Alternate Mode malletKAT User manual

malletKAT User Manual (ver.07-17-18)
malletKAT User Manual (ver.07-17-18)
by Alternate Mode Product Documentation
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malletKAT User Manual (ver.07-17-18)
1. Introduction ................................................................................................... 4
1.1. Basic Performance Features ....................................................................... 5
1.2. Advanced Performance Features ................................................................ 5
1.3. What's New? .............................................................................................. 7
2. Quick Start Guide ......................................................................................... 8
2.1. Back Panel Connections ............................................................................. 9
2.2. Using the malletKAT Internal Sound Card ................................................... 10
2.3. Connecting to an iOS/Android Device ......................................................... 10
2.4. Connecting to an External Synthesizer........................................................ 11
2.5. Connecting to a Computer/DAW................................................................. 11
3. malletKAT Essentials ................................................................................. 12
3.1. How The malletKAT Works ....................................................................... 12
3.2. User Setups, Factory Setups, and Chains .................................................. 15
3.3. Reading The malletKAT Screen ................................................................ 17
4. Important Settings Everyone Should Know ............................................. 20
4.1. How to Access & Edit malletKAT Settings .................................................. 20
4.1.1. malletKAT EXPRESS - Accessing Editing Functions .................................. 23
4.2. Switching Between Factory Setups, User Setups, and Chains ..................... 24
4.3. Changing User Kits - a Shortcut! ............................................................... 24
4.4. Training Your malletKAT To Your Playing Style .......................................... 25
4.5. Adjusting Pad Thresholds ......................................................................... 30
4.6. How to Program Controller Two to Use a Different Sound ........................... 33
4.7. Shifting the Octave Range ........................................................................ 33
4.8. Adjusting MIDI Volume ............................................................................. 34
4.9. Adjusting Note Sustain (Gate Time) ........................................................... 34
4.10. How to Create a Chain............................................................................ 34
4.11. How to Create a Split .............................................................................. 35
4.12. The malletKAT is Not Retaining Changes When Turned Off ...................... 37
4.13. Protecting/Saving the malletKAT Memory ................................................ 38
4.14. Reinitializing the malletKAT ..................................................................... 39
5. User Setup Playing Modes......................................................................... 40
5.1. Pressure Modes (Normal/Dampen/DeadStroke/Aftertouch) ......................... 40
5.2. Monophonic/Polyphonic Modes ................................................................. 42
5.3. Layer Modes ............................................................................................ 43
5.3.1. Hang Mode ......................................................................................... 44
5.3.2. Blend Mode ......................................................................................... 45
5.3.3. Split Mode ........................................................................................... 45
5.3.4. Double Mode ....................................................................................... 46
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5.3.5. Melodic Chord Mode ............................................................................. 46
5.3.6. Velocity Shift Mode ............................................................................... 47
5.3.7. Alternate Mode .................................................................................... 48
5.4. Warp Mode .............................................................................................. 48
6. Working With User Kits .............................................................................. 48
6.1. Setting Up The Controllers ........................................................................ 49
6.2. Setting Up the Sustain Pedal Inputs........................................................... 53
6.3. Using the Foot Controller Inputs ................................................................ 54
6.4. Working With Gate Settings ...................................................................... 56
6.5. Note Reassignments (Reassignment Layer)............................................... 59
6.6. RTC - Real Time Controller ....................................................................... 64
6.7. Pitch Wheel.............................................................................................. 69
6.8. Virtual Control Wheel ................................................................................ 70
7. Full malletKAT Programming Guide ......................................................... 71
7.1. Editing Functions - Pad Shortcuts .............................................................. 71
7.2. Global Auxiliary Screens (Alphabetical)...................................................... 81
7.3. Kit Auxiliary Screens (Alphabetical) ........................................................... 93
7.4. MIDI IN and MIDI Routing ......................................................................... 98
7.5. Using the Metronome in "Groove Mode" ................................................... 100
7.6. Using Warp Mode................................................................................... 103
8. Additional Useful Info............................................................................... 104
8.1. Understanding External Synthesizer Program Changes ............................ 104
8.2. Why is There No USB Port on my malletKAT? ......................................... 105
8.3. Velocity Curves ...................................................................................... 106
8.4. MIDI Note Numbers ................................................................................ 106
8.5. MIDI Continuous Control Number (CC) Definitions.................................... 107
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1. Introduction
Version: malletKAT 8.1
(see “What’s New” in Section 1.3(https://alternatemode.com/online-docs/malletkat/#whats-new)
)(https://alternatemode.com/online-docs/malletkat/#whats-new)
Online Manual Revised: 1/31/2019
Congratulations! You have purchased the world’s most powerful MIDI
mallet percussion controller.
The MalletKAT is a powerful MIDI controller that is designed to capture your playing
gestures and performance. It transforms your performance into musical notes (MIDI
data), and captures the details of dynamics, pressure, speed, dampening, pitch bend,
vibrato, etc. — creating an incredible musical representation of your playing. It is this
attention to nuance and detail that makes this instrument so enjoyable to play. It is by
far the most powerful percussion controller ever created.
This latest edition of our manual was based on feedback from numerous beginners and professionals with widely
varying degrees of experience with electronic percussion.
First impressions are the most powerful, and we want you to start on the right foot. So let’s start here:
You do NOT need an advanced technical degree to use your malletKAT!
Start Playing Right Now:
Those that wish to get their feet wet sooner than later will find that you can start performing music with your
malletKAT straight out of the box in minutes by visiting the Quick Start
Guide(https://alternatemode.com/online-docs/malletkat/#quick-start-guide)
section.
Discover What the malletKAT Can Do:
The remainder of the introduction will talk about the unique and exclusive capabilities of your new malletKAT,
including what’s new in the latest edition of the instrument firmware.
…and Discover How the malletKAT Can Do It:
The malletKAT
Essentials(https://alternatemode.com/online-docs/malletkat/#essential-information-to-understand-your-malletkat)
section gives an broad overview of the capabilities of the malletKAT, as well as an overview of important
essential concepts of how the malletKAT works.
The most popularly demanded features of the malletKAT appear in the Important Settings Everyone Should
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Know(https://alternatemode.com/online-docs/malletkat/#settings-everyone-should-know)
section.
Learn how the malletKAT’s various Playing
Modes(https://alternatemode.com/online-docs/malletkat/#playing-modes)
can expand your creativity and expression.
For everything else, there is the Programming Guide(https://alternatemode.com/online-docs/malletkat/#full-
malletkat-programming-guide)
.
1.1. Basic Performance Features
Individual Pad Training
Everyone plays differently. The MalletKAT has a feature that “learns” your playing style. When you train it, the
MalletKAT converts your softest and hardest hits from 256 possible levels into the 128 velocity dynamics that’s
offered in MIDI. This gives the instrument the widest dynamic range possible.
Dynamic Articulations
Every Kit stores a set of minimum and maximum velocity ranges along with velocity curves to get the instrument
dynamics tailored to personal taste. Dynamics can be used to change a sound at a particular velocity point.
Besides setting any “gate” length of a sound, dynamics can also control how long a sound speaks. These “gate
time settings” can also be controlled by a foot or breath controller. The MalletKAT can detect “rolls” and instructs
the software to let the notes ring so they don’t have the machine gun effect heard on other devices. This is
extremely useful when playing timpani or cymbal swells.
Acoustic Emulations
The MalletKAT can recognize “dampen” strokes, a common vibraphone technique and now “dead” strokes, a
common marimba style of articulation. Like Individual Pad Training, dampening and dead stroke articulations can
be tailored to respond to your personal style of playing.
Mono Modes
Special Mono Modes have been developed to allow you to play solo instruments such as flutes or lead lines
without the “bleeding” of sounds heard when using a sustain pedal on a synth. Instead, the sustain pedal in this
mode creates a legato single line passage. It is now possible to create staccato / legato articulations effortlessly.
Auto Gate functions also help control the “bleeding” of sounds when playing fast passages. The length of a
sound can vary depending on how fast you are playing.
1.2. Advanced Performance Features
Multiple Performance Layers – Controller One and Controller Two
Each of the 128 User Setups on the malletKAT actually contains TWO separate MIDI controllers, allowing the
performer to two separate sounds simultaneously in a number of highly creative ways! Each one of these
controllers can have its own sound, or access the same sound. These two sounds can be played separately using
a second sustain pedal (Hang Mode), combined (Layer Mode) or split across the keyboard (Split Mode). Each of
these controllers can also have their own dedicated sustain footswitch.
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There are SO many ways to utilize this exclusive functionality, that they are described in their own section: User
Setup Playing Modes(https://alternatemode.com/online-docs/malletkat/#playing-modes)
To better understand how this concept, please refer to the section, How the malletKAT
Works(https://alternatemode.com/online-docs/malletkat/#how-the-malletkat-works-2)
Roll Modes
This mode is a necessary feature when playing drum and timpani rolls. This helps eliminate the dreaded machine
gun effect when rolling on drum machines and other sound modules.
Pitch Bend and Mod Wheel
Imagine bending notes and adding vibrato to any sound without having to find a pitch wheel. Simply program a
third footswitch to perform this function on the fly.
Note Resassignments
The malletKAT has 14 programmable note reassignment layers. Applying Reassignment layers to a User Setup
allows you re-route any pad to another MIDI note and channel assignment. When combined with the two built in
controllers, you can use reassignments to layer three sounds per setup, or use the new reassignments to LATCH
certain pads in combination with your existing layer. These latch pads can control your loops with Start/Stop
Commands. Reassignment mode can also replace your normal chromatic pad layout to any MIDI note and
channel assignment you desire per pad. Great for special “percussion setups”. Reassignment 14 is designed to
send out program changes instead of note numbers. This can be used to control MIDI lighting and other devices
that accept MIDI program change commands.
Velocity Gate Control
Automatically control the length of a sound by how hard or soft you play. Adds expression and realism to any
performance simply by naturally using your dynamics while playing.
Auto Gate
Playing fast runs with the sustain pedal down can be tricky business when trying to control note bleed. Auto Gate
helps by making notes shorter when playing fast. Of course, this feature is programmable.
Built-in Metronome with Tap Tempo
Assign any MIDI note and channel to the list of rhythms (sequences) built in. Tap in your tempo and go. Great for
practicing.
Create GROOVE Rhythms with notes and chords
Instead of a metronome click, you can also assign the metronome function to use one of many built-in
rhythmic patterns including odd time patterns.
Synth Control
A controller needs to automatically set up your synths and sound modules, and nothing does it better than
MalletKAT. The MalletKAT sends out three bank change (MSB, LSB), program change, and volume change
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commands per kit. It also sends out “controller values” so you can preset settings for reverb, chorus, delay and
more, automatically. You can further adjust these settings via our two controller pedal inputs and one breath
control input. Velocity ranges, octave range, gate times, channel assignment, etc. are also stored in one of the
128 User Kits. You have the ultimate control you need to make music. The MalletKAT acts as a MIDI Mixer built
right into each setup.
DJ Surface Control (Real Time Control Mode)
Turn your MalletKAT into a virtual surface controller. Control programs like REASON and LIVE right from the
MalletKAT. In this mode, the MalletKAT’s black keys represent the knobs and buttons on your synth. The white
keys move the knobs left (low notes) to right (hi notes). Play rhythms in real time to create effects only possible
with the MalletKAT. Use the MalletKAT’s other controller (layer) to play live on top of these effects.
MIDI Merging/Routing
The MalletKAT can function as a MIDI Merger. Incoming MIDI channel information can be filtered, routed, etc. A
real time saver in the studio.
Programmable Footswitches and Controllers for Effects
While you can use the footswitch inputs as KIT INCREMENT and DECREMENT for fast Setup changes. You can
assign special functions to them such as vibrato, pitch bend, combined sustain functions, and even play MIDI
notes (up to four simultaneously). The two Controller Pedals can send out data on any of the 128 CC numbers.
Special functions such as Blend, Warp, etc. are also featured.
Additional Tweakables
Lots of global “geek” controls like auto train value adjustments, synth fine tuning adj., data stripping, CC#
assignments, scan control, MIDI routing, etc.
1.3. What's New?
malletKAT 8.0 Features:
Multiple Controller Numbers Presets Per User Kit
Every User Setup now stores and transmits up to 3 pre defined Controller Numbers along with a discrete value for
each number. This means that now you can assign things like reverb or chorus settings in each kit.
Note: Kit Controller #1 resets the assigned discrete value to zero when exiting the kit. This means that if you have
controller #1 set to Modulation, the malletKAT will automatically reset modulation to the neutral position.
All three controller numbers and values share the same MIDI channel.
Improved Dampening
Dampening now sends out a velocity of zero when seeing a dampening gesture. Version 7 sent out a velocity of
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10, followed by zero. This created a little blip sound on some synthesizers.
Global Function Preset Changes
Alternate Mode will soon be releasing its KATALIZER Software, containing the world’s most powerful looper and
mapper. Changes to the Global Screens allows for optimum routing of MIDI data for controlling looping and
overdubbing. MIDI Merge is set to off, and all note numbers coming from all 16 MIDI channels are pre-routed to
the internal sound card. When reinitializing the malletKAT, the malletKAT now defaults to USER Kits.
Version 8 now ships with a USB to MIDI Cable Standard.
The malletKAT 8 has the best of both worlds….. MIDI and USB. You choose
User Kit 128 Preassigned for controller use for the outside world.
Kit number 128 is preassigned not to send out any bank, program or control changes. Routing is assigned to
EXTERNAL only. This allows for easy control to outside sound sources like the iPAD, computer, etc.
Ketron SD1000 Presets
User Kits can now be optionally pre programmed for Ketron SD 1000.
Just click on the sd1000 option at check out
malletKAT 8.1 Features:
Visual Editor Compatibility
The malletKAT 8.1 firmware chip corrected several minor issues with communication between the Visual Editor
and the malletKAT.
This issue is also resolved by downloading the latest SysEx files (dated 12/12/18 or later) from the Alternate Mode
website.
Visual Editor:
https://www.alternatemode.com/news-press-releases/malletkat-visual-
editor(https://www.alternatemode.com/news-press-releases/malletkat-visual-editor)
SysEx Download Page:
https://www.alternatemode.com/altmode-info/kat-downloads(https://www.alternatemode.com/altmode-info/kat-
downloads)
2. Quick Start Guide
Your malletKAT can be set up and ready to play in minutes! Review this section to see
how to get started!
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2.1. Back Panel Connections
The back connections on your malletKAT should look like this:
ON/OFF
Turns the malletKAT on and off.
DC INPUT
Make sure that you are using a KAT transformer or an adapter that matches our power speci cations (15 Volt 1.6
Amps, Positive Tip). Our power supplies have a special screw in connector so that it stays attached during
performances.
SUSTAIN FTSW 1
Use this footswitch when you want to sustain the sound that you are playing. It is very similar to the sustain pedal
on a piano. The malletKAT comes with a sustain pedal (a square black footswitch – KF1). You can use this
footswitch on any of the FTSW inputs. They can also be used on Foot Control inputs under certain circumstances.
You might want to get some extra footswitches if you plan on doing editing and if you want to use all of the FTSW
functions at the same time.
EDIT FOOTSWITCH
Insert a footswitch here when you want to edit the malletKAT. With the exception of changing kits (sounds), all of
the editing functions require that you rst step down on this pedal to begin an editing function.
SUSTAIN FTSW 2
This is the coolest footswitch input. Depending on the kit, when you step on this footswitch, a pre-de ned function
will happen. This includes things like pitch bending, octave shifting on the pads or even a different sound playing.
You will have plenty of time to check these functions later.
FOOT CONTROL 1 and FOOT CONTROL 2
These two jacks are designed to be configured to use footswitches or controller pedals. Unlike the footswitches
that are just an on/off connection, controller pedals move from up to down in increments. Depending on the
function, they can control the volume of a sound, or affect the pitch of a note.
By default, Foot Controller One is assigned as a VOLUME controller.
MIDI IN
You can attach a MIDI cable to this input, when you want to have some other MIDI device send information TO
your malletKAT.
MIDI OUT
Plug a MIDI cable into this output when you want to connect the malletKAT to an external MIDI source.
There is also a second MIDI OUT port in the side of the malletKAT. These two ports can be used independently if
your malletKAT contains an internal sound card.
OCTAVE EXPANDER INPUTS
These input jacks are for connecting your expander octaves (up to two per malletKAT). Expander ONE is the
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closet expander to the malletKAT itself. Note: Octave Expander cables must be attached before powering on the
unit.
If your malletKAT has an internal sound card:
You will also find 1/4? input and output jacks on this back panel. The INPUT jacks allow for adding an external
source like a CD or MP3 player to allow you to play along.
On the front of the malletKAT, you will find a 1/4? headphone jack, and two buttons for raising and lowering the
MIDI volume of the internal sound card.
2.2. Using the malletKAT Internal Sound Card
A malletKAT with an internal sound card comes with 126 pre-configured User Setups for immediate
performance use. You can access all of these Setups using the smaller Forward and Backward pads underneath
the LCD screen, or quickly with between setups using the shortcut found in Changing User Kits – a
Shortcut!(https://alternatemode.com/online-docs/malletkat/#changing-user-kits-a-shortcut)
Attach any pedals (sustain, volume, etc…) before turning the malletKAT on.
Attach your headphones and/or cables to your speaker/amp.
Turn on your malletKAT, and you’re ready to play!
Not getting the sound you expected? Review the Important Settings Everyone Should
Know(https://alternatemode.com/online-docs/malletkat/#settings-everyone-should-know)
section and be certain that your instrument is set to use User Setups or Chains.
2.3. Connecting to an iOS/Android Device
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