hi, i know this aint moog related, but does anyone know how to process stuff with the ms20 filters. I have a beat id like to put thru the korg to grunge up/filter and distort and ive tried all manner of patching but just cant work out how to feed the signal in, how to get it thru the filters and then back out.
ideas please!
This should be right, though I’m writing this from memory:
Signal in at the external signal processor. Patch from the out next to this, or the one after that if you want the bandpass filter. Take that signal through the filters by patching into the third input along the top, external signal in.
Then give the synth a trigger voltage, otherwise there won’t be any sound: try holding down a key and see if the sound is there. If it is, you can either patch from trigger out on the external signal processor to trigger in, or put a paperwight on te keyboard like Klaus Schulze does. 
That should be right. I’ll check it later if I can, but by then you may be up and running, hopefully. I’m half expecting you to say the patching was fine and the problem was the lack of a trigger signal.
You have an original MS20, not the virtual controller re-issue right? I’ve never used the virtual MS20, so I don’t if it works the same way.
But on the original MS20, you can patch external sounds directly into the ext. input jack right next to the filter cv input jack along the top row of jacks. This sends the signal through both filters. But you also have to trigger the VCF and VCA to open.
There are several ways to do this. You can press a key on the keyboard and the VCF/VCA will stay open for as long as the envelope time is set, or you can just hold down the key if the sustain knob is set at least half way up the VCF/VCA will stay open as long as the key is held. You can also patch the momentary button to the trig input, and when you press the button, the envelopes will open the VCF/VCA (the same as pressing a key).
With a beat, you probably want sustained rythmic filtering, which is a specialty of MS20. It has an envelope follower/ESP (external signal processor) built in for this function but you have do some patching. Connect your drum signal to the ESP signal input and then take the output (the very next jack to the right) and patch it to the ext. signal input. Then patch the ESP trig out to the trig in. By adjusting the signal input level knob and the ESP trigger threshold knob you can set the MS20 to trigger on certain beats.
If the oscillators are turned up you will also hear their sound, but you can turn them down if you just want the straight ext signal comming through.
You can also patch the ESP envelope or CV out to any of the inputs. This will allow the filters or oscillators to follow the pitch and/or amplitude of the ext signal.
Theres alot of possibilities.
thanks guys, thats exactly the info i was after, i knew i could count on you!
Will try out tomorrow and report back,
thanks again for taking the time to help me out
Cheers
Dan G
Dan G? You’re not Dan Goldstein by any chance are you?
No, it doesn’t. There are dire warnings from Korg not to try to input an external signal into the external processor. It isn’t entirely on there for consistency with the original, though. It’ll process output from the patch panel.