The nanoSeries controllers finally arrives, but do they offer maximum bang for your minimal buck? Let's get twiddling and find out...There's been an air of expectancy surrounding the nanoSeries here at cm ever since Korg announced the three tiny controllers over the summer. Each of these USB devices is bus-powered, available in stylish black as well as the standard white shown here, and should slot neatly in front of the average 13" laptop. And with a price to match their physical stature, they're certainly cheap enough to tempt you into snapping up the entire range in one fell swoop. But do you really want to be doing that? Read on to find out...
Key change
The nanoKey features 25 velocity-sensitive keys that can transmit either MIDI note or CC (Continuous Controller) data. Further buttons offer octave up/down, pitchbend, modulation and activation of the CC mode. Holding the pitchbend or mod button causes the appropriate MIDI value to automatically rise from the resting point to full (we're slightly disappointed that these buttons aren't pressure sensitive). Visual feedback comes courtesy of a trio of LEDs, the rightmost of which indicates whether CC Mode is active or not. The remaining two convey the current octave: when in the 'middle' octave (C2 to C4), they remain unlit, but show green, orange, red, and flashing red to indicate how far from the centre you are. With CC mode engaged, a green LED comes to life.
Bizarrely, the keys themselves are based on those of a laptop keyboard, as opposed to the ones you'd find on, well, a keyboard that's designed for playing music. They're a fairly good size for such a small unit, but the odd spacing (the black keys are the same width as the white) may baffle practiced keyboardists.
Anybody who's looking for piano-style control probably isn't going to be considering the nanoKey, then. Nevertheless, the feel of the keys - which are plastic, tacky, unresponsive and prone to an occasional 'click' when the inner mechanisms are forced past one another -didn't impress us one jot. Furthermore, the lowest key is directly adjacent to the control area, meaning that a couple of accidental slips onto the buttons is practically a certainty in the heat of a performance.
The nanoKey is adequate for programming
"Anybody who's looking for piano-style control probably isn't going to consider the nanoKey"
basslines, melodies and simple chord sequences, and the price point and portability are undeniably attractive - these factors alone will no doubt be enough for some. In addition, you get a free download of Korg's M1 Le soft synth, as well as an optional upgrade path to their Legacy Digital Edition.
Padding things out
The nanoPad, on the other hand, thoroughly wowed us. The 12 rubber percussion pads are of a decent size and are reminiscent of the famous Akai MPC range, not to mention Korg's own padKontrol. There isn't much travel, but there's enough dynamic response to render your drum programming with plenty of expression, and they feel sturdy enough to stand up to your dextrous drumming digits. The backlit Flam and Roll buttons give more options for rhythmical variation, enabling the easy triggering of their respective embellishments with a single press of the pad. Engaging the Hold button means that when a pad is struck, the MIDI note is held until you hit the pad again or turn the function off.
The truly excellent X-Y pad, which controls the rate of flam and roll in its default mode, is by far the best feature of the nanoPad. Once programmed with the freely downloadable Kontrol Editor software Csee boxout), however, things get much more interesting. Playing a beat on the pads whilst controlling various effect parameters on the X-Y pad is probably the most fun you can have with any of the nanoSeries.
Buying the nanoPad entitles one to a free download of Toontrack's EZdrummer Lite plug-in, with the option of upgrading to the fully-fledged EZdrummer for €79.
On cruise control
Last but not least, we have the nanoKontrol, which offers transport controls and a nine-channel 'mixer', with each strip comprising a slider, rotary knob and two backlit buttons. It's a configuration that lends itself well to a classic volume/pan/solo/mute setup, although you can configure each control to send any CC you like. The transport can send MMC or MIDI CC data.
The nanoKontrol is a surprisingly smooth operator, registering both tiny movements and large sweeps. It doesn't come with any free software, but, as is the case with the nanoKey and nanoPad, there's the option of saving €30 on Ableton's Live 7, LE or Suite.
At this price point (the street prices are even lower!), Korg have worked wonders in providing such an array of controllers, and when you factor their physical dimensions into the equation, you can almost consider the range as a sort of expandable, semi-modular system.
The nanoKey's poor keyboard is a huge letdown, and while it doesn't render it useless, it's definitely not what we were expecting. Why Korg didn't use similar mini-keys to those featured on something like the microKorg is beyond us. One other minor quibble is that while the devices were entirely plug-and-play on the Mac, we had to download and install Korg's USB MIDI driver to get them to work on our Vista PC.
These points aside, we were won over by every aspect of the series' design, and they're bound to appeal to anyone after a cheap, portable yet functional controller or two. cm
Contact: Korg, 01908 857100
Web: www.korg.co.uk
≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌
Kontrolled explosionThe Kontrol Editor application is a free download that gives full access to the nanoSeries' functions. For the nanoKey, you can edit the CC on/off values sent by each key when using CC Mode and their behaviour (momentary or toggle). There are three velocity curves too, as well as fixed-velocity. You can adjust the slide rate when using Pitchbend and set the Mod button's range.
With the nanoPad, CC values and button behaviour can be configured for each pad, and you may stack up to eight MIDI notes per pad, for triggering chords. The funky X-Y controller can control any pair of MIDI CCs you like.
In the nanoKontroi's case, the attack/release time of the buttons can be altered, so that when pressed, the CC does not jump to the new value but glides smoothly - a neat touch! The upper/lower values of the sliders and knobs can be redefined and all controls mapped to the CCs of your choosing.
Crucially, the software enables you to configure up to four scenes for the nanoPad and nanoKontrol, switchable via a button on the device. This effectively gives 48 pads and four X-Y pads for the former and 36 channels and four transport sections for the latter. Complete setups can be saved, so you can create custom ones for your favourite apps or plug-ins.
≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌≌
System requirements
(PC) Windows XP(SP2)/Vista, USB port
(MAC) OS X 10.3.9/10.4.7, USB port
Test system
(MAC) MacBook Air, 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GBRAM,OS X 10.5.5
Alternatively
Novation Nocturn cm124» 10/10 » £69
Compact controller with a crossfader, touch-sensitive knobs, LED feedback and Automap Universal 2.0 software
Korg microKontrol N/A»N/A»£259
Like having the entire nanoSeries in one package, with much better mini-keys and a funky four-way joystick control
Verdict
FOR
- Super-portable
- Ridiculously affordable
- nanoPad has a great X-Y pad
- Sturdy build of nanoPad/nanoKontrol
- Good sensitivity on nanoKontrol
- Kontrol Editor enhances functionality
Order Computer Music Magazine from:
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/
AGAINST
- Editing not easy for novices
- nanoKey's keyboard is pretty nasty
Each member of the nanoSeries is highly functional and extremely portable, with only the nanoKey's ropey keyboard letting the side down
MARK:
nanoKey 6/10
nanoPad 10/10
nanoKontrol 10/10
Order Computer Music Magazine from:http://www.computermusic.co.uk/
