I began writing this post to discuss Kore 2’s performance preset system. If you’re not familiar with this, the quick lowdown is: you can store banks of settings and change between them, or automate changing between them, in a master performance. I touched on this in my last post about Reaktor.

A funny thing happened on the way to the blog. I discovered that, when using a given synth and trying to store different patches in performance presets, not all the parameters were stored and changed with the preset. On the other hand, storing patches as Koresounds does save all the parameter settings. I’m thinking this difference is because the performance presets save on the basis of host automation of the controls, so non-automatable controls won’t have their state saved. (will have to doublecheck with the NI programmers on this to be 100% sure!)

Of course I started looking for workarounds. I loaded up Massive (my go-to synth for mad fun these days) and started trying to save different Massive sounds in the sound variation grid.

In retrospect this was a dumb move, because the sound variation grid is meant to hold variations in a sound, not multiple sounds. So like the performance preset, not all parameters save. Wrong level of abstraction. What I ended up with is a single sound with unusual, in some cases meaningless, parameter settings for that sound in eight variations. You might think this would be undesirable, but my goodness, I’ve never heard anything quite like this:

Unwholesome Sound Design from Create Digital Media on Vimeo.

A sound such as this can only be called Quacking Robomultiverse, and I have named it accordingly. Notice the tuning settings of the oscillators on the left - they’re morphing in between settings that made sense in their original sound, but in this mutant superposition of sounds, things have become singularly Lovecraftian; abnormal, non-Euclidean, and loathsomely redolent of spheres and dimensions apart from ours. Incidentally, I’m using the Kore knobs to morph between sound variations here, but a mouse is fine too.

Download kore performance and massive sound

Last time we looked at Massive on Noisepages I covered how you can use Kore 2’s hardware controllers to get your hands on Massive’s parameters and morph song arrangements from sequenced patches.

In this video I load up Massive in Kore again for hands-on control and take a look at some creative signal routing and modulation possibilities in Massive. Feedback is something people primarily associate with rock, heaviness and sludge, but there’s something here for the meditator as well as the rockist. How about some harp feedback? Eat your heart out, Joanna Newsom.

Feedback, Routing and Modulation in Massive from Create Digital Media on Vimeo.

Download the patches used in this screencast

Previously:
Mutating Sequences Live with Massive in Kore
Video: Wobbly Bass Tutorial in Massive

Reader Gherat writes:

I have extented the macro of the roux step/event sequencer with a snapshot macro.

The snapshot macro will switch between sequences on beats or triggers (like how ableton live switches between parts…), so it’s even better than using multiple Y tablerows (I used to use multiple Y rows as well but this is much better I think.. thanx..

Yup, I do something similar. Interested builders should check look in the factory ensembles under new additions / sequencers and load the “Snapper Macros” ensemble. That example will show you how to use the Snapper instrument to change snaps in a slave instrument in a synchronized manner.

Got an evening to get deeper into sound? Want to get a project started? We’ve been covering all aspects of using Kore in music, bit by bit. Here’s the overview of what we’ve done, which we’re expanding on an ongoing basis.

Using Kore

And, most importantly, I’ve just finished off:
Reference: How to Navigate Kore 2 with Hardware - No Mouse!

When you’re working in the studio or designing sounds, navigating complex parameters with a mouse makes some sense. But when you want to focus on sounds — while playing an instrument in private or (especially) live — you really want hardware control.

Kore 2’s controller does let you do this. The trick is to learn how to navigate different levels of sounds, since you may have different instruments in a performance you want to control. Here’s a quick reference guide to how to do it.

This comes off a little like those old text adventure games. (You’re in a dark dungeon. There are entrances to the LEFT and RIGHT. There are SOUNDS. You can hit the CONTROL button.) But walk through these steps with a performance open, and it’ll make sense — and with a little practice, you can do this quite quickly.

[ View Full Descriptions | View Titles Only ]

Got an evening to get deeper into sound? Want to get a project started? We’ve been covering all aspects of using Kore in music, bit by bit. Here’s the overview of what we’ve done, which we’re expanding on an ongoing basis.

Get Started

How to use metadata to navigate sounds

Use MIDI mixer view

Understanding different Kore control pages for automation and performance

“Two things that puzzled me at first, solved”: making top-level user pages and switching between pages on the hardware controller.

Assigning and choosing MIDI control changes in Kore

Make morphable patterns with the Kore arpeggiator

Using Kore’s channel and slot disable feature

Use “dummy source channels” for controlling MIDI gear, advanced plug-ins

Combining with Hosts and Other Software

Reaper

Ableton Live

Batch processing with Kore and effects, in Winamp, more

Mutating sequences live with Massive in Kore

Advanced Techniques + Reaktor Integration

Route feedback loops for special effects

Kore Reaktor Toolpack: Module by module guide

Updates:
MIDI filter x8
AudioTrigger, polyphonic scale

Record longer sessions in Kore using Reaktor

Video: Build and use a Reaktor grain delay in Kore

A 3D model of the Kore controller, and studio ergonomics

Control Reaktor ensemble parameters with Kore

MIDI scripting in Kore, with Kontakt 3;
Kontakt automation and sending MIDI from the Kore controller

Video: using the free Spiral Reaktor sequencer in Kore

Artists, Inspiration

Behind the Scenes with Interpol: Obsessive Details of Hardware, Kore Software Rig

Sound design for imaginary instruments: guitar and Kore effects
Sound design for imaginary instruments: “prepared piano” with Grain Shifter
The results

Exclusive Downloads

Feedback effect [Kore]

Granular percussion sound [Kore]

Morphable Kore arpeggiator [Kore]

Kore Reaktor Toolpack (our custom koresound, plus a link to this essential, free tool) [Kore+Reaktor]

Reaktor Grain Delay [Kore+Reaktor]

SketchUp model of the Kore controller [Kore+(free) Google SketchUp]

Kontakt MIDI scripting example [Kore+Kontakt]

Koresound for Massive, with mutating sequences [Kore+Massive]

Granular “prepared” piano [Kore]

Kore performance for NI’s free Spiral sequencer for Reaktor [Kore+Reaktor]

Got an evening to get deeper into sound? Want to get a project started? We’ve been covering all aspects of using Kore in music, bit by bit. Here’s the overview of what we’ve done, which we’re expanding on an ongoing basis.

Reference

Use Kore without the mouse - Kore hardware controller only
Navigate different levels of your sounds in Kore, access parameters, and work within a host using the controller and not the mouse.

Get Started

How to use metadata to navigate sounds
Working with tags like author, you can find interesting finds like samples of the So Percussion group. With control over metadata parameters, you can configure the browser to make it easy to find sounds that matter - including focusing on your own sound designs if you prefer.

Use MIDI mixer view
This vertical, traditional mixer interface may be easier to look at for some tasks.

Understanding different Kore control pages for automation and performance
In addition to the obvious physical encoders and buttons on the Kore controller hardware, Kore’s control pages can be powerful tools for organizing sound parameters for other controllers, hosts, and sound design. Here’s how the different levels work and how to use them. See also:

“Two things that puzzled me at first, solved”: making top-level user pages and switching between pages on the hardware controller.

Assigning and choosing MIDI control changes in Kore
Custom MIDI control using control pages. Kore 2.0.4 and later add the ability to emulate the Kore controller on any MIDI controller for manipulating features like morphing, but this technique still works well for mapping select parameters.

Make morphable patterns with the Kore arpeggiator
A look at the arpeggiator included with Kore - and why Kore’s sound morphing can be fun.

Using Kore’s channel and slot disable feature
Disabling sounds can help reduce CPU usage — essential in live performance.

Use “dummy source channels” for controlling MIDI gear, advanced plug-ins
Integrate external hardware or more advanced multi-timbral plug-ins with your Kore setup using dedicated source channels.

Combining with Hosts and Other Software

Reaper
This affordable Windows (and now Mac) DAW easily maps a multichannel instance of Kore.

Ableton Live
The ubiquitous live performance tool can blend with Kore to add features like Live’s clip triggering to your rig.

Batch processing with Kore and effects, in Winamp, more
Create a workflow for batch-processing audio files with effects, for testing effects combinations or processing lots of audio. The free Winamp on Windows does the job, but there are other PC and Mac options, too.

Mutating sequences live with Massive in Kore
Here’s an illustration of how to make the most with macro controls and morphing in Kore, using Native’s Massive synth. Sequenced Massive patches are lots of fun, but by putting them in Kore, you can arrange sequences on the fly.

Advanced Techniques + Reaktor Integration

Route feedback loops for special effects
A look at how Kore’s routing works - and an illustration of why, for sound design, intentional feedback can be a good thing.

Kore Reaktor Toolpack: Module by module guide
This essential, free toolpack by Jonathan Adams Leonard adds extra audio and MIDI utilities and power features to Kore via custom Reaktor ensembles. We look at each module and what it does.

Updates:
MIDI filter x8
AudioTrigger, polyphonic scale

Record longer sessions in Kore using Reaktor
Want to make a Kore-only production workflow? Here are some ideas, using Reaktor and even adding mastering to the mix.

Video: Build and use a Reaktor grain delay in Kore
How to create live-sampling grain effect in Reaktor, plus how to combine Reaktor with Kore to get tangible control over sound.

A 3D model of the Kore controller, and studio ergonomics
A studio interior design prompted our writer Eoin to create his own 3D model of the Kore controller, which he makes available.

Control Reaktor ensemble parameters with Kore
Even simpler Reaktor ensembles often have many more parameters than you’d want to control at once. But with Kore, you can simply drag a control and easily grab the sound elements you want to manipulate; this shows you how.

MIDI scripting in Kore, with Kontakt 3;
Kontakt automation and sending MIDI from the Kore controller
Using Kontakt 3 as an insert effect in Kore means you can use Kontakt’s powerful scripting features in your Kore sounds.

Video: using the free Spiral Reaktor sequencer in Kore
lazyfish’s brilliant Spiral is a fascinating new way of driving instruments, but it may not be clear how to use it at first. Here, we show you how to add Spiral to a Koresound.

Artists, Inspiration

Behind the Scenes with Interpol: Obsessive Details of Hardware, Kore Software Rig
Interpol’s live Kore setup involves a wrangling complex setup of controllers, instruments, and sounds. But there could be something to learn for your own setup.

Sound design for imaginary instruments: guitar and Kore effects
Sound design for imaginary instruments: “prepared piano” with Grain Shifter
The results
Kore’s streamlined, semi-modular design can be ideal for experimenting with sound design. Combining effects from among Kore’s included modules and Guitar Rig creates new hybrid instruments. This takes an experimental score for modern dance, from the site’s editor, as an example.

Exclusive Downloads

Feedback effect [Kore]

Granular percussion sound [Kore]

Morphable Kore arpeggiator [Kore]

Kore Reaktor Toolpack (our custom koresound, plus a link to this essential, free tool) [Kore+Reaktor]

Reaktor Grain Delay [Kore+Reaktor]

SketchUp model of the Kore controller [Kore+(free) Google SketchUp]

Kontakt MIDI scripting example [Kore+Kontakt]

Koresound for Massive, with mutating sequences [Kore+Massive]

Granular “prepared” piano [Kore]

Kore performance for NI’s free Spiral sequencer for Reaktor [Kore+Reaktor]

Playing – using your musical tools and toys as an instrument – is what it’s all about for a lot of us. And for many computer musicians, making the computer more playable live, whether onstage or improvising in the “studio,” is a reason to choose Ableton Live as a host.

From the day I first saw Kore at a pre-launch press conference, the pitch was that Kore was portable: you can move it from host to host as a plug-in or use it as a host itself. Lately, I’ve been putting that to use myself, playing some sets in Kore 2 alone, and moving into hosts, particularly Ableton Live. Before talking about the how, it’s worth covering some of the why.

Naturally, if you’re not into the full version of Kore 2, you can easily inject some extra sounds into Live with the soundpacks. But here, I’ll cover the all-stops-pulled complete version of Kore.

Live + Kore: How They Can Work Together

The reasons to use Ableton Live are probably most evident, since it does many of the things that Kore itself does not. I’ll go through what I think is important – if you’re a beginning user, don’t worry about this too much as it’ll make sense when you see it.

Here’s a video demonstrating the use of the Spiral sequencer to drive Koresounds - I’ve sent its MIDI to synths, guitars, pianos and even a drum kit. Plus, there are a few bonus creative uses of Kore 2 thrown in for good measure.

Reaktor Spiral Sequencer in Kore 2 from Create Digital Media on Vimeo.

Spiral, the far-out sequenced Reaktor synth we saw earlier this week, is now available free to Reaktor 5 users. Just fire up Service Center, and download! We’ll have more on how it works soon.

Native Instruments has also announced the larger context for Spiral. It’s part of a new Soundpack called Animated Circuits, which adapts some of the best sequenced, mutating Reaktor ensembles for use with Kore. Since it’s a Soundpack, you don’t need either Reaktor or Kore to use it; it’ll run easily in Kore Player. That said, you’ll miss out on Spiral’s groovy interface – you’ll just get the sounds.

Reaktor users will want to pass on this one; you get Spiral free, and the other ensembles are already in Reaktor - SpaceDrone, Metaphysical Function, Skrewell, and Newscool.

But if your appetite for strange, alien Reaktor ensembles hasn’t been entirely sated, never fear: we’ve got more coverage of this coming.

Reaktor Animated Circuits Soundpack [Product Page]