Play Assist
The Kontrol S-series Mk3 keyboards provide some great performance tools that are made available using the Play Assist feature when you are using Komplete Kontrol, Kontakt, non-NKS VST instruments or external hardware instruments - just press the Play Assist button (the top button in the column of buttons to the left of the screen display) and the Buttons will change their functions.
Scales
When you are in Play Assist, pressing Button 1 toggles the Scales feature on and off. The first time you try to enable Scales you may hear “Scales disabled”, so just press it again and you will hear “Scales enabled”. You can then use the Knobs to limit how the keyboard decides what note(s) to play. It is easiest to get to grips with this feature by using it, so begin by loading an NKS instrument into the first slot of Komplete Kontrol, then follow these steps:
Set the root note of the scale that you want to use using knob 1.
Set the scale bank by turning knob 2. What you choose with this knob filters what scales are offered by the scale type knob (knob 3).
Set the scale type by turning knob 3.
Set the key mode by turning knob 4.
In all of the scale modes the Light Guide LEDs will act as follows:
Keys that play notes that are in the chosen scale will have their LEDs lit.
Keys that play notes that are not in the chosen scale will have their LEDs turned off.
Keys that play notes that are in the chosen scale and are currently being played will have their LEDs lit brightly.
The available key modes are:
Guide. This mode is only useful if you have some vision, as it indicates all of the available notes in your chosen scale using the Light Guide LEDs, but will allow you to play all of the notes on the keyboard, even if the played note is not in the chosen scale.
Mapped. If you play a note that is not in your chosen scale, the mapped mode will actually play the nearest note that exists within the chosen scale.
Easy. This mode allows you to play the selected scale using only the white keys on the keyboard. For example, if you set your scale to be D minor, you can play all of the notes in the D minor scale as follows:
The C key plays a D (the root note of the scale).
The D key plays an E.
The E key plays an F.
The F key plays a G.
The G key plays an A.
The A key plays a B flat.
The B key plays a C.
All of the black keys are silent in this mode.
Learn. In this mode only keys that are present in the scale will play, with all of the other keys being silent.
Set the chord mode by turning knob 5. The available chord modes are:
Off. Chord mode is disabled.
Harmoniser. This chord mode allows you to play chords by playing a single key.
Chord Set
If you set the chord mode to harmoniser or chord set, knobs 6 and 7 become active:
Knob 6 sets the chord type. Turning the knob allows you to pick which notes in the selected scale will be played as part of the chord. The options that will be offered are dependent on the scale type that you selected using knob 3.
Knob 7 sets the chord position (also known as the chord inversion). This knob allows you to pick which note in your chosen chord is to be used as the lowest note. The range of values goes from -8 to +8, which can transpose the chord down or up by up to an octave. There are two other values: Root, which always plays the chord in its root position and Auto, which selects the most natural inversion to play as you transition from chord to chord.
When you use either of the chord modes, the Light Guide LEDs that represent all of the notes in the played chord will be lit brightly
Arpeggiator (Arp)
When you are in Play Assist, Button 2 toggles the Arpeggiator (Arp). Once the arpeggiator is enabled, just hold down some notes and experiment with the following possibilities:
Button 3 toggles Hold on or off. Turning Hold on means you do not need to hold those notes down after all, so press this Button now to leave your hands free to experiment with the other Buttons and Knobs.
Button 4 sets the gate length of the arpeggiated notes to be 100% (the default value).