sorry, I have only had it 3 weeks or so, the day the 1.08 released. I was able to attach connect it that day, so since when, would be, since I got it…
It shows up a just another midi input, as shown in the image. Also, this is using a 3rd party connection cable for an iPad mini running iOS 11. Cost me 2000 yen.
awesome, I’ll try with the powered connector then. Did not work for the original adapter when I tried few months ago. For now I’m using little MIDI - lightning adapter from Korg that also includes D/A interface and TR jacks.
You can do that with all Elektron or any standard class compliant usb midi gear…
The IPad itself is a usb midi host when it uses the cck to translate the midi…
I have been on the fence about the Blofeld, because the first one was faulty and the second one has encoder problems, but I think you’re right, and if I step up to a Virus, the cost goes way up. I wonder if there is a way to bypass the encoders with an external midi controller (to control those macros in the matrix on the panel).
Too bad Elektron didn’t think to make a combo-box like Digitakt/Digitone in one big device, or with VA synth engine or something.
The Virus is much more expensive but its worth. The Encoders are a dream and i have no latency when i switch sounds in the multimode for different miditracks on my digitakt. I own a Virus C from 2001 but it´s still an awesome powerfull synth.
The Encoders of my Blofeld are crappy but it works and i love the sound of wavetable synthesis. Would be great if you could remote the encoders from the digitakt
Be aware that the different versions of MK have very different synth engines underneath. The original, plain MicroKorg has basically the same engine as the Korg MS2000, and I think the MK XL or Pro or whatever it’s called, uses some engine based off the Radias, not sure, but it’s very different, and also they have very different editing interfaces. They really should have called them by different names since they are truly different instruments, instead of using MicroKorg for both.
ANYWAY - I had an original MK for a few years, kinda wish I didn’t get rid of it. I liked the mod matrix and the 2 layers as well as the semi-programmable arp (on/off step switches). With that stuff combined you can get some deceptively complex-sounding stuff going on.
Huge downside is that it’s only 4 note polyphony and that gets eaten up if you use dual layers or unison mode.
The physical keys are kind of crappy and spongey.
As for the editing interface - A lot of people complain about it, but if you spend some time learning it, you can navigate around pretty fast, because it’s basically everything “on the front”, no real menu diving, you just gotta turn a main knob to which section you want to edit, then the smaller knobs for each individual parameter. Personally I didn’t think it was bad at all and you kind of develop a muscle-memory for your favorite sections.
I’m still undecided on whether I liked the sound of it or not. Sometimes I thought it sounded kind of cheesy and fake, and other times I thought it had a nostalgic/“magical” quality to it. I dunno. Those two aspects combined I think give it a fairly unique sound, whether for good or bad who knows!
OH - Also another thing, since this is in the context of using it with a Digitakt. The MK is older and not necessarily too accessible through MIDI. A good handful of the editing parameters can be accessed through MIDI but there were some that, if I recall correctly, have no way of accessing through MIDI. I think I ran into blocks with stuff like, LFO destinations and voice modes, those have to be edited on the MK itself, unless there’s some Sysex way to change them, I dunno. Just something to be aware of. For typical note sequencing and the more common editing parameters it should be fine though I think.