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MalletKAT / New To MalletKat & Midi

« Last post by RiderFlyin on July 17, 2019, 09:09:32 PM »

Hello,

I'm absolutely new to both the MK and Midi.  While I'm fairly comp savvy, having built a Linux machine, I'm baffled by midi.  It seems there are so many variables.  I picked up a MalletKat 5.0 recently and would love some advice on how to connect it, whether to a windows laptop, android tablet, or my Linux desktop.   

The 5.0 doesn't have internal sounds and is just a trigger or controller. Are they one in the same? 

I noticed that there is a software upgrade and a chip upgrade that will turn my 5.0 into an 8.0.  Do I need to do this to be able to run through android or with newer midi/synth software?

I picked up a midi to usb cable and have connected it to my Linux comp, which recognizes the MK.  At the moment I'm figuring out the nuances to get a synth or midi program to respond to the MK.  But no luck yet.

Me - I'm a drummer and percussionist in the Folk and Rock music styles and have always wanted a way to bring various voices into a performance without adding a lot of other instruments to my setup..  The Mk seems perfect for this.

Thanks !!!

Julie B

72

DITI - jamKAT-HybriKIT / Re: JamKAT cable labels and DITI inputs

« Last post by pacothetortuga on July 14, 2019, 01:19:02 PM »

Thanks, Mario! One of the best things about AM is that the company president responds to posts on the message board! 

And thanks for the context regarding the inputs. I figured it was something like that.

Regarding the expressiveness of the interface, it's the most interesting thing I've found to date -- especially for a hand percussionist. The pad layout was confusing until I started playing with "palm-tip" conga/bongo technique. Then it all made sense. (Roughly speaking: heels on pads 2, 3, 6, 9 and tips on pads 4, 5, 10, 11 with thumbs on pads 7, 8.)

The first thing I did when I got the JamKAT+DITI was plug it into my laptop and open a MIDI monitor. I meant merely to check that it was sending notes. But then I started looking at the notes coming out of DITI, and I noticed how hitting the same pad produced different notes. And some kits also sent pitchbend! I ended up playing and watching the MIDI monitor (no music) for 15 minutes -- blown away thinking about the possibilities.

Eventually, I pulled up some instruments in Reason to make some noise. I tweeted my experience, which I think you will appreciate:
https://twitter.com/pacothetortuga/status/1149833678870048768

I got the JamKAT two days ago, and I've been blooming with ideas since. Thanks!!!

73

DITI - jamKAT-HybriKIT / Re: Hardware synths for JamKAT+DITI

« Last post by MarioKAT on July 14, 2019, 10:26:37 AM »

Sadly, without any notice, Kurzweil decided to cancel out order for sound boards.  We were forced to discontinue the malletKAT KS and the gigKAT.

If you really really want to use the gigKAT, we have some parts to make one for you.  Please call me at Alternate Mode.

74

DITI - jamKAT-HybriKIT / Re: JamKAT cable labels and DITI inputs

« Last post by MarioKAT on July 14, 2019, 10:23:43 AM »

Kits constantly change.  When we first made them, we were using input 12 as the power source for the second part of the sensor, but when the jamKAT?R came out, it made more sense to move the input to 8 as the power source because all of the inputs were being used (except 7 because it is designed for hihat.

The latest kits on the SYSEX page reflect that change.

Making heavy duties cables would cost around $80..  It frightened us to try to sell a cable costing that much.  We made the decision to use the current cables because of price.

I truly hope that besides these issues you find the jamKAT the most expressive instrument you?ve ever played on

75

DITI - jamKAT-HybriKIT / Hardware synths for JamKAT+DITI

« Last post by pacothetortuga on July 13, 2019, 12:58:27 PM »

Is there a simple list somewhere of hardware drum modules that already have JamKAT+DITI kits set up? The kit names in the DITI aren?t always very descriptive.

I?m now in the market for a hardware synth to play with this incredible interface. Any tips?

Related, where can I purchase a gigKAT? It seems there are lots of preset kits for gigKAT, but they?re not available on the AM website (and none on Reverb right now).

76

DITI - jamKAT-HybriKIT / JamKAT cable labels and DITI inputs

« Last post by pacothetortuga on July 13, 2019, 12:49:10 PM »

Just got my JamKAT+DITI.

The manual (yep, I?m reading it) says there are cables labeled 1-7, and I should plug cable 7 into DITI input 12.

However, my cables were actually labeled 1-6, 8 (no 7) out of the box. When I plug cable 8 into DITI input 12, it seems like a lot of the JamKAT presets don?t work. But when I plug it into DITI input 8, it all seems to work.

Is there a mistake in the manual?

Related, if these flimsy little labels come off the cables, how does one determine which cable is which? There doesn?t appear to be a way to follow them back thru the 15-pin connector.

77

MalletKAT / Re: Making the vibraphone sound more organic on a MalletKat

« Last post by polibop@hoffert.ca on July 11, 2019, 05:24:26 PM »

I've been using MalletKats for vibes sounds almost exclusively for decades. As soon as I traded up for the model with internal Kurzweil sounds, that the sound board does not respond to MalletKat software programming such as reverb and tremolo, vibrato, chorus etc. So I bought and have been using standard tremolo pedals (Roland, others) on my 2 MalletKat Pros. These replicate the sound of physical vibes and can easily replicate Milt Jackson's slow vib and change its speed etc. The most flexible pedals let you control the a) tremolo wave form (A physical vibraphone uses rotating disks that correspond to a sine wave), b) the speed, and c) the depth of the tremolo.  Also, I find that some of the Kurzweil sounds have vib either added or built into their sounds. There doesn't seem to be any way to remove it with the MalletKat software. poli

78

MalletKAT / breath control (malletKAT)

« Last post by K_Dua on July 11, 2019, 01:27:46 PM »

Hello everyone,

I've owned a MalletKAT for over 10 years now.. but, unfortunately, i havent been using it as much as i wanted to..

I have recently acquired an Akai EWI usb and i am wondering if anybody here could give me some help on _ having it be my MalletKAT breath controller.

Any help will be much appreciated. MIDI (and the MalletKAT without sounds) is still kind of 'dense', to me. 

I am using both Win10 or Mac having recently also made the change from Logic Pro to Ableton Live.

Many thanks,
Sunny salutations from Portugal 

79

MalletKAT / Almost no sounds

« Last post by Dr. Vibes on July 02, 2019, 06:37:02 AM »

Hi
When using my MalletKat pro with my Ketron sound module, just fine, but if I use it with mainstage 4 or ThumbJam, the last  A note, almost no sound. I try to ?educate that note from  the MalletKat, not effect. Any idea? Thanks

80

FTB and FSR Trigger Pads / Re: eHAT2 FSR pedal trigger

« Last post by pljones on April 28, 2019, 12:32:42 PM »

...and today it's back to being a bit dodgy (not as bad as Thursday).  After switching on, the TrapKAT was hardly responding to the pedal closing and, after retraining, the training data look odd (very narrow range).

Testing:

Start training, manually press the trigger tight closed, tap a pad, release the trigger, tap a pad.  So that's max force range applied.  (If you like, even lift the rubber off the sensor for "open".)

Now, start up a MIDI monitor and start gently pressing down on the trigger.  There's a little bit of "give" before the TrapKAT starts emitting any events in response to pressure on the trigger.  Press all the way down, like when training... and events stop before you get there.

Next, let's try setting the pedal up to control the pressure on the trigger between these two limits.  So, loosen the chain so the pedal footplate drops freely and slide the trigger under (I used a bit of paper to prevent the Velcro catching).  You should start seeing events as the pedal pressure increases.  What we're after here is the pedal hitting the hard stop on the trigger just at the point the TrapKAT stops emitting events - so that'll feel like "fully closed".  Once there, it's a bit fiddly, but you need to get the trigger anchored on the Velcro (*) so that the pedal touches down the same.  Once the "closed" end is sorted, raise the pedal by pulling the chain back up until events stop again, then tighten it.

(*) I'm starting to suspect it's actually the Velcro that's failing rather than anything else, to be honest.  It's as if the trigger is slipping out of its ideal position.  But... it doesn't seem that simple.

If you DO NOT train after this, it works pretty well -- apart from the velocity sensing for CHICK events.  (And probably splash won't work at all, either.)

However, if you train... you'll again find there's a zone both at the open end and closed end where the pedal moves without events being emitted.  This is the bit I don't understand at all.  It's as if you need to "over train" the pedal in order to get a proper response.