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keywhiz61 · Full Member Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 103

I have to confess to newbie ignorance here. This is the first Korg board I've ever owned and the first new synth I've purchased since my Motif Classic in 2001. There is no doubt a ton of things on this board that have since become run-of-the-mill features that leave me scratching my head a bit. Yet I want to be able to get as much implementation out of this machine as possible.

Can someone briefly explain the Pads to me? What the purpose is and how/why I might want to use them?

Broadwave · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 6:26 pm Post subject:

I have to play a song that has a particularly difficult chord progression, and I always, without question, mess it up... The pads enable you to set up 8 chords, each with up to 8 notes with individual velocity for those notes. When it comes to the part where I have to play this progression, I can forget having to twist my fingers into pretzels, and just touch the required pads to produce a faultless performance... yeah, I KNOW it's kind of cheating, but it solves a problem Wink

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cello · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 6:27 pm Post subject:

OK, time someone answered you here!

I don't have my Kronos (yet) but I do have an OASYS. As I understand it, the only difference between the two is that the O has mechanical pads, but the K has software ones.

The OASYS pads can:

remember an eight chord sequence (although the user might not!)
be used as drums
send midi stuff internally and externally (sorry not a midi expert at all!)
hold down a chord accurately whilst you maybe play another keyboard
copy and paste between pads
use the pads to trigger chord effects with Karma
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Mystic38 · Senior Member Joined: 27 Dec 2010 Posts: 266

on other synths/workstations, separate velocity sensitive physical pads can be used for a number of things.. laying down a drum rhythm, initiating samples/phrases, mute, switching arps, channel selection etc.. basically a great extra set of physical inputs for launching "things"..

to me, the biggest advantage of the pads is that they are independent of the screen and so i do not (personally) see huge added value when you must swap screens to get to the pads..

the good news for you of course not ever having them is that any use of the pads is a bonus, whereas folks from the M3, fantom G etc are likely to see it a bit of a backwards step in UI.
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phattbuzz · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 6:32 pm Post subject:

Correct me if I'm wrong - but you could also set up the pads to work as drum or sound effect triggers in a combi.

The Kronos doesn't actually have pads as on the M3 or Oasys, it has a kind of weird set up on the touch screen with 8 virtual pads with colums below for different velocities. I think it would be better to find a MIDI controller to do pads if you need to do a lot of work with them.
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keywhiz61 · Full Member Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 103

thanks for all the replies!

danatkorg · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:21 pm Post subject:

Pads also store chords for Chord Mode. For details, see Using Chord Mode in the Operation Guide.
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RonF · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 9:04 pm Post subject:

The pads are really no different than any AKAI MPC/MPD. They are physical performance controllers which can be assigned to trigger numerous things. With some consideration of their possibilities, you can be VERY creative with them, for live or studio work. But at the end of the day, its just another assignable "trigger". You can assign *most* of the same things to the keys on the keyboard too. From a Korg/KARMA perspective, pads are best known for triggering pre-set custom chords in a combi or program (or sequence for that matter).
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