Nektar Impact LX Mini User Manual

6 Nektar Impact LX Mini owner’s manual www.nektartech.com
DAW & MIDI Control
Impact LX Mini can be used to play and control a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), MIDI software instruments and MIDI hardware
connected to your computer. Getting Impact LX Mini set up with your computer may require some basic setup but for the most part
is straight forward.
Updating firmware & downloading Nektar DAW Integration software
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your product. Make sure to select any DAW you use as well as your OS. Without completing this part correctly, you may not see the DAW
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Start by creating a Nektar user account here: www.nektartech.com/registration
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Using Impact LX Mini as a generic USB MIDI controller
Impact LX Mini works as a generic USB MIDI controller straight out of the box. For MIDI control, the LX Mini’s large pot (12) sends MIDI cc#7
to control volume and in Internal mode, the eight pots (13) send MIDI messages that can be used to control instruments.
To get the most out of your setup you may need to customize the LX Mini setup, which can all be done in the Setup menu.
Power on and get started
The Impact LX Mini is USB Class compliant. This means there is no driver to install. Impact LX Mini uses the built-in USB MIDI driver which
is already part of operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS and iOS (via the optional camera connection kit). On Linux you will need to
install JACK and ALSA for MIDI.
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• Locate the included USB cable and plug one end in to your computer and the other in to your Impact LX Mini (see page 5, bullet 18).
• If you want to connect a foot switch to control sustain, plug it in to the 1/8” jack socket on the side of the keyboard (see page 5 bullet
19). Use the included 1/8” to 1/4” adaptor cable if your foot switch has a 1/4” jack.
• Set the power switch to On.
Keyboard
The Impact LX Mini features a 25 note mini velocity sensitive keyboard which, despite its compact size, allows surprisingly expressive
control. There are 3 different keyboard velocity curves and 3 fixed velocity levels to choose from, depending on how sensitive and dynamic
you want the Impact LX Mini keyboard to play.
We recommend you spend a little time playing with the default velocity curve and then determine if you need more or less sensitivity.
You can learn more about velocity curves, and how to select them, in the “Setup” section on page 18.
Octave buttons
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• With each press, the left Octave button will shift the keyboard down one octave.
• The right Octave button will similarly shift the keyboard up 1 octave at a time, when pressed.
• Pressing both Octave buttons at the same time resets the setting to 0.
Using octave shift, the keyboard covers the entire MIDI keyboard range of 128 notes.

Nektar Impact LX Mini Specifications

General

Brand	Nektar
Model	Impact LX Mini
Category	Recording Equipment
Language	English

Summary

Introduction

Box Contents

Lists the items included in the Impact LX Mini package.

System Requirements

Specifies the minimum hardware and OS requirements for operation.

Impact LX Mini Overview

DAW and MIDI Control

Firmware Update & DAW Software

Instructions for updating firmware and downloading DAW integration software.

Generic MIDI Controller Usage

How to use the Impact LX Mini as a standard USB MIDI controller.

Initial Setup and Power On

Steps to power on the device and connect it for the first time.

Keyboard and Octave Features

Details on the velocity-sensitive keyboard and octave shift buttons.

Keyboard and Real-time Controls

Part 2 and Transpose Functions

Explains the Part 2 feature for layering sounds and transpose functionality.

Hold Note (Latching) Function

Describes how to activate and use the note hold or latching feature.

Arpeggiator and Note Repeat

Activating & Switching Arp/Repeat

How to turn the Arpeggiator/Note Repeat function on/off for keys and pads.

Resetting Arp/Repeat Defaults

Procedure to reset Arpeggiator/Note Repeat settings to default values.

Programming Arp/Repeat Settings

Guide to configuring Arpeggiator and Note Repeat parameters.

Arpeggiator Parameter Configuration

Rate, Swing, Accent, and Interval

Details on configuring note timing, shuffle, accent level, and interval.

Tempo, Sync, and MIDI Clock Settings

Information on setting tempo, synchronization, and using MIDI clock.

Advanced Arpeggiator Controls

Arp Mode, Octave, and Gate

Configuration options for Arp Mode, Octave range, and Gate duration.

Velocity Modulation & Simultaneous Adjustments

Using the joystick for velocity and adjusting parameters for keys/pads together.

Internal and Instrument Modes

Internal Mode Setup

How to use Internal mode for MIDI control assignments.

Instrument Mode Usage

Utilizing Instrument mode for DAW plugin control or MIDI learn.

Quick Adjust Parameter Feature

Temporarily adjusting parameters in other modes without losing current context.

Pads and Pad Controls

Pad Maps and Loading

Managing and loading different pad configurations (maps).

Pad Learn Assignment

How to assign notes or MIDI messages to pads using Pad Learn.

Pad MIDI Message Programming

Programming pads to send MIDI switch messages.

Pad Velocity Curves & Clips/Scenes

Selecting pad velocity response and using Clips/Scenes buttons.

Pad Color Indicators

Factory Pad Map Presets

Setup Mode Operations

Cancelling Setup Entries

How to cancel value entries or menu selections in Setup mode.

Assigning MIDI CC to Controls

Step-by-step guide to assign MIDI CC messages to device controls.

Setup Mode Configuration

Program & MIDI Channel Assignment

Assigning program change messages and MIDI channels to controls.

Pad Learn & Save Pad Map Procedures

Detailed steps for Pad Learn and saving custom pad map configurations.

Part 2 Setup Options

Foot Switch for Part 2 Trigger

Configuring a foot switch to activate the Part 2 function.

Part 2 Octave, Channel, Transpose

Setting octave shifts, MIDI channels, and transpose for Part 2.

Part 2 Layer Functionality

Enabling or disabling the layering of Part 2 settings with played notes.

General Setup Settings

Global MIDI Channel Setting

How to change the global MIDI channel for all controls.

Keyboard Velocity Curve Selection

Choosing from different velocity curves for the keyboard.

Pad Velocity Curve Selection

Selecting different velocity curves for the pads.

System Utility Functions

Panic & Memory Dump Operations

Sending MIDI panic messages and backing up controller settings.

Low Power Mode Activation

How to enable and disable the low power consumption mode.

Setting Internal Tempo

Manually setting the tempo for the Arp/Repeat function.

DAW Integration and Transport

MMC Transport Control Setup

Configuring MIDI Machine Control for transport functions.

Pro Tools Integration Setup

Specific steps to set up the Impact LX Mini with Pro Tools software.

Factory Restore and Compliance

Factory Settings Restore

Procedure to reset the Impact LX Mini to its factory default settings.

Regulatory Compliance Information

Details on FCC, CE, and UK CA compliance for the device.