Nord User Forum

Hi, I'm an Electro 3 player, and have become frustrated over the years not being able to instantly select from a set of patches (8 would be good) utilizing stand-alone dedicated buttons like you find on so many synths and keyboards...the up down arrows to select patches is way too slow an ponderous. Does anyone know of a programmable or purpose-built device that could live preferably on the keyboard housing and perform this function? Some little strip or device with some MIDI programmable buttons that could remember and instantly call up a patch on the nord? It would make my performing with it way easier, and more fun!

Thanks, mark.

There are some really small midi controllers like Korg Nano Kontrol 2 or Behringer X-Touch Mini. They'd probably fit on top of a keyboard and you can program them to do patch changes or select specific patches.

weremole wrote:There are some really small midi controllers like Korg Nano Kontrol 2 or Behringer X-Touch Mini. They'd probably fit on top of a keyboard and you can program them to do patch changes or select specific patches.

I looked at those and if programmable they'd be perfect. However, they both seem to be bus powered from their mini USB ports, which is where they transmit and receive MIDI as well, and the USB port on the Electro 3 (I don't think) provides bus power or acts as a strict MIDI send/receive. It would need to be a device like those, I guess, that could be externally, or battery, powered, and, have actual MIDI ports.

Most of the devices with physical midi in/out sockets are larger as far as I know.

Perhaps either of those units can be powered with an USB OTG cable and then have a midi USB interface on the other end? Not sure if it would work that way though

weremole wrote:Most of the devices with physical midi in/out sockets are larger as far as I know.

Perhaps either of those units can be powered with an USB OTG cable and then have a midi USB interface on the other end? Not sure if it would work that way though

The only option (unless you have a computer or tablet to handle the routing between USB Midi devices) is to use those controllers with a USB MIDI to MIDI DIN converter, such as the Kenton USB Host or Mode Machines Cerebel USB.

Oh, OTG would power the wrong port and/or not communicate in both directions?

weremole wrote:Oh, OTG would power the wrong port and/or not communicate in both directions?

No, the USB protocol always requires a "Host", two USB "devices" cannot directly communicate without ... check "USB" in Wikipedia for details...