Kordbot - hardware chord generator

[dubdub]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/is ... escription

I saw the kickstarter last year but forgot about it. Apparently it's coming out now and it looks pretty nice to me. I use a lot of chord tool software so having this kind of thing in hardware looks really, really cool to me. Every time I sit down on a midi keyboard I remember my forced elementary school piano lessons and then what's what i'm writing sounds like...

[Mslwte]

Yeah I like the look of this. I don't like the price so much but it would make a great addition to the studio. I've got an old version of improvisator which is cool, but it's a bit fiddly to set up and I hate having to click the mouse.

[dubdub]

Yeah, it's a bit expensive for what it is. I'll wait for some demos of people actually using it. If it works well in praxis I'm seriously considering it though, i've wanted something like that for a while.

I use this for chords. It's just a basic matrix without fancy stuff like suspensions but there's zero bullshit you don't need and you can get some ideas down super quick and then do some adjustments yourself. But yeah, all the clicking gets a bit old, especially if you're trying to do a pattern with a certain rhythm. https://ask.audio/articles/tet-music-to ... ve-devices

[Amøbe]

I really like techno from people who don't understand western harmony... I hope this won't erase it!

[Lost to the Void]

I really want a hex harmonic midi keyboard

[xonetacular]

been following this but waiting to see when it comes out since I dont do preorder stuff

interested in it since I'm a musical hack, would prob just use it to program the SE engine. a lot of the less basic chord options seem way overkill for techno and probably wouldn't use the majority of them, still cool though.

[Southpaw]

I really like techno from people who don't understand western harmony... I hope this won't erase it!

I saw this last year and it's just a chord device ( maybe a bit more by now ) I don't think there's any danger it would ruin someones 'musical innocence'.

Is there much demand for this sort of thing? I guess my thinking is the money could be spent on more useful things and the time it would take for it to be delivered, you'd have probably got your head around enough chords anyway. Outside of Techno I could imagine it could be applied really well for songwriting purposes which have harmonic progressions where people don't have much keyboard skills but for just a few chord shapes I'm not so sure.

I don't know if people are aware but there's free software about that lets you assign your own chord shapes to any key. Not like Abletons device where you get the same chord but any chord you put in, to any chromatic note. Here: http://www.codefn42.com/chordz/index.html There's a few different midi plugins on there actually.

[dubdub]

Well, personally, I don't care about classic 'chord progressions', most the usual ones will make your stuff sound like pop music anyways. I just like trying out a bunch of different chords really quickly and even if you'd know them all from your head, you couldn't do it as fast as with this thing. And it just feels more techno than sitting down with a midi keyboard. Knocking out a sequence with the pads seems cool aswell.

[Lost to the Void]

Yeah, I could do with one of these, now that the hex boards from C-Thru music are dead and buried, this is the next best thing.

[innovine]

I've always been curious about hex keyboards. Would love to try one someday

[Southpaw]

Well, personally, I don't care about classic 'chord progressions', most the usual ones will make your stuff sound like pop music anyways. I just like trying out a bunch of different chords really quickly and even if you'd know them all from your head, you couldn't do it as fast as with this thing. And it just feels more techno than sitting down with a midi keyboard. Knocking out a sequence with the pads seems cool aswell.

Well you do realise that the free midi plugin I linked to in my previous post does exactly that?

You can put whatever chord you like on every chromatic note if you wish giving you 12 different chords types, but a much more 'intelligent' and functional way of using it, is to put the device into chromatic mode ( as oppose to a scale related one ) hit 'apply' and every note becomes usable as 'storage'. Then for purposes of description, lets say you want the key of A minor, you put whatever chords you like on the black keys because which leaves all the white keys triggering single notes. Now you have a set up where you can create fluid patterns, jamming between the use of chords and monophonic lines.

That's just one way you can use it, it's flexible though and adaptable.

[dubdub]

Yeah but then I have to set it up again every time if I want a different key, no? With something like Kordbot I have acess to all keys, all notes, every type of chord available, instantly without having to set shit up. Not to mention that Kordbot shows you all the common chords right on the hardware.

Yeah, I could do with one of these, now that the hex boards from C-Thru music are dead and buried, this is the next best thing.

Never heard of them, they look cool. I saw they're not being manufactured anymore - is that why they're 'dead and buried'?

[Lost to the Void]

There is another company​ making Harmonic hex keyboards but they are bespoke made to order and cost absolutely silly money.

[g3_d9]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ta ... cer-and-sy ?

[msl]

I've been following this too. Waiting to see if it will make it, been lot of delays and complaints so farm but it seems to be on course for release.

[dubdub]

I've been following this too. Waiting to see if it will make it, been lot of delays and complaints so farm but it seems to be on course for release.

Seems like he has the first finished stock for the kickstars preorders now.