Quick Start Guide www.nektartech.
INDEX INDEX 2 PANORAMA PHILOSOPHY 3 WHAT'S IN THE BOX 4 WHAT'S ONLINE 4 PANORAMA OVERVIEW 5 POWER & SETUP 8 Connecting to a computer 8 Using an external power supply 8 INTERNAL MODE 9 Getting around 9 Global Settings 11 Assigning Controls 12 Motorized fader 14 Pads 15 REASON 17 Driver & download 17 Getting around 19 Mixer mode 21 Instrument mode 22 Transport mode 23 Remote override 24 Motorized fader 25 Using pads 25 CLEANING & MAINTENANCE 26 FACTORY RESET 26
PANORAMA PHILOSOPHY Thank you for buying our Panorama controller keyboard. Panorama is a very powerful instrument and controller keyboard that, combined with your DAW, will make you experience musical creativity in a new way. What makes Panorama different is our intense attention to workflow and insistence that a controller keyboard should be as easy to use as integrated hardware systems.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX Please take a moment to check the items we supplied in the box, just to make sure it’s all there. Here is what you should have found: Panorama keyboard x 1 Printed version of this Quick Start Guide x 1 USB cable (standard) x 1 USB Standard-A to Micro-B cable x 1 Cotton cleaning cloth x 1 If any of the above was not included please let us know via email: stuffmissing@nektartech.
PANORAMA OVERVIEW Here is a brief overview of all the parts of Panorama to which we will refer in the manual. Before you jump in and start using Panorama, we recommend you get acquainted by identifying each called out part on your unit. E G F H K L S P M O D C B A T www.nektartech.
A 49 velocity-sensitive keys with monophonic aftertouch B Pitch bend and Modulation wheels. Both are MIDI-assignable. C OCTAVE DOWN / UP and PB1 / PB2 performance buttons. Press both OCTAVE buttons at once to access the global menu. Press both PB buttons at once to select their functions. D 100mm Alps motorized fader E SOLO and MUTE buttons (MIDI-assignable) plus FADER select button to bring menu for motorized fader and buttons into view.
R Pads select button. Gives quick access to the menus for the pads in any mode. S Twelve velocity- and pressure-sensitive pads, assignable to MIDI and ASCII commands. T Kensington lock U USB Micro-B connector. This port is used for external power. You can connect an external USB power supply (optional) or a second USB port on your computer (cable included). V USB Standard-B connector. Main USB port for power and data to and from your computer.
POWER & SETUP With Panorama unpacked and securely seated on a desk or keyboard stand, it’s now time to connect the unit and get going. Let’s start with power. Connecting to a Computer Panorama is USB bus-powered which means you can power it from a connected computer. You will need two USB ports if you want to power the entire unit. Here is how: Plug in the USB cable (standard) to the USB jack on the back of Panorama (V) and plug the other end into a USB port on your computer.
INTERNAL MODE: GETTING AROUND Panorama has four modes, which is like having four different control surfaces (K): Mixer, Instrument, Transport and Internal modes. The first three modes are available when you operate Panorama with our dedicated communication protocols, such as the one for Reason (see pages 17-25). But let’s start with Internal mode, which is the default mode if you are using Panorama as a traditional USB MIDI controller (either stand-alone or with a computer).
INTERNAL MODE: GETTING AROUND There is also a FADER button (E3) to select the menu options for the motorized fader and a PADS button (R). For more extensive details about these menus, please download the Panorama User Guide. Above the pitch bend and modulation wheels you find the OCTAVE and PB1/PB2 buttons (C). The OCTAVE buttons allow you to shift the keyboard up +4 octaves or down -3 octaves. Pressing them both simultaneously will take you to the Global menu.
QUICK TIPS: GLOBAL SETTINGS About Quick Tips In this section we aim to provide you with a set of quick tips for the most common operations of a MIDI controller. If you have experience with MIDI and controller keyboards, chances are that this is all you need to know to get going. Global Settings: Keyboard Velocity Curve Simultaneously press the Octave up/down buttons (C) to enter or exit the Global menu. The default selection is Transpose so it’s quick to change the Transpose setting while you play.
QUICK TIPS: ASSIGNING CONTROLS Internal Setup: Control Edit Another option inside Setup is the Control Edit page. Its display looks similar to what is shown above. Moving or pressing any of the controls (faders, encoders, pads, buttons) while on this page will update the display to show their current settings. The default parameter selection is MIDI CC, so right away you can change the Controller number assignment for the most recently used control using the Data encoder (O).
QUICK TIPS: ZONES About Zones The Panorama keyboard can be programmed in up to four zones. Each zone can cover anything from the entire MIDI note span to just one note. Zones can overlap to create up to four layers, each sending on a unique MIDI channel. Octave, Transpose and Program number can be programmed per zone, along with options to enable or disable Pitch bend, Modulation, Aftertouch, Sustain and Expression.
QUICK TIPS: MOTORIZED FADER About the Motorized Fader The motorized fader section is designed to work with our dedicated communication protocols, where it gives immediate access to channel strip functions for the current sequencer track. The fader motor itself does not function in Internal mode; however, while Panorama is in Internal mode the fader may still be used manually as an assignable MIDI controller. The SOLO and MUTE buttons are also MIDI-assignable as described below.
QUICK TIPS: PADS About Pads Panorama’s twelve pads and associated menus are designed as a powerful percussive performance instrument to complement the keybed. Pad assignments are either automatic (using our dedicated communication protocols) or set up quickly through the “Learn” function and the intuitive menus. With features such as Scale, Octave and Transpose we encourage you to try new combinations of note assignments “on the fly” or simply play percussive melody lines on the pads.
QUICK TIPS: PADS Velocity Spread This function spreads a selected pad’s note assignment across all 12 pads, with each pad assigned to the same note but with independently adjustable fixed-velocity assignments. Press Pads (R), then tap a pad to select it (S). Now activate the Velocity Spread menu by pressing the menu display button “Vel-Spread” (M3). Playing the pads will now play the same note with various velocity values as illustrated in the image below.
REASON: DRIVER & DOWNLOAD About the Panorama Driver The Panorama driver is required to use our dedicated communication protocol for Reason. If Reason is not already installed on your computer, we recommend you install Reason first and our driver second. If you don’t own Reason, you can try a demo of the full version by visiting Propellerhead Software’s website: http://www.propellerheads.
REASON: SETUP With Reason and the Panorama driver installed, connect the Panorama keyboard to your computer via USB and set its power switch to On. Wait until the OS has recognized Panorama, then follow these steps: Launch Reason Select the Preference menu in Reason and click on the Control Surfaces tab Click the button labeled “Auto-detect surfaces” Once complete Reason should have found two control surfaces: Nektar Panorama and Nektar Panorama Mixer Mode.
REASON: GETTING AROUND About Panorama’s Reason Implementation Panorama’s dedicated communication protocol for Reason is extremely comprehensive. And if you know Reason, it’s easy to understand how it all works...because you already know how Reason works! In the following we’ll give you a starting point for exploring Panorama, which may be all you need. Modes and Navigation By pressing the Mode navigation buttons (K) you change the assignments of Panorama’s controls at the push of a button.
REASON: GETTING AROUND Info-Bar (Red/Gray/Red) The display Info-Bar (Red/Gray/Red) provides the following important current status information for the mode home pages: Sequencer Track Name / Mixer Channel Number / Device Name Deeper in the menu structure, the Info-Bar changes to: Mixer mode: Sequencer Track Name / Mixer Channel Number / Current Menu Instrument mode: Current Patch Name / Device Name / Current Menu Changing Track, Patch and Mixer Bank The navigation buttons allow you to make the following
REASON: MIXER MODE In Mixer mode, the first eight faders (H) control eight mixer channels at a time, while the corresponding encoders (F) control the Pan position and the LED buttons (I) act as Channel Select buttons. You can change the assignment of the encoders by pressing the TOGGLE/VIEW button (G) to step through Pan, Width and Sends 1-8. By pressing the TOGGLE/MUTE button (J) to the right of the LED buttons, you also change their assigned function by stepping through Select, Mute and Solo.
REASON: INSTRUMENT MODE Instrument mode controls the device assigned to the currently selected sequencer track. Changing tracks will therefore immediately update the assignments of all controls. The Instrument home page is designed to provide the information and experience of a hardware workstation. The large character field shows the current patch name of the device, and the grid below that shows the parameters and values assigned to the encoder group (P).
REASON: TRANSPORT MODE The transport buttons (Q) are always available in all three Reason modes so you can control the main transport functions at any time. Activating Transport mode expands your navigational options considerably, with control over locators, tempo, click level, pre-count, song position and more. In addition, the real-time clock tells you the current playback position in your arrangement so you always know where you are.
REASON: REMOTE OVERRIDE Transport mode does not use the faders, encoders or buttons to the left of the display, so they are conveniently available for you to assign any parameter you want using Reason’s Edit Remote Override Mapping function. This is great if you want parameters for different devices accessible as one group of controls, at any time. And it’s easy to set up, too: 1. Enter Transport mode 2. Right-click on the parameter on the Reason device you want to control 3.
REASON: MOTORIZED FADER Panorama’s motorized fader is assigned by default to the mixer volume of the currently selected track. When you change sequencer tracks, the mixer channel selection also changes, and the motorized fader section and its controls follow that selection. This means you always have access to volume control, solo and mute functions for the selected track on the left hand side, no matter which of the three Reason modes is active on Panorama.
CLEANING & MAINTENANCE If you want to keep Panorama pristine, you’ll need to clean it occasionally. We recommend you use a moisture-free air duster or electronics spray to clear away any surface dust. Then use electronics dry cloth or the included lint-free cloth to polish the surface and remove any finger marks. Note: Do not use any abrasive materials to clean the surface as this may leave scratch marks.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
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