Given the digital nature of its name, a sequel to Korg NTS-1 Build it yourself synth I always felt like it could be on the cards. The NTS-2 isn’t a complete surprise, but its design – along with the fact that it comes with a supplemental book – comes a bit left.
This is mainly because the central part of the device is not a composite motor but a four-channel oscilloscope. This provides dual stereo inputs, which enable you to study, compare and overlap up to four signals simultaneously. There are several color display modes, an interface that can be navigated with menu buttons, and a clickable encoder.
There is also an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) mode with a real-time spectrum analyzer, along with a dual waveform generator. Each of the oscillators can generate sine, square, triangular, sawtooth, pulse and noise waveforms.
In addition to being used as sound, these sounds can also be used as control voltage sources and set to rotate continuously or act as single-shot pulses. This means you can turn them into LFOs, Envelopes, Actuators and Controls for Voltage Generators, making NTS-2 a potentially useful partner for any accessible combination.
The NTS-2’s slightly unusual feature set is topped off by a tuner that offers multiple display modes. The end result is what Korg calls the Swiss Army Knife Studio for Musicians.
Charging with hardware is Patch & Tweak with Korg, the latest in a series of books from Bjooks. This focuses on semi-standard synthesis, and tutorials, tips and tricks rely heavily on it Korg MS-20 MiniAnd Volca units And Arp 2600 m Synths, along with mint sequencing devices.
The book covers everything from synthesizing basics to advanced sound design, and includes more than 25 new exclusive interviews with the likes of Pete Townshend, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Richard Devine.
You’ll need to build the NTS-2 yourself, but based on our experience with NTS-1, this will be quick and easy.
We’re still waiting for the NTS-2 pricing, and it won’t be available until early summer, but you can learn more about korg website.
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