Korg monologue

Lesson 9: Edit mode, microtuning, sync and MIDI

Goal: find your way around the menus, use alternative tunings, and play in time with other gear.

Finding your way around Edit mode

Press EDIT MODE, then press it again (or turn PROGRAM/VALUE) to cycle PROGRAM EDIT, SEQ EDIT and GLOBAL EDIT. The lit step buttons are the available pages; press the same button again to reach the next parameter on that page. PROGRAM and SEQ EDIT changes need WRITE to keep them. GLOBAL EDIT saves itself. EXIT returns to Play mode.

Button	PROGRAM EDIT	SEQ EDIT	GLOBAL EDIT
3			Master Tune, Transpose
4			Metronome, Knob Mode, Audio In, Local SW, Velocity Curve
5	Portamento Time and Mode, Slide Time	BPM	Sync In/Out Unit, Sync In/Out Polarity
6	Slider Assign, Slider Range, Bend Range + and −	Step Length, Step Resolution, Swing, Default Gate Time	MIDI Ch, Clock Source, En Rx Transport, MIDI Route
7	Microtuning, Scale Key, Program Tuning	All Clear, Motion Clear	MIDI Rx and Tx filters (program change, CC, pitch bend)
8	LFO BPM Sync, Cutoff Key Track, Cutoff Velocity, Amp Velocity, Program Level		Battery Type, Auto Power Off, Parameter Disp, Brightness, Oscilloscope
9	Program Name
10		Motion Clear (single)	User Scale 1 to 6
11	Initialize	Motion Enable	User Octave 1 to 6
12	Program Dump	Motion Smooth	Scale Clear
13			Scale Dump
15			All Dump (USB or MIDI)

Microtuning

Each program can use a different tuning: PROGRAM EDIT > button 7 > Microtuning. The specifications page says 32 settings (20 presets, 6 user scales, 6 user octaves), but the parameter list names 23 presets; the three Dorian Concept scales appear to be the difference.

Preset tunings: Equal Temp, Pure Major, Pure Minor, Pythagoras, Werckmeister, Kirnberger, Slendro, Pelog, Ionian, Dorian, Aeolian, Major Penta, Minor Penta, Reverse, six by Aphex Twin (AFX 001 to 006) and three by Dorian Concept (DC 001 to 003).
User Scale 1 to 6: every note set individually.
User Octave 1 to 6: 12 notes set once and repeated across the range.
Scale Key (−12 to +12) moves a preset tuning off C; it has no effect on Equal Temp. Program Tuning offsets the program by ±50 cents.

Korg doesn’t say exactly how the scale-type presets (Ionian to Minor Penta) map onto the black and white keys, so play a chromatic run on each one and listen before you rely on it.

To edit User Scale 3: GLOBAL EDIT, press button 10 three times, play a note, and turn PROGRAM/VALUE to set its offset in cents (SHIFT for semitones). Up to four keys can be edited at once. User Octaves work the same way from button 11.

Sync with Volcas and other analogue gear

SYNC OUT sends a 5 V, 15 ms pulse; SYNC IN accepts up to 20 V. Both are 3.5 mm.
Sync In Unit and Sync Out Unit (GLOBAL EDIT > button 5) set one pulse per 16th or 8th note. Volcas expect one pulse per step, so leave both on 16th for Volca sync. If the timing is wrong, try changing Polarity (Rise or Fall).
A cable in SYNC IN overrides MIDI clock, regardless of Clock Source.

MIDI and USB

Connections: 5-pin MIDI IN and OUT, plus USB B. Korg’s manual says to install the Korg USB-MIDI driver for USB use.
Channel: GLOBAL EDIT > button 6 > MIDI Ch, used for both sending and receiving.
Clock Source: Auto (USB) or Auto (MIDI) follows incoming clock when present, otherwise runs internally; Internal ignores incoming clock. With Clock Source on Internal, the monologue sends clock from MIDI OUT for other gear to follow.
MIDI Route: USB+MIDI or USB only. Korg recommends USB when the computer is your MIDI interface.
Local SW Off (button 4) when a DAW echoes your playing back, to stop double notes.
The monologue sends and receives CCs for most panel controls, so a DAW can record and replay knob moves.

Control	CC numbers (from Korg’s MIDI implementation chart)
VCO 2 PITCH	35
VCO 1 and 2 SHAPE	36, 37
VCO 1 and 2 LEVEL	39, 40
CUTOFF	43
RESONANCE	44
EG ATTACK, DECAY, INT	16, 17, 25
LFO RATE, INT	24, 26
VCO 2 OCTAVE	49
VCO 1 and 2 WAVE	50, 51
SYNC/RING	60
DRIVE	28
EG TYPE, TARGET	61, 62
LFO TARGET, WAVE, MODE	56, 58, 59

The chart lists each group in this order but doesn’t spell out which number belongs to which control within a group. Confirm against the separate MIDI Implementation document from Korg’s support page before mapping a controller.

Exercise 9

Set program 100 to Pythagoras with Scale Key +2 (D), then to AFX 001, and play the same melody on each to hear the difference. Then sync the monologue to a Volca or a DAW, record four bars of CUTOFF moves as MIDI CC in the DAW, and play them back to the monologue.