Michael Antrum
Only the good die young....
I wonder if the draw bars on my Nord Electro 6D 76 can be used to control CC’s..... Probably not, but I’m going to check....
Is there a better alternative to the Korg Nano Kontrol?
- Thread starter midiman
- Start date
Crossroads
Senior Member
Behringer BCF2000 is unique in it's price point. It's the best midi controller for CC's and motorized faders in that price range. It also has 100mm faders, quite rare these days without spending a ton on custom build hardware. It also has concave faders, really nice for controlling multiple CC's at once. It is pretty much a perfect midi controller, and dirt cheap.
Grizzlymv
Senior Member
Personally, I can't do without my nanoKontrol2. I did try touchOSC and OpenStageControl with a tablet, but both made Cubase crash more often and caused wierd issues (volume or panning change each time I'd select a track, etc). Ironically, nanoKontrol2 use mostly the same Generic Remote as I used for the touch version, but it's super stable with the hardware controller.
That being said, I use the nanoKontrol2 for much more than just the sliders. I mapped a bunch of shortcuts to the buttons (show/hide mixers, lanes, show VST, duplicate track, add track presets, etc) so I can cover as much ground as I did with the touch panel.
I also coupled it with a nanoKey2 which is covering C-2 to C0 so my expression maps keyswitch are always accessible without having to change octaves on my main keyboard.
That being said, I use the nanoKontrol2 for much more than just the sliders. I mapped a bunch of shortcuts to the buttons (show/hide mixers, lanes, show VST, duplicate track, add track presets, etc) so I can cover as much ground as I did with the touch panel.
I also coupled it with a nanoKey2 which is covering C-2 to C0 so my expression maps keyswitch are always accessible without having to change octaves on my main keyboard.
Alex Fraser
Requires ☕️
Two good things about the Nano:
Concave faders!
The short throw means you can rest your palm on the desk yet still have the full range of movement. The trade-off (imo) of longer faders is that your arm is generally suspended in use. You do get finer control though.
Concave faders!
The short throw means you can rest your palm on the desk yet still have the full range of movement. The trade-off (imo) of longer faders is that your arm is generally suspended in use. You do get finer control though.
Hi Grizzlymv,
I have just bought a nanoKontrol2, and have been having quite an issue getting it ("sort of,") working. I'm using an older version of Cubase 5. I tried the Generic Remote, but it didn't seem to work, so I switched to "Mackie Control," and it "kind of works," but it seems quite a bit limited compared to the Generic Remote settings/options.
And so I can only get certain things to work at present. For one, I have to use NOTE names in the Korg Editor app to get any of the transport stuff working at all. See my screenshot below.
TRANSPORT BUTTONS WORKING:
Rewind
FastForward
Stop
Play
Record.
TRANSPORT BUTTONS NOT WORKING:
Track <
Track > (I believe the two track buttons switch the groups of tracks from 1-8 then 9-16 then 17-24.)
Cycle
Set Marker
Previous Marker
Next Marker.
FADERS/SLIDERS WORKING:
(All the Faders assigned to Midi CC Messages.)
BUTTONS & KNOBS NOT WORKING:
All Record, Mute, Solo buttons
All Rotary Knobs at top of faders.
* When I set the nano app to Note Names it does in fact show what they are in the nano app when I click on the correspond "squares," near each button, but when I set them up as that, the only ones that work are the basic transport controls mentioned above.
* I also tried using Midi Ox app, but it just shows "Control Change" when in CC' mode on nano app, when I hit the buttons on the nano kontroller itself. If I switch it to Note names on nano app, it shows Note names in the Midi-Ox but they don't work.
Perhaps you can send the xml Generic Remote file? It's just a text file, I've edited them easily before.
Also what are your basic settings in the Korg Nano App while using the Generic Remote in Cubase?
Last edited:
Grizzlymv
Senior Member
Hi es175,Hi Grizzlymv,
I have just bought a nanoKontrol2, and have been having quite an issue getting it ("sort of,") working. I'm using an older version of Cubase 5. I tried the Generic Remote, but it didn't seem to work, so I switched to "Mackie Control," and it "kind of works," but it seems quite a bit limited compared to the Generic Remote settings/options.
And so I can only get certain things to work at present. For one, I have to use NOTE names in the Korg Editor app to get any of the transport stuff working at all. See my screenshot below.
TRANSPORT BUTTONS WORKING:
Rewind
FastForward
Stop
Play
Record.
TRANSPORT BUTTONS NOT WORKING:
Track <
Track > (I believe the two track buttons switch the groups of tracks from 1-8 then 9-16 then 17-24.)
Cycle
Set Marker
Previous Marker
Next Marker.
FADERS/SLIDERS WORKING:
(All the Faders assigned to Midi CC Messages.)
BUTTONS & KNOBS NOT WORKING:
All Record, Mute, Solo buttons
All Rotary Knobs at top of faders.
* When I set the nano app to Note Names it does in fact show what they are in the nano app when I click on the correspond "squares," near each button, but when I set them up as that, the only ones that work are the basic transport controls mentioned above.
* I also tried using Midi Ox app, but it just shows "Control Change" when in CC' mode on nano app, when I hit the buttons on the nano kontroller itself. If I switch it to Note names on nano app, it shows Note names in the Midi-Ox but they don't work.
Perhaps you can send the xml Generic Remote file? It's just a text file, I've edited them easily before.
Also what are your basic settings in the Korg Nano App while using the Generic Remote in Cubase?
Here's my file. I did them in Cubase 10.5 so I'm not sure if there will be some compatibility issues with your version. My Korg config is also slightly different as I changed it to match the CC I wanted to use. But since you already know how to get into the Korg config, it would be easy to either adjust it, or to edit the generic control to match your korg config. Good luck
also make sure to select the nanoKontrol2 in the Cubase generic remote config
Jack Weaver
Senior Member
I had a nanoKontrol2 that I eventually got working with Logic (after owning an original nanoKey). Then it broke. So I got a new one. Remembering how difficult it was to get working originally I had some qualms about getting another one, but I did - two weeks ago. I've spent 'way too much time trying to make the new one work.
I finally got it working and then two days later it decided to stop working. By working, I mean simply assigning cc numbers to the faders and knobs and having Logic see those cc numbers every time I start my DAW. You know, simple stuff to do basic work.
Now, two weeks into unsuccessfully trying to make the second nanoKontrol2 work I got the Icon iControls.
I loaded up its iMap software, programmed the cc's to the faders and knobs and opened Logic.
Worked first time. No need to play around with Control Surface Preferences or Setup inside of Logic.
It has 9 faders instead of 8 like the Korg nanoKontrol2, with 4 layers so I can now have 9 faders & 9 knobs with different cc setups each for Spitfiire, VSL, MSS or whatever.
I really like this device. Great deal for $99.
I have a Korg nanoKey2 that has worked just fine since Day One. There are just simply some problems with the nanoKontrol2.
Back to work now - happily.
.
I finally got it working and then two days later it decided to stop working. By working, I mean simply assigning cc numbers to the faders and knobs and having Logic see those cc numbers every time I start my DAW. You know, simple stuff to do basic work.
Now, two weeks into unsuccessfully trying to make the second nanoKontrol2 work I got the Icon iControls.
I loaded up its iMap software, programmed the cc's to the faders and knobs and opened Logic.
Worked first time. No need to play around with Control Surface Preferences or Setup inside of Logic.
It has 9 faders instead of 8 like the Korg nanoKontrol2, with 4 layers so I can now have 9 faders & 9 knobs with different cc setups each for Spitfiire, VSL, MSS or whatever.
I really like this device. Great deal for $99.
I have a Korg nanoKey2 that has worked just fine since Day One. There are just simply some problems with the nanoKontrol2.
Back to work now - happily.
.
Last edited:
Hi es175,
Here's my file. I did them in Cubase 10.5 so I'm not sure if there will be some compatibility issues with your version. My Korg config is also slightly different as I changed it to match the CC I wanted to use. But since you already know how to get into the Korg config, it would be easy to either adjust it, or to edit the generic control to match your korg config. Good luck
also make sure to select the nanoKontrol2 in the Cubase generic remote config
Hi Grizzlymv,
Thanks so much for your quick reply. I'll give this a go later this evening when I get back into the studio. I just joined a couple days back, and the folks here have been truly helpful.
Thanks again!
es175
xanderscores
Active Member
There's also the Sensel Morph which is a cool gagdet if you have little space and want flexibility. I use it for keyswitches on very low octaves. It's a bit costly though.
morph.sensel.com
Sensel Morph
The Sensel Morph is the world's most expressive, portable, and versatile controller. With hot-swappable overlays, you can make music, edit video, and much more.
morph.sensel.com
These look really nice: https://michigansynthworks.com/products/8m-fader-bank-with-cv-i2c-and-midi
Although I haven’t personally bought one.
I also recently came across this DIY: https://github.com/16n-faderbank/16n
Although I haven’t personally bought one.
I also recently came across this DIY: https://github.com/16n-faderbank/16n
Grégory Betton
Active Member
That’s a shame there is no 64 bit support. It was however working with Catalina, wasn’t it?
I’m personally now using the naked board mc8 and am very happy with it but it’s just faders though.
jbuhler
Senior Member
My NanoKontrol Studio was working with Catalina last time I checked, and Catalina is 64bit... (I can't double check now because my studio is undergoing construction.)
Alex Fraser
Requires ☕️
You don’t need the driver anymore if you’re using the nanos for midi CC and only require the editor.
That’s the case for the non studio models - have you checked it’s the same for the studio?
jbuhler
Senior Member
This is true for me on Catalina, and I have the studio. I'm also still on Logic 10.5.1. In fact, I don't think it required the driver since I acquired it, even when using it in Mackie mode with Studio One. I had to install the plugin when I wanted to use it to control the mixer in Logic, but ultimately decided that wasn't the best use for it, so I uninstalled the plugin.
Mornats
Hobbyist
I've got a Maschine Jam that I've set up to have CC1, CC11, CC21 and another (for the variation in Spitfire libraries such as Orchestral Swarm) on the touch strips. The step sequencer buttons also default to the range that most key switches are in so I can use those to swap articulations. It's quite handy if you don't mind the touch strips. The only main downside is that I have to throw the controller editor into midi mode which also puts my S61 keyboard into midi mode so I lose any KK functions and the light guide (which is very useful for keyboard ranges).
