traktor z2 and korg kaoss pad 3

hi there, i have my heart set on a korg kaoss pad 3 but how do i go about attaching it too the z2?

 

Since the Z2 doesn´t have dedicated inserts for external FX your best bet is to route the main out of the Z2 into the input of the Kaoss Pad and the output from the Kaoss Pad into your amp/soundcard...

 

The inline method suggested above will work however I've been using the Korg KP3 with the Z2 mixer using an alternative approach which also works pretty well.

KP3 Inputs

I have the booth outputs from the Z2 connected to the inputs on the KP3 and the KP3 outputs I have routed back into the Z2 a couple of different ways.​

KP3 Outputs

1.) KP3 output to the aux RCA input - this gives you the tone knob for wet/dry and the volume knob while you can also use the booth output volume knob to affect the level. The three knobs in combination give you a lot of control over the amount of FX.​

2.) KP3 output to A/B Input on the Z2 (switch to LN on Z2 front panel).​

Traktor

Input Routing Settings

For all of these you also need to modify the input routing inside traktor. Within the input routing section I have Input FX Send (Ext) set to Master Left/Master Right. And...​

For 1.) above:
Input Aux = Mic/Aux Left/Right​

For 2.) above:
- Input Deck D (Or A,B,C as you choose) = Channel B (or A) Left/Right.
- With this configuration you will want to change the deck flavor to Live Input.
- Use the Deck D volume knob on the Z2 to increase volume of FX
- You can also use the crossfader to adjust the level of FX in the mix​

Controller Manager Settings

In Device Setup section click Add --> Generic Midi
Change Out-Port = KP3+ (Sound) **KP3 must also be turned on and connected to your computer via USB

Optionally I also have a custom controller mapping for the Z2 wherein the mixer FX section on the Z2 is assigned to the Deck C/D gain and HP/LP filter controls on the deck. This gives me a bit more control of the KP3 FX when I am routing the signal to the C/D deck in Traktor.
Here is a link to download this custom Z2 controller mapping if you like: https://maps.djtechtools.com/mappings/2717
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Mix Recorder Settings

For 1.) above you will want to set the mix recorder to external select Input FX Send (Ext) as the external input to successfully record the FX. Beware this method the input level on Aux can be very low and the recording tends to reflect that in my experience.

For 2.) above you should be able to use the internal setting on the mix recorder (unless you have some other device connected to the aux input that you wish to be recorded)
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Effects Settings

Optionally you can also set one of the 2 or 4 FX units to be a "Send" unit. This way when the FX unit is activated on a deck the KP3 will affect only the audio of the deck for which the FX unit is being applied. Otherwise, the KP3 affects the whole mix in my experience (not completely sure on this one but there is definitely a difference when the send FX unit is activated vs. not activated)
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