The Tools...Part 1

Ok so last night marked the start of my journey and with me are two great products made by KORG. My 1st tool is the iKaossilator, a fun user-friendly app. When you 1st open the app your greeted with a quick welcome screen, followed by the main interface. A simple design, A 6" by 4" box with multicolored lights blinking together in each corner. Below that there is a row of 5 circles with arrows at the top, each with its own color (yellow, blue, pink, red, orange and green. Also the color of the lights) beside then on the left a number ranging from 1-50. In the center and stacked on top of each other are a large round record and play button, beside them on the lift a scale and key, then tempo under that. To the right something for the lead (whatever that means) and below something for the note length. Oh, and on the very top a small bar for your setting, picking the loop list (the apps pre-made sounds) a clear button and a new,save,export and export as a wav button.... I have little to no idea what half of this does or how to actually use it. But that is what this blog is for so more on that later... All in all, its a very fun look app, welcoming even. Like its asking me to come outside and play with it, and I do.
The 1st move I make it to hit the play button and see what happens. Instantly the app takes off with a simple dub beat and I start to understand this is much more here then meets the eye. The little cones atop the five circles begin to spin at different rates (I should mention the colors for the circles are yellow, blue, pink, blue and red, in that order) at the same time the 6"by 4" box is lit up with moving spears, each matching one of the circles. Each spear seems to follow a set course that it repeats with out mistake. Some just appear at different points with the box, well others move from side to side or spin around. At this point I notice that the play button is now a count down that repeats its self with the beat, well all other buttons around remain the same. I also note that one of the circles are glowing, and as I tap the one beside it (or any of the others) it begins to glow instead. Clearly this is telling me I've taken control of this circle and its spear, but how?
I decide to touch the box and as I do this I suddenly feel like a child about to touch something in a fine china shop. The very second I make contact the corresponding spear to whatever circle I have control of jumps to my finger, It follows it where ever I wish and the sound changes with it. Depending on where I move the sound speeds up or slows down, sometimes a new element comes in or it pitch changes. The true nature of the app has been revealed to me. Its a multi-beat/sound touch pad and it does what I ask with out question.
The more I poke around the more I learn, everything has a purpose. I touch the tempo and an over lay appears giving me control of the tempo, the same is said about everything else. When I hit record the app remembers whatever my finger made the spear do and the sounds with it. The app is easy to use and yet there is so much about. I soon learn there are 50 preset samples, each with five parts (one for each circle) The samples are each labeled, some are dub, other are chill, a few are trance and so on. I can mix and match every part, I can take a circle from a Reggae and put it into a Nu Disco.
I cant wait to learn more about this, to gain skills and tricks, to make my 1st little sample. But this is not my only tool, there is another. More on that tomorrow though, I have sounds to create for now