I want to replace some of the pads in my Korg nanoPad with potentiometers i have, is it possible?
I know that the pads basically act the same as potentiometers, changing their impedandce when being hit at different velocities, so maybe it's as simple as wiring the potentiometer instead of a pad?
Cheers,
Erez.
Can i replace a pad with a potentiometer?
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- KVRAF
- 6323 posts since 30 Dec, 2004 from London uk
Cant be done, the pads are probably piezo sensors, or similar. If they change resistance, it still wont be a matter of putting a pot in, the behaviour will be wrong. The pads are more like switches.
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- Skunk Mod
- 21249 posts since 10 Jun, 2004 from Pony Pasture
On my Korg Kontrol 49 the pads are a 4x4 matrix of elastomeric switches, with a single shared piezo element glued to the back of the board to produce the velocity signal for all pads. To keep cost down, I wouldn't be surprised if the nanoPad uses a similar arrangement.
The scheme mostly works perfectly. Usually there's a little time difference between one hit and the next, meaning the controller can sort out by timing which MIDI note-on gets what velocity. But if you hit two pads exactly together, such that both pad switches close so nearly simultaneously that the piezo sensor doesn't pick up two distinct mechanical strikes, they'll both be assigned the same velocity value.
If that's how the nano works, using a variable resistance instead of a switch closure wouldn't produce usable output. Either you'd never get a note-on trigger or it would occur at some arbitrary position within the pot's range of action. Since the shared piezo element wouldn't pick up a physical vibration at all, the velocity would be very low, possibly zero (which a lot of music software treats as equivalent to a MIDI "note off."
tl;dr version: No.
The scheme mostly works perfectly. Usually there's a little time difference between one hit and the next, meaning the controller can sort out by timing which MIDI note-on gets what velocity. But if you hit two pads exactly together, such that both pad switches close so nearly simultaneously that the piezo sensor doesn't pick up two distinct mechanical strikes, they'll both be assigned the same velocity value.
If that's how the nano works, using a variable resistance instead of a switch closure wouldn't produce usable output. Either you'd never get a note-on trigger or it would occur at some arbitrary position within the pot's range of action. Since the shared piezo element wouldn't pick up a physical vibration at all, the velocity would be very low, possibly zero (which a lot of music software treats as equivalent to a MIDI "note off."
tl;dr version: No.
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- KVRAF
- 8114 posts since 13 Jan, 2003 from Darkest Kent, UK
Just for the record, I believe nanopads (like most pad controllers) use FSRs (force sensitive resistors) under the pads. So, in the broadest sense, you could do what you suggest but, as Meffy says, you'd have no idea when the pot would trigger or even what it's range is. So, no, don't bother. 
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- KVRian
- 709 posts since 4 Jul, 2011 from England
I believe you can use momentary switches instead of pots. Here's an example where a Stylophone was used to to just that: https://andymurkin.wordpress.com/2011/1 ... nanophone/
Edit... Here's another useful site about the inner workings of a Korg NanoPad: http://wiesolator.de/index.php?area=Mus ... c=Nano-Pad
Edit 2... I've learned that an uncompressed sensor has a high resistance of about 2Mohm, and when pressed the resistance falls to around 5Kohm.
Edit... Here's another useful site about the inner workings of a Korg NanoPad: http://wiesolator.de/index.php?area=Mus ... c=Nano-Pad
Edit 2... I've learned that an uncompressed sensor has a high resistance of about 2Mohm, and when pressed the resistance falls to around 5Kohm.
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- KVRian
- 709 posts since 4 Jul, 2011 from England
Pytchblend wrote:I believe you can use momentary switches instead of pots. Here's an example where a Stylophone was used to to just that: https://andymurkin.wordpress.com/2011/1 ... nanophone/
Edit... Here's another useful site about the inner workings of a Korg NanoPad: http://wiesolator.de/index.php?area=Mus ... c=Nano-Pad
Edit 2... I've learned that an uncompressed NanoPad sensor has a high resistance of about 2Mohm, and when pressed the resistance falls to around 5Kohm.