KordBot

I got one for dirt cheap, so I had to try it.

Would you recommend any video tutorials on how to get a basic workflow in ?

Nah, I couldnā€™t find anything useful. Videos from Isla Instruments are scarce and donā€™t do much explaining. There are a couple of videos from people who must have been sent them to review; theyā€™re full of errors and misinformation. Iā€™d just use it and see what it can do for you.

Personally, Iā€™d advise going into Key+Mod mode (Play Mode should start in this mode, if not itā€™s Alt+ F2), turning on Hold (click encoder 7), turning Chord Hold Time to 0%) turn encoder 7 anticlockwise), choosing a scale (gotta love those minor 7, minor 9 and minor 11 scales) and playing the keys. Theyā€™ll light up to show you chords that will sound good with your current chord. You can modulate between all the different scales with the buttons on the left. try holding a key and going from a minor to a major (like Major 11 to minor 11) and back again. Sounds epic.

EDIT: from there I like to change the Velocity Humanize (Encoder 5) anywhere between 50% and 75% for nice variations in note velocity for each chord I play. I also like to mess with the Chord Spread (Encoder 1) while recording to make variations in the chord being played. The higher I go on the keys, the more I can add notes, and vice-versa. Makes for some incredibly dramatic build-ups.

Itā€™s really simple to use and incorporate into a setup.

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I always had a slight interest in these. Sounds like they might be killing them off.

They have a few in stock on their website right now. There is also a video of him saying ā€œif you want one grab it now, because there arenā€™t going to be any moreā€.

I decided to give one a try since they may be hard to come by in the future.

I like to explore chords and save sets I make to a Max device. Iā€™m hoping this is simply a hardware version of that.

Anyway, I thought Elektronauts should know in case anybody had been wanting one.

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I was always slightly curious, and thanks for bringing it up for people on the fence! I think looking into it actually motivated me into a major music theory learning kick, which was great for me, but is probably not good for selling units.

I do think they may have stretched too far functionality-speaking, resulting in cutting costs through build quality, but that happens pretty frequently to Kickstarters.

If people are intrigued but donā€™t want to invest the money (probably due to having a nicer MIDI controller), check out the iOS app ā€œSuggesterā€. That with a little theory will really spice up your music.

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My theory is functional and I have no issues writing chord progressions or melodies.

For me, Iā€™m interested in a chord progression scratch pad where I can save chords to pads and then try them in different orders.

Ultimately Iā€™ll record them into the DAW or another sequencer and put the Kordbot away.

I hope to store a personal library of chord sets which I can come back to later. I donā€™t expect anything else of the Kordbot but those things. As long as that works Iā€™ll be happy. I can always make some upgrades to the hardware if I feel like itā€™s too flimsy.

Edit: Looking at the hardware in detail reveals that all of the ā€œscreen printingā€ is on the buttons and there is nothing on the case.

This means either 3D printing or creating a nice wood faceplate is just a matter of work with tools I already have. If I dig the Kordbot, itā€™ll probably get a makeover down the road :slight_smile:

New higher quality encoders and knobs wouldnā€™t be hard either.

This is totally me. I havenā€™t even received my brand new item and Iā€™m already talking about tearing it apart and modifying it :joy:

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Rather carefully crafted language here:

As of 10/5/2020 There are extremely limited quantities of white KordBots for sale.
If you are able to press the purchase button, then we still have stock!

I know theyā€™ve been busy with their new product, and havenā€™t been emphasizing the Kordbot for a while. Wouldnā€™t they say something like, ā€œLast chanceā€, or ā€œWeā€™re not making any moreā€, or something.

With their S2400 close to completion, is it possible theyā€™re planning a revision on Kordbot, to address the ā€œbutton firmnessā€ issues and whatever else, and are just depleting stock of this version?

Maybe theyā€™d answer the question ā€œIs the Kordbot being discontinued ?ā€, if they were asked directly.

In one of the latest S2400 updates, he said Kordbots might not be available until March. I donā€™t think they are discontinued, but the focus will be to get the 2400s built and shipped.

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On this video is where it sounded like these are the last ones. He specifically says heā€™s not making any more.

This was posted a few days ago FYI

Apparently there will be another order of clear ones but it seems like these are the last ones to me.

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Thatā€™s pretty definite to me too. Bye, bye Kordbot.

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I just came to tell everybody that I LOVE MY KORDBOT!

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Great! I have one on the way :slight_smile:

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The build quality leaves a little to be desired for but for finding great chord combinations and saving them on the pads itā€™s just great. The weakest link I think is the whole file management side of it but youā€™ll get used to it.

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Thatā€™s all I want from it :smiley:

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I think iā€™ll get one some day, maybe second hand. Itā€™s to expensive to buy it directly from USA.
I would play with Kordbot then record chords in other sequencer to make music (Pyramid smart pads would be my first idea).
Maybe an european elektronauts will sell oneā€¦

Whatā€™s the second-hand market like right now ? I wouldnā€™t expect that market to improve much given this is the end of a reasonably limited run, on a product this well liked, that fills a role shared by only a few other products.

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Not my first time posting in this thread, but I just wanted to say again that the KordBot will never, ever leave my studio. Itā€™s a phenomenal device capable of spitting out gorgeous chord progressions which never fail to inspire. The UI is a bit clunky but I couldnā€™t care less. Plus Isla Instruments hired a new employee to rebuild the software from scratch a month or so back, so there are changes coming. Already weā€™ve had a big update which optimised the CPU usage and fixed the MIDI in/out functionality.

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This is odd considering the video evidence I posted above. Maybe itā€™s a version 2?

I donā€™t have it yet but I also donā€™t have any expectations for it to be more than it currently is.
Iā€™m happy that the people who do like it seem to love it. Gives me hope that it will useful to me.

Besides supporting your products which is admirable in any company, why would they invest that amount of effort and money in a defunct product ? There is more to this story somewhere.

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I follow the Kordbot Users Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/kordbot/) in which Brad posts updates on the company, products and firmware etc. Brad posted a video three days ago in which he stated the KordBot would be available up until March next year, at which point there ā€˜would definitely not be any moreā€™ made. There are also 100 translucent KordBots, the proceeds from which will be provided to the Make a Wish foundation.

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Well thatā€™s right. I already saw 2 of them on AF. The 3rd will be mine.