Keith McMillen Instruments K-Board User manual

Keith McMillen
INSTRUMENTS
USER MANUAL
KBOARD

K-Board
Version 1.0
Edited: October 1, 2014
Keith McMillen
INSTRUMENTS
Created by Keith McMillen, Conner Lacy, Evan Adams, Noah
Ambrose, Evan Bogunia, Dave Criss, Emmett Corman, Tom Ferguson,
Matt Hettich, Sarah Howe, Kyle Lobedan, Daniel McAnulty, Dustin
Schultz, Jon Short, Maxime Stinnett, Nick Wang, Carson Whitley,
Steve Wright, and Nathan Zorndorf.
This reference manual was written and designed by Carson Whitley.
Copyright 2007-2014 Keith McMillen Instruments, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Kesumo LLC. All rights reserved. Made in USA.
No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or for any purpose without the express written permission of the
copyright holders.
The content of this manual is furnished for informational use only, is
subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a
commitment by Keith McMillen Instruments. Every effort has been
made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate. No
warranties, express or implied, are made with regard to the quality,
suitability, or accuracy of this document. Keith McMillen Instruments
reserves the right to change the contents of this document and/or the
associated products at any time without the provision of prior notice
to specific persons or organizations. Keith McMillen Instruments shall
not be held liable for damages of any kind arising from the use, or the
inability to use this product or its documentation, even if the possibility
of such damage is known.
Product and brand names contained in this document are used
for identification purposes only. Keith McMillen Instruments, the
Keith McMillen Instruments logo, the K-Board and K-Board logo
are trademarks of Kesumo LLC. Apple, Finder, GarageBand,
Logic, Mac, MacBook, Macintosh, Mac OS, and QuickTime are
trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and other countries. Intel is a registered trademark of
Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other
countries. All other product and company names are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders. All other names and
designations of companies, products, trademarks, or brands used in
this document are the registered property of their respective holders.

Welcome
Hello, and welcome to the K-Board manual! Taking the time to read this document is a huge step
toward K-Board mastery.
The purpose of this document is to provide a resource with helpful information regarding the use of
the K-Board and K-Board software.
Any questions or feedback that may come up regarding the K-Board or its software can be directed
to us here:
• Technical Support: www.keithmcmillen.com/support
• General Questions: www.keithmcmillen.com/company/contact
• Forum: forum.keithmcmillen.com
Questions? Feedback? Contact us!
Contents
Welcome | 3
Getting Started
What’s In The Box?
Connecting K-Board
Pressure
Tilt
Velocity
Toggle
Sustain
K-Board Editor
Installation
Main Window Overview
Preferences Overview
Menu Bar Overview
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting Info
FAQ
K-Board Tech Specs
Safety Precautions
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Ge t t i n G S t a r t e d

(1) K-Board Keyboard Controller
What’s in the box?
(1) Micro-USB to USB-A Cable
for connecting your K-Board to various devices
Getting Started | 5

Connecting K-Board
to a
computer
to a
tablet
to a
smart
phone
to a
USB host
device
K-Board works with...
Your K-Board is a bus-powered, class-compliant
USB MIDI device, which means it will work with
any MIDI-capable device running Mac OS, iOS,
Windows, or Android.
Use the provided Micro-USB cable to connect
your K-Board to computers, tablets, phones, or
other USB-host hardware. Simply plug the micro
end into the K-Board’s USB port, and the other
end into a USB port on the desired device.
Some tablets and phones may require additional
connectors/adapters in order to function properly.
Please ensure these are properly configured if
you are experiencing connection issues.
Most software will begin working immediately
with your K-Board. If not, please consult your
software’s documentation as there may be specific
instructions for configuring a new MIDI device.
Getting Started | 6

PRESSURE
Modulate effects and other musical parameters by
applying pressure on the keyboard.
Press and hold the Press button for 1
second to enable or disable pressure
data. The LED will turn on when pressure is
enabled and will turn off when disabled.
Apply MORE pressure on the
keys to increase the current
pressure value.
Apply LESS pressure on
the keys to decrease the
current pressure value.
Advanced Info
When multiple keys are held down K-Board
will output the average pressure value of all
currently active keys, allowing for more precise
control of your software.
By default, pressure data will be output on
MIDI CC #1 (Mod Wheel). If necessary, this
can be changed to Channel Pressure
messages, or any CC number by using the
K-Board software editor.
Getting Started | 7

TILT
Bend pitch and modulate effects by tilting your fingers
up and down on the keyboard.
TILT DOWN
TILT UP
Press and hold the Tilt button for 1
second to enable or disable tilt data. The
LED will turn on when tilt is enabled and
will turn off when disabled.
Tilt fingers UP toward the top
of the keys to increase the
current tilt value.
Tilt fingers DOWN toward
the bottom of the keys to
decrease the current tilt
value.
Advanced Info
When multiple keys are held down the K-Board will output
the average tilt value of all currently active keys, allowing for
more precise control of your software.
By default, tilt data will be output as pitch bend messages. If
necessary, this can be changed to any CC number by using
the K-Board software editor.
Getting Started | 8

VELOCITY
Make your K-Board keys sensitive to how hard you
hit them.
Press and hold the Velo button for 1
second to enable or disable velocity
response. The LED will turn on when
velocity is enabled and turn off when
velocity is disabled.
Hitting a key with MORE force
will result in a higher velocity
value. Hitting a key with LESS
force will result in a lower
velocity value.
Getting Started | 9

TOGGLE
Make each key act as a toggleable switch.
Press and hold the Togl button for 1
second to enable/disable key toggling.
The LED will turn on when toggling is
enabled and will turn off when disabled.
Tap a key once to turn it on.
Tap it again to turn it off.
Tap the Togl button to turn off all currently active notes.
Getting Started | 10

SUSTAIN
Temporarily sustain notes.
Press and hold the Sus button to
temporarily sustain notes on the
keyboard. The button’s LED will light
up when pressed and turn off when
released.
All notes will stay on while the sustain button
is pressed.
With sustain Without sustain
Any sustained notes will turn off when the
sustain button is released.
Getting Started | 11

K-Bo a r d e d i t o r

K-Bo a r d e d i t o r
What is it for?
Where do I get it?
How do I install it?
The K-Board Editor allows more adventurous users to
customize the behavior of their K-Boards beyond the factory
defaults.
Different types of MIDI messages, CC values, and the
keyboard’s sensitivity can be changed via the editor’s
interface.
Open the editor, plug in a K-Board, and start changing
parameters — the editor will automatically sync any changes
with the attached keyboard.
The K-Board Editor software (for Mac and Windows) is
available as a free download on the KMI website at this
link:
http://www.keithmcmillen.com/k-board/downloads
Mac OS (10.5 - 10.10)
1. Download the editor (see above).
2. Locate the downloaded .DMG file in Finder.
3. Double-click the .DMG file to mount it.
A new window showing its contents should
appear.
4. Drag the K-Board Editor application onto
the Applications shortcut to copy it to your
Applications folder.
5. Installation complete.
Windows 7, Windows 8
1. Download the editor (see above).
2. Locate the downloaded file in Explorer.
3. Unzip the contents by right-clicking the .zip
file and selecting “Extract All”
4. Place the resulting folder anywhere on your
hard drive.
5. Installation complete.
•Note: the editor application must remain in
the folder it comes in. Do not move it out of the
folder — the editor will not work properly.
MIDI CHANNEL 7
24
PRESSURE CC
99
TILT CC
± 12
BEND RANGE (PAD)
± 12
BEND RANGE (TILT)
VELOCITY SENSITIVITY
PRESSURE SENSITIVITY
TILT SENSITIVITY
K BOARD
-
Keith McMillenCONNECTED
K-Board Editor | 13

Ma i n W i n d o W o vervieW
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Midi Channel:Sets the global MIDI
channel for all parameters.
1
2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Pressure CC:Sets the CC number to
output pressure data on.
1 2
3
4 5 6 7 8 9
TilT CC:Sets the CC number to output
tilt data on.
123
4
56789
Bend range (Pad):Sets the pitch
bend range (in semitones) for the bend
pad.
1 2 3 4
5
6 7 8 9
Bend range (TilT):Sets the pitch
bend range (in semitones) for the
K-Board’s tilt motion.
1 2 3 4 5
6
7 8 9
VeloCiTy sensiTiViTy:Adjusts how
sensitive the K-Board is to velocity.
Move the slider to the right to increase
sensitivity, move the slider to the left to
decrease sensitivity.
MIDI CHANNEL 7
24
PRESSURE CC
99
TILT CC
± 12
BEND RANGE (PAD)
± 12
BEND RANGE (TILT)
VELOCITY SENSITIVITY
PRESSURE SENSITIVITY
TILT SENSITIVITY
K BOARD
-
Keith McMillenCONNECTED
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Most K-Board parameters are
adjusted in the main window.
A connected K-Board will
automatically sync with the
current editor settings whenever a
parameter is changed.
The editor’s main window is
comprised of nine main elements...
1 2 3 4 5 6
7
8 9
Pressure sensiTiViTy:Adjusts how
sensitive the K-Board is to key pressure.
Move the slider to the right to increase
sensitivity. Move the slider to the left to
decrease sensitivity.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8
9
TilT sensiTiViTy:Adjusts how sensitive
the K-Board is to the tilt motion. Move
the slider to the right to increase
sensitivity (easier to engage). Move the
slider to the left to decrease sensitivity
(difficult to engage).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9ConneCTed indiCaTor:Indicates
whether or not a K-Board is currently
connected to the editor. A valid
connection is required in order to adjust
a K-Board’s settings.
K-Board Editor | 14

Pr e f e r e n c e S o vervieW
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
VeloCiTy CurVe:Applies a curve to
the velocity data. This can be used to
adjust the velocity response of the keys.
The following options are available:
• Linear
• Logarithmic
• Sine
• Cosine
• Exponential
• Invert
1
2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Pressure disaBled reTurn Value:
The value entered here will be output as
a pressure message anytime the Press
button is used to disable pressure on the
K-Board.
Enter a value of -1 to disable this feature.
1 2
3
4 5 6 7 8 9
TilT disaBled reTurn Value:The
value entered here will be output as a tilt
message anytime the Tilt button is used to
disable the tilt gesture on the K-Board.
Enter a value of -1 to disable this feature.
•Note: This feature will not function
when tilt is set to output pitch bend
messages. It will only work when set to
output CC messages.
PREFERENCES
VELOCITY CURVE
PRESSURE DISABLED RETURN VALUE
TILT DISABLED RETURN VALUE
ON THRESHOLD
off
Linear
off
1
CLOSE
1
2
3
4
5
The preferences section of the
editor offers a few deeper,
more advanced options for
customizing your K-Board’s
behavior...
1 2 3
4
5 6 7 8 9
onThreshold:Sets the amount
of pressure required for a key to be
activated.
1 2 3 4
5
6 7 8 9
Close PreferenCes:Clicking this
button will exit the preferences window
and return to the editor’s main window.
K-Board Editor | 15

Me n u B a r o vervieW
KBOARD EDITOR
aBouT K-Board ediTor:Displays version
information about the editor and connected
K-Board.
PreferenCes:Displays the Preferences
window.
•Note: The K-Board Editor menu is only available on
Mac. Windows users will find the above options under
the Help menu.
EDIT
reVerT TofaCTory defaulTs:Reverts all
main window options to their factory defaults.
reVerT sensiTiViTies TodefaulT:Reverts
only the sensitivity parameters to their factory
defaults.
reVerT PreferenCes TodefaulT:Reverts
all options in the Preferences window to their
factory defaults.
HARDWARE
load/reload firMware:Initiates
the firmware update/reinstall process.
Use this if a manual firmware update is
required or desired.
uPdaTe K-Board:Manually syncs the
editor and connected K-Board. All settings
on the K-Board will be updated with
whatever is currently set in the editor.
HELP
doCuMenTaTion:Link to the user
manual online in PDF format.
show/hide Tool TiPs:Enables or
disables the informational tool tip pop-
ups that appear when hovering the mouse
over an item.
About K-Board Editor
Preferences...
Services
Hide K-Board Editor
Hide Others
Show All
Quit K-Board Editor Q
⌘
H
⌘
H
⌥⌘
,
⌘
▶
K-Board Editor
Revert to Factory Defaults
Revert Sensitivities to Default
Revert Preferences to Default
Start Dictation...
Special Characters... Space
⌃⌘
Edit
Load/Reload Firmware...
Update K-Board
Hardware
Documentation...
Hide Tool Tips
Help
There are a number of useful functions and settings that can be
accessed via the menu bar at the top of the screen (Mac OS) or at
the top of the application window (Windows).
K-Board Editor | 16

K-Bo a r d t r o u B l e S h o o t i n G

tr o u B l e S h o o t i n G i n f o
If you’re having troubles with connectivity and your K-Board there
are a number of things to try before contacting tech support...
Try a new USB cable
One of the first (yet most often overlooked) things to try is a
different USB cable, preferably one that is known to work well.
When a cable goes bad it can lead to all sorts of odd behavior
(flaky connections), or no behavior at all (won’t even power on).
Try plugging into a different USB port
It’s possible that trying a different USB port on the computer may
lead to a proper connection. While extremely rare, we have come
across USB ports that just don’t seem to like some USB devices.
Do not use an unpowered USB hub
Unpowered USB hubs may not be able to provide enough power to the K-Board, leading to
connectivity issues. Unpowered hubs typically divide the power coming from the computer’s USB port
and split it up between all of the hub’s ports —providing less power than if the K-Board were to be
directly connected to the computer’s USB port.
If a USB hub is absolutely necessary, it is recommended to always use a powered hub.
Try with or without a USB hub
If experiencing connectivity issues while using a USB hub, try without the hub and plug directly into
the computer’s USB port. The reverse holds true as well — if experiencing connectivity issues while not
using a USB hub, try with a hub (if one is available to you).
Be aware of bugs native to the operating system being used
While it is indeed possible the K-Board may be the source of issues, sometimes the cause is actually
due to the operating system itself. Always be aware of these issues, like the Mac OS CoreMIDI bug
or the Windows class-compliant device limitation.
Troubleshooting | 18

Connect to a different computer
If the K-Board is not making a connection to the computer at all (and all other troubleshooting issues
have been exhausted), it is recommended to try connecting it do a different computer. If it works
on the new computer, try the original one again. In some circumstances we have seen this solve
connection issues.
Mac CoreMIDI Bug
There is an interesting (potential) bug in CoreMIDI on
Mac OS that can lead to some connectivity issues — not
just with the K-Board, but with any class-compliant MIDI
device.
Upon connecting the K-Board (or any class-compliant
MIDI device) for the first time since powering up the
computer, the K-Board will make a proper connection to
the computer but will not refresh/update the MIDI device
list.
The effect of this is that any audio/MIDI applications that
are already open (like the K-Board Editor, Ableton Live,
Logic Pro, etc.) will not detect the K-Board, even though
it’s properly connected to the computer. The only way to get the MIDI device list to refresh is to unplug
then reconnect the controller, or to manually refresh the MIDI devices by rescanning MIDI in Apple’s
Audio MIDI Setup application (located in /Applications/Utilities).
What’s interesting is that this behavior does not occur if it is the first time the controller has ever been
connected to the computer. It seems that when the MIDI device is created in Audio MIDI Setup the
device list gets refreshed, but if the device already exists in Audio MIDI Setup the list does not refresh.
Whether or not this behavior is intentional and expected, it is something to be aware of. We have
noticed it on Mac OS 10.6 through 10.9. The one thing to do to minimize the chances of running into
this “bug” is...
After powering up the computer, always connect the K-Board to the computer before opening any
applications.
“Okay, so how do I fix it if this does happen?” Well, if you do run into this problem, there are a
number of ways to fix it:
• Unplug the K-Board and plug it back in.
• Open Audio MIDI Setup and click the “Rescan MIDI” button in the MIDI window.
• Open another audio/MIDI application.
All three of the above methods refresh the MIDI device list, which should lead to proper “in-app”
connections.
Troubleshooting | 19

Windows Class-Compliant Device Limitation
All versions of Windows do not allow a class-compliant MIDI device to be connected to more than a
single person at a time. As a class-compliant MIDI controller, this applies to the K-Board.
The result of this is that if you have two or more audio/MIDI applications open at the same time
(the K-Board Editor and Ableton Live, for example), only one of them will be able to connect to
the K-Board. Because of this it is highly recommended to never edit the K-Board with other audio
applications open — it could lead to connectivity issues, and a very confusing, frustrating experience.
This does not apply solely to KMI products — this will have an effect with every class-compliant MIDI
device.
ONE APP AT
A TIME...
Troubleshooting | 20