Guide: Configuring the Korg NanoKontrol2 (Cubase example)

[GMusic]

This guide is intended to help others easily configure the Korg NanoKontrol 2 to work with Cubase (Windows 10). Configuration in other DAW may be similar. At this time, this guide is not for custom assigning buttons or faders to other special actions or controls such as modulation, expression, other control changes (CC), notes, etc.

1. Download and install Korg Control Editor/Korg USB-MIDI Driver:
https://www.korg.com/us/support/download/product/1/133/

2. Restart the computer. Make sure Cubase is completely closed.

3. Connect the supplied USB cable to the NanoKontrol 2, but do not connect it to the computer yet.

4. While simultaneously holding the "Set" and "<<" buttons on the NanoKontrol 2, connect the supplied USB cable to the computer. Release the buttons after the "<<" button stops flashing red (takes a few seconds).

Note: each DAW has its own special combination of buttons to press and other steps to perform. See the owner's manual if needed: https://www.korg.com/us/support/downloa ... /159/1912/

5. Start Cubase.

6. In the top tool bar, click "Studio" then click "Studio Setup."

7. Click the MIDI folder, then click "MIDI Port Setup." For the "Nano Kontrol2 Slider/Knob", uncheck the box under "In All MIDI Inputs"

8. Click "+" on the top left of the Studio Setup window and click "Mackie Control"

9. In the Mackie Control settings, set MIDI input and output to the "Nano Kontrol2 Slider/Knob"

10. Click apply, click ok, then exit the Studio Setup.


Default Korg NanoKontrol 2 assignments:

Transport Buttons
<<
>>
□
>
O
Set
<
>
Cycle

Action - Project Zone
Rewind
Fast Forward
Stop
Play
Record
Marker created at current time position*
Skip to previous marker
Skip to next marker
Enable cycle/loop

Mixer Buttons___
> (track)
< (track)
Knobs
Faders
S
M
R

Action - Mix Console
Shift channel selection left**
Shift channel selection right**
Pan left/center/right
Volume level
Solo
Mute
Record


* To view markers, right click in the track area of the Project Zone window, then click "Add marker track"

** Selected mix console channels are indicated by the thin white lines above the track names toward the bottom of the the mix console. Eight channels are selected at a given time.

Comment: After configuring the Korg NanoKontrol2, I ran into one issue where my main MIDI keyboard was not triggering any notes in Cubase, even though the MIDI activity meter was responding in Cubase. What I did to fix this was the following:

1. Exit Cubase completely.

2. Open the Korg NanoKontrol Editor and open the NanoKontrol2 edit page.

3. Click the --- in the top left corner of the NanoKontrol2 image and change the global MIDI channel to "2" or greater (maybe depending on how many MIDI devices you have?). Note that the Control Mode should be set to your specific DAW and LED mode to "external."

4. Click "Communication" in the tool bar, then "write scene data."

5. Exit the editor and start Cubase. The MIDI keyboard should work again as normal.

Oddly enough, if I repeat this and change the global MIDI channel back to 1, it works again as normal. I don't know the cause of this.

[jancivil]

Appreciate that you posted this, but it doesn't work universally, never worked for me. This is exactly the documentation, but w.Cubase (9.0 - .5 was when I had this device, 2018-19) in recent OSX versions (eg., Sierra and up thru Mojave), useless. Known issue at Korg, they aren't very intersted in solving. Doubt very much working under Catalina. I won't buy Korg after this, 100% useless device, known issue for yrs now.

[GMusic]

Appreciate that you posted this, but it doesn't work universally, never worked for me. This is exactly the documentation, but w.Cubase (9.0 - .5 was when I had this device, 2018-19) in recent OSX versions (eg., Sierra and up thru Mojave), useless. Known issue at Korg, they aren't very intersted in solving. Doubt very much working under Catalina. I won't buy Korg after this, 100% useless device, known issue for yrs now.

Sorry to hear that. I am using Windows 10, so I can't test this on OSX. I did notice there is no OSX driver on their downloads page. Only the software is available. I figured OSX may just have native drivers that would suffice, but it sounds like they don't.

[jancivil]

The workaround for Logic then was to delete the driver. When I was futzing with it, there were OSX drivers. I tried it with and without, Mackie and the other ways, Cubase never learned a single thing.

[jancivil]

Nifty little lite footprint portable device, a shame

[GMusic]

The workaround for Logic then was to delete the driver. When I was futzing with it, there were OSX drivers. I tried it with and without, Mackie and the other ways, Cubase never learned a single thing.

I'm curious, if you enable the Input/Output Activity meter in the bottom editor transport bar in Cubase, does the left meter respond when you move a knob/fader on your NanoKontrol? See the attached screenshot - I moved a knob on the NanoKontrol and the response is the blue bar.

When I was setting the NanoKontrol up initially (the wrong way), it was responding to input on the meter but wasn't doing anything to the actual program. After setting it up properly, I also get the activity on the meter but now it functions as it should.

It may be worth a shot...you may have luck in the Korg Editor and making sure the settings are correct in the main "---" menu. E.g. the control mode is set to Cubase and try different global MIDI channels. See the "comment" I just edited into the end of my original post. If you try and it works, please update us

[jancivil]

I no longer have it. I did everything that documentation said to do.

<7. "MIDI Port Setup." uncheck the box under "In All MIDI Inputs"

8. Click "+" on the top left of the Studio Setup window and click "Mackie Control"

9. In the Mackie Control settings, set MIDI input and output to the "Nano Kontrol2 Slider/Knob">

I just remembered, I could get it to control the transport via the Mackie paradigm, CC never happened. Suppose I remember that as I had no desire whatsoever for a device to control the transport, bought it for CC faders. I tried it a hundred times, I remember all these steps well.

It would control the mixer as well but strictly according to the [actual, regardless of hiding] furthermost L channel first for one 8 fader scene.

[GMusic]

ah, I see. Yes, I was also having great difficulty getting it to function in CC mode. I followed video guides exactly and still no luck. I suppose I gave up because I mainly wanted it for the transport control and faders, which I finally got to work.

It would be nice if hardware/software just worked and were easy to set up. But Korg isn't the only manufacturer that I had to jump through hoops to get their hardware working right, unfortunately. Probably the best luck would be just to use Native Instruments software with Native Instruments hardware

[jancivil]

Yes, I bought a similar portable controller in this same period that wouldn't do anything with this paradigm. I think Steinberg needs to replace this frankly, it's kind of turn-of-the-century and past outdated IMO. I prefer things which don't need the Mackie Universal, the Generic Remote, the whole thing is too much trouble for something this basic.

I use things which simply agree with yer assignments needing no setup, always have before these two things, where I wanted something very lite footprint. Came *this close* to buying into the NI ways, because I do use a lot of it.
I'm going to use the Sensel Morph with the 'production' overlay for CC. For me, I'm at the computer, I can use the space bar, I don't do elaborate muting or a live kind of setup.

[BassMasterK]

Thanks for posting this. It was helpful. I upgraded Cubase and didn't port my settings over. I was wondering why my controller was only working for the Quick Controls. I didn't have it set up as a Mackie Controller.