Control Surfaces for Korg Nano Kontrol2.

[Leighton Cooper]

Hi I have been trying to instal Korg Nano KOntrol2 and am unsure how to do it.  The web is a contradiction.  I have assigned it to inputs in preferences and than pulled down the utility  control surface, but the default doesn't seem to let me choose all my 8 faders .  Many videos tell you to uninstall Korg drivers and Koorg Nano editor.  Some say you should use it.  Others want you to hack your registry.  It would be nice to in the content are be able to load control surfaces for the various devices.  I have put a lot of hours into trying to get my 2 nano kontrolers to work and don't seem to be able to get them to respond.    Thanks for any insights.

[Leighton Cooper]

OK I added 8 synthesizers for a total of 8 faders and knobs so It is letting me assign the faders, but they don't seem like they the faders are correctly reading .  They kind of jump and when I save and try it the faders and knobs in the console are not moving.

[Leighton Cooper]

OK I added 8 synthesizers for a total of 8 faders and knobs so It is letting me assign the faders, but they don't seem like they the faders are correctly reading .  They kind of jump and when I save and try it the faders and knobs in the console are not moving.  OK I got the mackie controller to work, but I would like it to work with simple Instruments type.  When I load those, it acts as if  the midi portion is non existant.  No response.  Do I have to use what I was using,, or can I do where the instrument tracks are a 2 track process?

 

[msmcleod]

You can't use the the nanoKONTROL2 as an ACT controller when it's in Mackie mode.  You need to re-boot the nanoKONTROL in CC mode in order to use it for ACT, and IIRC this will only work if you come out of Cakewalk first, then reboot in CC mode, then restart Cakewalk.

Even this has potential issues, as your previous Mackie assignments within Cakewalk will be remembered.

The only way I've found to do this reliably is to :

1. Configure your nanoKONTROL2 to Mackie mode,
2. Start Cakewalk and set it up as Mackie Control within Cakewalk's control surfaces
3. Exit Cakewalk.
4. Copy TTSSeq.ini and Ctrlsurface.dat from %APPDATA%\Cakewalk\Cakewalk Core  to a  "Mackie Control" backup directory.
5. Reboot your nanoKONTROL2 in CC mode.
6. Start Cakewalk, delete the Mackie Control surface within control surfaces, and set it up as an ACT control surface
7. Exit Cakewalk
8. Copy TTSSeq.ini and Ctrlsurface.dat from %APPDATA%\Cakewalk\Cakewalk Core  to a  "ACT Control" backup directory. 

From then on...

1. While Cakewalk isn't running, decide which mode you want to work in, making sure you've rebooted the nanoKONTROL2 into the correct mode
2. Copy TTSSeq.ini and Ctrlsurface.dat from the appropriate backup directory into  %APPDATA%\Cakewalk\Cakewalk Core
3. Start Cakewalk.

You could create batch files to do this, and place shortcuts to it on your desktop.

IMHO however, the best solution would be to get a different controller for ACT and use the nanoKONTROL 2 for Mackie mode exclusively.  That way you can use the new controller for controlling synths via ACT, and the nanoKONTROL 2 for controlling transport/faders/pan etc.  I wouldn't recommend getting an additional nanoKONTROL2 though, as the MIDI device names will be the same and you'll not be able to tell them apart (Cakewalk will probably get them confused too).
 

[Leighton Cooper]

OK Thanks for telling me that.  I am trying to hook up 2 korg NanoKontrol2  controls because I wanted to use one to control the mixer, and the other for midi cc for vst instruments.  Are they able to assign keyboard shortcuts for various things.  I looked over the mackie controller and it seems to have a lot of functionality  but I don't know how to program it.  I can only seem to use 1 at a time.   I bought them not understanding anything about control surfaces.  and I wanted to use it as a drawbar set for organs.  To control synthesizer parameters.  I didn't realize this stuff got so complicated.

[abacab]

31 minutes ago, Leighton Cooper said:

To control synthesizer parameters.

You don't need a control surface to control synthesizer parameters. Control surfaces are essentially designed to control the host DAW functions such as transport, track selection, panning and volume, etc.

You just need something that can send MIDI Continuous Controller (CC) data from knobs, sliders, etc., to the various synths that you are using. A mini MIDI keyboard controller with knobs and sliders is probably the best minimal tool for that job, and shouldn't conflict with the control surface used with Cakewalk.

There are a few models available in the $100 range that would work without having to mess with any DAW integration, although most will offer some of that. If you get the KORG working reliably with Cakewalk as a control surface, you could use a mini MIDI keyboard controller as a dedicated synth controller. A few popular brands for these are AKAI, M-Audio, Arturia, and Novation.

This new one from Arturia looks interesting, for the price of $109. With 25 velocity sensitive slim keys, pitch bend and mod wheel touch strips, 8 rotary knobs, 4 sliders, 8 pads, and more, including virtual instruments Analog Lab Intro, UVI Model D grand piano, and NI The Gentleman upright piano.

Arturia MiniLab 3 Mini Hybrid Keyboard Controller : https://www.arturia.com/products/hybrid-synths/minilab-3/overview

https://www.amazon.com/Arturia-MiniLab-Hybrid-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B0BGMNKCNT (some alternatives are listed at the bottom of this page)

Edited February 2, 2023 by abacab

[Jim Fogle]

2 hours ago, Leighton Cooper said:

OK Thanks for telling me that.  I am trying to hook up 2 korg NanoKontrol2  controls because I wanted to use one to control the mixer, and the other for midi cc for vst instruments.  Are they able to assign keyboard shortcuts for various things.  I looked over the mackie controller and it seems to have a lot of functionality  but I don't know how to program it.  I can only seem to use 1 at a time.   I bought them not understanding anything about control surfaces.  and I wanted to use it as a drawbar set for organs.  To control synthesizer parameters.  I didn't realize this stuff got so complicated.

@Leighton Cooper, all USB devices have an id number.  The two NanoKontrol2 controllers likely have the same USB id number which came be confusing to software.