KORG MS 10 - Basic Patches

Part of my Covid 19 isolation tasks is to make friends with some of my old synths that I usually don't get much time to play.

Starting at the beginning is the MS10. Though overlooked my many as the lesser of the MS family, I think its unjustly ignored. Released in 1978, it's been used by artists such as the Chemical Brothers, Astral Projection, Autechre,  and Underworld. It's a beautiful piece of history, dripping with personality.

The MS 10 has most of the patching already done internally. So you don't need to use the patch bay to get sounds out of it. However, once you master the patch bay, you will get some amazing stuff.

The MS 10 is a good introduction to the Korg MS family.
The inputs are on the top, the outputs on the bottom, and the CV/Gate stuff is in between.
Inputs: 
1. Oscillator Frequency
2. Osc PWM
3. External input into the LP filter
4. CV control of Filter Cutoff
5. VC control of VCA
6. VCO CV in
7. Trigger in

Outputs
1.MG output  (LFO) - triangle & saw
2.MG output (LFO) - square wave
3. EG output - reverse envelope
4. Pink noise
5. White noise
6. Mod wheel CV
7. Keyboard CV out
8. Trigger out


If you study the signal flow chart, its a simple VCO ---> VCF ----> VCA ----> output signal path.
There are 5 possible modulation sources: EG, MG, the mod wheel, the keyboard and noise.

The EG is hardwired to the VCO, Filter & VCA.  (There are attenuators for the VCO & filter) .
The sawtooth waveform of the MG is hardwired to the VCO pitch & Filter (There are attenuators for both) .
If we wish to use the square waveform of the MG, we need to use the patch bay.

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1. Basic (neutral) starting patch. 
(Good for bass lines)
Turn down all knobs except the pitch (in middle) , Filter cutoff (open) , sustain (Max).
Waveform : Saw or Square

Scale : 32"

2. PWM fattening the bass.

To fatten out the sounds you can also do PWM (Pulse width Modulation).
The modulation source which you pick will change the shape of your square wave .

The most obvious source is to use the MG (modulation generator). This is basically an LFO.

Plug the MG out into the PWM input. Change the shape of the MG to a symmetrical triangle.
Raise MG frequency to 1.
Select a square wave on the Oscillator.

You can also use other modulation sources such as the
1.MG output  (LFO) - triangle & saw
2.MG output (LFO) - square wave
3. EG output - reverse envelope
4. Pink noise
5. White noise
6. Mod wheel CV 

This is one thing you can't do on the MS 20 as it doesn't have a PWM input.

A variation on this is to patch the reverse EG into the PWM input.

3. Singing Voice
This uses the modulation wheel.
It's modulating the filter cut off frequency.

Play around with the scale knob and the LFO (MG)

 4. STEAM Train.
The VCO source is noise

Open up the filter fully.
The MG controls the rate of the steam puffs
Tweak the EG .

just one patch cable is needed.
This single patch cable (from the square out of the MG or LFO to trigger in) is a very useful.
Use it on the other VCO waveforms.

A variation on this patch

Plug in either pink or white noise into the external filter input.
Then change the osc from noise to a saw/ square etc.
Or plug in external audio instead of noise.

5. Lead Patch
Filter:      Open up the cut off frequency ( 6-7).
Envelope: open up the  sustain (8 - 9) . Release is at 2.
                  Everything else is at zero.
VCO :       Pulse wave. 16 "

Assign the inverted envelope to modulate the pulse wave.
We can do this via the patch panel.
The pulse width knob (PW/PWM) will now control the modulation amount.

Add some noise by patching white noise into the external signal input.
 The external signal level will control the amt of noise you hear.

Have the mod wheel control the filter's cutoff frequency.
You can now close the filter to about 5 - 7
The modulation amount is controlled by the EG/EXT knob under the filter section.
Crank the resonance (peak knob) up to self oscillation levels (8)

Add some portamento

6. Continuous sound 
(Noise in this example)
This is a Mod Wheel VCA patch

Here the mod wheel controls the VCA.
At the wheel's highest level, it will fully open the VCA, so the noise will pass through to the output
without you having to touch a key.

7. Filter Tracking
 Patch KBD CV out ------> Filter cutoff frequency

Filter will be closed on lower octaves & open on higher octaves

8. Mod wheel - Filter & VCA
Use a double adapter.

 Here the mod wheel can open both the filter & the VCA


Links & references
+ First Patch - Korg MS-10 | Red Bull Music Academy