Is there a way to tell Kontakt I am using a 49 key midi keyboard ?

Shane Lanford

Hello group. I am a total noob and I picked up the full version of Kontact recently to be able to use some sample libraries I was interested in that required the full version.[ I am a songwtirer and not a producer] There are a million things I need to learn about this software, but the most pressing thing for now is that Kontact seems to assign all of the colored keys that trigger certain things across a full sized 88 key keyboard. I am using a Nektar LX 49. Is there any way to tell Kontact that my keyboard only has 49 keys so it can make all of the colored keys that have a function fit within those 49 keys?

stephen24

It's not Kontakt that needs to be told about your keyboard, it's the library authors.

You can mostly solve your problem with a factory multiscript. Click KSP near top R of the Kontakt window, >preset>factory>transform>change keys. Transpose the keys you can press into the keys the instrument requires. If 12 isn't enough, have another script in the next slot. You'll need to save your instrument as a multi to preserve your changes.

It won't change the colour of your keys, only the authors can do that.

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/29372/is-there-a-way-to-tell-kontakt-i-am-using-a-49-key-midi-keyboard

You would probably have to use the keyboard Octave or Transpose buttons to use what is outside the range of your keyboard. Please refer to the Nektar LX49 manual !

P.S. There also exists apps and plugins that one can insert in the midi signal chain to octave change/'transpose' but I haven't used any such myself and do not know how well it would work (e.g. from this page). You can also transpose inside a DAW , e.g. with Ableton Live : How do you transpose in Ableton Live? and Ableton Live Tutorial: Pitch and Transposition

Shane Lanford

Thank you for the response. You would think there would be a way to accomplish something so simple. I guess I will just have to get a bigger keyboard.

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/150342#Comment_150342

Just notice the difference in key-bed between the S49 MK3/S61 MK3 key and the S88 MK3 !

The S49 MK3 and S61 MK3 got semi-weighted keys and the S88 MK3 got full piano feel with 88 hammer-action weighted keys !

DunedinDragon

In my experience the instrument libraries tend to be sized based on the note range of the actual instruments, so it wouldn't do any good to resize and fit them to the keyboard as you would lose those instrument notes outside the 49 key range. That's why the octave approach has been the best way to do this generally for different sized libraries on smaller keyboards.

Shane Lanford

This makes sense for instrument libraries like piano for sure. I bought some libraries from We Sound Human. They are performance libraries, so you are not triggering individual notes, but parts of a performance. Depending on what is loaded, there may only be 15 or 20 keys that have a function. It seems like there should be a way to make the keys with a function fit within the 49 keys that I have instead of being spread out over 88 keys. I end up having 5 keys that do something, and then a space of 20 keys that do nothing, and so on. I am sure I will get used to it sooner or later. I hate to spend the money on an 88 key keyboard when I don't really need it, but that may be the best solution in the long run. Thank you for commenting!

stephen24

It's not Kontakt that needs to be told about your keyboard, it's the library authors.

You can mostly solve your problem with a factory multiscript. Click KSP near top R of the Kontakt window, >preset>factory>transform>change keys. Transpose the keys you can press into the keys the instrument requires. If 12 isn't enough, have another script in the next slot. You'll need to save your instrument as a multi to preserve your changes.

It won't change the colour of your keys, only the authors can do that.

Shane Lanford

Brilliant! Thank you so much !!!