Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Korg DS-10 Virtual Analog Synth for Nintendo DS
By James Grahame
Synthesizer company Korg and software developer AQ Interactive have announced the Korg DS-10 music production system for the Nintendo DS. The $50 package is scheduled for Japanese release in July 2008 - no word when it will officially make it across the Pacific to Thinglandia.
The DS-10 includes a pair of patchable virtual analog monosynths that are loosely based on the classic Korg MS-10. There's also a 4 part drum machine, a six track 16-step sequencer, audio effects (delay, chorus and flanger) and three note entry modes. Sadly, there's no MIDI I/O so you're restricted to creating music with the DS Stylus. One very cool feature is that multiple units can be wirelessly linked to share sounds and form your very own Nintendo orchestra.
This isn't the first time a full music production environment has been crammed into a handheld - Chocopoolp's Microbe offers similar functionality for Palm OS handhelds. However, the DS-10 marks the first time that a major instrument manufacturer has lent their name to such software. Let's hope its a sign of great things to come. [thanks to James Chung, also spotted on Create Digital Music and Music Thing]
See & hear the Korg DS-10 in action [Youtube]
The official Korg DS-10 page
