DS Music Games and Applications

I’ve fallen madly in love with this new trend of turning the Nintendo DS into a musical device. There are several retail and homebrew applications available, but discovering the good ones can be a laborious task, so I’ve outlined some of the better games as well as provided example songs. These songs are by no means the epitome of what can be done (except for Electroplankton; I really feel like I maxed it out). They’re included simply to give you an idea of the system’s potential.

I’m often asked how I transfer DS audio to the computer. Luckily for you, this is the easy part. All you need is a 1/8″ male-to-male audio cable (they go for only a few dollars on eBay). One end plugs into your DS’s headphone jack and the other into your computer’s Line In. Then use a program like Sound Recorder (or Garage Band for Mac users) to record to a .wav or .wma file. You just have to make sure your computer is set to record the Line In and not something else like the microphone. In Sound Recorder, go to Edit > Audio Properties > Sound Recording > Volume. It should look something like this:

Somebody once told me their equipment could “pwn” the little setup I have going. Really, now! Nobody expects a DS to compete with an actual guitar or synthesizer. People invest in DS music, because they either don’t have enough patience or talent to learn how to play multiple instruments, don’t have enough money or space to buy said instruments, or travel a lot and want some way to keep their musical interests alive while on the road. There’s your justification. Now let’s get cracking:

Retail Games —

— Electroplankton
In this cutesy Nintendo game, music is created by playing with little fish-like creatures, which ends up being a relaxing experience. The game is fun and charming but comes with two serious caveats. You can’t save the tunes you’ve created, and you can’t overlap electroplankton. If you want to do anything cool with this game, you have to record your sessions live to the computer and mix them together in something like Audacity or Vegas. And while Electroplankton is what started my love affair with experimental music, I really don’t have much use for it anymore. It’s a hard game to find, anyway, so don’t feel bad for missing out.

Examples: Raining on my Town, Left Open

— Korg DS-10 Synthesizer
I could write an entire article on this one alone (and probably should), because it is the absolute best tool available for the DS. Everything else is more like a novelty, a toy, a starting point. The Korg DS-10 Synthesizer, on the other hand, is very capable of pumping out some pretty sweet tunes. It’s so far removed from the restrictions placed on Electroplankton, Nintendo should be embarrassed the two exist on the same handheld. You can save up to 18 songs, 16 patterns in each song, and 24 custom-made instruments (which you can tweak the hell out of thanks to so many daunting knobs and cables). If you are at all interested in portable music, you need to buy this.

Examples: Hack, Lunch Bit

— Jam Sessions
I’ve always wanted to learn the guitar but lack the discipline to do it, so it’s nice to have a game that minimizes the trouble it takes figuring out the strings and goes straight into making music. That’s not to suggest Jam Sessions writes rockin’ solos for you. You still need to have a knack for creating songs. If you have no rhythm, don’t expect to find it here. The acoustic guitar sounds fantastic, though, and there are effects you can add to make it more electric. This electric guitar may sound a bit too compressed, but I love it all the same. (The example song below is a composite; the Jam Sessions guitar doesn’t come in until the second half.)

Example: Beware of Michael’s Guitar

— Hannah Montana Music Jam
No matter how I try to introduce this one, including it on the list knocks my credibility down a few notches. But hear me out! Aside from the lame adventure mode, Music Jam comes with a free play mode where you can toy around with a rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass guitar, and drums. Keep in mind that the instruments are really simple and have been outdone by other games. Jam Sessions, for example, is a far superior guitar. But Jam Sessions doesn’t come with three other instruments or let you pluck individual strings. So Music Jam, then, isn’t a bad choice for those who don’t take music seriously and just want one all-encompassing game cartridge.

Example: Chip Shake

If you’re too masculine to buy a Hannah Montana game, I, like, totally understand and everything! There are other ways to get a drum kit on your DS, but it requires using a flashcart (like the R4, which is being discontinued, or the DSTT). You can get a DSTT and a 4GB microSD card for as little as $15, though, and having access to the homebrew scene is definitely worth it. Unfortunately, a lot of the free, independent DS software out there is not very useful, doesn’t work, or is too confusing for lazy people like myself. Here are some favorites:

Homebrew Games —

— Drum Me
This is very similar to the drum kit in Hannah Montana Music Jam, just without all the girly fanfare. The drums sound great and don’t make popping noises like the other homebrew drum kit, DS Drummy. These drums are way too quiet, however. You’ll need to route the sound through something bigger to take advantage of it.

— Bliptracker
You can also download Bliptracker, which is a little more robust than Drum Me but also a little less user-friendly. I guess that comes with the territory. This is actually a drum machine that allows you store up to four short loops and cycle between them with the D-pad. It’s better than Drum Me, for sure, but doesn’t have quite the same charm.

— cellsDS
This sequencer is my favorite homebrew application and is so easy to use, people who have no previous experience in making music can crank out the beginnings of something cool in just a few minutes. cellsDS allows you to play six layers at once and comes with a whole bunch of different instruments. Unfortunately, it wasn’t designed for left-handed users, but if you download this edited step_sequencer.lua file, it will move the D-pad functionality over to the right side.

Examples: Potato Slam, Versus Viper Dog

— DS Sampling Keyboard
Another easy, fun music tool is this sampling keyboard. You can record an audio clip through the DS’s microphone and play around with it on a small keyboard. If you’re at a party and need a quick laugh, you can always burp into the microphone and play back “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” But other than that, you probably won’t get much professional use out of it.

— Mario Paint Composer
And you probably won’t be making any mega hits with Mario Paint Composer, either, but the fond memories it’s likely to induce makes it worth a look. This is more than just a faithful recreation of the classic SNES game, though. Several improvements have been made, such as allowing you to place sharps or flats, create longer songs than before, and save them to your card.

— Nitro Tracker
I’m also obligated to mention Nitro Tracker, which is one of the most powerful homebrew music tools but one of the most confusing. I honestly have no intention of investing the time necessary to master this program when there are better games out there. It’s nice to have on hand, though, because it can do what the DS Sampling Keyboard does, except here you’re able save the sounds you recorded and mix them together.

31 January 2009 | Anything Goes | Comments | Home
tags: music, reviews, technology, video games

• < Next Post
• Previous Post >