Korg microKey 37 / volume controller?

[coconutter]

hello!

not sure if this went to right area, but please move if need to.

I am using the microKey when I play vst instruments in Cubase, but there's no input-volume controller, which makes the playing frustrating (I don't like to switch the digital knobs while playing). Is there an option to add external input-volume controller to this keyboard? or if not directly to keyboard, but from Cubase to USB... some kind of knob controller system.

thanks.

[OpAmp]

Hi,

What do you mean exactly by a input-volume controller? Which input do you refer to?

You can always add e.g. a Korg NanoKontrol2 to your setup and set it up to work together with Cubase so that when moving a slider you control e.g. the volume of your VST.

Have fun.

[coconutter]

Hi,

What do you mean exactly by a input-volume controller? Which input do you refer to?

I meant, that when I play some synth VST, that I could control the volume of it; the volume level which would also recorded.

You can always add e.g. a Korg NanoKontrol2 to your setup and set it up to work together with Cubase so that when moving a slider you control e.g. the volume of your VST.

that sounds interesting, I didn't know about that product. Can I adjust the sliders & knobs so those would be connected to whatever effect on vst-instrument? like knob A for volume/gain, knob B for delay feedback, etc. ??

also, how to connect this NanoKontrol2... directly to the USB port in microKey?

Thanks a lot for answering :)

[OpAmp]

Hi,

About the input-volume , we're on the same page then.

The NanoKontrol can be connected through the MicroKey or directly to your pc. Depends a bit on how limited you are with USB ports.
It comes with an editor to set up scenes, something like different setups for the knobs and sliders to easily switch. (E.g. a setup for VST synth A, another for B and so on.)

Furthermore this thing does not assume anything. Meaning, with the editor you assign freely MIDI CC event numbers to each slider and knob per scene. You setup Cubase and the VST with the same numbers to respond to and there you go. Some CC numbers are a bit special and have already a recommended meaning assigned to easily setup things between different manufacturers (like volume is typically CC#07), but nothing prevents you to redefine that on your setup.

NanoKontrol is just one example. All major manufacturers have a similar, flexible programmable MIDI controller, but as we are here on the Korg Forums and as you already use the microKey, I presented the NanoKontrol.

Enjoy.

[coconutter]

Furthermore this thing does not assume anything. Meaning, with the editor you assign freely MIDI CC event numbers to each slider and knob per scene. You setup Cubase and the VST with the same numbers to respond to and there you go. Some CC numbers are a bit special and have already a recommended meaning assigned to easily setup things between different manufacturers (like volume is typically CC#07), but nothing prevents you to redefine that on your setup.

I've been watching some youtube videos about this product, but still didn't yet find information enough... I wanted to know if it would be possible to use all those knobs & sliders just for one vst-synth? That I can freely choose where to connect those sliders & knobs - is that possible?

Also... I read somewhere that there could be more banks (or something like that), so I could have unlimited knobs/sliders... ???

[OpAmp]

Hi,

The banks you are referring to are called scenes. It means that e.g. slider 1 is volume control in scene 1, but means e.g. filter cutoff in scene 2.
AFAIK the controller does not support scenes/banks by itself. But as you need to hook it up to a pc, you can store scenes on your harddrive and load them, when you want it differently.
So you have virtually unlimited scenes, but you can not change them realtime, you need some interaction on the pc. Apart from that MIDI supports only less than 128 CC numbers, of which you can roughly use max 50 at once on the nanoKontrol.

As stated earlier, the device does not assume anything, it is how you set it up with the editor, cubase and your vst. Typically in Cubase, you should be able to set up a map like this: E.g.
* filter cutoff knob of the VST listens CC #X
* envelope attack knob of the VST listens to CC #Y
* ...

Then in the nanoKontrol editor you assign the same numbers on the sliders/knobs of the nanoKontrol (= setup your scene). E.g.
* Slider 3 sends CC #X, meaning it will control the filter cutoff of your VST
* Knob 8 sends CC #Y, meaning it will control the attack time of your VST
* ...

E.g. in Fruity Loops (another DAW with VST host built in) you just can right click a knob of the VST and choose which CC number it should listen.

[coconutter]

So you have virtually unlimited scenes, but you can not change them realtime, you need some interaction on the pc. Apart from that MIDI supports only less than 128 CC numbers, of which you can roughly use max 50 at once on the nanoKontrol.

ok. but I can I change the scenes during the recording? or do I have to cut the recording?

[OpAmp]

You will be able to change scenes during recording. But it involves some mouseclicks... that's what I meant by not realtime. It may also cause some ticks, that depends on the exact implementation. But I can not judge that as I don't own one.

The nanoKontrol2 is not that expensive, I would just give it a try.

Have fun.

[coconutter]

I finally got the Nanokontrol2. Now connected it to Cubase, but I am totally lost, no idea how to adjust the knobs like I would like to. The manual doesn't say anything about that; and also the tutorials on youtube are not showing how to connect the physical knobs to virtual knobs.

EDIT: I created a new topic about the cubase/nanokontrol2/kontrol editor. it's here: http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... 090#768090

[naksh31]

Excellent thread..!!!