Korg have released a new series of controllers that are among the smallest we’ve seen. There are three products in the Nano range, all of which are wafer-thin and about the width of a small laptop.


The Nano Key, as its name suggests, is a keyboard-based device with 25 velocity-sensitive keys, which feel like the type used in laptop keyboards. In ‘CC mode’, these keys can be used to send controller information, so you can alter any MIDI parameter. An Octave Shift button enables the Nano Key to address all the MIDI notes of a full-size keyboard, while Pitch and Modulation functions enable the user to apply pitch bend and modulation, as is possible with most standard MIDI controller keyboards.



The Nano Pad has 12 velocity-sensitive pads and a neat X-Y track pad, making it ideal for drum programming. But the pads aren’t just for triggering samples; they can be used to transmit control change messages, so you can mute and solo tracks in DAW software, for example, by punching the pads. To further add to the Nano Pad’s functionality, it’s got a Chord Trigger function that lets the user assign a chord to a single pad, and freely downloadable software enables the user to create ‘scenes’, essentially enabling 48 chords or pads, and 60 MIDI controllers to be accessed at the touch of a button. The X-Y track pad has been set up with Roll and Flam modes, which compliment the drum pads and make realistic drum programming a breeze, but it can also be used to transmit conventional MIDI CCs.



The final new product in the Nano range is the Nano Kontrol, which has nine knobs, nine faders and 18 buttons, all of which are freely assignable. There’s also a full transport section, which can be set to transmit standard MIDI CC data or MIDI Machine Control (MMC) messages. As with the other Nano controllers, multiple sets of parameters can be created.

All three Nano devices are bus-powered via the mini USB connection, which is on the side of the units. The Nano Key will cost just £49, with the Nano Pad and the Nano Kontrol both costing £59, when they become available in October.

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