With a compact and sophisticated-looking
design, the microKONTROL includes a three-octave keyboard (37 note mini
keyboard), eight encoders, eight sliders, and sixteen trigger pads that
you can use to control your favorite soft synths, DAW (Digital Audio
Workstation), or other musical tools such as external MIDI sound
modules. It is the perfect choice for making music on the go thanks to
its compact design, and it will fit into the tightest performance
space.
A compact MIDI keyboard controller that provides 35 different controllers
The microKONTROL's velocity-sensitive 37-note
mini keyboard provides Octave Shift and Transpose functions that allow
it to cover the full range of C-1 through G9. Eight different velocity
curves are provided " you can select the response that works best for
your playing. Eight encoders and sliders, sixteen pads, a joystick with
switch, and support for pedals give you a total of 35 different
controllers, making this the ultimate controller for direct and
intuitive operation.
Eight encoders and sliders, with associated LCDs
The eight encoders and sliders can be assigned
to transmit any MIDI control change (including NRPN and RPN messages)
to control volume, panning, or anything else. Operating a controller
will transmit the MIDI message assigned to it. Each encoder and slider
also has an LCD (sub display) that indicates the parameter and the
transmitted value, with the backlight color changing between orange and
green to distinguish between the encoder and slider. Since you won't
have to watch your computer screen while you operate the controllers,
your fingers will be linked to your music in a more physical way. The
LCD can display either decimal or hexadecimal values.
Sixteen trigger pads that also function as control switches
The microKONTROL provides sixteen trigger pads
that can be assigned with an unprecedented degree of freedom. The pads
can be used to trigger notes with full velocity transmission, or
assigned to transmit MIDI control changes to operate the transport of
your recording software or act as any type of switch.
Assignable joystick with switch
In addition to assigning pitch bend to the
X-axis and modulation to the Y-axis of the joystick, you can freely
assign different MIDI messages to all four directions
(up/down/left/right) and the switch in order to control your connected
device or computer application.
Easily make control assignments from the front panel
Making control assignments is extremely easy "
just hold down a mode key. Press the "SETTING" mode key, press a pad to
select the desired type of controller, and use the controller and the
"CURSOR" buttons to specify the parameters.
Twelve preset scenes support popular sequencer software
Settings that assign the controllers to various
control functions for computer-based software synthesizers or DAW
programs can be saved as one of twelve scenes in internal user memory.
You can use the trigger pads to switch scenes instantly. Internal
memory also contains twelve preset scenes that support popular DAW and
sequencer software.
MIDI IN/OUT ports, and support for bus power
The microKONTROL provides MIDI IN/OUT ports,
and can also be used as a USB-MIDI interface. You can use MIDI clock
data to control the tempo, or transmit MIDI messages directly. The
microKONTROL can also be powered via its USB connection, making the AC
power supply adaptor or even batteries unnecessary when connected to a
computer via USB.
Driver/librarian software and templates for popular software are included
The included CD-ROM contains dedicated drivers,
librarian software that lets you manage your original scenes on a
computer, and numerous templates (scene programs) for use with popular
DAW and sequencer software. More templates will be released ensuring
that the most popular applications will be supported by the
microKONTROL.
Dance Music Production Software
Korg USA is now providing a dance music production software bundle free of charge with the MicroKontrol. It includes:
-
"Live Lite 4 Korg Edition" - a lite,
yet surprisingly powerful version of the cutting-edge Ableton "Live 4"
loop-based audio/MIDI sequence software.
- "SampleTank 2 Korg Edition" - a special
version of IK Multimedia's standard-setting "rompler" plug-in software
"SampleTank 2 Free", which comes with over 150 MB of custom sounds.
- "MDE-X" - the full version of KORG Legacy Collection's multi-effect plug-in software " 19 great-sounding effects.