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Content Introduction 4 Box Content Impact LX Features Minimum System Requirements Getting Started 4 4 4 5 Connection and Power Nektar DAW Integration Register for Updates Keyboard, Octave and Transpose 5 5 5 6 Octave Shift Program, MIDI Channel and Preset Control with the Octave Buttons Transpose, Program, MIDI Channel and Preset Control with the Transpose Buttons Wheels and Foot Switch 6 6 6 7 Pitch bend and Modulation Wheels Foot Switch Controlling MIDI Software 7 7 8 Mixer, Instrument and Prese
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Introduction Thank you for buying the Nektar Impact LX25+ controller keyboard. The Impact LX+ controllers are available in 25, 49, 61 and 88 note versions and come with setup software for many of the most popular DAWs. This means that for supported DAWs, the setup work has largely been done and you can focus on expanding your creative horizon with your new controller.
Getting Started Connection and Power The Impact LX25+ is USB Class compliant. This means there is no driver to install to get the keyboard set up with your computer. Impact LX25+ uses the built-in USB MIDI driver which is already part of your operating system on Windows and OS X.
Keyboard, Octave and Transpose The Impact LX25+ keyboard is velocity sensitive so you can play the instrument expressively. There are 4 different velocity curves to choose from, each with varying dynamics. In addition, there are 3 fixed velocity settings. We recommend you spend a little time playing with the default velocity curve and then determine if you need more or less sensitivity.
Wheels and Foot Switch Pitch bend and Modulation Wheels The two wheels below the Octave and Transpose buttons are typically used for Pitch bend and Modulation. The Pitch bend wheel is spring loaded and automatically reverts to it’s center position upon release. It’s ideal to bend notes when you are playing phrases that require this kind of articulation. The bend range is determined by the receiving instrument. The Modulation wheel can be freely positioned and is programmed to control modulation by default.
Controlling MIDI Software Impact LX25+ has incredible flexibility when it comes to controlling a DAW or other MIDI software. There are typically 3 different ways to set up Impact LX25+‘s many controls, though it’s not uncommon to use a combination of different approaches. 1. Install the Impact DAW integration files for use with an existing DAW (must be on our supported list) 2. Set up a DAW with controller learn 3.
Controlling MIDI Software (cont) Global Controls Global controls are controls that are not stored in a preset and therefore Pitch bend/Modulation wheels plus the Foot Switch fall in this category. The 6 transport buttons in addition, are also global controls and assignments are stored over power cycling. As you change presets or adjust your preset controls, global controls remain unchanged. This makes sense since Transport and keyboard controls typically are set up to do one thing specifically. www.
Function Buttons The second row of buttons below the display contains 5 function and menu buttons. The buttons primary functions are to change track and patches in DAWs that are supported by Nektar DAW Integration. The following describes their secondary function. Shift/Mute When you press and hold this button, the MIDI output from real-time controls is muted. This allows you to reposition faders and pots without sending MIDI data.
Pads The 8 pads are velocity sensitive and programmable with either note or MIDI switch messages. This means you can use them as regular MIDI buttons as well as to punch out your drum beats and percussive melody parts. In addition, the pads have 4 velocity curve options and 3 fixed velocity options you can choose between, depending on what you are doing and your playing style. Pad Maps You can load and save up to 4 different pad setups in 4 memory locations called Pad maps.
What the Pad‘s LED Colors Tell You The pads color coding provides information about their current status. As you change pad maps for instance, you will notice that the MIDI note off color changes. This tells you which pad map is currently loaded.: PAD MAP COLOR 1 Green 2 Orange 3 Yellow 4 Red The above Pad Map color coding is only true when pads are programmed with MIDI notes.
Pads Maps Default Settings Map 1 Note Note No. Data 1 Data 2 Data 3 Chan P1 C1 36 0 127 0 Global P2 C#1 37 0 127 0 Global P3 D1 38 0 127 0 Global P4 D#1 39 0 127 0 Global P5 E1 40 0 127 0 Global P6 F1 41 0 127 0 Global P7 F#1 42 0 127 0 Global P8 G1 43 0 127 0 Global Map 2 Note Note No.
Setup Menu The Setup menu gives access to additional functions such as control assign, load, save, selecting velocity curves and more. To enter the menu, press the [Shift]+[Patch>] (Setup) buttons. This will mute the MIDI output of the keyboard and instead the keyboard now is used to select menus. When the Setup menu is active, the display will show {S.E.t.} with the 3 dots blinking for as long as the menu is active. The chart below provides an overview of menus assigned to each key.
Assigning Controls to MIDI messages Since the Mixer and Instrument presets are read-only, the first 4 functions C3-E3 applies only to Presets and cannot be selected if either Mixer or the Instrument [Inst.] preset is selected. To enter the Setup menu’s assign functions, please do the following: • Press [Preset] • Press [Shift]+[Patch>] (Setup) • The display now reads {S.E.t.
Assignment Types (E3) Most of the controls in the default presets are assigned to MIDI CC messages. But there are several other options and the below chart shows you which are available for the two types of controls.
Save Presets and Pad Maps (F3) When you make assignment changes to a control or pad, the changes are stored in a current working memory area and the settings are also stored over power cycling. However if you change preset or pad map your settings will be lost because the loaded data will overwrite your programmed changes. If you don’t want to lose your work we recommend saving as soon as you have created your setup. Here is how to do that: Save a Preset • Press F3 to activate the Save menu.
Global Functions and Options Unlike the Control Assign functions, Global functions can be accessed regardless of what preset has been selected. And just to recap: Pressing [Shift]+[Patch>] (Setup) buttons will activate the Setup menu and the display will show {S.E.t.} with the 3 dots blinking for as long as the menu is active. The following assumes the Setup menu is active.
Pads Velocity Curves (D4) There are 4 different pad velocity curves and 3 fixed velocity levels to choose between, depending on how sensitive and dynamic you want the Impact LX25+ pads to play. Name Description Display abbreviation Normal Focus on mid to high velocity levels PC1 Soft The most dynamic curve with a focus on the low to mid velocity levels PC2 Hard Focus on the higher velocity levels.
Bank MSB (F#4) This function will send a Bank MSB MIDI message from the keyboard. Note, most software products don’t respond to Bank change messages but many MIDI hardware products do. Here is how you send out a Bank MSB message • Press the F#4 key on your keyboard to select Bank MSB.
USB Port Setup (A4) Impact LX25+ has one physical USB port however there are 2 virtual ports as you may have discovered during the MIDI setup of your music software. The additional virtual port is used by the Impact DAW software to handle communication with your DAW. You only need to change the USB Port Setup setting if the Impact LX25+ setup instructions for your DAW specifically advises that this should be done.
User Preset 1 GM Instrument Pots Ctrl Msg Type CC Data 1 Data 2 Chan Param P1 MIDI CC 74 127 0 Global Brightness P2 MIDI CC 71 127 0 Global Harmonic Content P3 MIDI CC 5 127 0 Global Portamento Rate P4 MIDI CC 84 127 0 Global Portamento Depth P5 MIDI CC 78 127 0 Global Control Change (Vibrato Delay) P6 MIDI CC 76 127 0 Global Control Change (Vibrato Rate) P7 MIDI CC 77 127 0 Global Control Change (Vibrato Depth) P8 MIDI CC 10 127 0 Global Pan Ct
User Preset 4 Learn Friendly 1 Pots Ctrl Msg Type CC Data 1 Data 2 Chan P1 MIDI CC 89 127 0 Global P2 MIDI CC 90 127 0 Global P3 MIDI CC 96 127 0 Global P4 MIDI CC 97 127 0 Global P5 MIDI CC 116 127 0 Global P6 MIDI CC 117 127 0 Global P7 MIDI CC 118 127 0 Global P8 MIDI CC 119 127 0 Global Ctrl Msg Type CC Data 1 Data 2 Chan F1 MIDI CC 3 127 0 Global Fader User Preset 5 Learn Friendly 2 Pots Ctrl Msg Type CC Data 1 Data 2 Chan P1 MID
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