OPERATION MANUAL
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH, hereinafter referred to as NATIVE INSTRUMENTS.
Germany NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH Schlesische Str. 28 D-10997 Berlin Germany info@native-instruments.de www.native-instruments.de USA NATIVE INSTRUMENTS North America, Inc. 5631 Hollywood Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90028 USA sales@native-instruments.com www.native-instruments.com MASSIVE was designed and developed entirely by Native Instruments GmbH. Solely the name Massive is a registered trademark of Massive Audio Inc, USA. © Native Instruments GmbH, 2007. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction This part of the User’s Manual gives a brief overview over KORE 2’s abilities and explains how to use this manual. Additionally, it contains notes about using the KORE 2 Controller safely and provides some general productrelated information. 1.1 Welcome to KORE 2 Thank you for buying KORE 2. On behalf of the entire NATIVE INSTRUMENTS team, we hope you are truly inspired by this product. KORE 2 has been designed in order to let you find the sound you have in mind fast.
Effort has been given to make all sounds of KORE 2 accessible in a simple and unified way. While the technical details that generate a sound can differ enormously from engine to engine, your sound control is always similar: the most important parameters for each individual sound have been manually assigned to the hardware, and you can tweak them directly and effectively. The recall and morphing of variations can also be controlled remotely with the KORE 2 Controller.
structured. Reading these is strongly recommended if you want to understand and use all the features KORE 2 provides. The last part of the manual, finally, is the appendix that contains some specific information about using KORE 2 with other products by NATIVE INSTRUMENTS. It also holds an index of important terms as well as a keyboard shortcut overview. % Those who don’t like reading manuals will find that after mastering a few basics, KORE 2 is unusually easy to learn.
Caution ► Do not place the KORE 2 Controller in an unstable position where it might accidentally fall to the ground. ► Before moving the KORE 2 Controller, remove all connected cables. ► Never use or store the unit in places that are subject to extreme temperatures (e.g., direct sunlight in a closed vehicle, near to a heating or heat-generating equipment), or high levels of vibration. ► Do not use excessive force on the buttons, knobs, switches, or connectors.
► Name Plate Location: The name plate is located on the bottom of the product. It lists the product’s model name and other technical information. The serial number is also located on the bottom of the unit. ► Disposal Notice: Should this product become damaged beyond repair, or for some other reason come to the end of its life, please observe all regulations of your country that relate to the disposal of electronic products. Copyright: © Native Instruments GmbH 2007.
2. Hardware Setup Thanks to the seamless integration of KORE 2’s software and hardware components, your software becomes a tangible instrument that is highly intuitive and uniform in its operation. ► The KORE 2 Controller is a tactile interface to the world of KoreSounds. By implementing the Control Page concept explained in chapter 3.1.4, it unifies the interface of all different instrument and effect plug-ins within KORE 2.
2.1 The hardware elements of your KORE 2 Controller 2.1.1 Rear Panel (1, 2) Footswitch ports These two ports can be used to attach any type of foot controller. The inputs only work with on/off signals. The footswitches can be assigned to User Page buttons. Read more on using footswitches in chapter 2.3.3. (3, 4) Pedal inputs Various pedals (expression, sustain, volume, etc.) can be attached here. The pedal input receives continuous signals. It can be assigned to User Page Knobs.
(6, 7) MIDI Input/Output The KORE 2 Controller is also a MIDI interface. Use the IN port to attach a master keyboard and the OUT to drive an external device such as a drum machine or sampler. Please note that, at the time of writing, the KORE 2 Controller's knobs, buttons, and transport do not send MIDI information. (8) Kensington Lock socket Use this to attach a Kensington-style lock to prevent your KORE 2 Controller from being stolen. This kind of lock can be found at dealers for notebook accessories.
2.1.2 Top Panel 1-8: Controller Knobs These are digital endless encoders with a far higher resolution than would be possible with the MIDI standard. They control the target parameters incrementally, leading to a very smooth control of values on the software side. You can also use the Control Knobs to morph between Sound Variations.
The Control Knobs are touch-sensitive, i.e., if the knob is touched (without altering its value) the KORE 2 Controller reacts and displays the controller’s name and its current value in the hardware display (32). This is also very convenient for assigning parameters. Each Control Knob is surrounded by a Selection Ring that displays a dimmed red light if there is an assignment (i.e., functionality) present.
21: Control This button provides access to the C ontrol Pages of the component currently in focus. 22: F2 Jump to the Browser and the hardware options with this button. 23: Sound Switches into Sound Mode for navigating the Sound Matrix. Sound Mode also allows to morph Sound Variations. 24: Enter This button confirms a selection and enters a selected Sound Matrix level. 25: F1 This button is context sensitive and changes its function depending on the situation. Please read chapter 3.9 for details.
32: Display The Main Display shows Controller states, Pages, parameter names and values, menus, lists and folder structures. 2.2 Driver Installation KORE 2 is a tightly integrated system of software and hardware. Before using the KORE 2 Controller, the hardware driver must be installed. If you are unsure if the driver was correctly installed during the installation procedure, you can add it manually: The driver installer is located in the KORE 2 Program Folder on your computer.
Driver Installation on Mac OS X ► Insert the KORE 2 Installation CD into the CD-ROM drive or locate the driver setup in the KORE 2 application, folder Applications / KORE 2 / Driver. ► Start the driver installation package NI Hardware Driver Installer.app with a double-click. ► After clicking “Continue” you can select the installation location. The startup disk is chosen by default. 2.3 Connecting the Hardware 2.3.
inaccurate. If you accidentally move a control, disconnect the KORE 2 Controller then re-connect it to re-initiate calibration. 2.3.2 Connecting to an external MIDI device ! It can happen that the Hardware: To receive data from a MIDI controller such as a keyboard or a MIDI pedal board, connect the MIDI Out socket of your controller to the MIDI In socket on the KORE 2 Controller with a MIDI cable.
Footswitches can be connected to the two inputs at the far left of the back panel. Either normally closed or normally open type footswitches can be used, but make sure they’re plugged in on power-up so that KORE 2 can detect which type you’re using. Please read chapter 3.5.3 for information about assigning footswitches and pedals to KORE 2‘s Control Pages.
3. Reference The reference chapters make up the bulk of this manual. Here you will find detailed description of all functions, commands and interface elements of KORE 2. Please make sure that you at least completely read the chapters 3.1 and 3.2 for getting an overview. 3.1 Important concepts: Understanding KORE 2 The following paragraphs provide general information about KORE 2. You will read about hosts and plug-ins, Integrated Engines and other NATIVE INSTRUMENTS products that work with KORE 2.
hardware would be your audio interface and any MIDI keyboard or controller available. This mode is called stand-alone within this manual. However, a hardware synthesizer will probably not be used alone but in combination with a mixing desk, an effect rack and some cabling. You cannot connect software with cables, so another mechanism is used to accomplish this common use case: A so-called host application loads other applications during runtime as plug-ins.
We will expand on the sub-host concept in the following chapter (introducing the idea of nesting) while chapter 3.1.3 comes back to plugin concepts. KORE 2 as a stand-alone As stand-alone software KORE 2 becomes your one-stop solution for live and studio work. The stand-alone version of KORE 2 adds four menus on the application level: ► The File Menu provides functions to create, load, and save Performances and KoreSounds plus access to KORE 2’s Preferences.
Menu. In plug-in mode, KORE 2 works in any host program (e.g., Cubase, Logic Audio, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Sonar, Digital Performer, Tracktion, etc.). KORE 2 inserts into the program’s mixer as a virtual instrument or effect (there are different versions of the KORE 2 plug-in for these tasks). But also note that the KORE 2 plug-in is a VST/AU host in itself. This allows KORE 2 to organize, mix, and control multiple plug-ins within the host.
3.1.2 SingleSounds, MultiSounds, Performances and Nesting The Edit Area of a Performance containing nested Sounds. It can be a time-consuming task to find the sound that exactly fits into the music you are working on. Following the paradigm described above, you need to load different plug-ins into your host, and you need to handle each of them differently in order to find an adequate sound; tweaking the sound again requires a plug-in-specific procedure.
the location on the hard disk or arbitrary comments. Technically, it tells KORE 2 which plug-in is used to generate the sound, and which settings are required within the plug-in in order to produce exactly the sound the KoreSound was saved for. While the KoreSound takes care of the technical details, you can concentrate on making music. A KORE 2 SingleSound on the Edit Area. A KoreSound referencing only one plug-in is called a SingleSound.
This is a MultiSound with its Sound Matrix expanded. % Referring to the comparison between KoreSounds and samples again, SingleSounds The KoreSound concept also explains why KORE 2 is a sub-host. On one hand it is used as an instrument: You can load it as a plug-in with a wide variety of sounds at hand – the KoreSound database with each entry representing one possible sound of the KORE 2 instrument.
The concept of KoreSounds within a KoreSound is called nesting within this manual. Nesting allows two things: On a basic level it provides the possibility to easily combine not only SingleSounds, but also MultiSounds into a new MultiSound. This bridges the gap between both types as you don’t need to care which type you are working with (unless you want to change the inner workings of a KoreSound). On an advanced level, you can create any signal flow you can think of: Even feedback loops are possible.
Another important idea to get when working with the Sound Matrix is the focus. There is always one component of the matrix currently focused. This can be a Channel Insert, a channel (click its Channel Header), the Audio Tab, the MIDI Tab, and so on. The components can be focused with a singleclick of your mouse or by navigating the Sound Matrix with your KORE 2 Controller (see chapter 3.9) 3.1.
When installing KORE 2, its factory content automatically is installed, too. You can access it with the Browser. These sounds use the Integrated Engines, so you don’t need any other plug-in to make music with KORE 2. If you own a license for one of the Integrated Engines and have it installed, KORE 2 will automatically substitute the Integrated Engine with the full version and also integrates the additional factory content into the database.
exposed to the host software. As the setup of a Reaktor Ensemble or a KONTAKT Multi can be arbitrarily complex, the creators of the respective patches have to decide and manually program the parameter set. Please be aware of this when you create your own Reaktor Ensembles or KONTAKT Instruments and refer to the documentation of the respective plug-in if you are unsure how to manage this.
► If you want to use the factory content of a plug-in, make sure that the structure of the factory libraries remains unaltered. ► If you move the factory library around on your file system, you have to set the new location inside the respective plug-in and not in KORE 2. ► You can add folders to a factory library, as long as the original content remains untouched.
mode, you can conveniently remote-control the cutoff from the KORE 2 interface directly and don’t need to open the plug-in’s editor separately. Easy access to parameters is taken to the next level by the KORE 2 hardware offering you a physical representation of the C ontrol Pages. By selecting a KoreSound within KORE 2, its Pages are automatically mapped onto the KORE 2 Controller.
3.2 A user interface overview On the following pages we will introduce KORE 2’s interface by explaining the different elements in a broader, functional way. In this section you will also learn the names of the most important controls to help you while reading this manual. Global Header on top, the Upper Pane below, the Lower Pane displaying the Browser and the Info Pane on the bottom.
KORE 2 has four main interface areas. This chapter will give you an overview of KORE 2’s functionality. The interface is very flexible and various elements can be hidden via switches found on the Global Header to suit the situation at hand. The four areas are called: ► Global Header ► Upper Pane ► Lower Pane ► Info Pane % The KORE stand-alone and the plug-in are iden- tical in this respect. The plug-in only lacks the menu bar of the stand-alone application.
3.2.1 Global Header The topmost strip of controls is called the Global Header. It is always visible and you can think of it as the central control of KORE 2’s interface. Its main purpose is to change KORE 2’s interface to match the situation at hand and provide direct control of global parameters. The View Buttons are your cockpit for switching between the various views of KORE 2. Depending on the task – and on the available screen estate – you will quickly find the best configuration.
Two different views on KORE 2. On top you see a minimal KORE 2 with the top level of the Sound Matrix, only. Below there is a full-fledged view with Global Controller, Sound Matrix and Browser. % When using KORE 2 as a plug-in the global clock is provided by the host software and cannot be influenced from within The Transport Area deals with all time and measure related functions. KORE 2 has an internal clock that can be used to synchronize all time- KORE 2. It will run synchronized automatically.
dependent parameters inside the instruments and effects. It also controls the tempo of possible sequencers, MIDI players and arpeggiators. Use those controls to start and stop the clock, dial in a new tempo with the Tempo Edit or tap the tempo to synchronize with your musical partners. The Time Signature of KORE 2’s clock can also be edited here. The Bar Display gives you a visual clue of your position in the current bar.
3.2.2 Global Controller The Global Controller is a context-sensitive view on KORE 2’s Control Page system. You can learn more about this system in the dedicated chapter (chapter 3.5) further down. You will see that every sound and every channel in KORE 2 has its own set of Control Pages. There is a set of pre-defined Pages, which can also be tailored to your own needs. The Global Controller helps to organize the many Pages of the channels containing the various Sounds that sit in the Sound Matrix.
3.2.3 Edit Area and Sound Matrix The areas of KORE 2 that actually produce and process sounds are found in the channels of the Sound Matrix. A channel is a hierarchical system of Channel Inserts (the slots of the matrix), each of which can hold a KoreSound. This can be a SingleSound or a MultiSound, leading to a flexible workflow. There are three different channel types available: ► Source Channels hold sounds without signal inputs.
sends, audio signals can flow horizontally within one mixer level. MIDI data can also be distributed within a Sound Matrix level via a dedicated system of sends on the MIDI Tab. The display of the Edit Area and Sound Manager is mutually exclusive, as they both sit on the same space of the interface. Please note that you can completely hide those two views, which can come in very handy for navigating large lists of Sounds in the Browser. Details about the Sound Matrix can be found in chapter 3.4. 3.2.
The Channel Mapping tab provides an easy to use editor for setting up the key ranges of all the channels in a Performance. The ranges are displayed on a concise graphical window that can be directly manipulated via the mouse. Please read more on the Sound Manager in chapter 3.6. % This can be used to easily layer sounds for fast but unique and creative sound design.
3.2.5 Browser Activate the Browser with a click on the dedicated Browser button on KORE 2’s Global Header. It always The Browser is your tool for searching, finding, loading, tagging and saving KoreSounds. It can be switched to display different views in the KoreSound database, e.g. only showing instrumental sounds or only effects, or direct browsing of plug-ins. You can customize its appearance to suit your needs by showing or hiding columns or sorting your search hits in different ways. 3.2.
3.3 Global controls Some parts of KORE 2’s interface are of a global nature and independent of the KoreSounds that currently sit in the Sound Matrix. These are, for example, the stand-alone version’s application menu, the Global Plug-in Menu of the plug-in, the Global Header with its View buttons, the Transport Area, and so on. The following sections deal with these global controls in detail. The Info Pane is activated via a dedicated button on the Global Header of KORE 2. 3.3.
► Save Performance As… is for writing the Performance to disk with a new name, and to a location of your choice. ► Save Performance As Sound… “converts” the current Performance to a KORE 2 MultiSound. The Browser will come up in Save mode, you can edit the Meta Information, tag it with Attributes and save it into the database. Please read chapter 3.7 for details about the Browser and about saving KoreSounds. ► Load Sound… opens a dialog for loading a single KoreSound from your file system.
The Edit Menu The Edit Menu comes with a handy undo system. Please note the keyboard shortcuts (written out on the menu) for the different commands. ► Undo rolls back your work to the previous step. If you accidentally deleted a channel or simply decide that you would like to do something differently, use Undo to return the state before your most recent command. There is an unlimited number of undo steps. The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+z.
Launch Service Center… does exactly what it says. It starts the Native Instruments Service Center where you can authorize your Native Instruments products and review the status of our licenses. Please refer to the separate documentation for more details. ► Open Manual opens the PDF version of this manual from your hard disk.
The Global Plug-in Menu of the plug-in combines some commands you find on the File and View menus of the stand-alone: ► New Performance creates an empty Performance. ► Open Performance opens a dialog, letting you navigate through your file system to choose and load a Performance File (.kpe). ► Save Performance writes the current Performance to disk. If it has been saved previously, the new version overwrites the old one.
When using KORE 2 as a plug-in, multiple instances of KORE 2 can be active simultaneously – one for each channel of the host application, for example. You can identifiy each instance of KORE 2 by its individual number shown in the Global Header. % 3.3.3 Global Header 3.9.1 for information on how to To assign the KORE 2 Controller to any instance, click into the area beside the instance number. Refer to chapter change the hardware focus with the KORE 2 Controller itself.
► The Sound Manager switch invokes the Sound Manager on the Upper Pane, providing control over keyboard mappings of Performances and Sounds and the management of Control Pages for automation. This can only be visible alternatively to the Sound Matrix. This command can also be invoked with the F3 key on your computer keyboard. ► The Browser switch opens the Browser in the Lower Pane of KORE 2’s interface. Mine the KORE 2 Library for Sounds, effects, Performances, MIDI-files and plug-ins.
The Transport Area The next part of the Global Controls contains the Transport Area. If not synchronized via an external MIDI clock (see File Menu of the standalone) or running as a plug-in in a host environment, KORE 2 produces its own timing information that gets propagated to the KoreSounds for synchronization and control of sequencers, arpeggiators or any timedepending parameters.
► Tap provides another convenient way to define the tempo; just click on this button in quarter beats. KORE 2 averages the frequency of your clicks, and uses this to derive a tempo. Please note that you can assign the Tap button to a User Page, like any other button in KORE 2. ► The Measure Edit shows the current measure of KORE 2’s clock in measures and beats. You can change the measure by clicking in the values and dragging your mouse up or down.
► The MIDI Panic button (the exclamation mark) sends an “all notes off” message to all plug-ins, which turns off any “stuck” notes and often solves other MIDI quirks. Furthermore, it resets KORE 2’s audio engine. Use this if you are experiencing quirky note behavior or if you “overloaded” a KoreSound with MIDI data. The keyboard shortcut for this command is the 0 on your numeric pad. 3.3.4 Global Controller The Global C ontroller is your one-stop interface to the C ontrol Page system in KORE 2.
► If the User Page button is active, the displayed Pages can be User Pages of the Performance or of any Single or Multi Sound currently focused in the Sound Matrix. ► If you have selected a MultiSound in the Sound Matrix, you can display its Channel Pages by activating the Channel Page button on the Global Controller. ► The same goes for a focus on a channel (click its Channel Header to select it).
3.3.5 Options General Options On the General Options tab you find the entry Reload last Performance at startup. It toggles KORE 2’s starting behavior. If checked, the Performance you had open the last time when you closed the application automatically comes up again. If this option is off, KORE 2 starts with an empty Performance. KORE 2’s Info Pane is available in a variety of languages. You can change the language in the Language menu.
Any content you generate yourself by using KORE 2 will be saved in subfolders of the Native Instruments Shared Content folder. It is located in a folder on your file system called the Standard User Path. Normally you don’t have to change its location. If, however, the configuration of your file system demands a different location, you can change it by clicking the Set button. A dialog window will pop up for you to navigate to a different folder on your file system.
► Full Scan completely re-reads all available KoreSounds on your system and rebuilds the database accordingly. This also rescans the complete factory content and is only necessary if you have installed new Native Instruments products. ► When you activate the option Hide unavailable Sounds, sounds from missing plug-ins will not be displayed. If this option is unchecked, you will see the unavailable sounds but they will be greyed out and you will not be able to open them.
► In the Path field you will find the path to the folder on your system containing the VST-plug-ins. Click on the S et button to open a file dialog window. In this dialog you can navigate to a different folder to set it as your new PlugIn directory. Of course you can also type the path directly into the Path field. For example, C:/Steinberg/VSTPlugs is a likely path on PCs. On a Mac the Plug-ins options look a little different.
Hardware Options The Hardware Options screen mirrors the parameters from the KORE 2 Controller’s Options Menu. ► Touch Sensitivity allows you to adjust the sensitivity of the eight touchsensitive knobs. If set to zero the touch sensor is inactive. ► Smoothing integrates (from a mathematical standpoint) the data created by knob movements for a “smoother” feel. ► Contrast sets the ratio of light to dark in the display to compensate for different lighting conditions.
Hit the Recalibrate button and move the pedals through their complete range once or twice. KORE 2 will automatically adapt itself to the pedal inputs and everything should be smooth again. 3.4 Edit Area: Routing signals This is a KoreSound with three mixer levels. The Edit Area of KORE 2 is where sound is assembled, mixed and routed. You can think of it as a hierarchically nested mixer structure for audio and MIDI signals.
It provides a roster of Channel Inserts (the slots) that hold the building blocks of the KORE 2 Performance. These Channel Inserts form the Sound Matrix. Please note, that the concept of a Performance is a rather artificial one, as you can at any time convert a Performance to a normal KoreSound (use the Save Performance as Sound… command from the File Menu). Any Channel Insert can hold a complete MultiSound again containing another hierarchical mixer structure.
A growing channel. When you create a new sound, the Sound Matrix will only show a single row of Channel Inserts. As soon as you fill one of them, another row of Inserts will appear. You can pack as many components into a channel as your computer can handle. A channel displays its type on the Channel Header and the Channel Inserts display the names of the component residing inside them. The type of the components is depicted by various symbols.
Each channel holds a stack of Channel Inserts that can be populated with SingleSounds, MultiSounds, VST/AU-plug-ins (AU plug-ins are only available on Macs) or MIDI-plug-ins. This is the context menu of ane empty Channel Insert. The empty Channel Inserts can be filled via drag-and-drop from the Browser (more about the Browser in Chapter 3.7) or from your file system, or by right-clicking and working with the resulting context menu.
For populated Channel Inserts the context menu offers more choices. If the Channel Insert is already occupied, the context menu looks a little different: ► Replace provides access to the components menu tree to replace the module or plug-in residing in the Channel Insert with a different one. ► For SingleSounds Edit will open the Sound Header of the respective sound below the Sound Matrix ► For MultiSounds Edit opens its level of the Sound Matrix to display the channels of the MultiSound.
► Bypass removes the respective component from the signal path. This is called Sound Bypass in contrast to the Channel Bypass described below. ► The Open Plug-in Window command opens the interface of the respective component. It is equivalent to a double-click. This is not available for MultiSounds, as they can have multiple, nested plugins. ► Import Plug-in Presets opens a system file dialog for navigating to a presets folder where KORE 2 saves the imported KoreSounds.
The contents of the Channel Inserts can be moved around on the Sound Matrix. Just use your mouse to drag a component to another Channel Insert anywhere on the Sound Matrix. You can: ► Replace the existing component by dropping the moved one directly on the Channel Insert. The target-insert is depicted with a yellow bar. ► Insert the moved component between or above the already populated Channel Inserts by dropping it on the dividing line between the Inserts.
The Channel Views A Sound Matrix level can switch between two different views. These can be toggled via the Mixer View button to the left of the Channel Inserts of the leftmost channel. The Channel View, showing the Channel Inserts and the Audio and MIDI tabs. The Mixer View showing the Channel Inserts, the Pan knob, Channel Solo and Channel Mute buttons, the Output Level Meter and an optional Input and Aux output section.
Click on the the Inputs button below the Mixer View button to see the Input section in Mixer View. The same applies to the Aux Outputs button for displaying the output section. Viewing Channel Insert content A click or double-click on an occupied Channel Insert both have different outcomes depending on the KoreSound it holds: ► In the case of a SingleSound, a single-click displays the interface of the sound.
► With MultiSounds, single-clicks recall the last display state of the MultiSound: closed or opened. A MutliSound is opened with a doubleclick. You can always close the component you recently opened by using the Close button on the Sidebar: 3.4.2 Channel types and signal routing Signals – be they audio or MIDI – flow in the Matrix from top to bottom elements, from the higher Sound Matrix level to the lower and from the higher to the lower channel Insert.
► Input Channels are for audio input from external hardware or parental Sound Matrix levels (Input 1 – x or Sound Input on the Source menu). ► Group Channels are for summing and processing the output of Channels of the same Sound Matrix level (Group Bus on the Source Menu). Input Channels and Group Channels display a special symbol in their Channel Header (see the picture above). You can create new channels of any type by using the Insert Channel commands on the context menu.
Use as Master is explained next: The Master Channel is a bit special. Although it is basically nothing more than a Group Channel, it behaves slightly differently. There can be one Master Channel per Sound Matrix level. By default, the top level always has a Master Channel if a new sound is created. This can be adjusted to your liking via the context sensitive Channel menu. Click on the Channel Header to invoke it and choose Use as Master if you want to transform an existing Channel into the Master.
The Audio Tab The Audio and MIDI tabs of the Sound Matrix. The first element of the Audio Tab is the Channel On/Off switch. Use it to deactivate audio processing for the Channel. This will also take the respective load from your CPU. The S olo button switches the channel to solo mode. This mutes all other channels, so only the soloed channel is audible.The Mute button silences the channel.
The Input Source Menu of a top-level Source Channel. When the channel sits on the top Sound Matrix level, you can either choose None, for no input, Group Bus, for input from possible Group Channels (read on for more on this) or you can use the inputs of your audio hardware that are presented as numbered inputs. If the channel is part of a lower Sound Matrix level, the Input Menu looks slightly different. The first two items are the same as the top level.
► None, meaning no output. ► Master, which routes the signal to the Master Channel of the respective Sound Matrix level, should there be one. The number in front of the entry refers to the number of channels on that Sound Matrix level. ► The numbered outputs of your audio hardware. For channels sitting on lower levels of the Sound Matrix, the Output Menu doesn’t provide the possibility to select an output destination to the audio hardware.
The top level receives the external input which is routed into two channels on the next level. If you want to route external input to channels of lower hierarchy levels, you have to use the top level to get the audio signal from your hardware and channel it to the lower mixer Level. The basic audio signal flow is as follows: ► Signals run through the Sound Matrix from top to bottom. Each lower level can receive its input from the parent mixer in the hierarchy, if it has channels with active inputs.
► The output of each mixer level is summed and is routed back up to the next higher mixer level. Note that every mixer level can have its own Master Channel for controlling the “horizontal” sum of its channels. ► By using the Aux sends of a mixer level, signals can also be distributed horizontally within that mixer level. ► External audio inputs can only be received on the highest level of the structure.
► Every channel can be switched to receive audio signals via the Aux sends by choosing Group Bus as its Input Source. ► Use the Auxiliary Destination menu to select a group destination. In front of the Group bus entries, you can view the channel numbers of the available Group Channels. ► If there is no other channel on the respective Sound Matrix level or there is none that has the bus as its input, the only routing option is the Output to the next higher level of the Sound Matrix.
To the far left you will find the MIDI Activity LED, displaying any incoming MIDI data. Next comes the MIDI Channel Select for choosing the MIDI channel, on which the Sound Matrix channel will receive its data. You can either specify a MIDI channel from 1 to 16 or choose All, to receive MIDI in omni mode. Every channel has its own MIDI filter that can be used to restrict the note and velocity ranges for the channel.
The logic behind the MIDI routing is very simple: ► Every channel has its own set of Outputs. ► Set all available MIDI targets via the Output menu. ► If there is no other channel on the respective Sound Matrix level the only routing option is the Output to the next lower level of the Sound Matrix. ► If there are any other channels that are not already assigned to an Output, you can choose them from the menu and the new routing is established. ► Choose Remove from the menu to delete the output assignment.
either a Sound Header or the interface of an internal KORE 2 Module (audio effect or MIDI plug-in). If it is a MultiSound another Sound Matrix opens up and shows the Sound Matrix for the MultiSound you just focused. 3.4.4 Examples As with any flexible system, there is always more than one way to handle a task. We’d like to give some examples of how everyday solutions can look and what the advantages and pitfalls of the different designs are.
This is a simple solution and perfectly suitable if this is all that your KORE 2 instance will be handling. If the setup exceeds this simple case, it may be better to put the effects processing taking place in the two Group Channels into a separate MultiSound: In the picture above we have inserted the two effects into a separate MultiSound that is nested inside the top-level channel. Both channels of the new sound are Input Channels and receive their signals from the parental Sound Matrix level.
Also, it is easy to expand the top level of the Sound Matrix by adding more components without clutter. MultiSounds as songs The MultiSound concept is very convenient when it comes to structuring a live performance. Simply put all the stuff you need for a song into one MultiSound and the elements for the next track into the next MultiSound. This has the advantage that you can take all but the current song out of the processing loop with the Channel Bypass function.
Morphing FX The Sound Variations provide an easy way for producing very smooth pseudo-morphing effects if applied to the Aux system. Set up a variety of Group Channels with effects KoreSounds and route your Source Channels through them. Then you take a Performance User Page and assign the Aux Level settings to the Controller knob. If you invert one assignment (more on this in chapter 3.5.4) you can seamlessly blend between the two effects signals with one Controller element.
3.5 Global Controller: Controlling sounds In the above picture you can see the Global Controller displaying a User Page of a SingleSound. The Global Controller is your one-stop, contextsensitive interface to the Control Page system in KORE 2. It also mirrors the status of your KORE 2 Controller in terms of page display and parameter values. As with the KORE 2 Controller hardware you have eight C ontrol Page Buttons and eight. Control Page Buttons at your disposal.
parameter. Beside of the Controller element (Knob or Button) you can see the Short Parameter Name which is not editable. 3.5.1 Pages and Sound Variations Control Pages Global Controller display Control Page. The hardware and the the same The Control Page system plays an important role in making KORE 2 a musical Super Instrument. A Control Page is nothing else but a set of KORE 2 and / or plug-in parameters assigned to the hardware elements of your KORE 2 Controller.
The Pages belong to the KoreSounds sitting in the Channel Inserts of the Sound Matrix. Every component and every channel has its own set of Pages. You can assign as many parameters as you want to a single knob or button of your KORE 2 Controller – all with fine-grained control over the data ranges. The hardware state is mirrored in the software.
Sound Variations The Sound Variations are of similar importance to the Pages in demonstrating KORE 2’s instrumental merits. Sound Variations are roughly equivalent to the presets for the User Pages. The great thing about Sound Variations is that they are not discrete entities but can be morphed into each other. This provides you with an organic field of sound and ensures that you will come up with fresh sounds all the time.
3.5.2 Plug-in Pages, Channel Pages and User Pages A Channel Page, a Plug-in Page and a User Page of a KoreSound. Control Pages can take three forms: 1. Plug-in Pages display the parameters published by a VST-/AU-plug-in. Depending on the complexity of the plug-in, there can be quite a number of them. The Plug-in Pages are fixed, you cannot change them manually. 2. Channel Pages display the mixer parameters of the currently focused channel.
They get populated automatically as you build your routing structures. You cannot change them manually. 3. User Pages are your flexible tools for setting up your own interface. By default there are one or two pre-defined User Pages per KoreSound offering the most important parameters. They can be adjusted to your liking. You can create new User Pages to expand your control and populate them with any parameter you want – no matter if it is is a KORE 2 parameter or a plug-in parameter.
3.5.3 Creating Pages and assigning controls The only Page type you can create from scratch is the User Page. Of course you are also free to change any existing User Pages to fit your needs. To create a new User Page you must first decide on which level of your Sound Matrix you want to create it. Remember that you can have User Pages for every component, be it a SingleSound containing a VST/AU-plug-in or an internal Effect Component, a MultiSound or a Performance.
► via the amount of range adjustment of the assigned parameter when in learn mode. If you move it over a small range and deactivate Learn mode, the Controller Knob on the Control Page will control that small range with its complete movement. Please note that you can not only assign continuous dials to knobs and buttons to switches but that it also works the other way around.
KORE 2 also provides a means for assigning multiple parameters to a single Controller on a Control Page. The Multi Assign switch toggles the Learn button to multi-assign-mode. If you then use the Learn function you can assign multiple parameters. Just click them on the interface to add them to the Destination L abel Display on the right side of the Control Tab. The third button of the Assign Tab is the Range Assign.
Controller ranges For every Destination on the list you can define a minimum and a maximum setting for the control range. This can also be done interactively during Learn (see above). To change the range grab one of the yellow range limits and move your mouse horizontally. This will change the Destination Range Min and Max values. Also, you can click inside of the range to move both limits at the same time. There are more ways to do this: ► Click with your mouse into the value fields and drag up or down.
Sometimes you may have the feeling that a synth or effect has a parameter inversed or you want to control two parameters with one knob in a way similar to a crossfader. This is easily done in KORE 2 by setting the Destination Range Min value to a higher value than the Destination Max value. This inverse assignment is also displayed by a yellow arrow in the Destination Range Display.
turn the hardware knob to go through the complete range of values. The lowest value is 30° and the highest is 3600°, meaning that you have to make ten full cycles to go through all values. In the Pedal menu you have the choice between: ► None, for no Pedal input ► Pedal 1 or Pedal 2 for controlling the respective Controller via one of the two Pedals that may be connected to your KORE 2 Controller. For the buttons of your KORE 2 Controller the C ontrol Tab has a few parameters more than for the knobs.
► FS 1 or FS 2 for controlling the respective Controller button via one of the two Footswitches that may be connected to your KORE 2 Controller. Of course you can also use external MIDI data to move the Controllers on a Page, be it a User Page, a Channel Page or a Plug-in Page. Just select the desired Controller on the Page and specify a MIDI controller number (0 to 127) in the MIDI CC Assignment field. The respective MIDI data will be received corresponding to the settings on the MIDI Tab of the channel.
The crosshair symbol below the Save button is called Sound Variation Morph button. When activated (yellow) you can seamlessly move between the different Sound Variations with your mouse or your KORE 2 Controller. If the Sound Variation Morph button is inactive, you can only switch the Variations discretely, leading to jumps in the parameter values. This also works when you use your KORE 2 Controller for changing Variations.
3.6 Sound Manager: Arranging Performancess Use the Sound Manager to define the Keyboard ranges of the various elements of a Performance and manage the Control Pages within the host for parameter automation. 3.6.1 The Sound Tree The Sound Tree displaying a KORE 2 Performance. On the left side of the Sound Manager you have the Sound Tree with all available Sounds and Channels in the Performance, along with their names.
► The child-nodes of a MultiSound are the channels of that MultiSound, ordered by their Channel Number. ► The child-nodes of a channel are KoreSounds – which can be Single or MultiSounds – ordered by signal flow. ► At the bottom of the hierarchy you can find the plug-ins, which are the child-nodes of Single Sounds. ► The Master Channel always has its own node. There are four types of nodes in the Sound Tree and each of them has its own symbol: Sounds are represented by a circle.
► The Mapping Editor and the ► Automation List Both will be explained in the following sections. 3.6.2 Advanced Page Management To the right of the Sound Tree you find the Page List. It always displays the available Pages of the node you have currently selected on the Sound Tree. This could be the Plug-in Pages of a VST-plug-in, the User Pages of a MultiSound, the Channel Pages of a channel and so on.The Header of the Page List also displays the component name the Pages belong to.
or by the recall of Sound Variations. Please note that the settings of the Pages are always saved into Sound Variations, they just are not recalled if the Recall flag is unchecked. Below the Page List you find some buttons. The Add to Automation List button does just what it says: it adds the parameters of the currently selected Page to the Automation List. This actually happens automatically when a sound is loaded or created. Please read the next chapter for details about host automation.
3.6.3 Pages and host automation KORE 2’s list of automatable parameters.
The VST standard for audio plug-ins provides a way for remote-controlling parameters in plug-ins called automation (this also applies for AU, RTAS and other plug-in protocols). Nearly every sequencing package that can host VST-plug-ins supports this. So if you have set up a nice KoreSound while KORE 2 is running as a plug-in in your favourite sequencer, you can also use this powerful system to generate very elaborate sounds.
in reach for the host. In the case of Ableton Live, the Pages you want to automate have to sit in slots lower than 128. If you tend to think your VST automation from the host (choosing the parameters in the host, and not automating by recording parameter changes in KORE 2) the Automation List can also be of help. You can organize it in the way that suits you best, i.e. first all Channel Pages, and then all the User Pages of the FX and the synthesis stuff last.
Editing the Automation List The Automation List can run in two modes; you can toggle between via the Edit Automation List button. If the button is inactive, the list is read-only and you can’t change it. For editing, toggle the button to yellow. Pages are removed from the Automation List by selecting them and hitting the Remove Automation Page button. Please note that by removing any Pages from the Automation List the list is not re-arranged.
3.6.4 Advanced MIDI mapping of sounds The Sound ManageR’s Channel Mapping Tab. Whether you are using KORE 2 in a performance setup to be controlled via a keyboard on stage or as a plug-in in a sequencing environment, being able to control the input range of MIDI notes and MIDI velocities for your components can be very important. This allows you to create keyboard splits for playing different sounds on one keyboard or for crossfading between different sounds via the velocity of the incoming MIDI notes.
via the Low/High Note values shown in the upper right part of the Mapping Editor (see below for more information). Below the Mapping Area, the Piano Roll displays the MIDI octaves to help orientation. You can play this virtual keyboard with your mouse, which is helpful when you’re using KORE 2 and no MIDI keyboard is connected. The Piano Roll is also Velocity sensitive, based on the position of your mouse click on the keys. The lower the key, the higher the Velocity.
The settings shown here can also be found on the MIDI Tab of the channel. Please see chapter 3.4.1 for details. The key range can be set with the mouse by clicking on the Low/High Note values and dragging up or down. Use the Transpose parameter to transpose the channel up or down in semitones. The High/Low Velocity values define the lower and upper limits of a velocity window within which incoming MIDI notes will trigger the respective channel.
3.7 Browser: Accessing the sound repository The next section deals with a very important aspect of KORE 2: the Browser. First we will talk about the basic structure and functions of its main elements. Next will be the part about actually finding sounds and loading them into KORE 2. The last section of this chapter deals with setting up and creating your own Attributes. The Browser is at the heart of KORE 2’s approach to sound management.
In KORE 2 you can expand this system by defining your own Attributes, tailoring the Sound database to your own needs with the User Sets feature. Please read chapter 3.7.4 for a good introduction into this topic. 3.7.1 General usage There are different ways to use your KORE 2 Library: The left part is comprised of the Attributes Area which is context sensitive and changes its contents depending on the Browser View you have.
The View Buttons are your main tools for browsing and searching the KORE 2 database and for navigating the KORE 2 content on your file system. The first group of four buttons is for choosing the basic type of component you are looking for. From left to right the options are: ► Performances ► Sounds, including SingleSounds and MultiSounds which can be instrumental, FX or of the MIDI variety (e.g.
For every column of the Attributes List you can decide which Attributes Set will be displayed by setting the respective flag on the menu. Depending on what you are browsing, the menu appears differently. And if you have created your own User Categories, it will look different, too. This system allows you to define the combination of shown Attributes for every view of the Browser.
Attributes Header for Performances, Sounds, MIDI Files and Factory Attributes Categories are different when browsing The context-menu of the Plug-ins. Note that the instrumental, FX, or MIDI Sounds. The basic structure is similar in all four cases: ► Path displays the User Sounds Folders as defined in KORE 2’s Options (see chapter 3.3.5 for details). This view is not available for plug-ins. ► The Factory Attributes Categories are listed next, providing access to KORE 2’s pre-defined Attributes.
Customizing your Search Results List The Search Results List is also very flexible in its organization. By rightclicking (Mac: Ctrl-click) on the Search Results Header of the columns you get a context menu showing all available categories the Meta Information (see one of the next sections for a detailed description) plus some additional ones: ► Name displays the name of the KoreSound ► Vendor displays the information written in the Vendor field of the Meta Information.
► Author shows information written in the Author field of the Meta Information. ► Bank displays the information written in the Bank field of the Meta Information. ► Path shows the location of the KoreSound on your file system relative to the Factory Path or the Standard User Path. ► Color displays the color of the KoreSound as defined in the Color field of the Meta Information. ► Modified shows the last modification date of the KoreSound.
The Search Results List can be re-structured by: ► Clicking between the columns (the mouse pointer changes to a resizesymbol) and dragging the mouse sideways to resize the columns. ► Clicking and dragging the column header of a column to move it to another place horizontally. A red line appears to denote the position of the left side of the moved column. ► Sorting the column with a click on the column headers. A small arrow appears on the header of the sorting column.Click again to reverse the sort order.
You can select multiple KoreSounds on the Search Results List for editing, deleting or opening. Use your mouse and the Ctrl-key (Mac: cmd-key) on your keyboard to select multiple non-contiguous sounds from the list. If you want to select contiguous sounds use the shift key and click on the first and the last sound of the group of sounds you want to select. 3.7.
The reason why KORE 2 can be used and played out of the box is that it comes with six Integrated Engines. These are special versions of well-known Native Instruments products, namely: ► REAKTOR ► MASSIVE ► ABSYNTH ► FM8 ► KONTAKT ► GUITAR RIG Additionally, you get about 5 GB of sample content that is used by the KoreSounds. In terms of sound and quality the Integrated Engines are identical to the full products.
3.7.3 Search, find and load There are several ways to use your KORE 2 database for the stuff you are looking for: ► You can browse the database via the location of Sounds by using the Paths function of the Attributes List. ► You can use the Attributes List on the left side of the browser to display and combine a variety of Attributes (be they pre-defined by Native Instruments or of your own design) leading to a list of Search Results.
Searching via the Attributes List After having configured your Attributes List by using the context menus of the column header (see above) you can start combining Attributes to retrieve the content you are looking for. The more Attributes you tag, the fewer sounds will match your criteria, effectively leading to a shorter list of search results on the Search Results List. At any time during your search additional columns can be added or taken out of the game to refine your search options.
Searching via the Quick Search The Quick Search field allows you to enter arbitrary keywords that get matched against the content of the database. The search function investigates all the available aspects of the sounds. You will get hits from the names, the authors, the Meta Information, etc. This can be very powerful and fast if you already know what you are looking for, e.g. if you are looking for KoreSounds produced by a specific author.
To the right of the Quick Search you can see the number of results for the current search. The Clear Search Results button will reset the Browser to a neutral state by clearing the tags on the Attributes list and the Quick Search field. Please note that you can quickly open the Browser with focus in the Quick Search field by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+f.
► Another way to open KoreSounds is by using the context-menu of the Search Results List (rightclick for PC or Ctrl-click for Mac). Choose Open from the menu and the KoreSound is opened in the currently focused Channel Insert of the Sound Matrix. Please note that it is possible to select multiple Sounds in the Search Results List. If multiple KoreSounds are opened via the context menu or by drag-and-drop into the Sound Matrix, they will open in multiple Channel Inserts of the same channel.
hits. Activate the Pre-Listen button to start the function. This will load the currently selected KoreSound from the Search Results List into the currently selected Channel Insert on the Sound Matrix. Use your MIDI keyboard or a sequencer track to listen to the sound. If you keep the Pre-Listen function active and select a different KoreSound from the Search Results List, it will immediately be loaded into the same Channel Insert as the previous sound.
3.7.4 Setting Attributes, saving sounds and Performances To extend KORE 2’s pre-defined system of Attributes and to attributize new KoreSounds the Browser has an Edit mode, which can be activated with a click on the Edit button to the far right of the Browser window.
The Attributes List shows the various Attributes belonging into the currently selected Attributes Class. For adding Attributes to a KoreSound, simply click on an Attribute and a tick will appear next to it. Work your way through the different classes to add descriptive Attributes to your KoreSound. If you set an Attribute in a specific Attribute class, it is denoted with a tick to the right of the class name. This way you always know which classes you already used.
Please note that you can invoke the Edit mode for multiple KoreSounds at the same time. Just select multiple sounds on the Search Results List and hit the Edit button. This way you can attributize multiple sounds at once. In the picture above you can see the Attributes List in Edit mode for a set of KoreSounds. Two different colors of the ticks behind the Attributes stand out: ► A grey tick means that the Attribute is set for at least one single KoreSound of the edited set.
The Meta Information The Meta Information fields provide important information relating to your KoreSounds. Among those are technical facts like the Path or descriptive fields like the Rating. Remember that Meta fields containing words are also included in your database and can be searched via the Browser. Especially the Comments field can come in very handy, where you can fill in additional descriptions and comments. All of these fields can also be displayed in the Search Results.
► The Rating field allows you to rate the KoreSounds by giving between 1 and 5 stars. ► The Color field allows you to associate a color with the KoreSound. This is also the color of the symbol displayed in the Channel Insert if the sound is opened. ► The Vendor field shows the commercial vendor of the KoreSounds, if there is one. ► The Author field states the author of a KoreSound. Fill in your name for your own KoreSounds. ► The Bankname can display different things.
As shown in the picture above, you can create User Sets in the normal Browser view via the context menu of the Attributes List. After creation, they populate the context menu, where you can choose them for display. They will stay empty, though, as long as they are not classed with Attributes.
As already described, you can reach the Edit mode by clicking the Edit button of the Browser or by choosing Save from the context menu of a KoreSound sitting in a Channel Insert. In the Attribute Class User you find the User Sets you have created. Create new User Sets by clicking on the entry (Create new…) and typing in the name of the new User Set via the keyboard of your computer. Selecting the User Set in the second column displays its Attributes in the next.
This leads you to the Edit mode that we described in the previous sections of this chapter. Before saving the KoreSound by leaving the Edit mode you must specify the location the sound is going to be saved at. This is accomplished via the Path field on the Meta Information section of the Edit page. By clicking on the Path field you open a menu with your location options. ► The User Sounds entry opens a sub-menu with the available user Sounds folders as defined by the installed products.
► The entry Browse… opens a standard file system dialog window for you to navigate to a location of your choice. Depending on the kind of KoreSound and what you want to do with it, your options on this menu will differ. “Standard” user content will go into the User Sounds folders or into your own folder structure defined by the Additional User Sounds folders.
3.7.5 Advanced database operations There are some advanced functions of the Browser we didn’t touch on, yet. Search modes The Options you can choose from the context menu of the Attributes List provide some additional functionality for your searches: ► OR Mode means that choosing multiple Attributes leads to results that match at least one of the Attributes. ► AND Mode with multiple Attributes means that only hits matching all of the tagged Attributes make it to the Search Results List.
► Multi Select allows you to select multiple Attributes within one Attributes Set. ► Single Select only allows a single Attribute to be selected within an Attributes Set. Use these features to refine your searches. Sometimes you simply get too many or not enough hits and it can be productive to tweak the Search Options for a better result. Deleting KoreSounds If you want to completely delete a KoreSound from the database, use the context menu of the KoreSounds on the Search Results List.
3.8 Audio and MIDI Components: Enhancing sounds KORE 2 comes with a host of Internal Modules that you can use to produce, alter and process sound. The majority of these Internal Modules are audio effects but there also is a powerful set of MIDI-plug-ins that you can use to create or alter MIDI data. 3.8.1 Amplitude Mod The Amplitude Mod works as a tremolo. Via the Envelope Follower it can be dependent on the input signal’s volume.
Label Ra t e E n v Amount PhaseL/R Function Range Sets the amount of control the Envelope Follower has over the LFO-rate. - Introduces a phase set-off between the two modulation signals for the left and the right channel, respectively. Unit -180…180 deg Threshold Sets the input audio threshold level above which the modulation envelope is triggered. 0..100 % Attack Sets the time to reach maximum level of the modulation signal once the envelope is triggered. 0..200 ms 0..
3.8.2 Auto Filter The Auto Filter acts as a touch-controlled WahWah. This effect was very popular in Funk music of the 70ies, but can be used in a wide range of applications from funky synthetic bass tracks to filtered drum loops. Label Mix Function Sets the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal and the “wet” (filtered) one. Range Unit 0..100 % 25..10000 Hz 0..100 % -20..+20 dB Sets the filter’s main frequency.
Label Function Range Unit 0..100 % -100..+100 % 0..100 % 0..200 ms Crossfades between three operation modes. At low values the effect works as a low pass, filtering all frequencies above the cutoff frequency. At high values it becomes a high pass Filter Type with inverted characteristics. In between the effect acts as a band pass, passing only frequencies around the cutoff frequency while attenuating all others.
3.8.3 Beat Delay This effect unit synchronizes delay times to the internal tempo. This can be either to an internal BPM value or to KORE 2’s Master Clock. Feedback routing is also available, which provides cross-channel feedback and low pass/high pass filtering. Note: The internal delay buffer has a fixed maximum size, but KORE 2’s tempo can vary over a wide range. Therefore, the buffer may be too small to provide long delay times at very slow tempos.
Label Left Unit (Denominator) Right Unit (Denominator) Function Range Unit Sets the number of time units into which a bar of four quarter notes (beats) is divided, i.e., a value of 16 represent time units of sixteenth notes. The delay time is set as a 1..64 multiple of those time units by adjusting the [Left/Right Numerator] control. Link Beats Links the Delay times of the right delay to those of the left one. On/Off Feedback Sets the feedback signal amplitude as a percentage of the main signal.
3.8.4 Cabinet Saturator The Cabinet Saturator acts as an overdrive unit with the distinct sound of a distorted speaker cabinet. With its flexible resonant filter section it can produce a wide range of interesting overdrive and distortion effects, be they subtle or harsh. Label Mix Drive Hipass/Lopass Cutoff Hipass/Lopass Reso Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). This is the gain control for the input signal.
3.8.5 Distortion This effect produces a wide variety of distortion sounds. The integrated peak equalizer helps to emphasise the characteristic frequencies of the processed, distorted sound. Label Mix Drive Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). This is the gain control for the input signal. Turn up to increase the overdrive. EQ Center The center frequency of the peak EQ. EQ Boost Controls the gain of the peak EQ.
3.8.6 Easy Chorus The Easy Chorus provides an easy to use combination of chorus, flanger and pitch modulation (i.e., vibrato). The modulation speed can be controlled as well as the effect intensity and modulation range. Label Function Mode Menu for choosing among chorus, pitch modulation and flanger. Sync Synchronizes the modulation to KORE 2’s Central Clock. Rate Controls the modulation signal frequency. Range Unit On/Off 0..10 Hz 0..100 % 0..
3.8.7 Easy Compressor The Easy Compressor is a simple but powerful tool to control dynamic range. A compressor is a preamp with variable gain depending on the input signal. When the input signal exceeds the Threshold, the gain goes down to reduce the output level. The amount of reduction depends on the Ratio control. For example, with a 4:1 ratio, a 4dB increase in the input level results in a 1dB output level increase.
thus preserving “punch” and a more natural sound. If these peaks overload subsequent stages, you might want a very short Attack time so the compressor can react quickly. Note that even with the shortest Attack, the compressor still needs some time to analyse the signal. Activating the Look Ahead button delays the audio by a very short amount (32 samples) so that the compression algorithm can foresee peaks before they happen, and be ready to process them the instant they occur.
3.8.8 Easy Reverb This reverb unit provides an easy to use reverb effect with only six macro controls. Internally, these are mapped to multiple parameters for ease of use. Label Mix Pre-Delay Size Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). Sets the time by which the incoming signal is delayed before it feeds into the main reverb effect. Controls the size of the simulated reverb room, i.e., the reverb decay time.
3.8.9 Ensemble The Ensemble effect subtly thickens the incoming signal. Similar to a chorus effect, the delay time of two delay lines is constantly modulated. Label Mix Rate Common Rate Offset Depth Common Depth Offset High Cut Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). Sets the frequency of delay time modulation. Controls the offset between two internal rate values, similarly to the [Depth Offset].
3.8.10 Expander The Expander is a powerful tool for shaping the dynamics of a signal. You can think of it as a flexible gate effect. Technically, all signals below the Threshold are attenuated by the amount set by the Ratio. By using this tool in the chain you can “expand” the level-range of your audio signal. Label Mix Threshold Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right).
3.8.11 Filterbank The Filterbank effect splits the incoming audio signal into eight frequency bands, each with a bandwidth of 1.25 octaves (15 semitones). With Shift and LR Split set to zero, the center frequencies are: 30Hz, 71Hz, 170Hz, 403Hz, 960Hz, 2282Hz, 5429Hz, 12912Hz. Each band also has a level slider to adjust individual levels before the bands are mixed back together.
Label Mix Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). Range Unit 0..100 % Alters the center frequencies of the eight bands simultaneously. Shift controls Shift all frequencies up or down logarithmically (i.e., not in Hertz but in semitones) to maintain each band’s relative width as they move through the frequency spec- -48..+48 semitones trum. Controls the offset of each band to the left or right channel.
3.8.12 Flanger The Flanger is a classic modulation effect that produces a metallic, swooshing sound. It is very versatile and can be used on a wide range of different material. It works by splitting the input signal into two paths and delaying one of them by a very short amount. This produces a comb filter effect. Label Function Range Unit Phase inversion of one of the split signal parts.
Keyboard shortcut Depth Modulation Meter Phase L/R Function Controls the intensity of modulation applied to the delay time. Range Unit 0..100 % -180..+180 deg -100..100 % Shows the delay time resulting from the setting of [Center] and the added modulation signal. Changes the phase of the left and right signal paths, respectively. Sets the amount of Feedback, i.e. how much of the output signal is fed back Feedback into the input.
3.8.13 Flex Verb This reverb unit provides an extended parametric control of reverb with Pre-Delay, early and late reflections, and separate control of low and high frequency decay times. Label Mix Pre-Delay Size Diffusion Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). Sets the time by which the incoming signal is delayed before it is fed into the main reverb effect. Controls the size of the simulated reverb room, i.e.
Label 3.8.14 Function Range Unit Decay 0..100 % Resonance 0..100 % Freq Shifter The Frequency Shifter is reminiscent of the early days of electronic music. Technically, this processor shifts the incoming signal‘s frequency spectrum linearly (i.e., all frequencies are shifted by the same number of Hertz). This alters the structure of the sound’s harmonics, because the energy is distributed logarithmically throughout the spectrum.
Label Mix Range Amount Stereo Split Feedback Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). Range Unit 0..100 % Menu for choosing the maximum range of the frequency shift, as multiplied by +/-1..+/- the [Amount] parameter value. 10000 Alters the amount of shifting as percentage of the maximum value set by Range. Negative values shift the frequency downwards.
3.8.15 Gate Apart from the classic studio use as a noise gate, this effect has a large number of application areas including chopping up beats using the filter for gating defined frequency ranges. Label Mix Detector Filter Low Cut Detector Filter Function Range Unit 0..100 % 10…5000 Hz 100..20000 Hz -80..10 dB 0..20 dB Sets the time it takes for the gate to open. 0..200 ms Controls the time the gate will stay open, regardless of the signal falling below threshold. 0..1000 ms 0..
3.8.16 Grain Shifter At the heart of the Grain Shifter lies a relatively simple pitch shifting effect. But due to the granular nature and the feedback line this effects unit can produce lovely sounds. It produces rich sounding artefacts that can be used creatively to produce wild results and the Grain Rate offers a wide variety of amplitude modulation effects. From swooshing pitch shift waves to metallic mayhem – this unit is perfect for creative sound design sessions.
Label Spread Fine Spread Phase Grain Rate Grain Reverse Feedback Function This sets the fine difference in pitch shift between the left and right channels. Controls the phase offset between the grains used to create the pitch shifted signals in the left and right channel. Range -0.5..+0.5 -90..+90 Unit s emi tones deg This knob sets the length of the produced grains. Technically it is the rate of the granular delay buffer readout. When this button is active, all grains are played back in reverse.
3.8.17 Graphic EQ The Graphic Equalizer divides an editable part of the frequency spectrum into eight bands of equal width (based on a percentage of the overall selected frequency spectrum). Each band’s gain can be adjusted separately to boost or attenuate specific parts of the sound’s frequency spectrum. This can be useful to integrate sounds into a mix or to change the sound’s character. Label Low End Width Gain 1..
3.8.18 Harmonic Shaper The Harmonic Shaper is a versatile processor that covers a wide range of waveshaping application areas. You can use it as an Exciter, adding subtle harmonic content to signals that sound too dull. It can also produce nice tape- and tube-saturation effects. When fed with simple, synthetic waveforms, it works as a classcial waveshaper, leading to a variety of different tones.
Label Function Range Unit -24..+24 dB 0..100 % 0..100 % -24..+24 dB Determines the intensity of control the envelope follower has on the input gain. Drive Dynamic Turn it to the left to reduce gain for higher levels (compression). Turn it to the right to increase gain for higher levels (expansion). This controls the waveshaping curve. The knob crossfades between symmetric Harmonics Odd/Even distortion creating 3rd, 5th, 7th, etc.
3.8.19 Limiter The Limiter restricts the level of all signals to a particular reference level (in this case, 0dB). It is equivalent to a compressor (see above) with an infinitely high compression ratio, or conceptually like the governor on a motor that restricts the maximum number of revolutions per minute. Limiters are commonly used to prevent peaks from overloading subsequent stages. They can also serve as processors to create a louder, more “squashed” sound.
Label In Gain Release Function Sets the amount of amplification or attenuation applied to the incoming level before it is limited. Increased Gain leads to a stronger limiting effect. Sets the time used to recover from maximum limiting. Range Unit -24..24 dB 10..1000 ms Switches the Look Ahead feature on or off. This allows the limiter algorithm to Look Ahead operate more precisely, but the tradeoff is a fixed delay of 32 samples (under 1 on/off millisecond at 44.1kHz).
sample rate and the bit quantization, respectively. The Offset parameter compensates for volume losses that can occur at low bit depth settings. Label Function Range Unit 0..100 % Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal and the wet, proMix cessed signal. Turning the control fully counter-clockwise results only in dry sound, fully clockwise gives wet sound only and centering the control gives an equal mix of both. Down-Sampling Sample Rate Sets the virtual sampling rate.
3.8.21 Mic Conditioner The Mic CONDITIONER assists you when you plug a microphone directly into KORE 2. Use it to manipulate phase, filter out unwanted low-frequency content and correct phase shifts between channels via the two delay lines. Furthermore, the Mic Conditioner provides facilities for working on recordings produced by the mid-side recording technique. This is a special way of stereo recording that allows manipulation of the stereo width after the recording process.
Label Left/Right Delay Fine MS to LR On MS to LR S Amount Function Controls the fine delay time for the respective channel. Switch this on if you are working on a recording that used the mid-side technique. If on, the channels will be transformed to a stereo signal. Sets how much of the middle-signal of the mid-side recording is mixed into the sum. This controls the apparent stereo width. Range Unit 0..5 ms On/Off -24..+6 dB 3.8.
Label Mix Delay Time Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). Sets the effect unit’s initial delay time. The internal LFO modulates this value. Range Unit 0..100 % 0..1500 ms -33..+33 % Controls the delay time balance as a percentage of the initial delay time. NegaDelay Time LR Offset tive values decrease the left delay time while the right delay increases by the same amount.
3.8.23 Multi Compressor This multi-band compressor combines filters and compres-sors. The filters split the incoming audio signal into four frequency bands: low (below 200 Hz), midlow (200.. 1000 Hz), mid-high (1000 .. 5000 Hz) and high (above 5000 Hz). Each band has a dedicated compressor, which is similar to a traditional, single band compressor. With standard compression, the compressor responds to dynamics changes happening in any frequency band.
reacts to signals above the threshold level, while Release sets how much time it takes for the compression to stop after the signal drops below the threshold. Optimum settings depend on the audio material being compressed. Longer Attack times let through more percussive transients, but with the trade off of letting peaks pass that might distort subsequent stages. Shorter Release times can work well with percussive sounds. When processing more complex or sustained material, Release times have to be longer.
Label Attack Release Function Sets the time to reach maximum compression once a signal exceeds the threshold level. Sets the time for compression to cease after a signal goes below the threshold level. Range Unit 0.1..10 ms 10..1000 ms Switches the Look Ahead feature on or off. This allows the compressor algorithm Look Ahead to operate more precisely, but the tradeoff is a fixed delay of 32 samples (under on/off 1 millisecond at 44.1kHz).
be adjusted (more poles creates a steeper response slope). Finally, you can set the threshold at which the signal will be driven into saturation. Label Mix Function Sets the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal and the “wet” (filtered) one. Range Unit 0..100 % 25..25000 Hz 0..100 % -20..+20 dB 0..100 % Sets the filter’s main frequency. According to the [Type] setting all frequencies Cutoff below, around or above this frequency are passed to the output, while others are attenuated.
Label Function Range Unit 0..100 % Crossfades between a 2-pole and a 4-pole filter. The number of poles defines 2-pole – 4-pole the steepness of the filter cutoff slope: At low values the 2-pole setting is used with a transition band slope of 12 dB per octave; at high values the 4-pole setting provides a slope of 24 dB per octave. Sets the amount of cutoff frequency spreading if the effect acts as 4-pole filter.
two middle bands are peak equalizers where the gain changes apply to a band around a center frequency with controllable bandwidth. Label Low Gain Function Sets the amount of volume change applied to the lowest band. Range Unit -20..+20 dB 2..4000 Hz -20..+20 dB Sets the frequency of the low shelving equalizer. All frequencies below this Low Frequency frequency are modified by the equalizer, i.e., their gains are changed according to the [Low Gain] control.
3.8.26 Pattern Delay The Pattern Delay is an especially clever echo device that enables you to work with delays as you would when using a step-sequencer. Define the time-grid of the steps with the Unit knob and set the position of the four delay taps on the Pattern Grid. Individual Feedback, Pan and Level controls for every “track” of the pattern are also provided. This effect is well-suited for altering drums and percussion, but be creative and try it on anything else for interesting rhythmic echoes.
Label Pattern Grid Feedback Pan Level Function Unit -60..0 dB -100..+100 % -60..0 dB Sets one delay tap per track. The delay tap will sound at that position on the time grid. Sets the feedback level for the taps individually or on a global level. Controls the individual positions of the taps in the stereo-field from completely left (-100%) to completely right (+100%). Sets the output level for each tap individually.
Label Mix Dry-Wet Function Sets the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal and the “wet” (filtered) one. Range Unit 0..100 % 0..100 % Changes the cutoff frequency of the internal allpass filters of the Phaser, leadCenter ing to a shift in phasing frequencies. This interacts with the modulation, as it is added to this value (have a look at the Modulation Meter). Modulation Sync Synchronizes the frequency of the LFO to KORE 2’s time base.
3.8.28 Rooms This reverb unit specializes in room reflections. It is an efficient solution when long reverberation isn’t needed. Label Mix Pre-Delay Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). Sets the time by which the incoming signal is delayed before it feeds into the main reverb effect. Sets the stereo position of the pre-delayed signal.
3.8.29 Rotor This effect, the same one used in NATIVE INSTRUMENTS’ acclaimed B4 “virtual organ,” simulates the effect of miking a rotating speaker. It produces the classic stereo-swirling sound you know from a lot of 70s rock music. Label Mix Fast Acceleration Slow Fast Intensity Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). Chooses between the two speeds of the Rotor, that are defined via the [Slow] and [Fast] knobs.
Label High Cut Function Sets the cutoff frequency of a shelving high-pass filter. All frequencies below this value are attenuated. Range Unit 500..16000 Hz -100..+100 % -180..+180 deg This controls the balance bewteen the the treble and bass speaker outputs. Low-High When turned all the way to the right you hear only the treble rotor. Fully left and only the bass rotor is heard. With the knob centered you get an even mix of the two rotors.
Label Mix Pre-Delay Time Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). Sets the time by which the incoming signal is delayed before it is fed into the main reverb effect. Sets the pre-delayed signal’s stereo position. Negative values decrease the left Pre-Delay LR Offset channel delay time (as a percentage of the main delay time) while increasing the right channel time. Positive values create the opposite effect.
3.8.31 Stereo Chorus This effect implements a standard stereo chorus/flanger unit: The two input signals are delayed by a small amount, and the delay times are constantly modulated. Label Mix Delay Tune Function Controls the balance between the dry, unprocessed signal (at the left) and the wet, processed signal (at the right). Sets the tuning of the effect; technically, this adjusts the effect’s delay time. Controls the difference between delay times of the left and right channel.
Label Function Range Unit 0..180 Degrees Sets the phase offset of the LFO modulating the right or left channel delay Modulation LR Phase times, respectively. At the maximum setting the LFO signal is 180° out of phase. Feedback Amount Inverse Feedback Sets the amplitude of the delayed signal that is fed back to the effects input. High settings result in flanging sounds. Turns phase inversion of the feedback signal on or off. 0..0,995 On/Off 3.8.
Label Balance L/R Swap Split Frequency Lower/Upper Pan Lower/Upper Width Function Controls the level of the left or right channel. At -1, only the left channel can be heard; if +1, only the right channel can be heard. If on, the left and right channels are swapped. Controls the frequency at which the input signal is split into two bands. Sets the stereo position of the lower or upper bands, respectively. Controls the stereo width of the lower/upper bands, respectively.
full control over the type and range of MIDI data reaching the different plug-ins used in the Performance. Whether the MIDI filter receives any MIDI data and on which MIDI channel the data will be received depends on the Channel Select and Input Source settings of the Sound it belongs to. Please read chapter 3.4 for details about how to use the Edit Area. Label In % Internal MIDI plug-ins are handled in the same way as any other device in KORE.
Label Function Range Unit Use these to specify the lower and upper margins of the MIDI velocity values that the filter will let through. Click with the mouse and drag up or down to Low / High Velocity change the values. For example: if you choose a low velocity Filter value of 32 Control and a high value of 96, all MIDI notes with a velocity below 32 and above 96 0…127 will be discarded, and all notes with a velocity beteen the two values will pass through.
3.8.34 MIDI Player The MIDI Player offers flexible facilities for playback and looping of MIDI files. You can load MIDI files from disk, trigger and stop playback via note messages, set loop points and create Loop Tracks for controlling downstream MIDI plug-ins and sequencers. In respect to MIDI data, KORE 2 is strictly hierarchical. MIDI data flows from top level down through the Sound Matrix.
whenever the loop length of the Loop track wraps. You could, for example, set up a list of Loop Tracks in a MIDI Player, that have different lengths and by cycling through them you would get breaks in the downstream sequencers. The Run button is self explanatory, as it toggles the playback of the currently selected Track on or off. The Track Progress Bar shows the position in the currently played track.
Whether the MIDI Player receives any MIDI data and on which MIDI channel they are received depends on the Channel Select and Input Source settings of the Sound it belongs to. Please read chapter 3.4 for details about how to use the Edit Area. The MIDI trigger behaviour of the Player is defined by the settings of the Clocksync menu and the Off Note Menu (on the far right of the Player’s interface).
The four columns of Track List hold the following parameters, most of which can be changed: ► The Track List shows the MIDI file names in the leftmost column. Click with your mouse and use the keyboard to change it to your liking. ► The second column displays the Length of the loaded files in the format bars:beats. This value is just for reference and cannot be changed. ► The Loop column defines the point in the MIDI File (or Loop File, see below) where the file is played from the start again.
is received. Please read chapter 3.4 for details about how to use the Edit Area. The MIDI Input and Output Activity Meters (labeled In and Out) flash when MIDI data passes the plug-in’s input or output, respectively. The Velocity Mapping Section is for scaling Velocity values. Use the four parameters to the right and select a curve from the Transition Curve menu to manipulate the MIDI velocity values of incoming note messages. The two Velocity parameters set the limits for variable velocity.
To the right you find the Channel menu. Normally every MIDI event has a MIDI channel stamped onto it. Via this menu you can redirect the MIDI data to a different channel. Choose between Unchanged, the 16 MIDI channels and To All. The To All option can be very useful for “broadcasting” a MIDI data stream to all MIDI channels. 3.8.36 Arpeggiator KORE 2’s Arpeggiator is a powerhouse of patterns. It can produce all the standard arpeggiator patterns we know and love but also goes far beyond that.
Play and Time % Internal MIDI plug-ins are handled in the same way as any other device in KORE. This means you can save them as a KoreSound to recall their settings at a later stage. The sections Play and Time provide the basic functionality of a classic Arpeggiator. If the global/host clock is running the Run button toggles playback of the arpeggio on or off. Of course the Arpegiator still needs MIDI note input to produce output.
The Thru button defines if the incoming note messages that feed the Arpeggiator are transmitted downstream to the next Channel Insert or not. If inactive, the Arpeggio start is dependent on the Clocksync setting. If active, the notes you played on the keyboard will also immediately trigger sounds in the instrument (if the Arpeggiator goes directly into an instrument). In the Time section you will find the Rate menu. Here you can choose the step width of the pattern.
The Gate parameter controls the length of the produced MIDI notes. The displayed unit is % of the note length defined by the rate parameter. It ranges from 1% to 200%. 1% is very short, 100% leads to notes exactly “filling” the grid length defined by Rate. A Gate value of 200% produces overlapping notes of double the Rate value. Furthermore, you can introduce a Swing factor into the pattern. This factor can be positive and negative, ranging from -100% to 100%.
Pattern As Played As Played Reverse Note order Note order as they came in. Note order reversed. Up Played from lowest to highest. Down Played from hieghset to lowest. Up/Down Played alternating up and down. Down/Up Played alternating down and up. Converge Diverge Random Plays the keys in the following order: lowest – highest – 2nd lowest – 2nd highest – … Plays the keys in the following order: highest – lowest – 2nd highest – 2nd lowest – … Played in random order.
The scale correction of the Arpeggiator has two menus. With the Scale menu you choose between major and minor scales and the Root menu defines the root note. With the Scale menu set to off you get no change of the notes. You can also alter the MIDI velocity of the incoming notes. By default the Arpeggio is played with the velocity of the original notes. The incoming velocities can be modulated via the Velocity Mod control.
Repeat and Force The Steps knob in the Repeat section only works in combination with the Pitch knob. The concept is that the complete Arpeggio is repeated up to seven times (defined by the value of the Steps dial) and every repetition is transposed by a number of semitones defined by the Pitch knob. You can transpose up to one octave up or down. The basis of the Arpeggiator is its note buffer. You can think of it as storage with a capacity of eight notes.
The Force Steps knob sets the portion of the eight note buffer that the Arpeggiator cycles over. As you don’t always play an eight note chord, the Arpeggiator has to decide what to play for the “empty” slots. This choice is controlled via the Mode menu: ► When set to Pause the “empty” slots are replaced by silence. ► First means, the first note will fill in. ► Last means the last note will fill in. ► Cycle steps through the input notes as replacements for the empty buffer slots.
3.8.37 Step Sequencer KORE 2’s step sequencer builds on the heritage of the old analogue sequencers but as it is implemented in software it does not have their limitations. This is a very flexible and fun pattern generator that can be tweaked in realtime with your KORE 2 Controller. The Step Sequencer can also work as a “master” sequencer for downstream MIDI Players or other sequencer components, resetting them to their first beat when wrapping around its loop.
upper section of the markers to drag them into any position. Use this to set up 32 steps worth of content that can be arranged on the fly via the markers. The small dice to the left of the keyboard is the Piano Roll Randomizer. Use it to generate a random pattern of steps on the grid. Below the Step Grid you can find an area with three additional parameters per step: Velocity, Octave and Tie. These are accessed via three tabs to the far left of the interface.
► An active Tie for a step leads to a prolongation of the tied note producing an overlap with the following note. In combination with a portamento sound this can be used to produce the well-known 303 acid lines. A tied note is also indicated by a small, black arrow on the step itself. The Play section The Run button does exactly as the name implies: It toggles playback of the sequence on and off. Use the Trigger menu to specify if the sequencer is triggered via incoming note messages.
this works independently from the Trigger setting. With an active Transpose button you can also transpose the sequence in normal run mode. The Clocksync menu has three different entries: ► None causes the Step Sequencer to switch to the new track immediately, without syncing the switch time to the global or host clock. This also means that it can run without KORE 2’s master clock or the host clock, respectively, being active.
► Triplets (also called trioles) lead to notes that are two thirds as long as the grid width defined by Rate. If Rate is set to fourth and the triplet button is active, three notes correspond to a half note. As with any decent step sequencer you can set the length of the produced notes via the Gate parameter. It ranges from 0% for very short to 100%, which results in notes as long as a complete step. The last control in the Time section introduces a Swing factor to the pattern.
3.9 The KORE 2 Controller: Touching KORE 2 The improved KORE 2 Controller provides you with a quick and tactile interface with access to nearly all KORE 2’s functions. Whether you want to set channel volume, tweak an instrument’s filter cutoff frequency, load a KoreSound from the library, or morph through your Sound Variations – all are easy tasks with the Controller. The KORE 2 Controller’s left side houses the eight buttons and knobs that are the heart of KORE 2’s interface.
has no functionality in KORE 2. Also, the Transport Area of the hardware has no function in the KORE 2 plug-in. Hotplugging your KORE 2 Controller You can plug in or unplug your KORE 2 Controller at any time, KORE 2 will react transparently, automatically registering or unregistering the hardware. Regardless of whether KORE 2 is already running, if you unplugg the hardware and then re-plug it; it will continue to work as expected.
For the rest of this chapter we will use the new nomenclature (F1 and F2). Please read the rest of this chapter carefully, as the new KORE Controller functionality differs profoundly from the old implementation. The basic modes As a quick introduction we will provide an overview for the three basic modes the KORE 2 Controller uses in KORE 2: ► C ontrol mode is entered via the C ontrol button and is used for navigating and using the Control Page system.
3.9.1 Navigating with the KORE 2 Controller As a KORE 2 Performance is a hierarchical structure, this hierarchy is also mirrored in the way you navigate through it via your KORE 2 Controller. The gist being that you first have to choose which part of the Performance you want to focus before you can access its respective User-, Plug-in- ,or Channel Pages. Navigating your Sound Matrix takes place in Sound Navigation Mode which can be reached by hitting the Sound button.
Now you can see the contents of the Performance. The Sound Matrix is depicted by rectangular slots that are show the Channel Inserts. SingleSounds have open rectangles while MultiSounds are displayed with closed rectangles. Again, the Display Header shows the Performance name, this time in short form.
► The Enter button navigates into the selected KoreSound. ► The Escape buttons brings you back up one level. Please note that the light-state of the Up/Down/Left/Right depends on the situation. If you can’t navigate further left, the Left button won’t light up, if you can move down you will see the Down button light up. This helps to keep track of where you are on the channel roster.
3.9.2 Controlling sounds: Pages and Sound Variations The main purpose of your KORE 2 Controller revolves around tweaking the Control Pages and using the Sound Variations. The direct, intuitive connection between hard- and software makes KORE 2 a real Super Instrument. Touching Control Pages Navigation of the Control Pages in your Performance takes place in Control Mode which is activated by the conveniently named Control button.
Now you are in the Page stack of your KoreSound. The Display Header always displays your location by stating that you are viewing a User Page and shows the name of that Page. This SingleSound has two pre-defined User Pages and we can toggle them via the Up/Down buttons. You can tweak their Controllers via the Control Knobs and Buttons of your Hardware.
These three view modes are (shown in the picture above from left to right): ► All shows the Short Names of all assigned parameters for all Controls Knobs and Buttons. As soon as you touch a C ontrol Knob on the hardware the Page Header on the display shows the Long Name and the value. ► Potis is a mode that only displays the parameters assigned to the Control Knobs of your hardware. Instead of the eight Buttons the values of the Knobs is displayed via meters.
a MultiSound or the Performance (which is a MultiSound, too), as SingleSounds do not host a mixer structure: Hit Escape in Sound Mode until you reach the level of a MultiSound or the top level, which is the Performance. Then hit Control on your hardware to find the Channel Pages of the respective mixer level: User Pages, except that Left/Right buttons of your hardware to step through the channels. Hitting Control again toggles over to the User Pages of the MultiSound or Performance.
Touching Sound Variations Due to their Morphing facilities and the fact that they are abstracted from the underlying plug-ins the Sound Variations play a major part in KORE 2 being such a powerful instrument. The KORE 2 Controller makes them even more appealing because by using the hardware you can intuitively touch and massage the Sound Variations to produce an ever-evolving sound. On your KORE 2 Controller the S ound Va riatio ns are part of the S ound M ode .
If a Sound Variation is in use you see a letter (A to H) in its slot. In the picture above all eight Sound Variations are occupied. Now you can start tweaking the Sound Variations with the Control Knobs and Buttons of your hardware. The Knobs and Buttons each represent one Sound Variation. There are two modes you can use to explore them.
Variations using the respective Control Knobs. In this mode the selected and the “target” Sound Variations act as stop positions for your Morph. This ensures that you always end up on a defined Sound Variation and not somewhere in between as with the Free Mode. For example: select Sound Variation B with Button 2 and turn the Control Knob for Sound Variation H. You can only move between B and H. If you use Control Knob 6 (Sound Variation E) you can only Morph between B and E.
Saving Sound Variations You can also save Sound Variations via your KORE 2 Controller. Produce a nice sound with the Control Knobs and hit F1. The currently selected Sound Variation starts to blink on the display of your hardware and the Display Header displays “Store”. Keep holding F1 and hit the Control Button corresponding to the Sound Variation you want to save the current state to. That’s it you are done. 3.9.
Hitting Enter loads the currently selected KoreSound into the Channel Insert you have focused. You can also use the Pre-Listen functionality of KORE 2 by activating the Pre-Listen button on the Controller. With an active Pre-Listen button, any KoreSound you select on your Controller (or in the KORE 2 Browser on your computer screen) will immediately be loaded into the currently focused Channel Insert.
The Morph Mode option cannot be changed via the KORE 2 application; it is only available on the hardware. More on this in chapter 3.9.2.
Appendix A – NATIVE INSTRUMENTS plug-in considerations The following section deals with some special considerations concerning Native Instruments plug-ins. ABSYNTH 4, FM8 and MASSIVE % These three products natively support the KoreSound format and save all their patches as SingleSounds. Please make sure that you always use the latest updates for these products in order to be compatible with KORE 2.
The update aims to make automation possible for every parameter in all Ensembles. Technically speaking, the MAX ID value has been increased for every Ensemble to its MAX ID IN USE value. The sort and compress commands have not been used to preserve the original parameter IDs that might be used in any given automation context.
the KoreSound will be unable to find the Ensemble. (This is similar to a sampler that needs its samples at a pre-defined place.) To keep the Factory Content working, don’t move the files. This is also true for custom KoreSound and custom Ensembles. Pre-defined Control Pages and User Pages All pre-defined ������������ Control Pages of a KoreSound are based on the Factory Content Ensembles’ automation lists. If these lists are changed by the user the pre-defined Control Pages won’t work correctly.
Each KoreSound contains a field called Bankname in its Meta Information. Here the name of the Ensemble file is placed that the KoreSound uses within Reaktor. This entry also determines the pre-defined Control Pages to be loaded when loading this KoreSound. If Reaktor is loaded blankly without using a KoreSound (e.g. by using the Browser’s Plug-ins tab) this information is not present, and the pre-defined Pages cannot be loaded.
Custom User Pages, however, are always part of the KoreSound, they are not saved with the Ensemble or its snapshots. They can only be re-loaded if the KoreSound is loaded – re-assembling the sound by subsequently loading Reaktor, the Ensemble and the snapshot won’t recall any User Page. As mentioned above, the Reaktor Factory Library has been prepared for use in KORE 2. This also means that all IDs are already accessible with the KORE 2 update of the factory content.
adapted to the needs of the particular Ensemble. This should be done in Reaktor������������������������������ stand-alone, for convenience. As a first step, the local list(s) of the instrument(s) have to be prepared. Execute the ��������������������������������������������������������� Sort and Compress IDs������������������������������������ command from the instrument’s properties.
Now close ������������������������������ Reaktor����������������������� stand-alone and start KORE 2. Create a new �������� REAKTOR� instance by dragging the REAKTOR��������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� plug-in from the Browser into a Sound Matrix Insert. Open the plug-in interface and load the prepared Ensemble. With the plug-in interface open, switch to KORE 2’s Global Controller, create a new User Page, and press the � Learn������� ����������� button.
KoreSound references the Ensemble file. If the path to the Ensemble is changed, KORE�� 2 won’t find it. KONTAKT If you want to automate parameters of KONTAKT in a host environment, you have to assign them to KONTAKT’s Automation Table. Refer to the KONTAKT manual for more information. You might also want to read the previous chapter: It focuses on REAKTOR, but discusses general questions. The Presets of KONTAKT cannot be changed via the host software, i.e. KORE 2.
ELEKTRIK PIANO ELEKTRIK PIANO exposes none of its parameters to the host and its presets cannot be changed by the host, either. VOKATOR As VOKATOR is partially modular, its parameters on the pre-defined User Pages can only function when the respective VOKATOR part is active. Presets cannot be changed for VOKATOR. SPEKTRAL DELAY You cannot change Presets by the host.
Appendix B – Keyboard Shortcuts On Mac OS X computers, use the Command key instead of the Control key. The left and right mouse buttons are abbreviated with “LMB” and “RMB”, respectively.
Keyboard shortcut Function Info Pane F8 Pre-Listen Ctrl+P Find KoreSound (opens Browser to the Quick Search field) Ctrl+F Start/Stop Space Stop and reset transport Ctrl+Space Undo Ctrl+Z Redo Ctrl+Y Panic button Numeric 0 Reset parameter to default value Double-click LMB Adjust a parameter in fine steps Shift+Drag LMB KORE 2 – 229
Edit Area Keyboard shortcut Function Move sound or channel to another location Drag LMB Duplicate sound in different location Alt+Drag LMB Open context menu RMB Keyboard shortcut Function Select sound in Results List LMB Open context menu for selected sound RMB Select previous or next sound in Results List Cursor Up / Down Add sound to current selection Ctrl + LMB Multiple selection of adjacent sounds Shift + LMB Browser Load selected sounds Double-click or Drag LMB to Global Controlle
4. Index Symbols .kpe XE ...................................................................42 KORE Controller Rear Panel...........................................................10 Top Panel.............................................................12 Results List Author...............................................................113 Bank..................................................................113 Color..................................................................113 Comment.............
Instruments.......................................................109 MIDI Files..........................................................109 Performances....................................................109 Plug-ins.............................................................109 Sounds..............................................................109 Browser Results List..............................................112 Browser View Buttons...........................................
G Gate......................................................................155 Grain Shifter..........................................................156 Graphic EQ............................................................158 Group Bus.........................................................71, 75 H Hardware Options....................................................57 Backlight.............................................................57 Contrast.....................................................
Limiter...................................................................161 Lo-Fi......................................................................162 Load Sound…........................................................ 43 Multi Select...........................................................133 MultiSound............................................................. 43 Mute........................................................................70 M N Master.........................................
Pedal.......................................................................10 Pedal Recalibrate....................................................57 Pedals.....................................................................57 Performance............................................................42 Performance to KoreSound..................................... 43 Phaser...................................................................174 Pitch Transpose....................................................
Update plug-ins.......................................................55 USB 2 port...............................................................10 Use as Master.........................................................69 User Categories.....................................................110 User Library.............................................................45 User Pages............................................................211 V Validate Plug-ins...............................................
