Korg DS-10

Nintendo DS
Electro commuting
There are plenty of home-made audio applications on the DS at the moment (more on them next week) but strangely it's taken some time for a proper company to get round to unlocking the DS' unique sonic capabilities (barring short sighted attempts in Jam Sessions and Gunpei DS). Thankfully it's the mighty Korg who've finally done so.
Korg's DS-10 is based on the tasty MS-10 analogue synthesiser, a patchable beast from the late seventies, favoured in modern times by bands such as Autechre and the Chemical Brothers. Squeezing it onto the DS in virtual form, Korg have managed to retain most of its functions, adding some modern touches to proceedings.
Featuring two patchable dual oscillator synths (replete with virtual cables), a four part patchable drum machine, a six track/16 step sequencer, real time touch screen sound control, WiFi capabilities and a bunch of effects, the DS-10 is a concise yet powerful tool.
The sound quality is impressive too, considering the DS' nature, and the initial worry that 2 synths wouldn't be enough for serious composition is helped by the sheer amount of flexibility generated by the Kaos Pad style manipulation of sounds and the analogue knob tweaking. The fact that you can sync up to 4 DS' together over WiFi (and swap sounds) means plenty more can actually be at your disposal for lone composing or jamming with friends.
After using portable sequencers such as LSDJ and Nanoloop 2, the DS's touchscreen interface is a breath of fresh air, as is the intuitive software. Anyone with basic knowledge of synths and sequencers will feel at home right away, with beginners sure to grasp the basic logic behind everything quickly, and quick to make some good noise.
Unfortunately the limit of 16 patterns can quickly fill up (tough luck prog rockers) and the fact that it doesn't support midi syncing with computers is expected but disappointing (no doubt the plucky homebrew scene will sort that anyway).
For any budding electronic musicians out there, this is an excellent way to get started and will astound even the pros with it's surprising capabilities and lovely acid squibbles.