So is there ANY reason not to get the nanopad2 over nanopad?

[NuSkoolTone]

Forgive me as this has been spoken about before, but I never felt there was a real answer given.

I'm about to take the plunge and start gigging the Kronos. I often use percussion and FX and want to assign them to the nanopad so I don't need to take up keyboard space.

What's the difference between doing rolls on the two? Flams still possible? Not deal breakers but curious.

Read the original nanopads "feel" better, but the newer ones are more durable. Any truth to this?

How many keys can you assign to each pad again? I think it was 4 vs. 8 and 4 is fine for me, but just curious.

Any advantages either or with Karama? Drum Track? etc...

Price is not the issue between them, just want to figure which is better suited for me.

If any of you guys have personal experience and can point me towards some good comparisons as well, that'd be great. Thanks!

[RonF]

I don't know that I can answer all those individual questions....but I have the NP2, and it works great with Kronos. Its a very sturdy build, and works straight out of the box with the K.

The only downsides I have experienced....the buttons along the top of the unit (from memory: Hold, ARP, Scale, etc) do not seem to have any useful function with the K, out of the box. However, I am sure you can use the included software to assign these buttons to useful functions, such as Karma controls. And the large TouchPad on the unit, while it does work nicely out of the box, and offers some very cool expression....I have had some difficulty identifying exactly what the affected parameters are on the K, AND the touch pad does not return-to-zero (center) on release......so in some cases, when you don't like the effects of it, its not so easy to get the patch back to its default parameters, without re-loading the patch on the Kronos.

Those are just some very minor quirks, that once you work with a bit, become obvious to you and easy to work around/with. Overall...its a great unit, and I have no regrets with it.

[SanderXpander]

That's why you need the "hold" button, it holds the value of the touchpad to where you release it. Want it in the center? Let go in the center.

[Attic]

Yeah like the better little brother the M3.

[Sparker]

If you download the 'Korg Kontrol Editor' (which covers all the Nano* products) then you can browse through the settings for each of the nanos and check out the differences between ver.1. and ver.2.

For the Nanopads - the extra functionality added in version 2:

16 pads vs 12;
The ability to play monophonic scales with the (intci-wincy-teeny) X-Y screen;
The Kaossilator Pro ARP (not the one from the original Kaossilator with the funky 50 odd ARP patterns - a hybrid between these would be better IMO (hint to Korg);
A user definable scale - I can see a use for being able to programe a multi-note pattern in the 'global -> user scale' thus making it possible to play a specific run of notes with a movement of the finger across the X-Y Pad.

The other change is the editable 'chord' function (multiple notes assigned to a nanopad) is reduced from 8 to 4 in ver.2.

The Flam,Roll (and ARP & Scale in ver.2.) buttons don't appear to be editable in either version.

Personally, I got one to be able to trigger the Kronos Pads (a-la M3), without having to access the Pad Screen; and for doing things with drum programs. It's ergonomic and sits easily on the top of the Kronos without getting the way.

PS. I've just checked out the Nanopad2 manual and it doesn't mention Rolls or Flams nor have the buttons for those functions ... I feel quite relieved that I didn't buy the ver.2. as I do like the X-Y roll and flam features and had assumed they would be included in the new version 2.