Nektar Panorama P1 User Guide: Setup, Features, and Operation

PANORAMA PHILOSOPHY

Thank you for purchasing the Nektar Panorama controller. Panorama is a powerful controller designed to enhance your musical creativity. It offers an intense focus on workflow, aiming to be as easy to use as integrated hardware systems. Nektar's commitment to simplicity and efficiency makes Panorama highly transparent, whether used as a traditional MIDI controller, for programming MIDI messages, or with dedicated communication protocols for supported software like Reason by Propellerhead Software or Cubase by Steinberg.

While controller hardware has limitations compared to software, Panorama provides a well-thought-out set of controls and buttons in a logical layout, making it easy to find what you need. The ultimate goal is to make your studio and live performance experience as intuitive and expressive as possible.

Panorama is field-updatable via USB, allowing adaptation as software evolves. Future firmware and driver versions will be available to registered users. Remember to register your product!

We hope you enjoy playing, using, and creating with Panorama.

The Nektar Team

WHAT'S IN THE BOX

Please check the items supplied in the box:

Panorama Controller x 1
Printed version of this User Guide x 1
USB cable (standard) x 1

If any items are missing, please contact stuffmissing@nektartech.com.

WHAT'S ONLINE

Additional documentation, drivers, and support software, including future firmware updates, are available online. Registering your Panorama is recommended to access this extra material and stay updated with new firmware releases.

Product registration page: http://www.nektartech.com/registration

[CE certification mark] [FCC compliance mark]

WARNING: Dispose of the product securely, avoiding exposure to food sources and ground water. Use only in accordance with instructions.

Prop 65 Notice (California): WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Dispose of the product in an environmentally safe way. The product is safe in regular use but take precautions during service.

Panorama firmware, software, and documentation are the property of Nektar Technology, Inc. ©2012 Nektar Technology, Inc. Nektar is a trademark of Nektar Technology, Inc. Reason is a trademark of Propellerhead Software AB.

PANORAMA OVERVIEW

Image of the Nektar Panorama P1 controller, a compact desktop unit featuring numerous knobs, faders, buttons, and a central display screen, designed for music production.

Diagram of the Nektar Panorama P1 controller's front panel, with various controls labeled A through L. These include mode buttons, a TFT display, data encoder, menu buttons, assignable buttons, faders, and encoders.

Control Descriptions:

A: Four Mode buttons (Mixer, Instrument, Transport, Internal) - also serve as home/back buttons.
B: High-resolution TFT display.
C: Data encoder - for changing values and navigation; also acts as an extra MIDI encoder.
D: Five menu buttons - functions correspond to menu labels on the TFT display.
E: 6 MIDI- and ASCII-assignable buttons - used for navigation, track selection, patch selection, bank switching.
F: Eleven MIDI- and ASCII-assignable buttons plus a SHIFT button (labeled F-Keys) - provides access to 22 assignments, including transport functions and user-configurable MIDI/ASCII commands.
G: Eight MIDI and ASCII-assignable LED buttons.
H: TOGGLE/MUTE button - mutes MIDI output in Internal Mode; toggles assignments of LED buttons.
I: Nine MIDI-assignable 45mm faders.
J: Eight MIDI-assignable encoders.
K: TOGGLE/VIEW button - views MIDI assignments in Internal mode; toggles encoder assignments.
L: Eight MIDI-assignable encoders.

Other Connections:

Kensington lock slot.
Foot switch jack - MIDI-assignable, defaults to sustain pedal. Polarity is automatically detected.
USB Standard-B connector - for power and data transfer.

POWER & SETUP

With Panorama unpacked and placed on a stable surface, connect the unit.

Connecting to a Computer

Panorama is USB bus-powered. Connect the USB cable from the Panorama's USB jack to a USB port on your computer.

Note: While a laptop battery can power Panorama, using the laptop's AC power supply is recommended for extended sessions.

Your computer's OS will install the USB class driver, presenting multiple MIDI ports. For regular USB MIDI control, select the inputs/outputs labeled 'PANORAMA P1'. Other MIDI ports can be ignored.

Foot Switch

A foot switch can be connected to the rear socket to control record on/off, sustain, or change Panorama's Presets. Polarity is auto-detected on power-up. If a foot switch behaves in reverse, power cycle the unit.

INTERNAL MODE: GETTING AROUND

Panorama offers four modes: Mixer, Instrument, Transport, and Internal. The first three are for dedicated communication protocols (e.g., Reason). Internal mode is the default for use as a traditional USB MIDI controller.

Illustration of the Panorama P1's display screen in Internal mode, showing 'MIDI CC 76' and '1-MY SETUP' at the top, with a grid of control assignments below, including faders and encoders.

Faders and their values update on the display as they move. Pressing the TOGGLE/VIEW button [K] shows Controller number assignments for MIDI CC messages. Pressing the TOGGLE/MUTE button [H] mutes the fader's MIDI output.

The display buttons [D] navigate menus. Pressing the Encoders button [D2] shows encoder status. Ctrl Edit [D3] accesses the Control Edit menu for assigning controls. Global [D4] accesses the Global menu for MIDI channels, program changes, encoder curves, and display color settings. Setup [D5] provides access to Load/Save menus for Presets and F-keys maps.

INTERNAL: GLOBAL SETTINGS

Access the Global menu by pressing the Global button [D3] in Internal mode.

Global Channel, Program & Bank LSB/MSB

Sets the global MIDI channel for Panorama. Changing this affects all controls assigned to the global channel. Adjusting Program or Bank LSB/MSB sends corresponding MIDI messages.

Encoder Curve

Determines how quickly Panorama's encoders scroll through parameter values. Options are Slow, Standard, and Fast. Fast allows 0-127 in less than one rotation.

LCD Color

Adjusts the brightness of the gray colors in the display for better visibility.

Display Pedal/Mod: On/Off

Determines if data from an Expression pedal or modulation wheel is displayed in the info-line. Default is Off.

INTERNAL: PRESETS, MAPS & BUTTONS

Panorama P1's memory structure includes:

Presets: 20 locations storing assignments for Faders [I], Encoders [J+L], and LED buttons [G].
F-Key Maps: 10 locations storing assignments for the 11 F-keys buttons [F].
Navigation [E] and Transport [F] button assignments are retained across power cycles and preset/map loads.

Loading Presets

Load presets or maps via the Load menu in Setup. Any assignable button can be set to load a specific preset or map, or cycle through them. The Patch- and Patch+ buttons [F] are typically used to scroll through presets.

Loading F-keys Maps

The F-keys button [F] activates 11 F-keys accessible via the Transport buttons [F1-F11]. These are useful for QWERTY macros and are available in all four modes. Maps can be loaded via the Setup menu or assigned to buttons. To quickly change the current F-keys map, hold the F-keys button and move the data control [C].

INTERNAL: ASSIGNING CONTROLS

Pressing Ctrl Edit [D3] from the Internal mode home page activates the Control Edit menu.

The screen displays current settings as controls are moved. The default parameter selection is MIDI CC.

Use the Data encoder [C] to change the Controller number assignment. Changes take effect immediately.

Use display menu buttons [D1/D2] to select 'Message Type' (e.g., MIDI CC). The Data encoder [C] cycles through options. Options vary by control type.

The screen allows assigning MIDI CC#, a definable range, and MIDI channel for selected controls.

Note: QWERTY or ASCII messages can be assigned to assignable buttons, but require the Panorama driver installed. Download from www.nektartech.com/registration.

The Control Edit screen on the Panorama P1 display shows options for assigning controls, including fields for 'Message Type' (e.g., MIDI CC), 'Channel', 'Min', 'Max', and 'Data Entry'.

CUBASE & REASON: GETTING AROUND

The Info-Bar (Red/Gray/Red) on the display provides current status information.

Home pages display: Sequencer Track Name / Mixer Channel Number / Device Name.

Deeper menus display:

Mixer mode: Sequencer Track Name / Mixer Channel Number / Current Menu.
Instrument mode: Current Patch Name / Device Name / Current Menu.

The navigation buttons allow changes:

Track -/+ [F]: Changes the current sequencer track.
Patch -/+ [F]: Changes the patch/preset of the instrument device on the current track.
View [F]: Changes the display view (Mixer, Rack, Sequencer).
Bank <> [F]: Shifts the current selection of eight mixer channels (e.g., 1-8 to 9-16).
Zoom <> [F]: Controls magnification of sequencer tracks.

The Info-Bar on the Panorama P1 display shows current status information such as 'Sequencer Track Name / Mixer Channel Number / Device Name' or 'Current Patch Name / Device Name / Current Menu'.

CUBASE & REASON: TRANSPORT MODE

The transport buttons [F1-F11, Undo, Click Mode] are always available in Cubase or Reason modes for controlling main transport functions.

Transport mode expands navigational options, offering control over locators, tempo, click level, pre-count, and song position. The real-time clock shows the current playback position.

The Transport home page features a clock readout and grid assignments. Menu buttons [D1-5] access Transport features across two pages. The Clock button [D4] toggles the clock display between real time and bars/beats.

For loop-based recording, the `` buttons automatically move L/R location points by the bar count, creating new loop locations.

CUBASE & REASON: MIXER MODE

In Mixer mode, the first eight faders [I] control eight mixer channels at a time. Encoders [J] control Pan position, and LED buttons [G] act as Channel Select buttons.

Pressing the TOGGLE/VIEW button [H] cycles encoder assignments through Pan, Width, and Sends 1-8.

Pressing the TOGGLE/MUTE button [H] cycles LED button functions through Select, Mute, and Solo.

The Encoder group [L] controls EQ by default. Using LED buttons [G] as Select buttons allows selecting a new mixer channel without changing the sequencer track, useful for tweaking EQ while playing other sounds.

To view EQ parameters, press the EQ button [D1] or other display buttons for menus. The Menu button [D5] provides quick access to all mixer menus, including the Master section.

Reason Note: It is recommended to rename sequencer tracks rather than mixer channels to ensure accurate track information in the info bar.

Illustration of the Panorama P1's display screen in Mixer mode, showing mixer channel information (e.g., 'ROARING VOX MIXER CH: 27') and parameters like EQ, Inserts, Sends, and fader levels.

CUBASE & REASON: INSTRUMENT MODE

Instrument mode controls the device assigned to the currently selected sequencer track. Changing tracks updates control assignments immediately.

The Instrument home page displays the current patch name and parameters assigned to the encoder group [L]. If the device has envelopes, the fader group defaults to Amp and Filter envelopes.

The first parameters shown are the most useful. Pressing the Menu button [D5] activates the scroll menu to access any parameter of the selected device.

Reason: To control devices in the Effects and Other Category, create a track for that device by right-clicking it in the rack and selecting 'Create track for (device name)'.

Illustration of the Panorama P1's display screen in Instrument mode, showing a patch name like 'VIBE PAD' and parameters such as 'A Freq', 'A Res', 'B Freq', 'B Res', 'A Vol', 'B Vol' assigned to encoders and faders.

REASON: REMOTE OVERRIDE

In Transport mode, controls left of the display are available for assignment using Reason's 'Edit Remote Override Mapping' function. This allows grouping parameters from different devices.

Setup:

Enter Transport mode.
Right-click the parameter in Reason to control.
Select 'Edit Remote Override Mapping'.
Ensure 'Learn from control surface input' is ticked in the popup menu.
Move a control on Panorama (e.g., encoder [J1]).
Click OK.

Remote Override Mapping does not affect Panorama's assignments and can differ per song. It is not recommended for use in Mixer or Instrument mode.

DRIVER & DOWNLOAD

The Panorama driver is essential for using the dedicated communication protocol with DAWs like Cubase and Reason. Install your DAW first, then the driver.

A demo of Reason is available at http://www.propellerheads.se/download/.

Note: Panorama's protocol is compatible with Record 1.5, Reason 5, Reason 6, 6.5 and later.

Download the Reason driver from: http://www.nektartech.com/registration. Follow online instructions to register, download, and install the driver and update firmware.

REASON: SETUP

With Reason and the Panorama driver installed, connect Panorama via USB and power it on. Wait for OS recognition.

Launch Reason.
Go to Preferences > Control Surfaces tab.
Click 'Auto-detect surfaces'.

Reason should detect 'Nektar Panorama' and 'Nektar Panorama Mixer Mode'.

Note: If Reason prompts to search for a Master Keyboard during initial setup, decline or ensure Nektar Panorama is found, as its Mixer Mode does not include a keyboard.

Panorama's display will show: 'To use Mixer Mode, please lock Panorama Mixer Control Surface to a Mixer device.' Locking to the Master Section is recommended.

Locking Procedure (Reason 6): Navigate to Options > 'Surface Locking...'. Select 'Nektar Panorama Mixer' for Surface and 'Master Section' for Lock to Device. For Reason 5, lock to the 14:2 mixer.

This setting is saved with your song.

CLEANING & MAINTENANCE

To keep Panorama clean, use a moisture-free air duster or electronics spray for surface dust. Use a dry electronics cloth or the included lint-free cloth for polishing and removing fingerprints.

Note: Do not use abrasive materials, as they may cause scratches.

FACTORY RESET

A factory reset erases all presets and maps, returning the unit to its default state. Back up your presets and maps first!

Procedure:

Un-plug the USB cable.
Press and hold the [Patch- button] and [Patch+ button] (N), then plug in the USB cable to power the unit.

ABOUT

The About page displays current firmware and hardware versions. Activate by selecting Internal mode and pressing display buttons [D1] and [D2] simultaneously. Press [D5] to exit.