Using The Chord Pads - Korg kronos Operation Manual

Using the Chord Pads

Overview
Programs, Combinations, and Songs all have a Pads page on
the ninth tab of P1:
Programs: Basic/Vector->Pads
Combinations and Songs: EQ/Vector/Controller->Pads
You can use these pads for:
• Storing and selecting chords for Chord mode
• Selecting and triggering chords, especially for use with
KARMA
• Playing drum sounds, especially in conjunction with a
compatible USB MIDI pad device
The pads can play up to eight-note chords—and they even
remember the velocities of the individual notes within the
chord.
In addition to playing sounds directly, the pads are also used
to select chords for Chord mode. For more information, see
"Using Chord mode" on page 40.
To avoid damaging the display, use care when playing the
on-screen pads. Do not press strongly on the display or
strike forcefully; instead, use a light and precise
touch."Velocity" is controlled by position, and not by
force.
Playing the pads
Playing the pads from the screen
You can play the pads directly from the screen. "Velocity" is
controlled by where you touch the pad; lower is softer, and
higher is louder. (You can also enable Fixed Velocity mode;
see "Fixed Velocity" on page 40.)
If individual notes in the chord have different stored
velocities, these are scaled by the overall velocity.
Note: from the screen, only one pad can be played at a time.
Playing the pads from MIDI or the keyboard
Pads can be triggered by incoming MIDI notes or CCs, or
from the local keyboard. To do so:
1. Go to the Global P2: Controllers page.
2. Under MIDI CC# Assign —Vector Joystick / Pads, set
Pads 1-8 to the desired MIDI notes.
Playing Programs Using the Chord Pads
You can also use MIDI CCs, if you prefer. With CCs, the
value of the CC is used as the pad's "velocity." (For an
alternative method, see "Playing the pads from external
MIDI CCs," below.)
It's as simple as that; the pads will now respond to the
specified notes or CCs on the Global channel.
Be aware, however, that this will completely dedicate these
notes to triggering the pads; they will no longer trigger
sounds normally. For this reason, you may wish to assign
notes either below or above the standard keyboard range (for
instance, C-1 through G-1).
All of this also applies to notes played on the Global
Channel from the local keyboard, with the same restriction:
the assigned notes become dedicated to playing the pads.
For more information, see "2–1c: MIDI CC# Assign —
Vector Joystick / Pads" on page 782 of the Parameter Guide.
Playing the pads from external MIDI CCs
The method above applies to both the local keyboard and
MIDI input on the Global Channel. As an alternative, you
can use the Global Function Assign page to play the pads
from MIDI or USB MIDI input only, without affecting the
local keyboard. This alternative method also allows you to
control the pads from any MIDI Channel—not just the
Global channel.
For more information, see "2–3: Function Assign" on
page 784 of the Parameter Guide.
Playing the pads from Korg USB MIDI controllers
You can also play the pads using Korg USB MIDI
controllers equipped with drum pads, including:
• nanoPAD and nanoPAD2
• microKONTROL
• padKONTROL
• KONTROL49
To use any of these Korg controllers, simply connect the
controller to one of the KRONOS's two USB A ports. The
KRONOS will automatically determine the MIDI
assignments of the controller's pads 1-8, and map them
directly to the KRONOS pads.
For more details, see "USB MIDI controllers" on page 1132
of the Parameter Guide.
Enable Pad Play button
The pads play every time you touch within their boundaries.
If you're editing the stored notes and velocities manually,
you may wish to temporarily disable this feature. To do so:
1. Touch the Pad Play button at the top of the display, to
turn it off.
The button's light will go dark, to show that it is disabled.
Once you're finished editing, turn it on again:
2. Touch the Pad Play button again, to turn it on.
The button's light will go on, to show that it is enabled.
Note: Enable Pad Play applies only to the on-screen pads,
and does not affect pad triggering from MIDI, the local
keyboard, or USB MIDI devices.
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