Korg MS-20 Tips & Tricks - Chapter 2: Overdrive

Here's the second tutorial for Korg MS-20.
This time I'm going to show you how to get an overdriven sound using the External Signal Processor.
I will also use some of the techniques showed in the previous video ;-)
Enjoy!

[@shashmedia]

Your videos are great, easy to follow and a real god send for MS20 mini owners. Thank you for taking the time to do them.

[@roberti6433]

THIS is SO great! This actually rivals some of the crazier sounds I am able to get from my Moog Sub 37 when pushing it this direction...but having learned synthesis back in 1981 on original MS20, I may just have to finally get a MS20mini. Thank you!

[@arieloxford6790]

This is SOOOOOO USEFUL!!!!! thank you!!!!! Just taken delivery of an original MS-20 and SQ-10 sequencer :-))))))))

[@ArrayzableMusic]

Very cool! Great tutorial! with a nice teaser! Can't wait for the next video in the series!

[@anaraug]

This is magical. I have this slight feeling that if I had an MS-20 I'd never get bored enough with the sounds it can make without patching to ever try it. Of course if I had one who knows what I'd actually do.

[@edwardprue]

Really nice, Gattobus! Thanks for posting. I've seen the "external-out-to-ESP-in" tip before, but this is the first time I've heard it. Yes, it's quite different - and very nice! For all you fence-sitters out there, I saw Guitar Center advertising the Mini for $549 ($50 off the normal $599.) Of course, you won't regret it at any price - an awesome sweet-then-nasty noise machine!

[@illDiology]

Awesome patch! I've wanted a MS-20 mini to go along with my minibrute for quite a while now. Maybe I'll get it for myself for Christmas.

[@matthiasfaber2355]

Awesome - that sound is blowin' me away - wow!

[@seanhanni3449]

justice sounds so good on the ms-20

[@lrok7941]

Thank you so much for this tutorials!! That sounds awesome!

[@sysexstudio]

Nice tutorials! Awesome sound!

[@BeholdJesse]

Awesome tutorials, thank you, great for learning

[@matthewfox398]

This is incredible. Thank you!

[@sebprovision]

Another great video. Subscribed, sir :)

[@cesarvalerio4292]

Great job! Greetings from Brasil

[@VolcaRock]

Amazing, this is rock 'N'roll! sounds like my guitar on dope ;-)

[@filterpunks1892]

Sounds amazing!

[@AJF714]

I gotta get one after watching this!

[@willsanquil792]

wow this is super awesome!!!! more ms20 content please :)

[@diogobrochmann8550]

That's awesome, thanks a lot for that!

[@Zancb]

Awesome dude!

[@alexandrerossignol2991]

Justice - New lands

[@infn8loopmusic]

Amazing!

[@foxglove9]

so simple and so nice

[@mmrva]

I'm in love!

[@alternatingbitmusic]

Super cool!!

[@gregkeen6637]

Wicked sound!

[@simonburns1055]

Its right out there...

[@YlowX7]

Another way to do overdrive on the ms20 connecting output to esp, bp esp out to ext in, and headphone out to interface or something. It creates a completely different sound which makes the filters' resonant peaks to go down in pitch creating some really weird and trippy filter sounds. The pitch moves in an unpredictable manner, based on the amplitude of the signal or whatever. the pitch changes up to the normal pitch when the signal gets weaker. Let me know if this is unhealthy for the synthesizer. I have an ms20mini. Edit: I just found another configuration that sounds totally glitchy man. signal out to esp in, esp out to ext in, bp esp out to interface. Adjusting both filters frequencies and resonances creates some unpredictable sounds. So now I have 3 different ways to do overdrive on my ms20mini.

[@mrskullandoneeye]

damn that was a good patch!

[@dysamoria]

Great sound; thanks for the tutorial. I tried something similar on my own with an MS-20 Mini I just got, but I put the headphone output into the ESP In and put the ESP output into the Ext In. Didn’t get anything nearly as good. What’s the cause for the difference?

[@giatomm]

Justice!

[@YlowX7]

No need for an external overdrive pedal for this beast.

[@LPMasterFerkel007]

Was that Justice - New Lands you played there at the end?

[@HansBaier]

Awesome

[@BeatsByJarel]

You should make more tutorials

[@valensomm]

can you make a video showing how to make those squeaky resonance acid sounds?

[@theinternetseekers2436]

Dude, can you help me work out the Soulwax Krack patch??? I've tried so many times to get this patch right but i just cannot get close, its sending me insane, pls help!!!!

[@andresrosado7955]

nice!!!

[@WARDISWARD]

Is the overdriven sound (when using esp ) also coming out of the headphone output , I guess not

[@BrownieSomma]

This tutorial is great! I only have one silly question: What are you using for an FX processor?

[@NinoNiemanThe1st]

Not a silly question at all! It's key to getting the sound in the video. I replicated the settings on th iPad iMS-20 and get a close sound to the authors, of course without the effect (I think a space/reverb is at least part of it).

[@MisAnnThorpe]

@@NinoNiemanThe1st Well, that might not have been a stupid question Nino but this one almost certainly is! I've been trying to replicate you "paraphon(e)y" tutorial and for some reason it just doesn't work on mine. As soon as I play a higher note, the lower note just disappears, as is normal with higher note priority, mono synths. Also I tried the alternative you showed, where you held down the note on VCO2 with the hold button and again, nothing happened! Am I missing something very obvious here or is my MS20 not working as it should be? The paraphony trick isn't reliant on a stereo output cable or something by any chance? Again, apologies for the genuinely stupid questions?

[@NinoNiemanThe1st]

@@MisAnnThorpe No question on the MS-20 is stupid, it's a rather temperemental synthesiser and has always been considered thus! I must admit I only have the iPad version of the synth, so perhaps things are quite different. It sounds like you have perhaps identified a bug in the original MS-20 - are you using the original keyboard or a software version? I'm not sure what to do to fix your problem - perhaps you could contact Korg to find out why? It certainly sounds like a strange issue! Sorry I can't help more, but good luck and let us know how you go.

[@MisAnnThorpe]

@@NinoNiemanThe1st Sorry Nino, I forgot to mention mine is a mini. Thank you very much for taking the time to reply to me. Will certainly let you know if I should manage to find out the cause of and/or solution to the problem. All the best to you.

[@NinoNiemanThe1st]

@@MisAnnThorpe Oh you have the real one! You are very lucky, they are a genuine classic synth, though I have always been aware they are quite a temperemental beast. Good luck working it out! Perhaps compare your physical unit settings with the iPad version (if you have it) - that might tell you where the problem is. Although remember they were primarily designed as a synthesiser first, and an effects box second. I think most bands would use them for their sounds, then process those sounds though independent reverb/chorus etc. hardware.

[@adrianlemusic]

Great

[@nueschi]

Yeah!

[@k2z3k0]

ok one question,i was always wondering,if you distort your esp like that ,can it damage ,wear out components,or you can enjoy it without fear you brake something eventualy?

[@_hburd]

You should do a video on using eg1 as an oscillator/lfo

[@MisAnnThorpe]

Care to explain Hugo?

[@wandy8675309]

I tried doing this overdrive patch on my MS20mini- not only could I not get any signal to come out of my synth, but when I undid my patching and sent signal to my amp through the main signal out (like normal), it still didn't send any signal! Seems like there must be something wrong with my synth or maybe this effect wasn't intended for the mini? Either way, it seems like I done broke my synth... would appreciate any help from anyone who has had or can diagnose this problem (pls)

[@brokenpoolhall]

Hi, I was wondering, what the main mixer is? I have an audio interface, and was curious what cables you are using to make the mixer connections?

[@simonburns1055]

You have an LED power light on yours?

[@TheSoundEngineAF]

WOW.

[@sebprovision]

Does abusing the ESP like that damage the synth at all?

[@HarmonicaMustang]

Not enough to make it significant. Of course overdriving the MS-20 in this way was not intended by the creators/designers so the components are not built to sustain high gain for excessive periods of time, but then again looking at the original MS-20s today they still hold up well so this shouldn't be a problem, especially on the Mini.

[@WARMTAPES]

will these tips help for the ms 20 mini as well?

[@ShilohJanowick]

thegreatestviewband The circuitry of the two are nearly identical, so yes.

[@javiceres]

Damn!

[@simonburns1055]

How you do that?

[@dockta403]

Hi Gattobus. I've had issues with my 'signal out' since I've got my ms20 (mini). I patch the same way as you, and literally nothing comes out. When I put headphones into my signal out, i get a very faint signal in my left headphone, almost inaudible. You have a very good grasp on the ms20 and its capabilities, I was wondering if you could help me!! I'm pretty bummed, I dont want to, but I think I may sell it if this keeps happening. Cheers

[@gattobus]

the main difference between the "mini" and "kit", other than the filter settings (old/new), is HEADROOM. I tried to replicate most of my patches with "mini" but the signal was clipping very early, in VCF, VCA, and also in the E.S.P. circuit…. so you have to pay attention to the thresholds along the signal path, and set the levels by ear to let the sound flow smooth and without clippings. I think this is also part of the problem of the "hiss" issue, that in "mini" version is quite noticeable…

[@dockta403]

Cheers thank for the info gattobus! thanks for the great videos as well!!

[@GuidoBogers]

Hey man, hope you still got your MS-20 mini. The signal flowing through the patch bay is mono and indeed faint. The phones output on the other hand is amplified and 2x mono so you hear it from two sides (can't really call something like that stereo but anyway) If you want to patch the way that Gattobus is doing, connect the signal out to an amp with a mono cable.

[@dockta403]

ahh thanks so much!! appreciate your answer, I definitely still have the ms20mini haha

[@joeygage162]

+dockta403 I was also having this problem, thought my mini was dysfunctional. This gives me hope, and I do get sound from on of my headphones if I plug headphones into the signal out. Leads me to believe it's not broken at all. How do I practically carry out this patch? Someone mentioned running the signal to an amp with a mono cable... what kind of amp? Where do I get started?

[@barbosa8498]

Eargasm 🤌

[@xb5883]

The Tasmanian devil

[@nicodemosmusic]

Does this work with the mini?

[@MisAnnThorpe]

This is the mini!

[@MisAnnThorpe]

Sorry, this might actually be the full size kit.

[@malatia7575]

This is s excellent work. But why cannot reproduce it at all in the shitty ios ims20 app???????????

[@Petee92HTID]

+Manfred klaus Because it is an app, you need to get the real thing

[@HarmonicaMustang]

Because software has thousands of dB's of headroom so there is no way of clipping the signal, which is demonstrated here. In order to create the most extreme sounds with synths, you need to break the rules of the original designers intention; software/plugin synths are too tamed and safe to achieve what can be done with analogue equipment.

[@JaceCavacini]

You can, but it doesn’t sound as good. You need to mess with the level and filter knobs on the ESP controls to find a sweet spot.

[@BougieButler]

Can the mini do any of this or should I be prepping a reverb account to sell? 🤔

[@pragmamagma923]

Can. Sounds the same - just checked it out

[@simonburns1055]

The Who did something like this