Korg Revises Portable USB MIDI Controllers; What’s New in nanoSERIES 2?

Cheap, ultra-slim, and easy to pop in a backpack, Korg’s nano Series were a big hit. The only real blemish on this line has to be the original nanoKEY; some people managed to use it, but key caps chronically fell off and it wasn’t a whole lot of fun to play. The nanoPAD and nanoKONTROL fared much better, providing pads and faders in a laptop-ready form factor. And since they don’t require drivers, these will also work with new devices like the iPad.

With the nanoSERIES2, Korg mainly sticks with the original formula, but adds a few adjustments. They have the same housing, says Korg, and driver-free USB operation. So what’s new?

nanoKEY2: A new keybed, “modeled after a MacBook.” So, it is still going to feel like a computer keyboard (a necessary evil given how thin it is), but at least it’ll feel like a better keyboard.
nanoKEY2: Light-up octave shift.
nanoPAD2: Record gestures on the X-Y pad.
nanoPAD2: 16 pads instead of 12.
nanoPAD2: Arpeggiator, chord triggers.
nanoKONTROL2: 8 faders instead of 9, and a more logical control layout.
nanoKONTROL2: Mackie HUI support.
I’m especially excited by the nanoPAD2, as it gets quite a significant improvement. All in all, these look subtly different but improved, particularly in moving the nanoKEY2 into the realm of actual usabilty. Pricing remains the same; stay tuned for these to ship.

nanoSERIES2

And yes, they’ll still be available in white, though now with a more subdued color scheme (none of the retro blue-and-white flair). See below…

(BY PETER KIRN, createdigitalmusic)