November 27, 2025

TONAL DROP THURSDAYS: Korg MS-20 mini + SQ-1 Patch - "Industrial Pile Driver Sequence"

Welcome to Week 5 of Tonal Drop Thursdays!

This week, we aren't just building a sound; we're building a machine. We are pairing the legendary grit of the Korg MS-20 mini with its perfect analog partner, the Korg SQ-1 sequencer.

While the MS-20 is capable of screaming leads, it truly shines when generating heavy, destabilized bass tones. This week's patch, "Industrial Pile Driver Sequence," uses Ring Modulation and filter overdrive to create a massive, detuned metallic tone. By handing pitch and trigger duties over to the SQ-1, we create a relentless, hypnotic industrial bassline perfectly suited for heavy techno, EBM, or aggressive cinematic scoring.

Patch 5: Industrial Pile Driver Sequence

This is a two-part setup: first, configuring the MS-20's panel to create the heavy tone, and second, patching the SQ-1 to drive the sequence automatically.

Part 1: MS-20 Front Panel Configuration (The Tone)

We are using Ring Modulation between the oscillators to create metallic sidebands, driving the mixer hard into the filters, and using a slow Sawtooth LFO to add a churning rhythm to the Low Pass Filter.

Set these knobs exactly to the numerical values (0-10) below. NOTE: NO patch cables should be connected to the MS-20 patch bay yet.

Section	Control	Setting (0-10)	Purpose
VCO 1	WAVEFORM	Square (Bottom)	The heavy foundation tone.
VCO 1	PW	5	Square wave width.
VCO 2	WAVEFORM	Ring Mod (Top)	Crucial: Creates the metallic industrial texture.
VCO 2	PITCH	3.5	Detunes the Ring Mod against VCO 1 for a grinding sound.
MASTER	TUNE	5	Standard tuning.
MIXER	VCO 1 LEVEL	10 (Max)	Overdrives the filter input for grit.
MIXER	VCO 2 LEVEL	10 (Max)	Overdrives the filter input for grit.
HPF	CUTOFF	3	Tightens the sub-bass.
HPF	PEAK	2	Low resonance.
LPF	CUTOFF	5	The main tone shaping. Set high enough so sustained notes aren't muffled.
LPF	PEAK	6	High resonance adds aggression and bite.
LPF MOD	MG AMT	3	Applies the Sawtooth LFO for a churning rhythm.
LPF MOD	EG2 AMT	8	Applies the envelope for a hard attack snap.
EG 2	ATTACK	0	Instant hit.
EG 2	DECAY	3	Short, punchy decay.
EG 2	SUSTAIN	5	Balances the sustained level against the initial hit.
EG 2	RELEASE	2	Short tail.
MG (LFO)	WAVEFORM	Sawtooth (Bottom)	Creates a repetitive "biting" downward modulation.
MG (LFO)	FREQUENCY	3	Sets a heavy, churning tempo for the LFO.

Part 2: The Automation (Korg SQ-1 Connections)

Now we connect the brain to the body. Ensure your SQ-1 is powered on. Set the mode dial to something simple to start, like L1 (Linear 16 step).

You need two standard 3.5mm patch cables.

Cable	SQ-1 Output (Source)	$\rightarrow$	MS-20 Input (Destination)	Purpose
1	CV - A OUT	$\rightarrow$	VCO 1+2 CV IN (Top left jack)	The SQ-1 controls the pitch of both oscillators simultaneously.
2	GATE - A OUT	$\rightarrow$	TRIG IN (Next to CV IN)	The SQ-1 triggers the MS-20's envelopes on every active step.

How to Perform the Patch

Press PLAY on the Korg SQ-1.
You will hear the MS-20 firing a repetitive, heavy industrial bass rhythm.
Tweak the Sequence: Turn the 16 step knobs on the SQ-1 to create your bass melody. Turn steps on or off on the SQ-1 to create rhythmic variation.
Perform the Tone: While the sequence runs, grab the LPF CUTOFF and LPF PEAK knobs on the MS-20. Opening the filter builds tension; increasing resonance makes it scream.

This combination allows for hour-long, evolving industrial jams that sound incredibly powerful and professional.

Production Note: The FX Chain

While the MS-20 and SQ-1 provide the raw, driving power, the massive industrial space you hear in our audio demo was created using post-processing.

We used Valhalla Delay for rhythmic echoes and Valhalla Future Verb to place the sequence in a huge, metallic cavern. We highly recommend adding your favorite spatial effects to add depth and atmosphere to this dry analog signal.