Korg NanoKontrol Setup

I was desperately searching for some help with setting up my new NanoKontrol when I came accross a fabulous post from Gamma Goblin so I thought it deserves a thread all of its own so peeps can easily find it when searching on the forum.
 
Having followed GG's instructions, I am now the happy owner of a fully Sonar 8.5.3 integrated NanoKontrol unit for both Track Control and Transport control.  At the end, I have posted a postscript which explains about the track buttons mode of use.
 
Gamma Goblin:
 
Let me try to break down the steps for you.

***SETTING UP [ STRIPS 1-9 (don't forget there are four scenes 9x4=36)***

-Make sure you've done all of the Korg USB and MIDI driver setup stuff outside of Sonar.

-In Sonar go to OPTIONS/MIDI DEVICES and check the box for "[" (if you don't see it here then you didn't setup step one correctly)

-now go to OPTIONS/CONTROLLERS-SURFACES and click on the small yellow star looking button just down and left of the help button

-when you click on the yellow button you get a SETTINGS box to open. Change the "controller/surface" option to "Cakewalk generic surface" and choose your [ in the input and output port options.

-now go to the main screen in Sonar and look at the black box in the top center of the screen and you should see your Cakewalk generic surface listed in that box.

-click on the button to the right of that black box called "controller surfaces properties".

-in the presets box change this name from "cakewalk generic" to something like "KORG [" and click the save button on the right. And remember to always click save after any changes you make in the selections below.

-change the number of strips to 32 (this is the max Sonar will do even though the NANO can do 9x4 with the scenes button). Now each number in the "configure strip number" box (1,2,3,4,5 etc.) corresponds to each strip (fader 1,2,3,4,5 etc.) on the Nano.

-lets setup strip ONE. In "parameter 1" select "Volume" then to the right select the "Controller" option right below "none" and above "NRPN" then CLICK AND HOLD THE LEARN BUTTON WHILE MOVING THE VOLUME FADER ON THE NANO. Now you should see the track ONE fader in Sonar move when you move the fader on the Nano. Go to the top of the box and click SAVE now to save this setting.

-Now go to "parameter 2,3,4,5 etc." and setup the options that you want the same way. I've got "Pan" for parameter two and "Mute" for three and "Record Arm" for parameter four.

-Now to setup strips 2,3,4,5 etc. you need to select "Configure Strip Number" and select the next strip "2" that you want to setup. Set each strip exactly like I showed you in the steps above.

-DONT FORGET TO SAVE these changes to your "KORG [" preset after every change you make.




***SETTING UP THE TRANSPORT CONTROLS (six transport buttons on the Nano)***

-Go to OPTIONS/CONTROLLERS-SURFACES again and now when you click on the small yellow star box, setup an ACT MIDI CONTROLLER. The reason I use ACT instead of the generic controller surface from above is that in the generic each transport setting is assigned to each strip (1,2,3,4,5 etc.). I don't want to set this up 32 times so the ACT controller allows you to have just one setup for the nano's transport buttons.

-Once your "ACT MIDI CONTROLLER" is setup go to the main screen in SONAR and in the black box (top middle center of the screen) select "ACT MIDI CONTROLLER" instead of the generic controller and click the button to the right to open up the properties box.

-Same thing as above, name your preset "KORG [" and click SAVE. Now you have a preset saved.

-Now click on the "OPTIONS" tab. In the "buttons" and "parameter" selection, select "B1" for button one (the nano's transport has six buttons so use B1, B2 , B3 etc.) and select the option you want in the box to the right. I've got "Transport/Rewind" selected for "B1" and "Transport/Stop" for button "B2" etc. I don't use the forward button on the Nano for forward so I assigned it to "bounce to tracks" and the Nano loop button is assigned to open up the "PRV editor". You can assign what ever you want to these buttons.

-Now click on the "Controllers" Tab (top left of box)

-now you should see the options you selected listed in the B1, B2, B3 etc. boxes. Click on box B1. It should now say MIDI LEARN. Click on the [ button that you want it to learn to. So for "rewind" click the "rewind" button on the Nano. Shazzzammmmm!!!!!

-Do this for each of the Nano's transport buttons (six of them) and SAVE YOUR PRESET!!!!!



I hope this all made sense to you... This is exactly how I set my NanoKontol up so if you follow the steps it should work just fine. Let me know if you have any problems or questions. : )


*As a side note... If you want your faders on the Nano to stop the SONAR fader at 0db at the top of the slider range then open up the Nano Software and click on each Nano Fader MIDI CC# box and in the "UPPER RIGHT VALUE" option below select "101" instead of "127" for each of the nano's faders. Save your settings and don't forget to go to COMMUNICATIONS/Write Scene Data(set) to get your changes into the [. Changing this range means that when you push all of your [ faders all of the way up, they stop at 0db instead of +6db. If you need to go higher on a track then just adjust the fader in Sonar with your mouse.
<message edited by Gamma Goblin on December 24, 08 5:26 PM>
 
The only point I would add is that if you want to use your track buttons (GG uses them to Arm and Mute; I use them for Mute and Solo) in a way that is press once for "on" (with the button lit) and once for "off", you need to have them set for "Toggle" from your Korg Kontrol Software page and then on the Cakewalk Generic menu (which you should have renamed NanoKontrol or similar) you need to check the button in the section marked "Midi Message Interpretation" called On/Off.  Sadly, I have not found a way of making the transport buttons work the same way.
 
If you don't do this, you have to press each button twice to operate and its a pain because you have to pay attention instead of just clicking once to operate.
 
Another pain is that you cannot save your re-named Cakewalk Generic Controller Surface folder and let others have it - there is no functionality in Sonar to do this.....yet!  And yet is seems so obvious............!
 
Hope this helps but a big Shout Out for Gamma Goblin who did all the hard work.

Hi Vinski, to answer your question, in a word, Yes! 

Although each Nanokontroller has only 9 track groups, the unit has 4 Scenes which means that by pressing the Scene button, you step through 4 Scenes = 36 track controllers.  If you had 2 units and used the Scene control, it would provide you with 72 track group controls.  However, if you didn't want the hassle of stepping through scenes, (another button to press) then two controllers would be able to work 18 tracks simultaneously.  The maximum you can connect is 4 NanoKontrollers = 72 track group controls simultaneously.

I am very impressed with this unit; for the money, it cannot be beaten.  To be able to control Sonar tracks with sliders, Mute and Arm tracks is great and its such a small unit too.  A great purchase!

The biggest  [ and only real ]  issue with the  K.N.K  units with Sonar  [ or any other DAW fro that matter ]  is that the are  not  midi-bi-directional.

That is, once you set up your  4 x 9  [ 36 ]  tracks, when you hit the SCENE button to move from the first 9-track-bank  to  the  next 9-track-bank  Sonar  [ or any other DAW ]  does not respond - you still need to manully scroll down  - and vice-versa - if for example you scroll down from track 9 to say, track 14, the K.N.K does not move to the correct Scene [ ie: Scene 2 ]. 

Why  Korg  didnt implement the  K.N.K  to be  midi-bi-directional is a really big  deficiency.

If it was  midi-bi-directional  these units would become the absolute industy standard overnight.

Who knows, maybe a future driver update may allow this, but I suspect its a hardware limitation of the current design - maybe the K.N.K  MkII  will have this feature.

Tom

Hi Psul

Dont get me wrong - even in its current form there is nothing on the planet that even comes close to the KNK in terms of features, flexibility and price.

Just imagine how much better it would be if it was  midi bi-directional  AND  instead of only 2  buttons per track it had 4 - one for Mute / Solo / Rec Arm / Rec Monitor.

Tom