Tutorial: Korg nanoKEY Studio Ableton Live « blue hand » remote script and iOS goodies

 

Hi and welcome on Saxloops blog 🙂

You’ve got a nanoKEY Studio Korg midi controller, use it with Ableton Live/iOS and want to use at its best potential?

Perhaps you feel limited by the fact you need to map everything manually in Live, and wish to benefit from Live automap features to tweak your devices without spending too much time mapping everything from device to device…

« But where is that « famous blue hand » script on internet? » I’ve said this to myself for a long time…

Good news, it’s just below, as I’ve decided despite my ultra limited script reading/writing skills to do it myself with Ableton remote script template!! :-))

 

So follow these tutorial steps to have an Abletonesque unleashed nanoKEY Studio, with some cool other more universal/iOS/Gadget features:

1.Download nanoKEY Studio and Live nanoKEY UserConfiguration.txt files

 

nanoKEY Studio Ableton/Gadget preset file

Ableton Live nanoKEY Studio UserConfiguration.txt file

 

2. Go in User Remote Script folder following those paths :

Mac: HD:/Users/[Username]/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live x.x.x/User Remote Scripts

Windows: C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live x.x.x\User Remote Scripts

Those folders can be hidden, if needed follow those instructions: Ableton help: how to access hidden folders

 

3. Create a new « nanoKEY Studio » folder in « User Remote Scripts » folder

 

4. Copy downloaded nanoKEY Studio « UserConfiguration.txt» file in « nanoKEY Studio » folder

 

5. Check your nanoKEY Studio input and output ports names in Ableton Live preferences

 

6. Open UserConfiguration.txt which has been copied in nanoKEY Studio folder, and check than those port names are the same as those in Live. If they’re different on your machine, change their names in that UserConfiguration.txt file to match those in Live

 

7. Download and install Korg Kontrol Editor and device drivers. You will find those utilities here: Korg Kontrol Editor

Connect your nanoKEY Studio via USB to your machine.

Launch Korg Kontrol Editor sofware, choose nanoKEY Studio, then open downloaded nanoKEY Studio « GadgetAbleton.nanokey_st_set » in Korg Kontrol Editor.

Then open « communication » menu tab in Korg Kontrol Editor and choose « write scene set » (you should always make firstly a backup of your current setup by choosing « receive scene set » and open « File » menu tab and choose « Save As »)

Here is first Scene. Those encoders CC numbers on the left are mapped in nanoKEY Studio Ableton remote script. They will control any Live device selected.

 

 

Those pads notes on the right will play Ableton Live drum rack’s 1-8 pads in selected 16 pads scrollable group (nanoKEY Studio pads will follow selected zone). In Gadget drums machines/BeatHawk iOS, they will control 1-8 pads.

 

nanoKEY Studio X/Y pad is set to CC 20 and CC 21. So you will be able to use knobs 1 and 2 to map your kaoss pad in Ableton Live more easily.

 

Here are Scene 2 settings. CC’s knobs are set to control Ableton Live mixer 1-8 channels. Drum pads are set to play Ableton Live drum rack’s 9-16 pads in selected 16 pads group. In Gadget drums machines/BeatHawk iOS, they will control 9-16 pads pads. X/Y pad is here freely assignable with manual Live mapping.

 

 

You will be able to very quickly toggle nanoKEY Studio scenes by holding « scene » button and then tap a pad from 1 to 8

 

8. Quit Korg Kontrol Editor, you can now use USB or Bluetooth connexion. In Ableton Live, under preferences, you need to set your new nanoKEY Studio settings like this:

 

8. In Userconfiguration.text, you will be able to change pads, encoders, and faders settings if needed. That must be matched with nanoKEY Studio settings. Don’t forget to save text file after any modification.

 

 

 

9. As a bonus, nanoKEY Studio scenes 3-7 wil allow you to play scales with pads for a playable third bass octave. Here are the pads scales in C : Scene 3-ionian, Scene 4-dorian, Scene 5-aeolian, Scene 6-minor harmonic, Scene 7-whole tone

As nanoKEY Studio internal transposition apply only on keyboard, you will need transposing apps to transpose keyboard AND bass pads:

In Ableton Live: 

you can simply use a pitch midi effect placed before your instrument to transpose all input midi notes.

 

Here is a solution for iOS/Gadget :

Go to Gadget settings and disable « nanoKEY Studio native mode ». Kill/load again Gadget to apply new settings. YOU WILL ALSO need to do this if you want to use pads from scene 1 and 2 to play 16 pads in Bilbao/Abu Dhabi/Gladstone…

 

Open Audiobus and create a midi chain using nanoKEY Studio as an input, Midiflow transposer (free app) as midi effect and Gadget virtual port output

 

Set Gadget to advanced midi mode and select Gadget (virtual port) as input

 

Use MF transposer to transpose your whole nanoKEY studio playing including bass pads

 

11. For pads playing with BeatHawk2, you just have to enable « Send Omni On Pads » option (« Send to selected Pad » disabled) in MIDI/Audio settings, nanoKEY Studio Scene 1 pads will trigger BeatHawk2 pads 1-8, and Scene 2 pads BeatHawk2 pads 9-16:

 

12. As a last bonus, Scene 8 pads allow you to control Brambos Ruismaker app 🙂

 

Now you can enjoy your nanoKEY Studio at its full potential in Ableton Live with some cool things for iOS too 😉

Hope you enjoyed 🙂