updated 21/apr/09 with new programs!
the nintendo ds is an excellent platform for homebrew audio software – here’s a mostly complete list of some of the excellent free and commercially available sound toys that are available for the platform.
bliptracker
by dan/remaincalm
drum machine & sequencer
(source code available)dsmcu
by dan/remaincalm
MCU-compatible mix controllerSeno
by A128
grid-based sequencer
groovestep
by bioroid
incredibly powerful sequencer/synthds-10
by korg
commercial sequencer, very good!
cellsDS
by Clone45
experimental lua sequencer
nitrotracker
by tobw
awesome tracker, just updated to v0.4!kaosDS
by tobw
converts touchscreen data into midi over wifi
Protein[DS]
(dscratch) by gorgull
sample looper, scratcher, glitcher
dstep v2
by evil jed
cool looking sequencer
glitchDS
by Clone45
really powerful cellular automation sequencerrepeaterDS
by Clone45
stuttering sample player
midipad
by Benji7905
a better kaoss clone
toypiano
by Brian Grogan Jr
sampled piano
(source code available)
dstar
by therain
midi sequencer
monome ds
by GrizzlyAdams
monome emulation (midi control)
(source code available)
soundcells
by pakl
cool-looking experimental synth
(source code available)
ukulele
by pakl
sampled ukulele
dssynth
by evan morris
dsmi synth, looks interesting!
(haven’t tried it yet, source code available)
MIDI Jammer
by Andrew Buch
graphical midi tool
AXE
by tepples
chiptune solo! great fun
(source code available)
pulse ds
by tobw
psg midi synth
(source code available)
sampling keyboard
by tobw
kinda like a casio sk-1
(source code available)drummers v2
(haven’t tried it yet)
FUDI Kaos DS
(haven’t tried it yet)
knobs and sliders
(haven’t tried it yet)
drum me
sampled drum kit
strum me
sampled guitar
please leave a comment if i’ve missed any!
if anyone knows anything about the wireless protocol korg are using for that thing, can they please contact me? cheers.
I can’t find the official link, but this “DS Drum Machine” (TR-909) looks promising…
http://dl.qj.net/index.php?pg=12&fid=5368
Great page! Keep up the good work! 😀
the tr-909 looked great, but disappeared a LONG time ago. doesn’t run on any modern flash cards, either. bliptracker does a lot of what that one does, though.
OH! You MADE bliptracker! lol Silly me… I’ll have to check that out! I love how music can be made “on the go” with the ds! Drum machines and trackers in our pockets…two decades ago this would have blown people’s minds… tracking in DOS and all…
yep. i still like the korg ds-10 one the best though. every now and then i still miss my train station because of it.
when i get a chance, i’ll be adding a few more to this, notably groovestep, which is definitely worth checking out as well: http://www.groovestep.com/
well i should probably get to bed… but see if these are any good…
http://www.groovestep.com/
(sequencer of sorts?)
heh! Groovestep was on my mind as well…
k, updated with a couple i’d left out. please let me know if there are any others!
Awesome!!! I’ve been looking for a list like this!!! I tried nitrotracker, but no sound comes out, any ideas?
nitrotracker needs to have WAV samples loaded or it doesn’t do anything. chuck a couple of smaller drum samples on there and go nuts, it’s an excellent app.
coooooooooooool!!!!!!! drum kit!!!!!!! thanx 🙂
this Seno thing looks pretty cool…
God dag! Kan jag ladda ner en bild fran din blogg. Av sak med hanvisning till din webbplats!
Pixelh8 has released his apps as freeware. Be aware they need a GBA cart to run though.
Music Tech Pro Performer
http://pixelh8.co.uk/software/
Going to pick up a slot 2 device soon and give this a go.
Shit, thanks! I’ve been wanting these!
hey…umm..i have a DSi….can i use these apps with the sd card ….??
help please (btw..i dont have an r4)
Seno DS has new screenshots and new features
check here
http://a128.blogspot.com/2009/08/seno-ds-new-ui-new-sequencer-nds-2009.html
I will post a video soon…a release candidate will posted in a few weeks.
Nice collection. But isn’t there a little program where you can create sheet music on a DS, and listen to it ? And save it ? Like, when you travel for 2 hours in a train, have an idea for a nice tune, create and save it, and continue working on it when you’re home ?
Seno DS new home is
http://a128.wordpress.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGF-uhrtT98
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He1hpVJyCqI
Thanks for a great list!
Dont know if you still update this page, but here is two new adds for you;
– Pixelh8 Music Tech Master Stroke DS
http://pixelh8.co.uk/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juz6OHpYGBk
– TonesynthDS
http://ndscomposer.blogspot.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mdchh4GWcw
Peace!
Here another one:
http://drummer.alsoplantsfly.com
definitely looking forward to seeing what you have planned next. Any news on what you’re working on?
Hi, Have been using these programs for a while, haven’t yet seen a way of generating and dumping a midi file? For example a very basic set of samples could be stored with the nds file, enough to work with whilst on the move, allowing you to make a beat and dump the midi file when you get back to the workstation.. Any idea’s on this topic? Thanks in advance. Ps Good work on the blog, shame there hasn’t been much recent development since ds-10..
I haven’t tried it for a while, but I think Bliptracker will send MIDI over the network if you hook it up via DSMI – so you can record the MIDI in your DAW later on.
Not 100% sure of this but probably worth a shot.
Seno’s (Grid-Based sequencer) new link:
http://senods.blogspot.com/
Opps. mis-posted:
[quote]anyone know how to contact Chism?
bobafettfan.jordan(at)gmail.com[/quote]
you miss lmp, the best! it a ipod nano clone!
Like the Nintendo Wii, there’s a piss-poor library for the DS
Please take a look at Rhythm Core Alpha in the DSiWare store! It has a 12 track, 64 step drum sequencer with 122 sounds, an 8 track, 64 step instrument sequencer with 166 sounds, the ability to build up to 100 64 step loops, a 1000 step pattern mode, and a special 2D solo mode that lets you play along using the stylus.
Even better, the +Control Pad can be used to change the key and scale on the fly, and the pattern mode can also sequence these changes. The selected key and scale are also used by the solo mode, so you can’t hit a wrong note! You can also reassign the +Control Pad to control which loop block is playing, or set it to jump to different steps in the pattern mode, giving you real flexibility in how you play a song.
There are also a full set of sequence editing commands like time shift, copy, random, echo, scale velocity, and transpose. There is a unique selection screen that lets you select non-contiguous ranges of beats for quick editing. You can even select multiple tracks for any particular edit operation.
The program also has Mute and Solo buttons for each track to allow on the fly mixing.
Every sound can be adjusted with a full ADSR envelope, and extra volume and pan controls. The upcoming European release includes additional sound mangling options.
It’s definitely the most powerful music creation system on the Nintendo DSi, and it’s only 500 Nintendo DSi Points ($5 US, 5 Euros).
There is more information at http://www.rhythmcorealpha.com .
Here’s another one [Dbay v1.0.r23] for the pile…
*admin edit: broken link*
admin: that link is broken here – this one works though: http://checkpoint.untergrund.net/dboy/dboy_v1.0.r23/
Hoi, where to get korg ds for my nintendo ds xl?
I am from holland.
Thanks.
Ton Wijnen.
wijnet@msn.com
the nintendo ds is an excellent platform for homebrew audio software – here’s a mostly complete please leave a comment if i’ve missed any! . know u had 2 hole L & r buttens to get working. happy days cos been trying it for ages. cheers ..
We just released Rhythm Core Alpha 2 for Nintendo DSi and 3DS. It is available as a download in the eShop. We really added a lot of new features!
• Drum Pad screen
• Mixer screen
• Solo screen now includes 10 different variations
• 1,2, and 3 row tradtional piano layouts.
• 8 way grid
• 6 way grid. *
• “Wide” mode with large buttons for fingers!
• Customizable grid arrangement
• Notes light when played
• Sample-based synthesizer engine has been enhanced:
• ADSR volume envelope*
• Pitch Envelopes
• Envelopes curve control
• Vibrato (multi-waveform, including square wave variations for chiptune arpeggios) +
• ECHO!
• PORTAMENTO!
• Key/scale changing buttons can change block (loop) or pattern step.*
• Record solos and key changes+
• “Block Lock” mode always edits playing block. (Good when recording solos across multiple blocks!)
• Individual blocks (loops) can be saved and loaded from system memory. Over 90 example loops are included for use in your own songs.
• Export MIDI files to SD card!
• Loads RCa1 songs!
• Tracks and blocks can be renamed.
• New sounds and samples.
• Many other tweaks and features!
(* = Rhythm Core Alpha 1 feature that bears repeating. + = feature that first appeared in the European release of RCa1.)
I hope you can add it to the list! Our website is still http://www.rhythmcorealpha.com and we have screenshots, videos, songs, press-releases, etc. on there.
The game page on Nintendo’s site is at http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/lVrE9K0JZDCsQ7cMZh_CHYA-fjcjPjTN
What about “Electroplankton”?
Not sure if that one is still available, but I still have it on my DS.
When used through lush reverb effects, very useable.