Tue, 06 Dec 2011 Macworld Masterclass: Become a DJ with Korg iKaossilator

Ever dreamed of becoming a DJ? Or perhaps you’ve already succeeded and you’d like a new way of creating interesting sounds. Korg, a Japanese company that’s best known for manufacturing electronic musical equipment, has turned its palm-sized Kaossilator synthesizer into an iPhone app.

Korg iKaossilator uses the X-Y interface, so you can play and create sounds just by moving your finger around your device’s screen. You’ll be able to compose tracks, control loops for DJ-style performances, and even sync with other iPhone users so you can produce music together. The app has 50 loops and 150 sounds for you to play with, and you can assemble your own loops if you’re feeling creative. Here, we show you how.

Vital Info

Device: iPhone/iPod touch
Difficulty: Beginner to expert
Time required: Depends on how long you want to spend using it

What you need

iOS 4.1 or later
KORG iKaossilator app (£6.99)

To get the hang of the app, choose a ready-made loop from the Loop List. The grid here shows options for the five coloured circles that represent ‘Parts’. Choose one Part for each circle by selecting a block in each column. You can choose to use one loop, or mix them up by selecting Parts from different rows.

undefinedundefinedOnce you’ve decided on your loop or mix, press the Play button. You can listen to each part individually by flicking up through its circle to turn on solo mode. You can also mute Parts by flicking down on the circle. Tap or drag your finger in the box above the circles to alter the sounds temporarily.

You can change the scale, tempo and more by swiping through the four changeable elements shown beneath the coloured circles, or by tapping each one for a list of options. You can also switch between loops without stopping playback by tapping the loops icon during a performance and choosing a different loop.

If you’d like to create your own Parts, you can select Clear Current Part or Clear All from the circular icon to the left of the word Korg at the top of the app. Tap the coloured circle you would like to record to. If you’d like to change the type of sound that’s created, tap Sound List to the right of the Record button.

Once you’ve decided on your instrument, and the other changeable factors, tap the Record button and move your finger around the box however you like, and then tap Record again. Now, if you press Play, you can hear what you just recorded. Repeat this for the rest of the parts.

You can now save your creation to the Loop List by tapping the paper icon, and selecting Save. WIST enables you to jam with any other iPad or iPhone with a WIST-compatible app installed. To do this, tap the settings icon at the right of the top menu, and turn WIST on. You’ll need to have your Bluetooth on to do this.