Korg monologue
Lesson 10: Sound recipes to build
Goal: build eight classic sounds from scratch, then compare each with a related factory preset. These settings are starting points from general synth practice, not Korg recipes, so tune them by ear. Knob positions are given as fractions of the full turn.
Start each one from an initialised user slot or Panel Load (Lesson 6), and save the good ones.
| Sound | Oscillators and mixer | Filter and drive | EG | LFO and extras | Compare with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acid bass | VCO 1 saw (or square), VCO 2 off | CUTOFF ¼, RESONANCE ¾, DRIVE ¼ | A/D, ATTACK 0, DECAY ⅓, TARGET CUTOFF, INT ½ | Slides on a few steps, Slide Time about 50% | 014 <epic acid> |
| Detuned bass | Both saw, VCO 2 OCTAVE 8’, PITCH a few cents off, both levels full | CUTOFF ⅓, RESONANCE low, DRIVE ⅓ | A/G/D, ATTACK 0, DECAY short | Cutoff Key Track 50% | 039 Dual Saw |
| Sub bass | VCO 1 triangle, VCO 2 triangle at 16’ quietly | CUTOFF ¼, RESONANCE 0 | A/G/D, short DECAY | None | 017 Dirty Sub |
| Sync lead | VCO 1 saw quiet, VCO 2 saw full, SYNC on, VCO 2 PITCH about +7 semitones | CUTOFF ¾, RESONANCE ¼ | A/G/D, TARGET PITCH 2, INT ⅓, DECAY ½ | Slider on VCO 2 PITCH | 041 Syncwave |
| Pluck or arp | VCO 1 square, SHAPE ⅓ | CUTOFF ⅕, RESONANCE ⅓ | A/D, DECAY ¼, TARGET CUTOFF, INT high | Sequence with Swing about +20% | 052 Arpme |
| Kick drum | VCO 1 triangle, VCO 2 off | CUTOFF ⅓, DRIVE ⅓ | A/D, ATTACK 0, DECAY ⅙, TARGET PITCH, INT high | Play low, OCTAVE switch down | 073 Hard Run |
| Hat or snare | VCO 1 off, VCO 2 NOISE full | CUTOFF high for hats, mid for snare; RESONANCE ¼ | A/D, very short DECAY for hats, longer for snare | Mix in VCO 1 triangle at low pitch for a snare body | 080 <afx beat> |
| Laser zap | VCO 1 saw | CUTOFF ½, RESONANCE ½ | A/D, DECAY ¼, TARGET PITCH, INT full | LFO 1-SHOT on PITCH for a second drop | 068 Loud Siren |
What to listen for
- Acid: the squelch comes from resonance plus a short envelope on cutoff. Record a motion sequence on CUTOFF and EG INT for the classic evolving line.
- Kick: the punch is the pitch envelope. Too long a DECAY turns it into a tom; too short loses the body.
- Hats: short decays and a high cutoff. Use active steps and Swing to make a single noise sound feel like a hat pattern.
Exercise 10
Build a full one-synth groove in one program: a kick on steps 1, 5, 9 and 13 using a pitch-enveloped triangle, and short bass notes on the off-beats, using per-step motion on EG INT and CUTOFF so the kick steps get a big pitch drop and the bass steps don’t. It’s a stretch exercise, but it uses almost every lesson.