using korg microkontrol and live

davidgray · Post by **davidgray** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:05 am

i am considering either buying the korg microkontrol (to be paired with a purchase of ableton live) or the roland sp-606 (which is supposed to be out this summer, check it out at http://messe.harmony-central.com/Musikm ... P-606.html and http://trio.harmony-central.com/ramgen/ ... d-SP606.rm for an extended demo video).

anyways, i am trying to find the right type of equipment for doing cut and paste hip hop--lots of loops and samples, drum sounds etc. think dj shadow, accompanied by scratching on my turntables. i have looked at akai's mpd16, but it does not have enough features. furthermore, i want something that i can both compose and realistically use live (the live part of that is more important, hence my need for either a good piece of standalone hardware OR a good interface). i am not really interested in performing solely off of my laptop, that's why i'm looking at the microkontrol. i need a good interface if i go the software route. good rhythm production and solid looping is more important than lots of synths. the velocity trigger pads on the korg have really caught my attention, but i am concerned that getting them to do what i want (basically act like a mpc or boss drum pad unit) will be over my head. has anyone done anything with the velocity pads on the korg and the ableton software that links the pads to samples and loops, and then controls them from the microkontrol like a sequencer (think korg's electribe line or a boss sampler line). ? can you program the sliders or rotary knobs to act as effects on the sampled sounds (like decay, distortion, echo, etc.)? i want to be able to use the velocity pads to both trigger one-off sounds and continuing loops within live. has anybody done this? this is your chance to brag. also, i would like to use the keyboard to produce moog sounds or something, does live offer a component that will do this?

i have been playing with the demo of live for a while now and it doesn't really seem to catch my creative attention. am i doing something wrong? it is obvious that there is a lot of potential with this software. i feel like if i buy the software and the microkontrol, i'm not going to fully grasp its capabilities, and it will be a waste. honestly, the prospect of trying to assign different controls on the microkontrol to different parts of ableton live seems rather daunting. i would love to hear from users who use live and/or the microkontrol for downtempo, hiphop, or any other type of music that is more rhythm based than synth based. any other tips or suggestions will be much appreciated. or if there's better software or interfaces out there, please enlighten me.

tjwett · Post by **tjwett** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:19 am

howdy. i use Live for lots of hip-hop production. the editing possibilities just can't be beat. Live has replaced all my hardware. no more MPC, no more ASR. you have to adjust from sequencing MIDI data to sequencing actual pieces of audio. once you get used to that it's so much better. you can see the sound, not just little dots. i think you should spend some time with the manual and really get to know the program. it's really like having the MPC i always dreamed of.

as for assigning controllers on the micro to Live, it's very simple. click the MIDI button in Live. click on just about anything on screen. move your knob/hit the pad or key on the micro. that's it.

dpel · Post by **dpel** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:28 am

david,
live , i feel, is the fastest. easiest more musical
way of laying out loops, tweaking tempo and auditioning
other loops while locked to tempo.

taking advantage of the browser window we can simply drag ond drop clips (loop files) while we're playing. no interuptions. set your loop markers and go.
i work primarily in the arranger mode becuase i'm used to that orientation. DP/PT etc
session mode is also inspiring. it will create unlimited possibilities.
by creating scenes/ideas stacked in a row we can jump from idea to idea.
like what you've done? practice with the little red light on
and see what happens.

SEACREST OUT

enjoy,
dp

Winterpark · Post by **Winterpark** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 8:14 am

hey David,

I recently bought a Korg MicroKontrol, and think it's great. Live takes on a whole other dimension with a midi-controller.

I planned to use the touch pads for drum programming in reason, but have been using them more so to trigger samples,turn on/off live's effects, and the cross-fader to the send (thanks MontrealBreaks for that one!)

I'm not so convinced about how well the velocity sensitivity works... I've actually turned the pads to fixed velocity... also the keys are a bit little, but depends what sort of programming your going to be doing...

On the upside though, the sliders are great just to assign to the faders, and really just make it heaps more hands on. I also like that you can assign names to the rotary knobs and sliders, and that it has it's own midi sync, which you can send to live, and adjust the tempo with a dedicated tempo controller.

Live is awesome, (goes without saying really), and is really much more flexible than getting a hardware option.

am

Rx · Post by Rx » Tue Apr 27, 2004 8:27 pm

just got an mK last week and i'm quite impressed by it so far. i haven't delved very much into Live with it yet - just playing with my VSTi and getting a blast out of that. i do think that it's a great tool for use with Live, especially with the endless knobs and pads for firing off loops and stuff. i wrote a review of my experience so far at http://www.em411.com/show.php?area=hardware&area_id=184

six_wax · Post by **six_wax** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 11:44 pm

I quite enjoy using my mpc1k as a companion to Live. great for making beats...