I want to turn my DS into an FX processor. How?

August 15, 2008 6:33 PM

My Nintendo DS has a mic-in and headphone jack. I want to be able to send a signal from my amp/mixer/etc. to the DS for processing in the DS audio homebrew I've downloaded and send the processed signal out to the mixer/amp/etc.

Short version:
I want to turn my DS into an FX processor. How?

Long Version:
Part 1:
I've got a DS and I've got the headset. I plan on re-wiring the mic from the headset to a 1/8" or 1/4" jack so I can run a signal from my other noise toys into ProteinDS, Nitrotracker and other homebrew audio fun. I'm fairly certain that the signal from an amp, mixer or synth is going to be too hot, and I'm unwilling to burn something out by overloading the circuit. How do I calm the signal down from line-in to mic-in? Would wiring a potentiometer do the trick? If so, what kind?

Part 2:
I've wired the headphone wires from the headset to a 1/4" jack. I thought that it would be a foolproof way to send an audio signal from the DS to my mixer or amplifier but the signal is coming out very, very quiet.
Like "barely-audible" quiet. Have I done something wrong? Is my theory unsound? Any ideas how to fix it?

Any hints, tips, critiques, advice, etc. gladly accepted.

posted by lekvar to media & arts (4 answers total)

I can't really answer the technical aspects of your question (sorry!) but I can refer you to the gbatemp.net forums. If you don't have an account already, I'd suggest making one very quickly, and posting a topic in the NDS - Hardware, Devices and Utilities section. The community doesn't get too technical as a whole, but you will get people there who know their stuff more often than not.

I'd also recommend KORG DS-10. It's a very powerful synth.

Good luck! And be sure to post some of your work to MeFi music when you're done!
posted by saxamo at 8:41 PM on August 15, 2008

Oh, man, the DS-10... I've had a chance to play with it. I can't wait for the US release. October can't come quickly enough.
posted by lekvar at 11:16 PM on August 15, 2008

I guess, at a push, a budget preamp wouldn't hurt for the DS signal. It is weird though, I've outputted from the headphone output to an soundcard directly and it's been hot enough to hear clearly, bar being a bit noisy.
posted by Magnakai at 4:17 AM on August 16, 2008

saxamo - thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Magnakai - you're right. When I plug into the mixer with a standard 1/8" jack the signal comes through fine. I must have wired something weird.
posted by lekvar at 10:09 PM on August 16, 2008