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KordBot
User Guide
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Isla Instruments KordBot User Guide

User Guide
User Guide
Copyright © 2017 ISLA Instruments. All Rights Reserved.
www.islainstruments.com
Revised 9.20.2017
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Contents
Power Up ...............................................................................................................................6
Play Modes .............................................................................................................................6
Play Modes – Key + MOD ....................................................................................................................6
Progression Suggestion .............................................................................................................. 9
Play Modes – Polyphonic Keys ..............................................................................................................10
User Chord creation in quick mode ...................................................................................................10
Notes for entering user chords, quick mode...........................................................................................10
File Manager ...........................................................................................................................11
Formatting.................................................................................................................................11
Create System Card.........................................................................................................................11
Save / Load System Data ...................................................................................................................11
Saving System Data.................................................................................................................12
Loading System Data................................................................................................................12
Settings ...............................................................................................................................13
MIDI IO Setup ..............................................................................................................................13
Setups .....................................................................................................................................13
Changing MOD keys.................................................................................................................13
Changing NOTE keys ................................................................................................................14
Changing MEM keys.................................................................................................................14
Expression Pedal....................................................................................................................14
Foot Switch.........................................................................................................................14
Arpeggio Builder............................................................................................................................15
Arpeggiator’s Inner Self .............................................................................................................15
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Patterns............................................................................................................................15
Editing Note Patterns (Yellow) .......................................................................................................16
Editing Velocity Patterns (Green) .....................................................................................................16
Editing Rhythm patterns (Purple) ....................................................................................................17
Scale Builder ...............................................................................................................................17
KordBot Common Built In Functions.......................................................................................................19
Arp Division ................................................................................................................................19
Arp Note Len ...............................................................................................................................19
Arp Speed..................................................................................................................................19
Arp Swing..................................................................................................................................19
Chord Hold Time............................................................................................................................19
Chord Spread...............................................................................................................................19
MIDI CC ....................................................................................................................................20
Slider damping .............................................................................................................................20
Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Velocity humanize ..........................................................................................................................20
Velocity offset..............................................................................................................................20
Arp On/Off/Even ...........................................................................................................................20
Arp Style U/D ..............................................................................................................................20
Arp Note Pat ...............................................................................................................................21
Arp Quantize ...............................................................................................................................21
Arp Repeat / Latch..........................................................................................................................21
Arp Rthm pat...............................................................................................................................21
Arp Vel pat .................................................................................................................................21
Chord Hold On/Off..........................................................................................................................21
MIDI CC ....................................................................................................................................21
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Midi Clock Out..............................................................................................................................21
Midi In Ports ...............................................................................................................................21
Midi Out Port...............................................................................................................................21
Midi Sync Int/Ext ...........................................................................................................................21
Q Notes/Measure ..........................................................................................................................21
Push Changes ..............................................................................................................................21
Turn Changes ..............................................................................................................................22
Diatonic Progression Editing .............................................................................................................22
Diatonic Theory.........................................................................................................................23
Scales .....................................................................................................................................23
Chords.....................................................................................................................................24
Diatonic Progressions.......................................................................................................................24
Appendix X – MIDI Continuous Controller Values ...........................................................................................25
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Power Up
After powering up your KordBot unit you should see the screen shown in Figure 1. This is the main menu screen from which all KordBot functions are accessed. Rotary Encoder A is used to navigate to the desired icon.
Play Modes
There are 4 play modes available with the current KordBot firmware: Key + MOD, Diatonic Mode, Diatonic Strum and Polyphonic Keys. These modes allow you the
freedom to configure and use the KordBot in many ways, from live performance to studio recording and anything between. Each mode has configuration options to allow you to tailor your workflow to whatever suits you best. Plus, the sys­tem can be saved, so you can store and retrieve configurations at your leisure.
Each mode has a common graphical interface. There are 8 encoder rotary posi­tion indicators in the center of the screen. The functions available by push­ing the encoder switch are shown at the top of the screen. Finally, there is a hot-key menu and a status grid at the bottom of the screen. See Figure 2.
The 8 “push” functions and the 8 “rotary” functions can be assigned to var­ious KordBot control functions as well as all MIDI Continuous Controller (MIDI CC) functions. The available MIDI CC control subset for the encod­er push functions are limited to MIDI CC messages which were designed for two-state conditions, such as toggling Portamento on or off. For more in­formation see Appendix X “Supported MIDI Continuous Controllers.”
Figure 1
Play Mode
Instantly access the KEY+MOD, Diatonic, Diatonic Strum and Polyphonic Keyboard play modes. This is where you will spend most of your time on KordBot®. See page X-Y “Play Modes” for more information.
Sequencer
~ Future version of firmware ~ See page X-Y “Sequencus Maximus” for more information.
File Manager
Access all the SD Card functions – Mount and Unmount the drive, Format, Create System Disk and Save and Load Setups. See page X-Y “The File Manager” for more information.
For a list of available rotary and push KordBot control func­tions, see page X-Y “KordBot Common Built In Functions.”
Play Modes: Key + MOD
Key + MOD mode uses the pre-programmed chord modifier keys in conjunction with the NOTE keys of the piano style keyboard (see “Parts Of The KordBot on page X-Y). Pressing and holding a NOTE key (for example C) sets the “root” note. Then, pressing a chord modifier key (for example m7) will cause the KordBot to emit a chord known as a Cm7 or C minor seventh chord. Like wise pressing a D NOTE key along with the Maj9 chord modifier key will produce a DMaj9 or D Major 9th chord. Note that the LEDs under the NOTE keys will also light up to show you the notes in the chord you’ve just played. So for the Cm7 chord, the NOTE keys for C, Eb, G and Bb will light. For D9 you should see the NOTE keys D, F#, A, C# and E light
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Settings
This is the place to go when you want to select MIDI communications over USB / Wireless or MIDI DIN inputs and outputs. This is also where you are able to configure MIDI channels for each key of the KordBot®. You can configure the Footswitch and the Expression pedals under this menu. Finally, you will be able to build musical elements with the Arpeggio and the Scale Builder. In a future firmware release, you will also be able to access the Chord Builder. See page X-Y “Settings” for more information.
About
Informational scrolling screen about the KordBot®
Encoders
AA
E
Figure 2
B
F
C
G
D
H
up. Also, the display will show the note name, octave and chord type played. This appears in the bottom status line, to the left of the mode indicator (Key + MOD).
In addition, you can press one of the f keys 1-4 to play an inversion of the chord. So, pressing the Maj MOD key, f1 and then the C NOTE key you can play a CMaj or C Major chord in the first inversion. The C NOTE will light because you pressed it, but then you’ll also see the E, G and C an octave above light up. A C Major in the first inversion has the notes E, G and C. Likewise the second inversion is G, C and E, which you can get by pressing the Maj, f2 and C keys. Third and fourth inver­sions are available but note that for chords with only 3 notes, the third inversion actually repeats the root position of C, E and G, only an octave higher. If you try using inversions with more complex chord MOD keys – such as the Maj9, you’ll see that the notes are all the same, but in order according to the inversion selected.
If you wish to store an inversion of the chord, press the INVERSION key AND the SHIFT key and then press the MEM pad you want to save the inversion to. So, as in the above example, if you press the chord modifier dim7 and key note D keys, to form a
D°7 ( D diminished 7th), then wanted to save the first inversion of that chord, press f1, SHIFT and then the MEM key you wish to save it to. Note that you can also “mix and
match”. Any chords you enter into MEM slots will be available in all the other modes.
You may also elect to save a chord template to a MEM key. Chord tem­plates do not store the key note and act essentially like the MOD keys. It means you must press a note key along with the MEM key to play a chord. The advantage here is you can carry this stored key to other modes – for in­stance you might want to have a 7sus4 chord in memory so that you can add that to your available choices of chords in, say, the Diatonic Mode.
Key + MOD mode was designed to offer the largest palette of 32 chord types and up to 4 inversions per type, for a total of 128 chord type variations. If you can’t find the sound you’re looking for in that batch, don’t worry: else­where in this guide you can learn how to easily create your own chords.
Each mode has the ability to store up to 12 chords in the MEM key pads (M1-M12). For the Key + MOD mode, this is simply done. First, play any chord – you just have to play it, not keep the keys pressed. Next, press the SHIFT key and press one of the MEM pads M1- M12. The chord that was played last is now stored into the slot you chose, including the scale or key note you played. So, for instance, if you press the chord modifier dim7 and key note D keys, it forms a D°7 ( D diminished 7th)
To save the chord as a template play the desired chord modifier and any note (the note will be ignored). For instance, pressing the “Maj 9” and a “C”. Then simply press the ALT and SHIFT keys at the same time and finally press the MEM key you wish to save it to. Note that in the current firmware, you may not store inversions of chord templates (but you can play them back with inversions). In KEY+MOD mode, play the template back by pressing the MEM key and any note key. If you hold the MEM key down and change notes, the chord will re-play with the new note selected.
Changing octaves in the Key + MOD mode is simple. Pressing the oc­tave up or octave down changes the octave of the notes played on the NOTE keys. Holding A LT and pressing the octave up or down keys shifts the octave of whatever is stored in the MEM pads.
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That is the basic concept of the Key + MOD mode. Much, much more can be done in this mode, using the built-in KordBot functions. Things like arpeggiation, chord spreading, tempo change and velocity imodifications all designed to en­hance your playing experience. Since these functions can be used in other modes, they are covered in depth in the section “KordBot Common Built In Functions”.
In the top row, the chords are laid out in standard diaton­ic progression for a Major scale in the key of C.
MOD key legend Maj 6 7 Maj7 9 Maj9 Maj11
Play Modes – Diatonic Mode
The Diatonic mode is the most complex mode that KordBot offers. While it may seem daunting, once you get the hang of it, you will be able to ex­plore musical areas few other MIDI controllers have ventured into.
To jump to the Diatonic mode, from any other mode, press the ALT key. The hot­key menu on the bottom will then show the fn key to press to jump to the Diatonic mode. The screen will refresh and you should see all the same controls as before, with the mode in the lowest right status box noting “Diatonic” for the mode.
In this mode, the layout of the MOD keys is different from the Key + MOD mode. Here, each row of 8 MOD keys are comprised of 7 diatonically related (normal­ly) chords, based on a scale. Using the advanced setup features, you can make these 7 chords related, unrelated, random or whatever you desire. But the ba­sic reason for the mode is that the MOD keys alone generate chords. The NOTE keys allow the user to play along with the chords, providing 6-note polyphony.
If you would like to refresh your memory, or learn about diaton­ic theory, please refer to the chapter “Diatonic Theory”
The default key and scale rows on the KordBot are C Major, G Yo, C Natural Minor (Aeolian mode) and Ab Blues. The default progression for each row is also the de­fault for that scale type. The key and scale can be changed by choosing from a list. But there are also 10 “User” progressions. In those 10, you can change the scale to any pre-programmed scale, or you can build your own scale. Then you can also change the chord type for each of the 7 ‘slots’. Currently you can pick from any of the chord modifier key chord types (Maj through 9sus4). In a future release you will also be able to create your own chord templates and choose those as well.
Chord C Maj D m Em F Maj G Maj A min B dim
Jazz notation I ii iii IV V vi vii°
Nashville Number 1 2m 3m 4 5 6m 7°
With just this small ‘palette’ of chords, you have the ability to play literally mil­lions of songs. There are an uncountable number of hits that use just the I, IV and V chords. Throw in the vi chord and you have an uncountable number more.
Each mode has the ability to store up to 12 chords in the MEM key pads (M1-M12). For the Diatonic mode, this is done similarly to the Key + MOD mode. . First, play any chord – you just have to play it, not keep the keys pressed. Note, you do not need to press a key note, since diatonic chords already know which note is their key note.
Next, press the SHIFT key and press one of the MEM pads M1- M12. The chord that was played last is now stored into the slot you chose. If you wish to store an inversion of the chord, press the inversion key AND the SHIFT key and then press the MEM pad you want to save the inversion to. So, for instance, if you press an Em (third key on the top row in the default Diatonic mode) chord and then wanted to save the first inversion of that chord, press f1, SHIFT and then
wv I ii iii IV V vi vii°
I √ √ √ √ √ √ √
ii √ √ √ √
iii √ √
For now, we’ll look at the default C Major row – the top row of MOD keys. Refer to the section on “Diatonic Progression Editing” for more advanced fea­tures. Also, since all the encoder functions are shared by each play mode, you might want to look at the section “KordBot Common Built In Functions”.
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IV √ √ √ √
V √ √ √
vi √ √ √
vii° √ √ √
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