SIMPLE SYNC KAOSSILATOR PRO WITH ABLETON LIVE

[antret]

'MIDI sync options are in the Utilities menu (shift + 6), aren't they? '

I saw that sync option, but not really sure what it does? In the MIDI menu you can set the KoPro midi sync to external, internal, or auto.

Interesting to say the least. Anyone know the difference?

[Mr36]

Oh, that SYNC option is supposed to let you choose whether the loopbanks play in sync, I think... Or maybe it's whether they sync to the (internal) BPM or not. I did have a quick play about when I first got the KPro but couldn't really tell what it was doing.
I'd be interested to know what it does though...

[Gambrel]

Yeah so I have figured out a few things in my usage of the Kaossilator Pro. First you can sync it to an external device or sync your external devices to it. There are three settings that you can have to do this. To reach these settings hold shift and hit the preset button that says midi above it. Click the program knob on filter and then on BPM? maybe tempo or synce, not sure, but then you have the option of auto, ext, or int. Auto automatically switches to external when it recieves sync info. ext is just a constant external sync, and internal will allow you to set the bpm on the kaossilator pro, and/or sync other devices to it. A midi cable is not needed if you syncing it to a computer you can use the usb. I have noticed a glitch however in the external sync option, which is when you change the program in ext. mode the pitch shifts momentarily knocking you off beat. This can be remedied by not using ext and using internal at the same bpm or not changing the program while you have loops playing.
okay, so now that that's covered, to trigger the loop banks, sending a midi clip that plays once with as short of a note as possible, can switch your loop banks on and off. The notes on mine are C1, C#1, D1, and D#1. The output on the midi tracks must be Kaossilator Sound. In the free Kaossilator Editor, you can change the notes that trigger it to your liking. It should be noted that in ableton live, to use the external sync on the Kaossilator pro, you must go to your midi options under preferences and make sure that sync is turned on.
Now that that is out of the way, on the Kaossilator Pro, you cannot send Midi note data. I hope a firmware update can fix this, but you can use CC values to play notes. Once again your midi track must route to Kaossilator Pro Sound. The CC values that you adjust to do this are defaultly 12 for the x-axis, 13 for the y-axis, and 92 for the note on note off. In ableton you can make a midi clip with CC data by making a midi clip, and then expanding the options where you would normally enter a note to include envelopes. Then you can change CC values. Once again in the Kaossilator Pro editor you can change the CC numbers that you would change values on.
Also, if you own a PC you can run a program called midi ox that will convert your note data to cc data automagicly. I don't, but there is a forum about using midi ox. It gives links to the charts for 6 oct and 8 oct chromatic scale. Unfortunately last I checked both links are dead, but they were posted by a man who works for Korg apparently as a marketing specialist. Find the forum post by him with the links, and then sometime monday through friday from 9 am to 5 pm call Korg. The support people have charts. Just to note I believe MIDIOX is free. also somebody seems to have written a program based off of midi ox once again for windows that can convert the note data to the proper CC's for the differant modes of the Chromatic scale (aeo, Ion, etc.)
Now if your like me and just using ableton, then what you have to do is divide the total number of CC values 9 i think either 127 or 128, by the number of notes in the scale and octave range you are using. For instance the number of notes in 2 octaves of the aelion scale, which I believe is like 15. Not a hundred percent sure because I am not near my equiptment or software at the moment. You may end up with a decimal, which is okay. What I do is do the math to figure out where each note would lie using the decimal. adding the number you get from the division problem for each note, and then rounding the numbers up once I have them all figured out using the decimal value. i.e. 8.4666665 would become 9. It is important that use the decimal value to figure out the positions of notes for CC values, as over 15 or 30 notes rouning up prior to figuring out the values may cause your values to be off. This would be used for CC 12. For CC 13, any value will work, but if you divide the number of CC values by 9 then you can get exact values on the Kaossilator. This will be the Y axis value. Finally CC 92, where I just do the following. a value of 127 for on, and a value of 0 for off. This way I am sure that it breaks the value for note on and is below the value for note off. A bit of advice, 2 quarter notes would need a value of zero at the end of the first to not be played in legato, and if the note value changes, slurring, although you may intentially want to do this at some point. I also noted that the CC values for the X axis (Note on Kaossilator) should be changed in the points where CC 92's value is 0. Otherwise the notes will sound weird as they'll be changing while the note is sounding.

Just one more note on the sync thing. What I do for this depends on if I am improvising notes over the top of the loops or if I'm just triggering loops. If I'm improvising on top of the loops, then I use Internal mode as then it wont jump off beat when I'm changing the program number. Hopefully that glitch will be fixed in the next firmware update. If I am just triggering loops, then I use the external sync mode. It also should be noted that the notes you use to trigger your loops should be as short as possible. I find I can have the Kaossilator Pro synced up for as long as the loops would need to play a song live. Sometimes when I have th oppurtunity I turn off the loop banks manually and re-trigger so that it doesn't drift off time on me, and this seems to work as long as you don't mind making a quick break where no loops are playing off the Kaossilator. Ext Sync mode is what I use when I am simply triggering loops from the Kaossilator Pro. It seems to take a longer amount of time before it drifts off beat. Usually I only really notice it's off sync when I leave the loops playing while I go away from my music equiptment for a few minutes and return pushing the sliders on my mixer up only to discover the loops have continued to play and the Kaossilator's loops are now after like 8 or 9 minutes off beat.
-Nate

[RichF]

Just to confirm, our Product Support team has these MIDI-OX maps. To get them, please call 631-390-8373, or email product_support@korgusa.com.

Thanks,
-Rich

[toddsalpen]

Try this is a tool for Max 4 Live 7 using Ableton
allow to you to use your Korg Kaossilator Pro with Ableton sending midi Notes
http://www.maxforlive.com/library/devic ... ilator-pro

i hope that you should enjoy that