How to set up your microKORG for use in FL

[AtonyB]

I've seen endless posts on how to get the microKORG to work in FL as a controller AND a synth. This mini tutorial will help you to set up your microKORG so that you can use the keys to control FL plugins and VSTs and control your microKORG independantly (so you dont always hear microKORG sounds when you press the keys).

Please also note that there are a lot of things you can take across to setting up other synths, your synth may have simlar settings to the microKORG it may not, but the basic ideas are the same...

I'm going to assume that you have set up your sound card as you need and are using an ASIO driver, also that you have a MIDI Input AND Output working with FL Studio already - These are technical support issues not covered here.


Step 1 - Plugging it in

Its probably obvious to most people but im just making sure that we're starting from the same place here...

You need to plug the audio output from the microKORG (either by a stereo jack plugging into the headphone output or two mono jacks each in the Output L/Mono and R) and plug these into an appropriately selected input on your sound card.
You also need to plug in MIDI cables, this is one cable going from the OUT of your MIDI device to the IN of your microKORG and one from the IN of your sound card to the OUT of your microKORG.


Step 2 - Setting up your microKORG (this will need to be done every time you turn on your microKORG as it doesnt retain settings when you turn it off)

Just one simple step, once it is turned on rotate the lower dial of the two 'EDIT SELECT' dials round to 'MIDI' then rotate dial 2 (local) until the display says off (you may need to rotate fully clockwise then fully anticlockwise to get the desired response).

This will stop the keys from controlling the microKORG synth, but dont worry well get it working again later on in a more controlled way (to undo it you just set the same setting to on again)


Step 3 - Getting started in FL

(For detailed info on the MIDI set up panel, check http://www.flstudio.com/help/html/app_wiz5.htm )

First of all, if you haven't used MIDI controllers before at all you will need to turn on MIDI remote control, MIDI out and master sync messages in FL. To do this you go to the options drop down menu then make sure there is a tick next to each of these three.

You then need to open up the MIDI options panel in FL. From here you need to find your MIDI device that you are using to connect your microKORG to your pc in the top 'Output' List and click on it, you then need to give it a "Port number:" we'll call the number chosen 'X' as you may have already set some midi outputs to port numbers, then also check 'Send master sync' so that the microKORG can tell what tempo FL is working at and when you have pressed play/stop etc.

Then on the 'Input' panel you need to find that same device again, then click on it and check 'Enable' - the keys on your microKORG should now work on FL and NOT control the microKORG synth.

Note: The microKORG keyboard also has an 'OCTAVE SHIFT' function on the left, this will shift which octave it controls in FL also, to get it centered you need to make both buttons not illuminated (if they arent you can do this by pressing the non-illuminated button until they are both not illuminated)


Step 4 - Controlling your microKORG with FL

There is not yet a synthmaker dashboard for the microKORG but there should be as it is a very popular synth (!) so we need to work from FL Studios MIDI Out channel.

Create a MIDI Out channel in the step sequencer, if you look through the presets you will find a microKORG preset and may wish to use this for controlling it - the control labels are fairly intuitive but we wont cover that here (most of what each control does is covered in the microKORG's manual). But if you do select this preset remember to check the output channel, by default the microKORG is set to omni but its always best to check this.

You then need to select port 'X' in the panel, at this stage you might be able to hear the microKORG synth when you press the keys as FL sends midi messages to it.

Any automation you wish to send to your microKORG for recording and general control will go through this panel.


Step 5 - Recording

There are plenty of recording tutorials for FL with lovely videos and narration so i wont go too far into the details of recording on FL, but here is a quick guide.

First of all you need to get the microKORG coming through a mixer channel, to do this you simply select your desired mixer channel and on the 'IN' drop down box select the AUDIO input that you have plugged your microKORG into (if this does not appear then you may need technical support with your sound card - also make sure that you are using ASIO drivers)

At this stage any sound coming from the microKORG should be heard through this mixer channel.

You can either record this by highlighing the disk at the bottom of the mixer channel, selecting where you wish the file to go, then enabling record mode in FL and pressing play whilst in song mode (more detailed information available in recording tutorials), or you can use Edison - both give good results.




Thats it! Any questions comments are welcome, perhaps i have missed something, im not sure...

[SOG]

If a few more people read this post, maybe ther...

[Matt B. mixer]

Ok so I plugged in my microKorg audio outputs i...

[Mike Adamski]

I'm having some trouble with getting my MicroKo...

[Mike Adamski]

Bump. Anybody? Still finding I'm having issues ...

[Mike Adamski]

Woops, looks like I just had to also put the "p...

[BobCronley]

OK, I have no problem getting the MicroKorg to ...