Background
KARMA's Note Map features can be used to produce a number of useful effects.
A Note Map is a table of 128 values, one for each MIDI Note. In the Korg Kronos, M3 and OASYS, and the KARMA Software, it is displayed as a large grid 129 x 128 (that's right, the Y axis is actually 129 values, including the "Remove" setting, described below.)
The Note Map feature comes at the end of a Module's note generation "chain", after the GE has already done whatever it is going to do to generate notes. The Note Map is a final overall note transposer that can be used on each note individually, or can be used on all notes within octaves (i.e. all Ds, all C#s, etc.) Each note that comes in as input (from the output of a GE) can be individually mapped to a different note on the output. In other words, you can take C3 and have it come out as G#5, for one example. This is particularly useful with Drum GEs, since you can selectively remap any note within a Drum Kit to play any other note - change a snare to a different snare, change the snare to play a sidestick, change the hi-hats to play ride cymbals or percussion - and those are just a few examples. There is also a "Remove" row at the bottom of the grid - any note can be removed, instead of remapped. Drop out the snare, drop out the kick, remove a percussion sound that is bothering you - quite useful at various times.
Summary
- A Note Map is a huge grid of 128 columns x 129 rows containing 16,512 "cells" - one row to remap each of the 128 MIDI notes to any other note, plus one extra row to remove any note. Viewed on page 7-4-8 Note Map (M3) or 7-9 Name/Note Map (Kronos/OASYS), or the Note Map Editor of the optional KARMA Software, each cell represents one of the 128 incoming MIDI notes, and a potential remapping of the note to one of 128 different pitches or the special "remove" setting.
- When you select a Note Map Table for a Module, the Module plays "through" the table. Incoming notes from KARMA are modified according to the mapping, and the modified pitches go out. So a default Custom Note Map is a straight diagonal line, representing "Linear" or "no change" response - what goes in is what comes out.
- There is one Custom Note Map per Combi, Program or Song, that any or all of the Modules can use. Modules may also use Global Note Map Tables (described elsewhere). So while one Module may be using the Custom Note Map, others may still use one or more of the Global Note Maps.
- As with most of KARMA's parameters, the Note Map selection can be assigned to the Real-Time Controls, and stored in each Scene - so you can have completely different Drum variations in each Scene, or different Melodic filters and scales in each Scene if desired.
Note Maps
Each KARMA Performance (that's combi or program in Korg-speak) stores a custom Note Map, that can be individually programmed to do whatever you want in each combi, program or song. In addition, there are 64 Global Note Maps that can be selected from the KARMA > Control page, or assigned to a slider/switch and varied in real-time. These Global Note Maps can be split into two categories: Global Drum Note Maps, and Global Melodic Note Maps.
Drum Note Maps
Of the 64 memory locations reserved for Note Map tables, the first 36 have been dedicated to Drum Grooves. The first 18 are the main Drum Note Maps; while the second 18 are virtually duplicates of the first 18, with the additional function of transposing the clap sound (D#3 in most Korg kits) the same way as the snare sound is handled. So the first 18 maps do nothing to the clap sound; while the second 18 treat the clap the same as a snare.
Here is a brief description of the Drum Maps:
| Global Note Maps - Drum Grooves |
| 1 | sidestick/rides1 | Maps all *snare notes to the sidestick and the sidestick to Snare 1. Excludes snares 9-13. Flips the mapping of all hi-hats to the ride cymbals and rides to hats. The effect is a typical drum groove variation where the drummer is "bringing it down" for a verse, or the beginning of an extended solo. |
| 2 | sidestick/rides2 | Same as above, except the three hi-hats are mapped to a different arrangement of the three rides. This one maps the closed hi-hat to the ride bell, for the most obvious ride cymbal effect. |
| 3 | sidestick/rides3 | Same as above, except the three hi-hats are mapped to a third arrangement of the three ride cymbals. |
| 4 | kick/sn swap1 | Cycles Kicks 1-7 and 8-12. That is Kick 1 goes to Kick 2 while kick 7 goes to kick 1 for the first cycle group. And then Kick 8 goes to kick 9 while kick 12 gets reflected down to kick 8 for the second cycle group. Similarly snares 1-8 cycle amongst each other as a group while snares 9-13 are a second cycle group. no matter what kick and snare your GE is using, you will get a different kick and snare to experiment with. |
| 5 | kick/sn swap2 | The next logical progression from the previous cycle. |
| 6 | kick/sn swap3 | The next logical progression from the previous cycle. |
| 7 | kick/sn swap4 | The next logical progression from the previous cycle. Since there are five kicks and snares in the 2nd group for each, this map means you've cycled through all of them. |
| 8 | snare -> tamb | Maps all snare notes to the tambourine sound, completely dropping out the snare and providing a breakdown variation for a more quiet section. Also maps the 808 Snare to the 808 Cowbell. |
| 9 | snare -> hh | Maps all snare notes to the closed hi-hat sound, completely dropping out the snare and providing a breakdown variation for a more quiet section. Also maps the 808 Snare to the 808 Closed Hi-Hat. |
| 10 | k/sn -> cl/tamb | Maps all kick notes to the clave sound, and all snare notes to the tambourine sound, providing a percussion break effect for a more quiet section. |
| 11 | k/sn -> hh | Maps all kick and snare notes to the closed hi-hat, completely dropping out the kick and snare and providing a very open major breakdown. The 808 Kick & Snare get mapped to the 808 Cowbell. |
| 12 | k/sn -> tamb | Maps all kick and snare notes to the tambourine sound, completely dropping out the kick and snare and providing a very open major breakdown featuring the tambourine. The 808 Kick & Snare get mapped to the 808 Cowbell. |
| 13 | k/sn -> shakers | Maps all kicks to the maracas and all snares to the shakers, again breaking down the beat and adding some percussion for a quiet section. |
| 14 | k/sn -> agogo | Maps the kick and snare to the hi and lo agogo bell sounds, providing a breakdown section with a latin percussion flavor. |
| 15 | k/sn -> triangle | Maps all kick and snare sounds to the open and mute triangle sounds, providing an alternate breakdown section with a latin/jazz percussion flavor. |
| 16 | k/sn -> congas | Maps all kick and snare sounds to the hi and lo congas, providing an alternate breakdown section with a latin/jazz percussion flavor. |
| 17 | k/sn -> congas2 | Same as above, excpet uses the mute conga for the kicks instead of the Hi Conga. |
| 18 | k/sn -> bongos | Maps all kick and snare sounds to the hi and lo bongos providing an alternate breakdown section with a latin/jazz percussion flavor. |
| Tables 19~36 are duplicates of 1~18, with the addition of treating the clap sound the same as a snare sound. |
*Whenever "all snare" notes are referenced, that is ALWAYS excluding the reverse snare.
Musical Note Maps
[in progress]
Tips & Tricks
For tables 57-64 to be effective you need the Note Map set to Chord Track in the KARMA > Control page. Also don't engage Keyboard Track(C2 Ref) as that will mess up table 60.
If you would like tables 57-64 to function in a particular key scale instead of per chord then leave Chord Track off and transpose the table to whichever key you like (using C as a reference). The note transformations are setup to work with Ionian scales. To do Aeolian, or any other scale, you're probably better off using the Copy Note Map command from the dropdown menu and then making the necessary transformations while the Octave Replicate checkbox is lit. The caveat however is that if you were trying to remap table 60 with octave replicate engaged, you'll need to uncheck the box and then realign the notes below octave 3.
No kits actually have assignments below E0 yet there is still an effect on Note Map transformations. The reason is because the hi-hat assigned to E0 still plays on the notes below at lower pitches. Thus those notes would be mapped to rides for "rides" transformations for example.
Video Reference
Drum Effects Routing
IFX1 > Snares
IFX2 > Kicks
IFX3 > Toms
IFX4 > Hats & Cymbals
IFX5 > General Percussion