Korg M3: Controlling KARMA and other M3 functions with a foot controller
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Scenario

You want to use a foot controller to perform KARMA scene changes, turn KARMA on/off, turn LATCH on/off, play Pads 1-8, etc., so that your hands can focus on playing music.

Procedure for simple footswitches

A momentary footswitch can be used to perform a single KARMA-related function.

  1. Plug a momentary-contact type footswitch such as a Korg PS-2 into the "Assignable Switch" jack.
  2. Go to Global page P2-1 [Controllers] [Foot Control].
  3. Set Foot Switch Assign to KARMA SCENE, KARMA ON/OFF, etc.

Note: When using a momentary footswitch, the KARMA SCENE controller advances the scene up by 1 each time you press the switch. If you want to be able to select a specific scene you must use a programmable midi foot controller.

Procedure for programmable midi foot controllers

A programmable midi foot controller such as the Yamaha MFC-10 or the Behringer FCB-10 can be programmed to do a variety of useful functions such as KARMA scene changes, playing Pads 1-8, and pretty much any action that can be triggered in the M3 through MIDI CC changes or SysEx messages.

  1. In GLOBAL mode, go to P2:Controllers.
  2. On the CC Assign tab, from the page menu, select Reset Controller MIDI Assign and select the CC Default option. This action populates all the fields on the CC assign tab a set of standard default CC numbers for the various KARMA functions (you can change them to other numbers, but these are the recommended settings.)
  3. Use these displayed CC numbers, along with the following information, to help you program your footcontroller.
  • KARMA values
    • KARMA on/off: The value that your foot controller sends over this CC number can be used to turn KARMA on/off. Any value from 0-63 turns the latch off. Any value from 64-127 turns the latch on.
    • Latch on/off: The value that your foot controller sends over this CC number can be used to turn KARMA LATCH on/off. Any value from 0-63 turns the latch off. Any value from 64-127 turns the latch on.
    • Scene changes: The value that your foot controller sends over this CC number can be used to select a specific KARMA SCENE in whichever Module Control Layer is presently selected (Master, A-D). The values 0…7 correspondingly select Scenes 1…8. The values 8-127 have no effect.
    • KARMA switches SW1-SW8 on/off: The value that your foot controller sends over the CC number for each switch can be used to turn the switch on/off. Any value from 0-63 turns the switch off. Any value from 64-127 turns the switch on.
    • KARMA sliders SL1-SL8: The value 0-127 that your foot controller sends over the CC number for each slider can be used to set the exact value of the slider.
  • Pads 1-8 values (two different methods):
    • Method 1: You can use the CCs, in which case Pad 1 would be CC#110, with a value of 1…127 being the velocity, and a value of 0 being the release. However, this can be tricky to do with some controllers and external pad triggering devices. For example:
      • CC #110 115 - trigger pad 1 with a velocity of 115 and hold
      • CC #110 000 - release pad 1
    • Method 2: f you pop-up the CC Number select menu on one of the pad parameter fields, and scroll all the way to the left, you get into MIDI Note Numbers instead of CCs. You can set each pad to be triggered by a note-on/note-off (which is sometimes easier to program in an external footpedal or pad controller.) You can set the 8 pads to MIDI notes 0…7 (which are unused for anything else usually and will not interfere with anything you are playing) and simply trigger the pads as if they were "samples".

Tips

  • For more information about all the CC numbers and values for each that the M3 will respond to, refer to the appendix M3 and Midi CCs in the M3 Parameter Guide. (Page 610 in the version of this guide written for M3 OS version 1.2.0, p. 634 in the M3 Expanded of the guide.)
  • You can read a quick start guide for the Behringer FCB1010 online to learn how it works.
  • There is no CC number that will turn the DRUM TRACK on/off, but there is a way to do this by sending a SysEx message from a programmable MIDI foot controller or fader box. For more information, refer to Finding SysEx messages for your keyboard.
  • The Yamaha MFC10 can trigger multiple control change messages on each button, so you can do things like trigger Pad 1 and select a specific KARMA scene at the same time with one button press.
  • You can configure the pedal on the Yamaha MFC10 to have 8 "positions" and assign each position to send values 0-7 on the CC number for a KARMA SCENE change. Then you can use the pedal to quickly sweep through the scenes to arrive at the specific scene you want. This technique can take some practice because the KARMA patterns being played will change accordingly (albeit briefly) as you sweep through each intermediate scene. In most cases, however, it doesn't sound bad and it has the benefit of leaving the 10 footpads free for other uses like playing Pads 1-8, with the remaining two footpads used to turn KARMA on/off and to turn LATCH on/off. You can simulate what this will sound like by rapidly pressing the scene buttons on the M3 in sequence. For example, hold down a chord while in Scene 1 and rapidly press the buttons for scenes 2, 3, and 4.
  • If you use the foot controller to trigger Pads 1-8 with your feet, you can set the M3's P0:Play page to the Karma RTC tab and watch the chord analysis field. This will tell you the chords being played by each pad to guide you in your accompaniment.
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