Korg NANOKontrol 2 Ableton Live Review and How-to

My Review of how to use the Korg NANOKontrol 2 together with a DAW (Ableton Live 8 here) and an external keyboard.

I made several adjustment of the Standard Live settings using

1) Some changes in the Phyton Code in Ableton described here:
You can evem control the whole set of Mackie User Controls (see here for a full list: http://web.archive.org/web/20080126093602/http://members.aol.com/mhigrules/MC... for instance, Undo or Redo!) by changing the assignment of the keys (OK this is more a hack since it requires adjusting your DAW's internal MIDI wiring but it is fairly easy (at least in Ableton): You just need to edit the decimal value of the key Note On Message sent from the respective button on your NK2 to map in the file consts.py and put the changed version in the folder in Midi Remote Scripts/Mackie Control_Classic.
The uncompiled files can be found here: [url]http://www.assembla.com/spaces/live-api/documents[/url]. Once you put the phyton file in your installation's directory, it automatically gets compiled when you start Live and you're done! I have no undo(SID_FUNC_UNDO) and Arrangement/Session Switch(SID_AUTOMATION_ON) on the bank back(46) /forward(47) buttons, very convenient when recording ;-)

2) Change some elements such as the Knobs to control my own settings using Abletons MIDI Map Learning Function

3) Using MIDI Routing and Data Manipulation in MIDI OX to also control external gear.

For more info check these reviews and topics:
http://www.norduserforum.com/general-synthesizers-keyboards-forum-f6/korg-nan...
or
http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=64358&sid=631284cb...

Sorry for out of sync problems and some not perfect cuts!!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Korg
• NANOKontrol
• Ableton
• Live
• Nano
• Kontrol
• MIDI
• Keyboard

[4LaSeverin]

Do you think you could, by any chance, post your "consts.py" file somewhere? Would be great as I dont seem to get it out...

Additionally, do you see any chance to map Fader & Knob 8 to Master Channel instead of Audio Channel?

[ElPlayagiron]

@4LaSeverin Hi, you find the file attached to this post showed in the description (just added the file on norduserforum freely to download).

As I said, I DID map channel 8 to Master Channel if that's what you're asking.

[4LaSeverin]

@ElPlayagiron Thanks alot. How do you know, for instance, that the parameter "SID_AUTOMATION_ON" toggles between Session/Arrangement View in Live? Furthermore, how do you know that the bank next/previous sends 46/47? The only thing I would like to enhance to your .py file is to set the "Set" key to toggle "follow mode". How would you do this? Thx alot in advance!

[ElPlayagiron]

@4LaSeverin The numbers of the switches I got from intuition knowing which element normally does which action so I just exchanged tham, e.g. NEXT_BANK I wanted REDO so I just exchanged the nubers in consts py

As for finding what other functions are, I downloaded the complete py files (see the 4th post on the topic on norduserforum zipped and searched in a text editor something that sounds good, in your case "follow" and see which key presses react to it.

Try "SID_FUNC_MIXER" for follow mode!

[acefecoo]

What do you think about the faders? Are they "sensitive" enough?

[ElPlayagiron]

@acefecoo they are rather smooth and I find them easy to set up a desired value.

They are quite short though but if you move slowly it works great!

[4LaSeverin]

@ElPlayagiron I bow to you. Finally did it by exchanging "SID_FUNC_MIXER" 83 to 82. Btw I found a useful tool calles MIDI-OX with which you can monitor Midi inputs and outputs plus corresponding data in real time.

[bhavneshchamdal]

Thanks for the video. Really helpful.

I'm looking at purchasing a NanoKontrol2 primarily for some comparatively 'boring' stuff like doing the DJ/Live setup, but, I'd also use it in a similar way as you've demonstrated for recording too.

Hope I get it set up!