microkorg & sound module

before i buy a microkorg, i've got a question im hoping somebody here can answer for me (preferably somebody with a microkorg since thats what im wanting to pick up)

i want a microkorg to compliment my mpc, but i have a mo phatt sound module that i got for cheap, but nothing to play it with.

my question is... how difficult would it be to use the microkorg as a controller for the mo phatt and then switch back to its internal sounds for me to pick up different synth or bass sounds from the microkorg itself. then, be able to switch back to the mo phatt without having to adjust settings, parameters, etc. every single time?

thank you!

Damn Lamp,

I never knew that either... I knew something was holding me back from grabbing one a while back.

I don't own it (should just STFU) but I think it's just the sound engine is mono-timbral, not sending / receiving and he just wants to use MK keys to play another module.

Champloo wrote:i want a microkorg to compliment my mpc, but i have a mo phatt sound module that i got for cheap, but nothing to play it with.

my question is... how difficult would it be to use the microkorg as a controller for the mo phatt and then switch back to its internal sounds for me to pick up different synth or bass sounds from the microkorg itself. then, be able to switch back to the mo phatt without having to adjust settings, parameters, etc. every single time?

You do not need a MIDI keyboard to play the Mo'Phatt, you can play it from the MPC pads/sequencer as well as from a MIDI keyboard.

If you had a MicroKorg, you could connect the MicroKorg MIDI output to a MPC MIDI input, and use the MicroKorg keyboard as a MIDI keyboard for MIDI note input to the MPC.

You can connect an MPC MIDI output to the MIDI input of the Mo'Phatt, and another to the MIDI input of the MicroKorg. Then the Mo'Phatt and the MicroKorg become external MIDI sound modules connected to the MPC sequencer. You play and sequence the Mo'Phatt sounds on one(/multiple) MPC sequencer track(s), then add to that by sequencing a MicroKorg sound on another MPC sequencer track.

As mentioned, the MicroKorg is mono-timbral, so will only play one sound/patch at a time, on one MIDI channel. But the Mo'Phatt is 16 part multi-timbral, so you can set it up with a different sound on each of the available 16 MIDI channels, and play/sequence up to those 16 different sounds on different MPC MIDI tracks.

thank you guys, i have just one more question, hopefully i make it clear...

i understand the microkorg can only play one patch at a time (mono timbral), and im completely okay with that...but, here's where im still stuck at...

when you turn the wheel knob on the microkorg over to "MIDI" and use it via midi with the Mo Phatt strictly as a controller.. after i play/record a bassline using the microkorg as a controller and mo phatt as sound source.... would i be able to just turn the knob on the microkorg off of "MIDI" and go back to using its own internal sounds? seems like it wouldnt be difficult at all to just switch back and forth, but would i have to re-configure anything everytime i switch from using the microkorg as a controller and then using its internal sounds, using its own keys to play, other than obviously switching the knob back to "MIDI"?

(ps, im trying to only use the microkorg to play, it just doesnt feel natural for me to play melody/synth parts using mpc pads)

thanks!!

EXAMPLE of Workflow I'd like:
1.) make drum beat with Mpc 1000
2.) use microkorg as controller and lay down bassline using mo phatt as sound module
3.) switch back to microkorg internal sounds and lay down a synth track
4.) go back to using microkorg as controller and mo phatt as sound module to lay down extra percussion towards the end of the beat

Yes, you can turn local MIDI on/off on the keyboard.

Or, leave local MIDI off on the keyboard, and just select an MPC sequencer track that is outputting MIDI to the MicroKorg sound engine when you want to play it's sounds from the MicroKorg keyboard.

When connected as a MIDI keyboard, with internal local MIDI off, the keyboard (and the MPC pads) will play whatever synth the output of the active MPC sequencer track is assigned to.

cool, so this can be done... just leave all my cables connected and when i want to switch back and forth between using the microkorg as controller and then using its internal sounds, all i have to do is turn "Local" off and on.

thank you very much Simon!! I appreciate all the information!

Yes, but, the MicroKorg will still send out MIDI with Local On, so will also trigger anything on the active track in the MPC sequencer.

Maybe easier to just select a track on the MPC that is set to the MicroKorg MIDI connection, when you want to play the MircroKorg. That of course depends on exactly what you want to do.

Local Off is the setting that lets you essentially turn off the connection between the keyboard and the module part inside the microKorg. You then use the MPC to actually send the MIDI data to the 'modules'.

Once you've set the microKorg up so it spits out MIDI to the MPC, you can use the keyboard on the microKorg as a controller for triggering whatever is dialed up on the MPC (by hooking up the MIDI outs of the MPC to your microKorg and the Phat).

So MIDI OUT of the mK to the MPC MIDI IN, then MIDI OUT (let's say A) of the MPC to the MIDI IN on the mK.

Set the mK to Local Off and have it receive on Channel 1. Then dial up the patch you want (you only get the one patch cause it's monotimbral).

In the MPC, you select the track to use for the mK. Set Type to MIDI, Pgm to OFF, MIDI to 1A.

Then you set up the Phat similarly, only you'll be better off if you use MIDI OUT B to control it and get all 16 channels. Unless you want Channel 1 to control a sound on the mK and the Phat at the same time (cause that ish is gonna happen, because, MIDI).