ skill set with it’s two monophonic synths with their own sequencer tracks and it’s four “percussion/drum” voices- think pocket sized ‘Reason’. Or you can manipulate the experimental sounds of ‘Electroplankton’. Or even better yet, PWN the source code of ‘Nitrotracker’.
All you need is that little inspired urge to make music. From Padawan to Master, there’s something for everyone who wants to make that jump from rotten musician to pro-game composer. I’m not just talking some cheap synth throw away either, national and local artists have been using handheld devices such as these to invent some really complex and dynamic soundscapes. Crafting songs and full albums with a sound quality that rivals some of the most respected music production equipment. Check out the Parlophone release ‘The Fall’ by the British alternative group, Gorillaz as an example of how interesting this type of experiment can get.
I spoke to DJ Shanty, a music producer/artist in Salt Lake City to get his take on the tech, the accessibility of utilizing it and what’s next on the horizon.
BSR- What made you decide to use the Nintendo as a musical instrument?
Shanty- I found myself listening to a lot of ChipTune music, and wanted to find a way to make my own. I was looking into ‘Little Sound DJ’ and ‘Nanoloop’ about the same time that the ‘Korg DS-10’ came out.
BSR- What strengths does a handheld system have versus a keyboard workstation or a production center (like an Akai MPC 3000)?
Shanty- Portability is a huge factor. It’s nice having a small production studio in your pocket or backpack for when inspiration strikes. There are times when you’re in the mood to create, and you might not feel the same way by the time you get back home or to the studio. I also love the happy accidents that would happen with it.
BSR- What weaknesses does a handheld system have versus a keyboard workstation or a production center (like an MPC)?
Shanty- The fact that you don’t have a full sized keyboard to stretch your fingers out on, or an MPC style drum grid to bang out beats. The DS has a touch screen, but there’s not a lot of real estate to play with.
BSR- What would you say are the ‘must have’ apps for the Nintendo DS as far as music production?
Shanty- I would suggest the Korg DS-10 (DS-10+ if you have a DSi or 3DS), Rytmik, Rhythm Core Alpha, NitroTracker (if you have a flashcard) and Electroplankton. Glitch DS and CellsDS are cool as well. Actually, CellsDS is better since it’s loop based and you can make more of a song on it.
BSR- What do you enjoy most about this approach?
Shanty- I’ve felt comfortable on hardware that Nintendo makes since I was a kid. I love playing video games and making music. This way, it feels like I’m doing both at the same time. It feels like your playing a really productive video game and then you have a song to play for people after your done.
BSR- Are there advantages/disadvantages for ‘hacking’ this system? And what are they? (I.E. Homebrew apps)
Shanty- If you own an original DS, or a DS lite, I don’t see any disadvantage to using a flashcard to download homebrew apps or backing up your games. If you have a DSi or 3DS, it gets a little tricky. They both have WiFi, and the ability to connect to the Internet. Periodic hardware updates might render your flashcard useless. That’s a problem if you plan on using your DS to browse the web or to download games and content from Nintendo.
BSR- Moving forward, say with the 3Ds- what other types of functionality would you like to see be made either with the system or other applications for handheld music making?
Shanty- I would like to see them use the front facing camera on the DSi and 3DS as a control interface to control echo, decay and filter. It could be used as an instrument, much like a Theremin. The thing it, I have searched the net, and haven’t seen anything documented or in development that any new music software will be coming out this year for 3DS. Something like the Korg M01 that Nintendo released in Japan would be cool. But, I don’t want to have to pay over a hundred dollar for an import.
BSR- Describe your perfect music app for the Nintendo 3D3?
Shanty- I would like a program that had the sampling and wav. Integration of NitroTracker, the analog control of Korg’s DS-10, and the sound library of Rytmik and Rhythm Core Alpha. A 3D MPC style drum grid would be nice too! Since becoming a Korg DS-10 fanboy, I’ve slowly started acquiring a lot of Korg equipment. I currently have the Korg Monotribe in my cross hairs.
BSR- Anything else you would like to add?
Shanty- Check out 8bc.org because it’s a great community of chip tune music makers and producers that upload their music where people can download it for free, you can listen to it and hear what others are coming up with it. It runs the gamut of what can be done.
Shanty can be reached via twitter @djshanty
Download his projects at:
Djshanty.bandcamp.com
RSP-Djshanty.bandcamp.com