Niels Larsen
Using LX Mini with FL Studio Impact LX Mini
Using LX Mini with FL Studio
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Nektar Impact GX49 & GX61 User Guide 1
Setup
The LX Mini FL Studio Integration is compatible with Fl Studio 11.1.1 RC3 or later. Make sure you run at least this version of FL Studio in Windows 7 or higher.
Configuration
· If you haven`t yet updated the firmware in your LX Mini, complete that step first. The firmware update is a separate download available from MY ACCOUNT on our website. With the firmware update complete, move on to the next steps.
· Plug-in your LX Mini and make sure it's switched on (if you didn't do so already) · Launch FL Studio and go to Options/MIDI Settings. The LX Mini ports should now appear in the FL Studio window (see image below).
If you don't see them, click "Rescan devices" at the bottom of the window · The Output port MIDIOUT2 (LX Mini) should be set to port 155. · Enable input port LX Mini and set Controller Type to "(generic controller)" · Enable input port MIDIIN2 (LX Mini) and set Controller Type to "Nektar Impact series". · Set MIDIIN2 (LX Mini) to port 155. · If your setup now matches the image below, exit MIDI settings
That's it, setup is now complete and you can move on to the fun part, learning how it all works.
2 Using Nektar LX Mini with FL Studio
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FL Studio and LX Mini working together
With the FL Studio integration setup complete, LX Mini is ready to control FL Studio`s transport functions, track change, track/channel volume, open/close windows and of course instrument plugins. All of this works seemlessly alongside LX Mini`s internal MIDI functions as detailed in the owner`s manual. Start by checking that DAW integration is setup correctly and working, by pressing the play button on LX Mini to activate play in FL Studio.
Transport Control
The transport buttons are set up to activate or deactivate the following transport functions: Click on/off, Rewind (in 1 bar decrements), Forward (in 1 bar increments), Loop, Stop, Play and Record. Press the [Shift] button to illuminate. When the button is blue, the transport buttons switch to their secondary assignments as indicated by the blue screen printing above the buttons. The white screen printing also indicate additinal functionality which can be accessed by pressing the transport buttons while holding [Shift]. For example, [Shift]+[Click] will activate Undo in FL Studio.
The chart below shows you what each button or button combination control.
BLUE LED BUTTON OFF
BUTTON
PARAMETER
-
Rewind, press and hold.
Forward, press and hold.
Toggle Pattern and Song mode
Stop.
Play. Press again to pause.
Record.
BLUE LED BUTTON ON
BUTTON
PARAMETER
Open/close Mixer.
Open/close Instrument window.
-
Select previous mixer track.
Select next mixer track.
Previous channel.
Next channel.
[SHIFT] FUNCTIONS
BUTTON COMB.
PARAMETER
+
-
+
Playback slow.
+
Playback fast.
+
-
+
Undo last change.
+
Metronome on/off.
+
Close all unfocused
windows.
Open/close FL Studio windows
Make sure [Shift] is illuminated blue. If it's not, press the button. The 2 buttons with S1 and S2 printed in blue above, now toggle FL Studio windows mixer and instrument plugin open/closed. [S2] is possibly the most important of the 3 because it enables opening instrument plugins following channel rack change or closing the current instrument window to view recording activity.
Mixer Track change
To navigate FL Studio mixer tracks from Impact LX Mini, make sure the [Shift] button is illuminated blue. Next press the button [<Track] to go to the previous track and [Track>] to go to the next track. This is the same as using the arrow up/down keys on your computer keyboard.
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Using Nektar LX Mini with FL Studio 3
Parameter control
Changing channels
Use the patch buttons to select instrument channels in the channel rack. Press the button [<Patch] to go to the previous channel and [Patch>] to go to the next channel. This is the same as using the arrow up/down keys on your computer keyboard. Press [S2] to open the instrument hosted in the currently selected channel.
Undo
Press [Shift]+[Play] to undo the last action in FL Studio.
Mixer track volume control
The large pot control's the currently selected mixer track's volume. As you change tracks, you can therefore quickly change volume for the track you are working with.
Controlling FL Studio instruments
When an instrument track is selected in FL Studio, press [Instrument] to control the hosted plugin instrument. Impact LX Mini automatically map the hosted FL Studio instrument's parameters. If you have loaded Poizone in the current channel rack slot, moving the 8 pots now control common parameters such as filter, resonance, envelope amount, LFO and oscillator pulse width. You can customize mapping using the "Override generic link" feature in FL Studio:
· Right-click on the mixer volume fader you want to control in FL Studio · Select "Override global link" · Move the fader on the Impact LX+ that you want to control the mixer volume fader.
To learn more about linking controls to parameters in FL Studio, click here.
Controlling 3rd party VST/VST3 plugins
VST and VST3 plugins can also be controlled from FL Studio but the link process is slightly different from FL Studio's internal parameters. · With a VST/VST3 plugin loaded in the currently selected channel rack slot, enable `Multilink to controllers' in FL Studio. The button is
located below the loop recording button. · Move the parameter you want to control in the hosted plugin's UI. · Right-click on the `Multilink to controllers' button in FL Studio and select `Override global links'. · On LX Mini, move the pot you want to link to the plugin parameter you moved. The parameter is now linked and saved so that every
time you load the plugin in a project, you can control the parameter from LX Mini.
To learn more about linking controls to parameters in FL Studio, click here.
4 Using Nektar LX Mini with FL Studio
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Using LX Mini pads
Drum instruments can be played from LX Mini's keyboard or pads
Operating a drum instrument works the same way as any other instrument and using the Pad maps 1+2 you are able to play many drum instruments straight away. However there is no exact standard for how drum sounds should be mapped so you may have instruments where the Impact LX Mini pads don't trigger the sounds you want. Thankfully there is a learn function for that.
`Learning' a plugin instrument's drum sounds to the pads
It's easy to change a pad note assignment using the Pad Learn function. It works as follows: · Press [Shift]+[Internal] to activate Setup mode. The Internal button's LED now blinks white. · On the keyboard, press E1, labeled `Pad Learn'. · All pad LEDs are now off, except the currently select pad. Press any pad to select it. · Press a key on the keyboard to learn its note to the selected pad. Use the octave buttons if necessary. · Repeat steps 3 and 4 to select pads and assign notes. · Press [Instrument], [Internal] or [Function] to exit when done.
The pad assignments are retained in memory until changed or a pad map is loaded. Make sure to store in one of the 4 pad maps if you want to be able to recall your assignments at any time.
Support
If you are not getting the results described, please check your installation one more time as well as the Nektar support tab on our website www.nektartech.com. You can also contact our support staff here
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Using Nektar LX Mini with FL Studio 5
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