Kore 2 - things to know before purchase

[purpurkatten]

Interested in Kore 2 by NI, I have some questions.
- Any problems using Kore 2 with Ableton Live? I want to be able to use the knobs to control the volume sliders in Live, I want to use the transport buttons etc. Is it easy to program this? Any problems?
- I saw in a tutorial film from NI that there is a special template to control Live. Is it useful, does it work?
- I want to use Kore 2 to control knobs and switch presets in Omnisphere. Any problems with this?
- Can I access the presets in Omnisphere in the Kore 2 database?
- Do you know if I´m allowed by NI to resell the Kore 2 hardware and software if I´m displeased with it?
- If I get an other midi control device, can I use that to control the Kore 2 software?
- Any other things I should be aware of before purchasing Kore 2?
Thankful for any help.

[convex]

To answer a couple of your questions:

You can use Kore as a generic MIDI controller for any software including Live, and you can program it to control parameters of whatever plug-in you load into the native Kore software environment. Be aware though that these are two different modes that will require you to toggle back and forth to access internal controls or to control Live parameters/transport.

As far as selling the Kore controller and buying another one to control the Kore software, I don't think that is possible. I'm pretty sure that the Kore controller is tied to the Kore license you buy and which you would have to sell. You could buy the Kore software and a controller from a different vendor, but that kind of defeats the purpose.

I love Kore and use it on everything, but I rarely use it for any of the tasks you've mentioned. What it does best is to provide instant access to NI product parameters, patches, and instruments. Kore does this so easily and quickly that I can never be bothered to fiddle around with the rest of it. It isn't my only controller, though.

It seems that if you are on the fence and mainly want to use it for other programs, there are more cost effective ways to accomplish the same thing. Even if you were to get Kore from Audiomidi's sale this week, $240 is a helluva lot to pay for a MIDI controller with only 8 knobs and buttons, much less the full price of $400 or whatever it goes for now. Of course, that price includes the Kore sound content, if you're interested in that.

[Slightlydelic]

does anyone know if the sounds kore comes with are taken from the Komplete produts? or will i get some new sounds?

[convex]

There is some overlap with the individual products included in Komplete, but there was enough unique material that it didn't bother me. Although, I went from Kore to Komplete, so it felt like a big expansion to me. It sounds like you're going the other way, so you might look more closely at a detailed list of Kore sounds beforehand.

[whatwhat808]

I asked this in another thread but...

Just wanted to make sure before I bought Kore 2 and Komplete 7 upgrade. The upgrade lists

KOMPLETE 7 UPGRADE
This upgrade only works for users of KONTAKT 1-4, REAKTOR 2-5, KORE 2, GUITAR RIG 1-4 KONTROL EDITION.

Will that be all good buying everything from here? http://www.audiomidi.com/cust_search/cs ... s_nov.aspx

[vicz]

The Kore controller is not tied to the software license in any way. In fact I bought the software only version first and then a second hand controller off ebay.

The controller comes with a load of templates that you can use to control various midi apps including Live, or you can make your own with the free editor. Generally this works well though I find the transport controls mapping a bit hit or miss sometimes. There aren't many knobs though and no faders.

You can use any midi controller to drive the Kore software, I used my remote sl which automapped to the main knobs OK but the Kore controller is a lot better - the knobs are much finer adjustment and are touch sensitive, the LEDs feedback the control status and sound names when loading, and the layout corresponds to the Kore app and echoes the state of leds, switches etc.

I never managed to map the controller to Omnisphere, nor did I import its presets, but I didn't try very hard. Omnisphere's midi mapping is a bit idiosyncratic IMHO.

Kore uses the sounds and audio engines of the NI products in Komplete so if you don't like these you won't like Kore. You can use it as a preset manager and VST host for performances etc but personally I don't think thats its main strength.

[eegee]

I'm considering the Kore 2 deal also. Curious - is it feeling rather outdated yet? It lists the Kontakt 2 engine, for example, which is pretty old.

[convex]

The current version of the Kore software uses the engine from Kontakt 4. In any case, all the details about Komplete are easy to find at the NI website.

[ewistrand]

- Any problems using Kore 2 with Ableton Live? I want to be able to use the knobs to control the volume sliders in Live, I want to use the transport buttons etc. Is it easy to program this? Any problems?

There's a template for Live. I can't say how it works, as I still use Live 6, which doesn't have the API hooks.

- I saw in a tutorial film from NI that there is a special template to control Live. Is it useful, does it work?

See the above

- I want to use Kore 2 to control knobs and switch presets in Omnisphere. Any problems with this?

Someone's done an Omni template for Kore if I remember. As far as switching presets go, it all depends on how you have things set up.

- Can I access the presets in Omnisphere in the Kore 2 database?

Not unless you import them one at a time and save them. Batch import only works with .fxb

- Do you know if I´m allowed by NI to resell the Kore 2 hardware and software if I´m displeased with it?

As long as it's not an educational version, yes.

- If I get an other midi control device, can I use that to control the Kore 2 software?

Yes, However, you'd be giving up the greater resolution and browsing capabilities, as well as some other things.

Your Kore forum moderator,
ew

[Silverfish]

Hey guys, I don't mean to threadjack, but I saw the question about using Kore 2 to control Live and thought I better chime in. Perhaps EW can guide us in the right direction...

Currently, running the most recent Kore 2 and most recent Ableton Live 8, the Kore midi controller template is broken for me. I've read of one other user having the same issue. I was going to head over to the NI forum to see what developed, but the forum was done (due to black friday traffic). However, this same template works fine for me with Live 7. I don't know if the problem rests with Kore or Live, or is an isolated incident with my setup. Anyone have some input?

Otherwise, Kore 2 is great. It fills the spaces that Ableton Racks do not, and I'm actually looking at using the Kore 2 controller as my main live performance controller.

[purpurkatten]

Thanks guys for your insights, much appreciated.