Shortcut: This software costs fifteen bucks. Fif. Teen. Bucks.
Shortcut: The video tutorial shows an ultra-quick, low-effort, high-reward method of creating your own tune based on the demos that shipped with the software.
Big Picture: This is a “consumer item” that can be used in professional audio production in place of thousands and thousands of dollars worth of vintage stuff.
Big Picture: This video contains a nice overview of how step sequencers are and how they work, in case you didn’t know and/or were wondering.
The smartest fifteen bucks I’ve spent in years got me thousands of dollars worth of modular analog synth fun–and with it’s smart interface and that glowing tone typical of Korg, it’s way useful for professional audio productions. I feel like everything I do on it makes a sound I can use for a gig, and that is the sign of a good instrument.
Here’s what I cover:
–Open a template that you like
–Find where the sequenced note patterns in that template are
–Pick a sequenced note pattern you like
–Alter the specific notes of that pattern
–Alter the looping
–Alter the tempo
–Alter the mix
–Save the new version
OK, let’s do this thing.
–Open a Template That You Like
Click on “browse” in the upper left corner, under the word “session.”
The “Session Browser” window opens up. Click on any of the files and wait a second. They’ll start playing. SO…just click around and find something that’s more or less what you feel like messing with today. When you find it, click the blue “OK” square in the lower right. Your template of choice then opens up in the “synth” window and you’re ready to start editing.
–Find where the sequenced note patterns in that template are
At the top of the screen, you’ll find the heading “components.” Under that, you’ll see four buttons that bring up the four main virtual hardware components of the IMS-20. These are “synth,” “drums,” “song/ptn,” and “mixer.” You’ve got other neat virtual hardware, too, like keyboards, effects, and a pair of Kaos pads, but these are the four that make up the main four screens you’ll be using. You are in “synth” now–click on “song/ptn.”
–Pick a sequenced note pattern you like
OK, first click that white square at the top of the screen under “playback.”
Naturally, you hear sound, and you can click it again any time from any screen to stop it. Let’s hear it for smart design!
You now hear pattern 1 of the template you picked. Now see those big black squares? 
The glowing one that says “pattern 1?” That shows you what pattern is currently playing. Try clicking on the other big squares and see what other patterns they sent you. When you find the one that calls your name, go to “components” at the top of the screen and click “synth.”
Now drag the “KORG ANALOG SEQUENCER” logo down to reveal the sequencer, which is not, like, Nuendo’s MIDI sequencer, but is what we used to call a “step sequencer.” It’s that big rectangle full o’ knobs.
If you’re not hearing sound already, press the square “Playback” button at the top of the screen and notice the red light traveling along the top of the screen. Each vertical row of knobs represents what’s going to happen to the analog synth sound when the red light gets above that column.
Each horizontal row represents…well, lots of stuff. Put most accurately, each knob controls a voltage that will be output to a control input of your choice. But leave that for now: Put most simply: the top row represents pitch at each step, and if you mess with those knobs, you will hear changes in the pitches as the sequence plays. Scramble the knobs up randomly or with Artistic Conscience–either way, you did it, you wrote a piece. Albeit “largely influenced” by the wizards who wrote the original demo files for this software, it is still different–and you can do more to make it your own, to the point where it’s not recognizable any longer, and to the point where, hopefully, it “says something” that comes from you and not as much from the original artist. BUT, that is a “Big Picture,” and we are in the middle of a “Shortcut…”
So…Shortcut. Here’s a way to suddenly change up the tune so it really branches off from what you had before: change the loop point for the melody.
When the light comes on over a step sequencer column, a little pulse of voltage poops out of the “trig out” hole in that column. A “patch cable” (Ooooo, we’re getting Old Skool now!) can be run from any of those “trig out” jacks to the “reset trig in” jack, thusly:
Now, as you might have predicted, when the “patched” step of your sequence plays, the pulse of voltage arrives at “reset trig in,” and that causes the sequence to reset; ie, it starts over from the first step. Put it in an odd time, like 7 or 11 and you will have good luck. And people will finally be able to recognize you for the Prog Rock Genius you are!
That landmark having been achieved, get back to the “components” section at the top of the screen, and once again tap the “song/ptn” button.
That’s where you’ll discover this lovely gem under “Sequencer Settings.” It’s a big knob for a little thing we call Tempo. Turn as needed.
And don’t neglect to twist up all the “mixer” knobs at the bottom of the screen. The first one represents the synth whose tune and loop you just Pwned. The other six represent drum channels which you can either find your way into and mess with, or leave as they are, or turn down and wait ’till next tutorial when I will explore them with you.
For now, adjust the mixer knobs ’till you feel contentment with All Things Everywhere, then get your bad self to the “session” button in the upper left, and hit “save.”
The rest writes itself, as they say. When you give it a name, feel free to name it after me, as I am happy and proud to have been a part of your project and your fun.
So, there it is.
ENJOY.
Next tutorial: The real heart of analog synthesis: Tweaking the SYNTH SOUNDS (as well as the drums.)