Micron Patch a Day

Well that didn't last long, sorry - unfortunately I have long since sold my MS20. It really is a fabulous synth but I didn't have the space for another monosynth and couldn't justify keeping it. And the funds from selling it went towards an OP-1 which I am loving.

Anyway, if anyone has an Alesis Micron, head on over to my blog on sound design for that synth. Feel free to comment and contribute!

Alesis Micron - Patch a Day

MS20 PAW 03 - THE CHURCH OF GHOSTLY

Another patch, another track, this one a work in progress. The MS20 kicks off the track and I add a second MS20 lead line over the arpeggio and bass. The lead patch is slightly different to the bass patch (apart from transposition of course), mainly in terms of LFO modulation. Both are a combination of triangle / square waves.

I have a vocal harmony in mind and I will probably track this sometime over the coming weeks when I find the time (and peace)!

The Church of Ghostly.mp3

MS20 PAW 02 - FINGERTIP SHOPPING

This week I have been messing about with simple synth riffs underlying delayed arpeggio lines and could waste hours adjusting the filters via the modwheel. This patch is named after the resultant track of the same name:

Fingertip Shopping.mp3

The MS20 kicks in after about 7 seconds and continues for the whole track. Other gear used -

- Novation KS4 (arp)
- Volca Beats
- Volca Keys (synth sequence)
- Zoom Sampletrak
- Behringer EM600 (tape delay send effect)
- Yamaha rm1x (midi sequencer only)

Track sequenced on Yamaha rm1x as a loop. Mutes, parameter tweaks and samples triggered live (hence a number of mistakes!). Everything recorded live into my multitracker as a single stereo mix with a touch of reverb only added in post production.

MS20 PAW 01 - ROCKSTAR

I find the best way to learn how a new synth works is to jump right in and start designing sounds as my earlier blogs for Reason, the Micron and Microkorg will attest. With those modern synths the term 'patch' is a bit of a misnomer however, but not with my new toy which forms the basis for this blog.

So here we have it, the first in a new series of patches for my new MS20 mini monosynth. This bass patch is named after the Belkin minijack mixer, used here as a CV multi!