Newbish question regarding keyboard splits and VSTs

[KeyboardEric]

Is it possible to create a split where one zone plays a built in keyboard sound(s) and another plays a vst from an iPad or laptop? For live purposes.

 

I feel like the answer is no but can't seem to find any information on this idea of mine. It might be a bad idea to begin with.

 

I'm currently using a KORG Kross 2 that supports 16 zones via different midi channels. I love the board but hate the sax sounds. Thank you for enlightening a newb!

[Chipsandme]

Yes you can!

 

- Connect a USB cable to your USB-Midi interface port. Your keyboard acts as a in-built soundcard, so the VST sounds will be coming out of your MAIN OUT;

- Create a patch on your Korg Kross that has the splits as you want it;

- Assign a different midi chanel to the zone that is going to play the VST (anything but channel 1, that usually will be reserved for your keyboard; or channel 10 [some machines use this to trigger drums])

- Match the MIDI channel in your VST (the same you defined in the split)

- Last point: if you don't want the keyboard to play any sound and just hear the VST alone on the zone you did the split, chose EXT in the Korg Kross. This will cancel the internal sounds from the Korg Kross and you only hear the VST.

[Stokely]

Sure, providing the Kross and your vst host can. I've done something similar with a controller and Ableton. The Kross would leave a "hole" in the range where the vst sax will be playing (probably by limiting the range of the other instrument ranges in the Kross). Then in the vst host/instrument, you would restrict the range to be the same as the hole you created above. In this scenario, you wouldn't need to worry about midi channels, as long as the ipad is responding to the Kross.

 

As with any setup, I recommend having a backup plan, perhaps (even though you don't like it) having the Kross sax available to play on a different patch. I personally haven't not used anything other than hardware live because I get a bit worried about something not working right at the wrong time (I use software only at home, and the occasional problems there are fixed at my leisure...) However, many do use software live.

 

Down the road, I'm likely to bring an ipad into my rig, since it's so easy to just velcro the thing somewhere I'd probably just have a dedicated controller for it though as I like simplicity.

 

A few things to consider with multiple sound sources, including another hardware keyboard:

 

- volume leveling between them

- making sure all patches work in mono, if you are running mono

- are you going to submix to front of house (if using a PA), or use separate channels

- (related), how will you monitor the multiple sources

- transpose....I got in a pickle once with mainstage because I was using a bunch of synths and needed to transpose...I couldn't find an easy way to do it globally, ended up getting a completely different program that I ran that transposed the incoming midi before it got to mainstage. This program crashed on me during practice....this kind of complexity is what I dislike about software in a live setting.

[KeyboardEric]

This is great news for me!

 

I'm also a bit wary about being dependent on software for live use but I would like to sprinkle in some brass where my rig is lacking. I would definitely program a backup sound on the board(s) just in case at least until I was VERY confident in my software.

 

Thank you for the input. I'm glad I joined this forum!

[KeyboardEric]

thinking about getting this:

 

https://www.embertone.com/instruments/sensualsax

 

Ooo yeah.

[KeyboardEric]

After tinkering around for a bit, I got my KK2 to interact with Sample Tank 3 and used the Korg to play some VST patches. Now just need to figure out how to route midi channels thru the software so I can create a split. I think it's going to work.