Simple and Tactile. Feel it.
Select notes from the Pitboard.
Pitboard has fingertip-sized pits, one for each note.
The C major scale - the white keys of a piano - covers one half. The other half consists of the notes found in the C♯ major scale.
The C and F notes are marked like this:
This file contains the Pitboard layout and some common chords: Kara Pitboard And Chords [pdf]
Play up to 4 instruments at once.
Kara sends MIDI note messages via channels 1, 2, 3 and 4. You can control several devices in real time.
Touching the Note Trigger of a channel, selects the channel. An LED indicates the selected channel.
You may find Understand MIDI Basics In 4 Minutes video useful.
Strum sustained notes with different velocities.
The notes you touch on the Pitboard can be played with a strum action. The speed of the strum action defines the velocity for the notes.
Strummed notes stay on until stopped: you can freely select the next notes without affecting those that are currently playing.
If you are not touching the Pitboard, previous notes are repeated.
Tap notes through several channels.
The notes you touch on the Pitboard can be played by tapping one or more Note Triggers.
The velocity for tapped notes follows the velocity of strummed notes. When you have strummed several notes with high velocity, the tapped notes will also have high velocity.
Trigger samples. Activate effects. Execute DAW actions.
Short intro to Control Change (CC) messages. See the purple parameters in this video. Kara can control those all with CC messages. DAW detects them with its MIDI Learn/Map feature, no need for you to memorize or type them.
By double-tapping a pit, Pitboard turns into Control Change Mode. In this mode, CC messages are sent by tapping a pit; Kara essentially has faders and buttons for sending them.
Here's the Control Change Mode described in detail: Kara Control Change Mode [pdf]
Shape sounds and effects with motion.
When you touch one of the Motion Triggers, Kara sends Pitch Bend and CC 108 messages based on how you move the instrument.
Via the selected channel or those that have strummed notes playing.
Lock by touching both, and unlock by touching one of them.
The Pitch Bend value recenters automatically to no pitch change.
Tip: To map the CC 108 messages with MIDI Learn, you can use Control Change Mode.
The Audio Drift track I recorded with Kara proto showcases its various features.
Using MIDI mapping on Ableton Live, I mapped CC messages to launch samples, alter sound filters and activate the arpeggiator.
