The NTS-1 is a GREAT Synth by Itself!

The NTS-1 is a GREAT Synth by Itself!
Today I'm back at the NTS-1 with a little recap on what makes it such an awesome standalone synth, especially for $119 US! While seemingly pretty simple, the actually sound design capabilities are quite deep once you factor in the effects section and any 3rd party content you may have installed on it. Be sure not to miss the modulation options as well, the LFO is pretty hidden but can do a lot for your patches! Enjoy the video :)
Hammondeggs Cathedral Reverb:
hammondeggsmus...
My favorite gear in one list, courtesy of zZounds.com:
www.zzounds.co...
GEAR IN THIS VIDEO
Korg NTS-1: amzn.to/3SxtEer
Zoom Livetrak L-12 (audio recorder): amzn.to/3gESSu5
Questions? Ask them below!
Support the Channel: / freebeat
Bandcamp: free-beat.band...
Follow me on Instagram: / freethebeat. .
If you enjoy this video, considering subscribing to the channel! It's free, and I upload new content every single day!
All links in this description are Amazon affiliate links, the gear is the same price to you, but I get a small kickback when you use these links! It's an easy way to support the channel at no extra cost.

[@weepz]

Wow! That cathedral reverb effect was so good!

[@rayderrich]

As soon as you switched on the arp plus effects I was feeling why this NTS-1 has a place in this world. Wonderful.

[@FreeBeat]

Oh yeah, it's fantastic!

[@Jjjjjay37]

@@FreeBeat Is it hard to learn using it as well as u do..never had this kind of "machine". One of my favourite artist is Tomita and Mort Garson, and it would be nice to do music like them. This have to be use with pc computer or is speakers enough or..i have no idea, plz hints!

[@marcogargiulo1824]

seems like a good place to start learning about synths

[@noomnoom8469]

It is. But also shows up the versatility of digital synths.

[@FreeBeat]

It definitely is a wonderful starting point. I especially love that once you "outgrow" the synth in it (if that's even possible), it can still provide great effects to whatever gear you get next!

[@marcthenarc868]

Just realized how lazy I am for not diving more into menus like that. Gotta up my game. Thanks you for this presentation. 🙏

[@FreeBeat]

Have fun! Thanks for watching :)

[@raymiller315]

Love my NTS, even if purely for the cathedral reverb as my effects on my modular stuff. Need to spend some more time with the ARP, don't think I've touched even half the options there, thanks for showing them!

[@unclebuttonz7865]

Personally, the ARP is incredibly playable. Shifting between different amounts of notes played, type of arpeggio, and chord style can really create some delicious sounds.

[@FreeBeat]

It's a lot of fun! Thanks for watching :)

[@Jjjjjay37]

@@FreeBeat Is it hard to learn using it as well as u do..never had this kind of "machine". One of my favourite artist is Tomita and Mort Garson, and it would be nice to do music like them. This have to be use with pc computer or is speakers enough or..i have no idea, plz hints!

[@Niven42]

The "VolcaBass" oscillator includes a new arp function that is essentially a 16-step sequencer.

[@walnawk]

This is awesome, love the budget synths!!!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@returnofthegoth2220]

Still remains the best budget gear I own and maybe ever will.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah it's gonna be hard to beat at that price!

[@rathnapish]

Going back to mine. That jam ! Thanks for opening up the ARP options ...new to me.

[@FreeBeat]

Happy jamming!

[@dreamstaticsounds]

Also, great job showing it off. I thought I knew all the options but I did not know about the scale options! Very cool!

[@Delphinixa]

Hold down Reverb-knob to access the Dry/Wet level for the effects :)

[@FreeBeat]

I always forget that one, thanks for the reminder!

[@kengreen6901]

Such a great video, love this one. So much help here for us.

[@Niven42]

I just bought one and it is insane. The downloadable oscillators😊 are amazing. There are even drum machines.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah! Glad you're liking it :)

[@kengreen6901]

Drum machines, please do tell!

[@synaesmedia]

That's great. Didn't know about the LFO!

[@FreeBeat]

It's a neat feature for sure, thanks for watching!

[@notforwhat_sodane]

USB power should be available on all the volcas too. Great vid it sold me on this synth, I feel like it's been a bit overlooked

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much!

[@unclebuttonz7865]

In the height and heat of the summer, I took this out with me for walks, as I'd idly switch up and morph my groove. Once you become familiar with its limited settings, it is easy to unleash its capabilities on the fly without the need to look at the unit. My only gripe is that with enough wear and tear, I've needed to resolder the headphone jack as one of the channels came loose.

[@FreeBeat]

That's awesome, thanks for watching!

[@mrgratis561]

Thanks for uploading. Learned something new.

[@Eli-of5D]

I totally love mine!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@scottlarock7924]

Very cool. Glad to find this . . .

[@dreamstaticsounds]

I miss using my NTS-1. I damaged mine trying to replace some knobs I put on it that turned out to be too small. It still works but when you're not using the knobs anything you still have selected will randomly change because of the damaged encoders. One of these days I'll buy another one.

[@SithMirth]

Good god man. You already got me buying a Teenage Engineering Arcade for my son and a Volca Sample for myself! Are you *trying* to make me spend all my money?!? 😄

[@wiggesobk]

Yes that little synth is so powerful! Do you plan to get the NTS-2 as well?

[@marcthenarc868]

The NTS-2 has never had a decent release calendar. A lot of influencers got hold of it for review but even stores in Japan don't think it will hit the market before January 2023. Mine's been ordered as soon as loopop made the review (in May?) and I'm still waiting.

[@FreeBeat]

I might wind up with one eventually, but it's such a different device I don't really have a need for one haha. Thanks as always!

[@iosmusicman]

Great bit of kit. 🛠

[@FreeBeat]

It sure is!

[@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers]

Cool! I’d love to see more of this unit! Does it have any memory to store ones arps? Will it let you hold down say, 4 notes at ones to create arps? The effects are surprising!

[@mrpsycop3518]

You can't store custom arps in the vanilla setup, but there are 3rd party plugins that do all sorts. For example J6 by tweeeeeak (yes that's the name!) plays chords and has a step sequencer and so much more. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find someone has implemented custom arps in one way or another.

[@FreeBeat]

Mr Psycop nailed it!

[@82motorsports93]

Impressive live session on arpeggiator

[@hovermotion]

I think this channel is the best on KZbin for this device and many other devices, amazing content. Only just recently got a Nts-1 and this has now take the place of my Microfreak which I.have sold on. When the Nts is linked to a keystep 37 its even more stunning. I have three dial knobs on the way to make fine tuning the three dials more accurate.

[@FreeBeat]

Thank you so much for the kind words!

[@hovermotion]

@@FreeBeat I sold my Microfreak when I got the NTS 1. The NTS-1 is so good on its own, I use it with a power brick and then hook it up to a key step 37 on my desk top setup its a stunning synth...Many thanks again for all your info vids on this synth....Jim.

[@mirkomontaldo]

Hello Mate, thanks for all your videos, so interesting and informative. I just got my new NTS-1 after looking at some test and demo from you. I have an issue: the custom OSC Waves didn’t come preinstalled, for some reason… i only see Saw, tng, Vpn in the box. Would you mind to send me that OSC in some way…? I can’t find it anywhere on the web… or on Korg site. I guess you could grab a copy from the librarian SW. Is that possible? Many many Thanks. Cheers.

[@gunnarbirkeland7585]

Hi there, just got my hand on one of these and I am struggling to get my head around some basic sound I/O issues i guess. I got a 3.5 mm stereo jack to 2 * 6.35 mono jacks splitter cable to my mixer and that works like a charm. But how can I, (preferably using only a single cable), get the full audio (stereo) from the NTS-1 into 1 channel (mono) on my hardware sequencer (using circuit tracks) without loosing audio? I am aware I will not get stereo on the tracks (unless I use the splitter cable going into 2 tracks on the CT.). But when I use a standard 3.5mm to 6.35mm jack the output volume signal is extremely low (half I guess). Having the same issue wth my Roland JU-06A. Awesome channel by the way, it is a part of my daily routine. Thank you so much!

[@Александр-й7б9и]

You should get some device between stereo and mono signals. Look for passive mixer

[@baconsledge]

Best bang for the buck!

[@FreeBeat]

Absolutely!

[@soliver68]

One thing to add ist that you could build your own „shield“ (control panel) that replaces the keyboard/led/knobs. Unfortunately there are at least none on the market beside the so called reference custom panel… 😢

[@FreeBeat]

Thank you so much!

[@watkins7086]

What kind of 1/8" cable are you using to get stereo sound? When I try to record mine it is always mono! I must be doing something wrong lol

[@FreeBeat]

Just a normal stereo 1/8" cable haha. What are you recording into?

[@andreash3906]

Great video and sound demo. I've gotten my Nts1 for a few weeks now. I like it but I can't get the software on my pc to recognize the device when its connected. I installed the latest version alongside the driver, but I keep seeing the message that no device is connected. Any suggestions to solve this?

[@FreeBeat]

Perhaps try a different cable and/or port on your PC?

[@HoraceMakeMusic]

I bought mine thinking « coding some crazy custom osc and fx will be a piece of cake » and then struggling to install the développement kit x’) anyway the nts-1 still the best budget fx unit !

[@FreeBeat]

Interesting, I've always wondered how complicated that whole process would wind up being haha. Thanks for watching!

[@sodiumlights]

got the same power bank which runs the blackbox for hours.

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah its solid!

[@jsyarto04]

Nice! Sounded like some music for a horror series!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@Jjjjjay37]

Is it hard to learn using it as well as u do..never had this kind of "machine". One of my favourite artist is Tomita and Mort Garson, and it would be nice to do music like them. This have to be use with pc computer or is speakers enough or..i have no idea, plz hints!

[@joeblogs8204]

Hi could you do a video just explaining the terms like envelope filter etc. I enjoy messing with a volca bass and drum , but I find all the terminology is going over my head. I never manage to reproduce what I do on these machines from one day to the next

[@edbrito-swdev]

Nowadays all budget midi controllers seem to be only MIDI usb. Any budget keyboard (or midi usb to 5 pin din) you'd recommend?

[@bearfishpie4916]

I've been investigating this since discovering I can't easily connect my Arturia Minilab II to the NTS-1. The NTS-1 can receive MIDI via either a mini jack or micro USB, but since it also needs to be powered via the micro USB connector you can't just connect it straight to a MIDI controller and expect it to work. You'd either need to use a PC or MIDI host hub unit to act as a go-between, or get a keyboard with minijack or 5 pin MIDI out (plus a cheap 5 pin>minijack converter). Arturia's newly announced Minilab III has 5-pin midi out, as does their Keystep range. I'm sure there'll be other budget MIDI controllers suitable for the job but haven't looked into other manufacturers' options enough.

[@FreeBeat]

I really like the Arturia Keystep series, which has 5 pin MIDI. I've also noticed a trend of 5 pin MIDI coming back on budget controllers though, which is nice. Thanks for watching!

[@edbrito-swdev]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

[@chiquitacabeza]

Hi, how do you connect the nts 1 to a mixer? Through the headphones out using a TS o a TRS cable?

[@noomnoom8469]

Yes. But just watch that output lead!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@patrickbodine1300]

You must get the Del-8 mod.

[@FreeBeat]

It's on the list :)

[@jimt2430]

Baby Korg Poly-800

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@ray_of_music]

Don’t forget the fact it has a build in speaker!! Don’t use it that much but still..❤

[@dj3tube]

I didnt like the sound at all until 8:25 and from that point on I'm starting the like the sound and gets interesting.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@claudiogianneschi4409]

You can record the song?

[@wollobaldi4043]

Sure the NTS is great in features and sound and fully midi controllable even the effects ( I get it syncronized via VCV) , additonal oscillators effects ect... but the audio/earphones out is extremly sensitive and after some plug on and off it gets broken. I was lucky because it happend in the warranty period , and I get a full refund. But it will happen for sure after sone time because of the cheap build. There are many reports of this and that makes the NTS unusable for home studio or any other continous use and only for some hours of fun it IS expansive!

[@FreeBeat]

I haven't had any issues with mine, but I've seen other folks having some problems. I always try to be as careful as I can with mine, just to be safe. Thanks for watching!

[@dreamstaticsounds]

I mean... It's a hundred dollars for what, in a more sturdy build, would easily cost you three times that with those features.

[@user5812]

Maybe just get a small extension lead to plug into

[@wollobaldi4043]

@@user5812 I had an adapter plugged in and did'nt use the jack on the circuit board directly, but nethertheless it broke. Maybe if someone is very cautios, the nts lying flat on the tabe, the adapter fixed with tape and avoiding any mechanical stress, you may prevent the jack from loosen from the circuit board over time... but not very practical ;)

[@user5812]

@@wollobaldi4043 I meant to say a flexible extension cord. Is that what you used?

[@darkraft1020]

You know whats better than an NTS-1? - 2 x NTS-1's! :D

[@femto859]

My 50 cents - try to have the gear fixed and the table/camera stable

[@TrueTempleDog]

Dich Studios NTS-1 case install kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6DWhoanbMeZgLc

[@johnlocke3481]

I don't really see the value of this. Personally not hearing anything inspiring.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for taking the time to comment anyway!