The nanoPAD2 is a slim USB controller carrying 16 velocity-sensing pads and an X-Y touchpad, finished in black. It sits in front of a laptop without crowding the desk and runs on bus power alone. Producers who program drums, and anyone who likes sketching phrases by hand, will get the most from it.
Pads that read your touch
Every pad responds to how hard you play, so ghost notes and hard hits land differently once they reach a DAW. Four scenes each hold their own assignments, which adds up to 64 across the set. Swap between them with one button. Programmed drum parts pick up a bit of life.
Phrases from the X-Y pad
The touchpad moves two parameters at once, useful for filter sweeps and similar gestures. With Touch Scale the same surface becomes a playing area, borrowed from the kaossilator, offering 16 scales plus a root key and note range you set yourself. Gate Arp then sends notes in time with the tempo, following a tap or a sync from your software. Stroke the pad and a rhythmic phrase falls out.
Setup and editing
One cable does both jobs. Power and MIDI travel over the same USB lead, which keeps a desk tidy. Korg's free Kontrol Editor covers the deeper settings: note numbers, chord assignments, control change messages, user scales and a choice of three velocity curves or fixed velocity. Connected through Apple's Camera Connection Kit, the unit also works with an iPad, though Korg does not guarantee that as systems change.
