Using Kontrol X1 With FL Studio
Using Kontrol X1 With FL Studio Posted on: 13.12.2011 by Lucrecia Diloreto I recently got back into producing after being away from it for almost 4 years now, back then i used a nice little program called Jeskola Buzz and my laptop. I bought myself FL Studio with some nice NI VSTs (FM8 & Massive 'yeah yeah, i know...') to get me started again. Now I am really a newbie when it comes to all this midi stuff and so on. I have my Kontrol X1 and the S4 and i know they both have Midi modes. What exactly is the point of midi with FL Studio, can those be used with it? I already use my full size keyboard with FL Studio, got that up and running easily, but i wanted to see if maybe i can use the X1 at least to control some of the knobs and other goodies within FL Studio or the VSTs I have. Is there a way to do that? I know it recognizes the X1 because when i press the buttons on the bottom of the x1, it acts like a keyboard and i get sound. But what if i want them for different functions and again, would be nice to use the knobs somehow. If someone could guide me on if it would be useful to use my X1 with it, that would be awesome, even better if i could somehow use my S4 as well. thanks! | |
| Lucrecia Diloreto 13.12.2011 | I recently got back into producing after being away from it for almost 4 years now, back then i used a nice little program called Jeskola Buzz and my laptop. I bought myself FL Studio with some nice NI VSTs (FM8 & Massive 'yeah yeah, i know...') to get me started again. Now I am really a newbie when it comes to all this midi stuff and so on. I have my Kontrol X1 and the S4 and i know they both have Midi modes. What exactly is the point of midi with FL Studio, can those be used with it? I already use my full size keyboard with FL Studio, got that up and running easily, but i wanted to see if maybe i can use the X1 at least to control some of the knobs and other goodies within FL Studio or the VSTs I have. Is there a way to do that? I know it recognizes the X1 because when i press the buttons on the bottom of the x1, it acts like a keyboard and i get sound. But what if i want them for different functions and again, would be nice to use the knobs somehow. If someone could guide me on if it would be useful to use my X1 with it, that would be awesome, even better if i could somehow use my S4 as well. thanks! |
| Rana Bochniak 23.12.2011 | So I've found that I have to fire up the Controller Editor to get FL Studio to be able to properly link up with the X1. But once it's linked up, I was able to close the Controller Editor. Note that I also had Traktor Pro running at the same time, which I later closed. Then you can use the Controller Editor to map to Keyboard Notes (Note type), or you can use the FL studio assign to control to map most non-keyboard knobs. Dustin |
| Lucrecia Diloreto 14.12.2011 | Thanks for the help mate! I had done some searching around but apparently not good enough, i found out that you can right click on certain actions in FL Studio and the VSTs and theres an option to link to controller. Ill give that a try when i get back in the studio later. And thats cool about Massive's "macro controls" ill have to check that out as well. |
| Louetta Ornelas 14.12.2011 | MIDI is basically a "code", which sends out a particular note as a signal that was originally designed to transfer music files easily. For example, C3 would be the key of C in the 3rd octave, making it easier to collaborate with artists by shooting MIDI data back and forth containing the components of a song. Recently MIDI messages have been interpreted to communicate with different functions, like Traktor which can take MIDI data to tell it what to do. The reason I say this is, that's why you get a note playing from your X1 when you press a button. It's litterally sending out a signal that corresponds to a note like "F2", which is then played by your DAW. Getting back to the main question though, personally I use MIDI a WHOLE lot less than when I'm DJing. I haven't worked with FL Studio in years, and am unsure of what it can do with MIDI. But there should be a way to map it out if you search through youtube, etc. Honestly when producing I find that a solid keyboard and mouse is easier, but I've used MIDI maps for things like: Scrolling through drum samples, controlling volume parameters (makes mixdowns faster), as well as assigned knobs to a synth when I'm designing sounds/tweaking knobs. Also, since you have Massive/FM8.. Massive has "macro controls" on the bottom, which are basically 8 knobs you can assign to anything on the synth, and can easily be assigned to a knob or fader on your X1. Best piece of advice would be to sit down and try to figure out what you'd want to do with MIDI when you're producing. For example if you find you always reach for a certain control, or need more control over a certain parameter like LFO, then assign it a MIDI control to help speed up your workflow. Then go create your own custom mapping. If you don't feel like doing this or are unfamiliar with custom mapping, you can probably find one online through google by searching the XI and FL Studio, then dissect it to see what they did and how it works so you can start customizing it for yourself. Just experiment though! You can't really break anything through MIDI mapping (knock on wood..), and any of the MIDI Engineers on here will be quick to tell you that once you figure out how to map it yourself through practice, it becomes addicting/fun, and your workflow will never be the same! (In a good way..) Best of luck! |
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