Midi Keyboard size

[Drummerstuart]

HI,
I'm totally new to this so bear with me
I've purchased a 49key midi keyboard, would this enable me to use all of the functions of Ample Guitar AME?
Cheers
Stuart

[ScottZ]

Without knowing your model of of keyboard you purchased it should have octave buttons to go up down in pitch, a pitch wheel and I assume a mod wheel. If you keyboard has aftertouch I won't guess. Some do and some don't it's a neat feature to have being able to press harder after key is already pressed and have it do vibrato is the most common, it's not necessarily needed. So in short yes the most essential functions will work for you.

[Drummerstuart]

Sorry to mention it Scottz, it's the komplete Kontrol a49

[zzz00m]

You would probably find it easier to use an NKS ready plug-in with that keyboard for full integration with Komplete Kontrol. I don't see Ample on this list:
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/s ... -products/

You can still use that keyboard as a non-NKS MIDI controller, but you will probably need to manually map keyboard controls to access the functions in a non-NKS plug-in. Obviously the keys, pitch bend, mod wheel would still work out of the box. But automatic configuration of control knobs would require NKS plug-ins.

The Plug-in panel in Komplete Kontrol lets you view and customize the parameters mapped to the Control section on the keyboard for individual Preset files. The amount of pages and parameters vary depending on the loaded Instrument.

Each page of the Control section shows up as a label at the top of the Plug-in panel.

I have the Ample Metal Ray bass, and that doesn't seem to map effectively by default in Komplete Kontrol. KK picks up many parameters that are assignable, but they appear to be represented by cryptic names for the respective non-NKS plugin supplied automation parameters. KK only displays one page of 8 control knobs at a time.

You can switch pages in the Plug-in panel to access the other groups of 8 controls, but my Ample parameters seem to appear by default at random across a number of pages (1-13), and are not grouped logically the way I would want to use them. It looks like it may be possible to manually edit them, but I have not gone that deep yet.

In comparison, if I load an NKS ready plugin in Komplete Kontrol, I see logically grouped sets of 8 knobs in each page on the plug-in panel. I still need to switch pages, but each group of 8 is dedicated to common functions respectively, such as EQ/Master, FX, oscillators, ADSR envelopes, LFOs, etc. And all labeled in common language.

[travtex]

You wouldn't be able to get the full range of effects and switches and so forth. Articulations are down around C0-G0 or so and there are still slaps and slides and so forth up at C6.

I have one of the Komplete Kontrol 49's and use a couple Ample products, and I don't think I could do much with 'em live. Great for studio tinkering, though. The octave switches could theoretically work if you were some sort of keyboard octave-switching ninja, I suppose.

[zzz00m]

On my Ample AMR (Metal Ray 5) the fretboard is mapped from keyboard notes B0 to E4, with keyswitches below that range and effects above, mapped out over a range of 84 keys, or C0 to B6 (7 octaves)

The default octave range for notes on my 49 key controller (4 octaves) runs from C1 to C5 without using the octave up/down buttons.

So without an 88 key controller I would need to use a second keyboard, adjusted for the lower octave, just to access keyswitches live. Or like the previous poster said, be a ninja with the octave up/down buttons!

One observation that I made with using a 49 key controller, is that by shifting down one octave I can pick up all of the keyswitches, and most of the fretboard, except for the last 4 notes [C#4 - E4]. So maybe using a second 25 key keyboard for the effects in the upper octave range might work best.

[zzz00m]

I decided to revisit Komplete Kontrol using this bass to study the knobs a bit more, and discovered that the 8 knobs on page 1 of the Komplete Kontrol plug-in control panel automatically maps AMR to these functions.

Komplete Kontrol plug-in panel page 1:
The first two knobs are represented on the top of the AMR UI, above the bridge, where the actual volume control would be on a bass.
1. Master Volume
2. Pan
Knobs 3 - 8 correspond with the next 6 knobs are directly above the keys in the UI, beginning with the one labeled "Pick A".
3. Pick Attack Accentuation Ratio
4. Pick Attack Accentuation Ratio Humanization
5. Release Sound Gain
6. FX Sound Gain
7. Fret Sound (Attack) Gain
8. Fret Sound (Release) Gain

Komplete Kontrol plug-in panel page 2:
The next 4 controls on the UI are on page 2 of the KK control section, and are mapped to knobs 1-4. I assume that you would also need some ninja skills to switch pages during live use to access these controls.
1. Fret Sound (toggle)
2. Extra Fade In/Attack Time
3. Global Sample Start Time
4. Capo

Capture showing Komplete Kontrol plug-in panel page 1


Capture showing Komplete Kontrol MIDI CC assignments for my non-NI controller in the MIDI learn mode