Hardware sequencers were a fantastic idea: you had a box that did nothing but sequence other gear. Then along came the computer, then the idea of trying to make the computer do absolutely everything all the time, and the standalone MIDI sequencer disappeared. In a bizarre twist of fate, it’s back — on Nintendo DS.

Jed (beatsnbleeps.com) writes to let us know about his DS sequencer, DStep. It’s partly an “homage to the KP3″ from Korg, though unless your fingertip is the size of a DS stylus point, it should be a bit more accurate touch-wise. It’s a very elegant little step sequencer, shown here controlling a Nord Micro Modular. (The modular patch you see on the computer screen is the Nord editing software.) Hardware MIDI support gets hacked into the DS via Collin Meyer’s DS MIDI cable hardware/code solution.

It’s funny, because to me this brings the way you integrate a computer into a studio back full circle. It’s not that you dump the computer — on the contrary, you simply use it as a component in a set of gear.

As for mobile gadgets to work with, this also illustrates some advantages of the DS over the iPhone — well, aside from the obvious facts that it’s far cheaper, you’re not saving up battery life to make calls, and you can play Mario Kart. The old-fashioned game hardware buttons actually come in handy, and they’re ergonomically placed, you get the added precision of a stylus, and the DS hardware is more hackable. Multi-touch would be nice on those faders, though.

If you’re ready to give this a go, here’s what you need:

DS MIDI hack

Tob’s DS MIDI Website

DStep details and ROM download

It’s still in development, so we’ll be watching.

Previously: GrooveStep step sequencer / pattern maker for DS

The DS’ stylus and touchscreen make an ideal pocket-able interface: they’re coupled with friendly, conventional arcade buttons, but provide precise control of visual interfaces without using a mouse. (Touch with fingertips is not nearly as accurate, especially on tiny screens.) That’s already inspired quite a bit of music software, but GrooveStep earns extra points for employing a friendly interface for easy, quick pattern sequencing.

The revelation of a Korg synth for Nintendo DS was big news for modern-style soft synths on mobile Nintendo game systems. But what about some good, oldskool 8-bit Game Boy sounds? Most cartridges have focused on sequencers, not synths and performance — that is, not playing your Game Boy like an instrument. The Pixelh8 project got our attention last summer by attempting to do just that. Now, project creator Matthew (Pixelh8 himself) lets us know his Music Tech Pro Performer, a complete remake of his original project, is available:

Pro Performer Project Page

V1+ brings new features, including nineteen (count ‘em!) pitch sweep options and seven volume envelopes. It maps to scales (major, natural and harmonic minor, whole tone, pentatonic), so you can keep your playing on the right notes. And with intervals/chords, performances modes (porta., tremolo, vibrato, arpeggio), sound effects, unison, and other features, you can get a decent range of sounds. If you’re looking to make your Game Boy into a synth, it’d be hard to go wrong with this one.

Compatible hardware: GBA, GBA SP, & DS Lite (in slot two).

Cost: £30.00 GBP + £5.00 International Recorded 1st Class Shipping for an actual physical cart. No ROM will be made available.

More vids:

St. Patrick’s Day always warms my half-Irish heart. The YouTubers are celebrating by watching user PJ TinWhistler doing his best to bang out Irish Jigs on his Nintendo DS. Give him a few moments to warm up, and it’s actually relatively impressive. (As it happens, the DS gamepad isn’t exactly the most ergonomic musical interface, but he makes do. And he is actually a Celtic musician, not just a DSer.) He diffuses any potential criticism by saying: “This video is boring and sucks. So I don’t need you to tell me.”

He writes in the description:

I finally found an instrument I can play at night without waking up the neighbours. It’s the DS game “Daigasso Band Brothers”.  And here I try to play some jigs before messing up. I think they are:
The Lark on the Strand / Killavil Jig / Jim Ward’s / Geese in the Bog.
Many mistakes but it’s quite hard with all the ornaments and the speed so I guess it’s good enough for a few days of practice. (Damn, I failed the F# attempt…)(By the way, I was holding the camera with my neck.)

Stomp along, everybody!

Now, anyone got Bulgarian folks songs performed on a PSP?

Before I start talking about the fact that there’s a full-featured, stylus-controlled, vintage-gear sampling, officially-sanctioned, drool-inducing Nintendo DS synth plus drum machine plus sequencer reimagining of the classic Korg MS-10 analog synth, I have three words you really don’t want to hear:

“FOR JAPAN ONLY”

Correction: Despite what the website says, the DS-10 is in fact getting an international release!

Product info, specs, samples [AQ Interactive; English]

Blog [Japanese only]

Music sample

Via Music Thing and CDM comments (thanks, Thomas)

Features:

• Dual dual synths: Two patchable virtual synths, with two oscillators each
• Drum machine: Four-part drum machines loaded with samples of the virtual synth
• Sequencer: 2 synth tracks, 4 drum machine tracks, 16 steps
• Effects: Delay, chorus, flanger
• Input methods: Touch-control screen with real-time sound control, a keyboard screen, and matrix screen

Want a killer app for Nintendo DS music making? How about scratching, digitally downsampling, and transmitting MIDI wirelessly (for sync to other effects on a computer)? Yeah, thought you might be interested:

Features:

• load .wav file or live-recorded audio

• scratch
• pitch control
• FX “Retrig”
• FX “DownSampling”
• Midi OUT (wireless)
• stylus control
• NDSMotion control

I love the distinctive digital-sounding effects and the integration of visual feedback with stylus control. Version status is “pre-teta-alpha demo”, so use with caution, but it is freely available for download.

Protein: DScratch
Via Octatone on the CDM forums

Ready to put together a Nintendo DS music studio? Here’s some help:
Hacked MIDI Support for Nintendo DS: DSerial (that’s hardware MIDI)
DSMIDIWiFi Free Download: Turn Your Nintendo DS into a Wireless Synth and Controller
Mobile Music: Tracker for Nintendo DS, DS Homebrew Music Roundup

Two things I find amusing: one, that the music games built for DS haven’t been as much fun as homebrew music “tools.” Two, that there isn’t something like this as a built-in instrument in Ableton Live. Attention, developers, on both counts.

M-06, the previously Japan-only game that allows you to transform a Nintendo DS into a guitar, is coming to the US via Ubisoft, reports Newsweek’s OneUp. (What’s this? DS music in Newsweek? Times have changed!)

Exclusive: Ubisoft to Publish Jam Sessions, an Improved Version of Japanese Cult Hit Guitar Game, in North America This June [OneUp -- and you complain about my headlines being too long?]

OneUp exclusive announcement video

The results aren’t quite competitive with an actual guitar, but as a novelty it looks like great fun, it’s amazing it’s possible at all, and it might actually be useful as a portable songwriting device.

Commercial software isn’t the only way to make the DS into a music controller. We first saw the awesome DSMidiWifi back in November, which allows you to use the DS with any standard MIDI software.

Since M-06 has been out in Japan, we’ve got lots of videos, like Play-Asia’s in-depth overview (prior to the US announcement, so ignore the import mention if you’re in America):

Our friend and resident graphicalist Nat has some great shots of the box art:

DS Guitar…. DS SOLOOOOOOO! \m/ [onetonnemusic]

Thanks to Patrick Murphy for this one.

We’ve already seen the Nintendo DS used as a wireless WiFi MIDI controller. But if you’re longing for some good, old-fashioned, hard MIDI connections to your DS, too, you’re now in luck.

Natrium42, the creator of homebrew-launcher classic PassMe, has built a multi-purpose serial device for the DS called DSerial. Via his schematics, you can support both MIDI input and MIDI output via standard 5-pin DIN cords.

That’s cool enough, but of course you need something with which to use all that MIDI goodness. Tobias Weyand has updated his DS MIDI application so it now supports both wifi MIDI connections (to a computer) and hardware, cabled MIDI connections (to MIDI-compatible synths, keyboards, controllers, effects, guitar controllers, etc., etc.) That makes your DS into an all-purpose MIDI controller for everything you own. Since the previous name, DSMIDIWiFi, doesn’t cover the full range, Tobias has redubbed the application DSMI. (Sounds like some evil branch of the US Defense Department creating killer, mutant dolphin cyborgs. Actually stands for DS Music Interface.)

And this should soon get even better: Tobias is working on keyboard support via DSerial and DSMI for his DS tracker, NitroTracker, which would make the DS into an all-in-one mini music studio.

Grab your soldering iron and your DS and read up on the details.

The hardware hack (DSerial + MIDI) for adding input and output jacks:
MIDI In/Out Hardware for DS [Natrium42 blog]
Schematics and instructions for MIDI on the DSerial wiki

The software side, for wifi support and/or communications via DSerial + MIDI:
DSMIDIWiFi gets DSerial support and becomes DSMI [0xtob’s DS coding blog]