Kronos MIDI setup using external DAW

paterrob · Post by **paterrob** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 7:26 pm

Hi,

I’ve kind of given up on using the internal sequencer (Kronos) as I just don’t find it very productive for my needs, and the screen is really small.

I’m going to run the sequencing from a DAW program (Cubase, Studio 1 for example) on my laptop and am wondering if someone could tell me what is the best way to be able to control, for example, 16 different programs/presets via MIDI (i.e. piano on MIDI 1, bass on MIDI 2, drum pattern on MIDI 3 etc)?

Any help would be appreciated as I feel like I’m getting nowhere trying to find the information in the manuals.

My apologies also as it’s been quite a few years since I’ve done this and am just getting back into programming/writing.

Thanks again
Robert

Broadwave · Post by **Broadwave** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 9:17 pm

You can do all that in Combi Mode

Look at page 65 onwards in the Op Guide. A good starting point is Combi Bank User-A, as it's a blank canvas ready for setting up for use with a DAW.

The Timbre Parameter tab is where you'll find the MIDI receive settings for each part.

MartinHines · Post by **MartinHines** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 11:28 pm

You can set the Kronos in Combi mode or Sequencer mode then use your computer sequencer.

You can set each midi channel in the Kronos to a different one (1-16) and you could put different instruments on each Kronos sequencer track.

Whenever Korg gets the Kronos editor/plug-in editor done, this will help also, since you will be able to inser the Kronos as a plugin similar to computer based plugins.

Just make sure and go to Global Mode and turn Midi Local Control off, so any keyboard playing will then send midi data directly to your computer instead of sending it directly to the Kronos sound engine.

SeedyLee · Post by **SeedyLee** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:19 am

It's cool to see there's another Studio One user amongst us Kronos owners. To be honest, I'm waiting for the plugin editor before I start messig around with using Kronos with an external sequencer. I think it's going to be a massive help in improving productivity in integrating an external DAW. Particularly with Studio One, the plugin will be of massive help since S1 has no patch librararian or sysex editor, and programs need to be selected using MSB/LSB program changes.

I wonder if the plugin will stream multi-track audio as well, or if we will be limited to using the 6 outs of the Kronos? It would be wonderful to be able to have a full 16 channels streamed over USB, especially since MIDI mixing is absent in the S1 mixer.

rmvieira · Post by **rmvieira** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 4:51 am

Sorry, but you can only stream 2 audio channels over USB in this implementation. You can get 6 channels out of the 6 outs but you will need another audio interface to get that into your DAW.

Lou · Post by **Lou** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 6:27 am

Using Combi mode for sequencing is very good, sad that you loose the Drum Track function here.
I don't understand why they closed the door on the Drum Track from combi mode. Program and Seq. the drum track fires out midi notation.
If you will be using a daw that will record Sysex then you can get by here.

dhjdhj · Post by **dhjdhj** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:12 am

My only objection to this approach is that in most cases it is the combination of a bunch of programs making up a combi that I would want to record as a single track and so the only way to do it is to record the combi into an audio track of the DAW, keeping the MIDI data around on another muted track in case I want to change it.

paterrob · Post by **paterrob** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:54 pm

SeedyLee wrote:It's cool to see there's another Studio One user amongst us Kronos owners. To be honest, I'm waiting for the plugin editor before I start messig around with using Kronos with an external sequencer. I think it's going to be a massive help in improving productivity in integrating an external DAW. Particularly with Studio One, the plugin will be of massive help since S1 has no patch librararian or sysex editor, and programs need to be selected using MSB/LSB program changes.

I wonder if the plugin will stream multi-track audio as well, or if we will be limited to using the 6 outs of the Kronos? It would be wonderful to be able to have a full 16 channels streamed over USB, especially since MIDI mixing is absent in the S1 mixer.

Thanks for all the replies. It seems to make the most sense to me to utilize the sequencer area and then set up the sixteen different programs (MIDI channels) from there.

It seems with using DAW (Studio One, which is brand new to me as well) I need to split the Kronos into virtually, no pun intended, 2 instruments. The keyboard will become a stand alone controller and everything else will become a sound source (like an Access TI2 desktop). Does this make sense?

So far I have been able to have the Kronos work, or so it seems, as the controller but so far I have been not been able to play any of the sounds from the Kronos. Any suggestions?

Also, will I be able to use the drum patterns/tracks will the external DAW if I do it from the sequence area of the Kronos?

Thanks again.
Robert

MarPabl · Post by **MarPabl** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 2:28 am

Lou wrote:Using Combi mode for sequencing is very good, sad that you loose the Drum Track function here.
I don't understand why they closed the door on the Drum Track from combi mode. Program and Seq. the drum track fires out midi notation.
If you will be using a daw that will record Sysex then you can get by here.

You have Drum Track on COMBI mode. The difference is that you set the MIDI channel (the Timbre) which the Drum Track will send the note information. Check page 234 of the Operations Guide.

SeedyLee · Post by **SeedyLee** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 4:47 am

paterrob wrote:It seems with using DAW (Studio One, which is brand new to me as well) I need to split the Kronos into virtually, no pun intended, 2 instruments. The keyboard will become a stand alone controller and everything else will become a sound source (like an Access TI2 desktop). Does this make sense?

So far I have been able to have the Kronos work, or so it seems, as the controller but so far I have been not been able to play any of the sounds from the Kronos. Any suggestions?

This is correct: Studio One should be configured to treat the Kronos as two external devices: an instrument and a keyboard. This approach is slightly unique to Studio One, but it has some advantages such as simplifying the configuration of automation.

The lack of a MIDI mixer in S1 is going to be a cause of difficulty I suspect though, as there will be no (easy) way to mix tracks coming back from the Kronos. It is possible to do the mix using automation curves, but using the S1 mixer will not be feasible.

Lou · Post by **Lou** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:33 am

MarPabl wrote:
Lou wrote:Using Combi mode for sequencing is very good, sad that you loose the Drum Track function here.
I don't understand why they closed the door on the Drum Track from combi mode. Program and Seq. the drum track fires out midi notation.
If you will be using a daw that will record Sysex then you can get by here.
You have Drum Track on COMBI mode. The difference is that you set the MIDI channel (the Timbre) which the Drum Track will send the note information. Check page 234 of the Operations Guide.

Sorry, but that refers to Program mode. Like I said before, you cannot record the drum track out from Combi mode as you can do in Program and the Internal Seq.

paterrob · Post by **paterrob** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 12:46 pm

Id Studio One is not a viable source can anyone direct me to other DAW programs that work/play well with the Kronos. I would much do my sequencing from an external software package.
With Studio One I can only get to see see the keyboard but can" get any sound out of the Kronos. I have tried both Combi and Seq mode although Seq mode makes more logical sence to be using.
Any help appreciated.

paterrob · Post by **paterrob** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 12:47 pm

Sorry about the bad spelling. Just woke up and I can't get trying to fix the problem out of my mind

penguinpolice · Post by **penguinpolice** » Wed Apr 02, 2014 4:46 am

Hey, I don't mean to drop in a few years too late, but I was very interested in this topic, and I had a further question for everyone - does anyone know if it is possible to automate specific parameters of EXi programs when you're using the Kronos in conjunction with an external sequencer as described? For example, let's say I have a combi that I'm using with my DAW (for me, Cubase) that incorporates the MS20 EX synth, and for the part that I want to record in the combi, it's a rather long piece, and I make several edits to the patch along the way in real time. Would it be better to use sequencer mode if I wanted to dive into that kind of complexity? Because I have tried to use both of the modes to accomplish some of the finer real-time editing/automation that I wanted to accomplish with changing the patches of EXi synths, but I just can't figure out how to do that outside of program mode. Has the game change since this thread has been active? Again, sorry to awaken everyone again after several years!

ed_f · Post by **ed_f** » Wed Apr 02, 2014 1:41 pm

penguinpolice wrote:Hey, I don't mean to drop in a few years too late, but I was very interested in this topic, and I had a further question for everyone - does anyone know if it is possible to automate specific parameters of EXi programs when you're using the Kronos in conjunction with an external sequencer as described? For example, let's say I have a combi that I'm using with my DAW (for me, Cubase) that incorporates the MS20 EX synth, and for the part that I want to record in the combi, it's a rather long piece, and I make several edits to the patch along the way in real time. Would it be better to use sequencer mode if I wanted to dive into that kind of complexity? Because I have tried to use both of the modes to accomplish some of the finer real-time editing/automation that I wanted to accomplish with changing the patches of EXi synths, but I just can't figure out how to do that outside of program mode. Has the game change since this thread has been active? Again, sorry to awaken everyone again after several years!

There have been some other threads on this recently. Can you give an exact example of what you are doing?

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