Korg PadKontrol Web Clips

Here are audio examples and additional information to complement my review of the Korg PadKontrol MIDI drum pad controller in Electronic Musician. —David Battino

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Web Clip 1: Editor/Librarian Screenshots

Web Clip 2: Velocity Curve Diagrams

Web Clip 3: Audio Examples

Web Clip 4: USB Drum Pad Comparison Table

WC1: Editor/Librarian Screenshots

Shot 1: Main. Here is the main page of the PadKontrol Editor/Librarian software (Mac/Win), showing pad, pedal, knob, and X-Y assigments for factory Scene 6. (The simulated LED display doesn't change.)

Shot 2: Global Edit. You can assign advanced MIDI messages to pads 4–8; the software inserts the hex code for you.

Shot 3: Parameter Edit.Each pad can have its own velocity curve; the menu shows General MIDI mappings.

Shot 4: X-Y Pad Edit. This screen lets you set how the X-Y pad output affects each trigger pad. In the example below, vertical movements will control the reverb depth of all drum sounds but the kick.

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WC2: Velocity Curves

The PadKontrol offers eight velocity curves: linear; slow- and fast-rise logarithmic; compressed linear (two types); and 2-, 3- and 4-level. You can also temporarily set all pads to a constant velocity by pressing the Fixed Velocity button. Here are the different curves.

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WC3: Audio Examples

1. The realism of a roll depends on the path you trace and the sound; longer decays and Velocity cross-switching help.
   
   Here I played snare and hi-hat samples on the bundled SampleTank 2 Lite. I started with my finger at the bottom left corner of the pad, moved it straight up (increasing the repeat Velocity), and then moved it to the right (increasing roll speed). Next, I played more realistic rolls by "stirring" my finger around the pad, changing both Velocity and speed at once. Finally, I moved my finger in a jerky motion to create the syncopated accents on the hi-hat: X-Y Rolls (424KB MP3)
   
   
2. With the X-axis set to Pitch Bend, you can press a finger on the touchpad and wiggle it sideways for vibrato.
   
   This example is a sine wave played on Ableton Live's Simpler, with pitch effects coming from the X-Y pad: X-Y Pitch (396KB MP3)
   
   
3. (A) Setting the axes to control filter cutoff and resonance and then drumming your fingers on the touchpad creates sample-and-hold effects. (B) When you play melodic parts on the trigger pads, the physical relationships will suggest new directions.
   
   In this example, I'm tapping the pad to change the filter cutoff on a Reaktor synth. I played the drums on the PadKontrol's trigger pads, controlling the bundled UVI synth (itself processed by the bundled Korg MX-E effects). The melody is another UVI patch, also played on the PadKontrol pads. X-Y Sample-and-Hold (456KB MP3)

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WC4: USB Drum Pad Comparison Table

The MIDI pad controller market is expanding quickly. Here were the main contenders at the time I wrote the review. (The MPD24 had been announced, but not released.)