nanokontrol2 / korg kontrol editor / cubase

[coconutter]

Hello!

I just bought Nanokontrol2, going to use it with Cubase 5 and Korg MicroKey. I also istalled Korg Kontrol Editor, which should be the tool to edit the knobs, buttons and slides on Nanokontrol - BUT I don't have any idea how to do that! Nanokontrol manual doesn't help, and also the youtube tutorials are messy, or not showing exactly how should I do.

When I open Kontrol Editor, and I choose the Nanokontrol from the list, I get this message:



I go to Preferences, and I chose Nanokontrol to Midi In and Out:



OK... but that doesn't open the MIDI port. How to open???

the editor template looks like that:



I don't have any idea how to switch the knobs to do what I would like them to do. First idea was to connect knobs to the virtual knobs of VST synth.... BUT HOW???

When I go to Cubase, I see that the first knob CC#16 is actually connected to the left/right channels; panning. I tried to change that in Cubase Device Setup/Generic Remote, as the image shows:



...but something in my setup is wrong, because the knob doesn't change anything. Fader1 (=knob 1, CC#16) should be connected to Daedalus (vst synth) and its LFO. But no; it's still there on left/right channel adjustment.

PLEASE HELP. I WANT TO START TO MAKE MUSIC SOOOOOOON[/img]


EDIT: Funny thing, just after posting that, I found some info from Cubase forum. So, I needed to switch off Mackie & Quick control input&output - like that I could connect the knobs to vst player.

But still, no idea how that Korg editor works.

[coconutter]

now I see, that there are some bugs... or I don't know what is going on. I changed to other VST synth (Firebird) and using it with ModMachine vst-effect. When I adjust for example knob7 to be the LFO-freq of Firebird; it's also connected to the Volume of Firebird! But the device setup/generic remote clearly shows it should be connected only to LFO-freq...

so my question is; why is it doing like that? and how to fix that. I want that one knob or fader is connected to only ONE knob on VST instruments/effects.

[OpAmp]

Hi there.

I think you are right on track.

Korg Editor:
If you can choose the NanoKontrol for input and output in the preferences, it should be fine, because the Korg USB driver has seen the device. Cliking ok should automatically open the MIDI port. As you also have receive scene automatically enabled, it will download and show you now the setup of the nanokontrol. See also your main screen dump of the Korg Editor. Basically it indicates which CC# is sent when you move a slider of knob or push a button.
At first you don't need to change anything here if you're happy with the default behaviour (which you can only experience later).

Cubase:
In the upper table in fact you need to replicate the configuration as in the Korg Editor. E.g. as you did for the first line: I would rename Fader 1 to Knob 1, address 16 is ok. When you now move Knob 1, the NanoKontrol will send CC#16 (as setup in the Korg Editor, see higher). Cubase will filter CC#16 messages received from the Kontrol and know that you have been moving Knob 1.

Other e.g.: select line 2 in the table, rename it to Fader 1, choose MIDI channel 1 and use Address 0 (assuming default NanoKontrol config - see also the Editor). Cubase will now know you move Fader 1 when it receives CC#0.

In the lower table you can then route the different controls to one of the controls of a VST. Like you've already setup line 1. So in column channel/category you can choose to which VST your control goes. Value action then allows you to choose the control itself. If you followed my suggestions here above, the control names will be renamed as well on line 1 and 2 to Knob 1 and Fader 1.

Note for setting up table 1. Use the learn function. Choose e.g. line 3, rename it to Knob 2 and click the learn function. Now move the Knob 2 on the NK and Cubase will for you fill out the right parameters (channel 1, CC#17)

Once you have setup the entire upper table, export it, so that you don't need to that over and over again. And then route the different controls to your VST.

Now, when to use the Korge Editor?
Initially I would not. Using the 2 table mechanism, you can always reroute the controls as you want in the second table.
One reason I can think of to set up a new scene using the Korg Editor is that a fader has a too large range and want to limit its effect by reducing it. E.g. by default a fader sends 0 at the low position and 127 at the high position. You could reconfigure it to only send event ranging from 50 to 100. (But even for this I would think there would exist plugins in Cubase...)

Have fun!

[OpAmp]

See also this: https://steinberg.help/cubase_ai_le_ele ... ice_t.html

[coconutter]

thanks for the replies & link. there's a lot of important information which is truly helpful.

but still, I didn't found help for my second post... why some knobs & sliders are linked to two places at the same time, even they all have different CC#... for example knob1 I linked to LFO1, but when I move the knob; the Volume of the same vst synth is moving also! That's really frustrating. I don't see that volume in my edit list at all, so it's not something what I did, but comes from the system somehow. The second (unintentional) link can be anything, not just Volume.

[OpAmp]

Hi,

Euhm, the problem that it is linked to different VST controls is probably somewhere in Cubase itself or to the VST.
I don't know Cubase well enough. I would say, go through the different Device items of the left panel and make sure that the NanoKontrol MIDI port is only selected in the generic remote device. Check maybe the settings of your VST. Sometimes they listen to MIDI as well straight away, while the generic remote device uses a VST API call to change a control.

You boot the NanoKontrol in CC mode, right? (Refer to the manual).

A quick experiment could be to change the global MIDI channel of the nanoKontrol using the editor. Note that the first table in the Generic Remote tab then needs to be adapted as well (the MIDI channel column). By that you may avoid a clash of one MIDI event routed to different controllers.

Yet another option is to change the CC# of that slider to one which does not conflict (but that would not be my preferred option).

Good luck.

[OpAmp]

Hi,

Euhm, the problem that it is linked to different VST controls is probably somewhere in Cubase itself or to the VST.
I don't know Cubase well enough. I would say, go through the different Device items of the left panel and make sure that the NanoKontrol MIDI port is only selected in the generic remote device. Check maybe the settings of your VST. Sometimes they listen to MIDI as well straight away, while the generic remote device uses a VST API call to change a control.

You boot the NanoKontrol in CC mode, right? (Refer to the manual).

A quick experiment could be to change the global MIDI channel of the nanoKontrol using the editor. Note that the first table in the Generic Remote tab then needs to be adapted as well (the MIDI channel column). By that you may avoid a clash of one MIDI event routed to different controllers.

Yet another option is to change the CC# of that slider to one which does not conflict (but that would not be my preferred option).

Good luck.

[coconutter]

I would say, go through the different Device items of the left panel and make sure that the NanoKontrol MIDI port is only selected in the generic remote device. Check maybe the settings of your VST. Sometimes they listen to MIDI as well straight away, while the generic remote device uses a VST API call to change a control.

I didn't find anything else except NanoKontrol on that list.

You boot the NanoKontrol in CC mode, right? (Refer to the manual).

yes, done.

to change the global MIDI channel of the nanoKontrol using the editor. Note that the first table in the Generic Remote tab then needs to be adapted as well (the MIDI channel column). By that you may avoid a clash of one MIDI event routed to different controllers.

I don't know how to import the editor values to Cubase. It doesn't do that automatically.

Yet another option is to change the CC# of that slider to one which does not conflict (but that would not be my preferred option).

If I do that, I cannot use that slider after. I mean, even if I change it from LFO1 to Delay or Feedback or whatever, it's always also linked to that other vst-knob, like Volume for example. Only way for now I think is to not to use that knob/slider at all, but that's not really the ideal.

Also... no idea why the mod wheel & pitch wheel of MicroKey doesn't work with nanoKontrol...

Thanks a lot for answering! (your answer came two times actually, probably better to delete one of those?)

EDIT: I made some testing after, and I found out that different VST's are working diffrently with nanoKontrol. For example Cubase's own HALionOne is working well with the microKey's mod & pitch wheels + it didn't link two different knobs. I have a lot of free vst synths & other plugins... it might so, that many of those have some own bugs. At least, that's how I see it now. Please fix me if I am wrong.

[OpAmp]

to change the global MIDI channel of the nanoKontrol using the editor. Note that the first table in the Generic Remote tab then needs to be adapted as well (the MIDI channel column). By that you may avoid a clash of one MIDI event routed to different controllers.

I don't know how to import the editor values to Cubase. It doesn't do that automatically.

Use the learn function or edit table 1 as explained before...

Yet another option is to change the CC# of that slider to one which does not conflict (but that would not be my preferred option).

If I do that, I cannot use that slider after. I mean, even if I change it from LFO1 to Delay or Feedback or whatever, it's always also linked to that other vst-knob, like Volume for example. Only way for now I think is to not to use that knob/slider at all, but that's not really the ideal.

That I don't understand, you still must be missing something in Cubase.

Also... no idea why the mod wheel & pitch wheel of MicroKey doesn't work with nanoKontrol...

What do you exactly mean by that?

EDIT: I made some testing after, and I found out that different VST's are working diffrently with nanoKontrol. For example Cubase's own HALionOne is working well with the microKey's mod & pitch wheels + it didn't link two different knobs. I have a lot of free vst synths & other plugins... it might so, that many of those have some own bugs. At least, that's how I see it now. Please fix me if I am wrong.

Well some VST listen immediately to MIDI instead of the control API, meaning no VST mixer setup is needed at all to respond to MIDI messages. That's why the slider is causing 2 different things at once while you only have set up one: the default thing and the one you've set up. It should be possible to disable it someway somehow the default one. Unfortunately I don't have Cubase to figure it out for you, otherwise I would be very willing to do so.

Ciao.

[coconutter]

Use the learn function or edit table 1 as explained before...

OK! Nice. I didn't know 'learn' will catch the info from the korg editor like that.

Also... no idea why the mod wheel & pitch wheel of MicroKey doesn't work with nanoKontrol...

What do you exactly mean by that?

I meant, with some VST's which I am using, the mod wheel or the pitch wheel of MicroKey is not working IF the nanoKontrol is connected at the same time. I don't know why. But when I used HalionOne, the wheels worked well.

Well some VST listen immediately to MIDI instead of the control API, meaning no VST mixer setup is needed at all to respond to MIDI messages. That's why the slider is causing 2 different things at once while you only have set up one: the default thing and the one you've set up. It should be possible to disable it someway somehow the default one.

OK. Quite much what I thought. There must be a way to fix this, but still no idea how. Maybe one day someone here will tell me.

Thanks a lot for answering!

[coconutter]

Well some VST listen immediately to MIDI instead of the control API, meaning no VST mixer setup is needed at all to respond to MIDI messages. That's why the slider is causing 2 different things at once while you only have set up one: the default thing and the one you've set up. It should be possible to disable it someway somehow the default one.

OK. Quite much what I thought. There must be a way to fix this, but still no idea how. Maybe one day someone here will tell me.

***

Couple of months later, I am back in the same problem. I forgot that this was waiting for me... Cubase forum is silent, so no help from that side :/