I’ve been wanting to get a KMI Qunexus to use as keys with my A4. Seems like it could be very expressive similar to the AK joystick.
Wondering how you guys are using it with your
setups and if your using the CV as well?
I got one but did not get the results I was expecting, CV related. in the end, I got bored. I find I like setting up the A4 via the sequencer. I think it is a good idea and I will return to it a some point. you need the midi expander to get the A4 and it to work together in a nice way.
I have one with the midi extender. It is actually my main external keyboard. However, I’m going from OT midi in, then midi out from there to everything else, including my A4. That allows me to sequence everything with it.
While it is a nice piece of gear, I think it is a bit overpriced. It’s too bad I couldn’t use my cme xkey for said purpose instead, I like the feel of it better.
I have the QuNexus and the Midi Expander and was part of the crowdfunding jumpstart of the product from beginning. It’s very versatile when you consider through the software editor you can configure it so many useful ways.
Yes, the pads for keys take a bit to get used to and adapt to, but nothing will give you poly after touch and so many ways to affect modulation by simply rolling finger plus pressure like KMI products. I think it’s well worth the $$ considering KMI is considerably smaller than DSI in comparison.
I use it quite a lot with my iPad and Waldorf Nave App. Also works very well with the Pulse 2 and can bring that small form factor pair and some headphones to a coffee shop and sound design. Works very well with A4 as well.
You need the midi expander for that nexus to anything with midi DIN connection. Otherwise, if just using it with a laptop and DAW, USB works and powers it at same time.
Definitely the Swiss Army Knife of controllers. In comparison, the A4 mini keys are simply on/off.
I use my cme xkey on my ipad…it was $99 so the qunexus isn’t much more than that…was kind of a bummer having to spend another $50 for the midi expander…however, as I stated, it is a nice piece of gear and it is also my main ext. midi kb for sequencing OT, A4, etc etc…
I’m not a fan of the “rubberized keys” but all the options with aftertouch, rolling fingers left/right/up/down make it very versatile. I would definitely recommend it for someone looking for a small ext. midi kb.
I would prob not use it for sequencing but as a keyboard for mostly poly chords, bass, leads live and rec into the a4 track sequencers. I like the idea of being able to move the keys to get modulation and filtering, like on animoog app and similar to analog keys joystick.
Is anyone using the built in hold function? Is it like a freeze type thing that sustains out a chord?
Also interested in the scale mode, where the notes of the scale light up. Anyone using that to say improvise over a loop in a certain key to help learn your scales and figure out melody ideas for unfamiliar keys?
I don’t believe scale mode is something that is built in. At least I didn’t see anything like that when I read the manual (when I got it).
2 namnibor - can you tell, if the ‘toggle’ function works with a4? like hold, for holding arp chord, for example.
I have the QuNexus + the MIDI Expander, and I use that combo with my A4 and my modular.
For the A4, I really enjoy using the QuNexus: the expressive quality you can pull from the voices is remarkable. I really liked my A4 before, but once I began to play with the QuNexus, I discovered much more life in those sounds!
The KMI cable kit is also useful–both to connect QuNexus to my eurorack gear and as a set of perfect cables for the A4 CV outs. I simply plug in a 1/4" stereo headphone adapter (nice, small, no bigger really in dimension than the CV output jack itself) then plug in the 1/8" Y breakout cables. . . convenient! Alternatively, I can control the A4 via MIDI at the same time as I modulate things in the modular space all with just the QuNexus + expander. Brilliant.
One thing I learned: take time to set up the sensitivity of the pads on the controller to your liking. They are extremely responsive.
No luck, but does not mean it’s not possible. I got a bit frustrated when I found out that A4 sequencer would not or at least I could not get it to, record after touch and such. A bit of creativity killjoy for me to have to dial these things per trig/note. So have been spending more time with my Spectralis in recent months. However, am approaching the A4 again this weekend with a new outlook and mind-set because as mentioned above, the QuNexus is probably the closest to the Analog Key’s Joy Stick as far as versatile controllers and as of yet I do not think AK users can record joy stick movements into sequencer.
+1 on adjusting the sensitivity curves of the QuNexus. It’s wonderfully responsive.
+1 on worth buying the QuNexus cable kit. You get A LOT of connectivity options for all the cv stuff that can be used in so many set-ups.
thanks a lot for replies!
Hi There,
I too have this combination of A4 and Qunexus. When I plug the Qunexus into iPad its so nice to play. Yet when I plug (via midi expander) into A4 its just plays very oddly. For example I hit 2 different keys in the same way, one plays much quieter. Again this isn’t the case on the iPad. Last night I did try to edit some settings with the editor but this doest seem to make any difference interestingly.
I have been using A4 since last summer and I know it fairly well. But Logic would seem to indicate that as its playing well on 1 device and not the other it should be the A4 possibly. So is there a setting I am missing that will get rid of the inconsistent feel? Or are there settings that you can share that work well please??
Help appreciated.
I don’t know if this is it but what you describe above almost sounds like it is not reading velocity when plugged into the iPad but is when plugged into the A4. I’ve never actually used mine into an iPad so I’m not sure, however, it functions as it should going into the midi expander and then my A4 or OT.
I use the Qunexus with a Kenton USB midi host. The retailer warned me that I would need the KMI midi expander to get the results I was after, but it is not the case. I thought I’d put that out there since the Kenton is more versatile and can be used with gear such as the OP-1 to control or be controlled by other gear.
Hey guys,
I just got a QuNexus to control my A4.
I tried to edit some presets with the editor but I am still not getting some interesting results.
Looking for some presets/tips/ideas. Basically need more expressivity when I am playing the A4 live (pressure, velocity etc…).
Thanks!
Also having some issues when controlling the A4 from the Quenexus (monophonic setting).
When I am playing a track from the Quenexus (for example a lead), the new note cuts off as the previous note is released. Note sure if this is a velocity issue or a Quenexus bug. Playing the same patch from the A4 keyboard works fine. Thoughts?
Turn the velocity off from Quenexus and see what happens. You can do it without the computer by holding down the preset button for few seconds then turning on/off various features.
Thank you 
I actually ended up selling the A4+QueNexus combo to replace it with the AK.
How did you get it to work in this setup?
I have OT, A4, Rytm and just got Qunexus.
Before the Nexus I just had the gear setup OT MIDI OUT>Rytm IN, Rytm THRU > A4 IN.
If I go Qunexus directly into the A4 it works perfectly. (OT + rytm aren’t hooked up)
If I have it go to OT IN with my normal chain (OT MIDI OUT>Rytm IN, Rytm THRU > A4 IN) it doesn’t do anything.
Tried going OT OUT > Rytm IN, Rytm THRU > MidiXpander IN, MidiXpander OUT > A4
That kills the MIDI on the A4 (no clock from OT etc) But the Qunexus controls it fine in this setup.
Any advice?
How did you get it to work in this setup?
I have OT, A4, Rytm and just got Qunexus.
Before the Nexus I just had the gear setup OT MIDI OUT>Rytm IN, Rytm THRU > A4 IN.
If I go Qunexus directly into the A4 it works perfectly. (OT + rytm aren’t hooked up)
If I have it go to OT IN with my normal chain (OT MIDI OUT>Rytm IN, Rytm THRU > A4 IN) it doesn’t do anything.
Tried going OT OUT > Rytm IN, Rytm THRU > MidiXpander IN, MidiXpander OUT > A4
That kills the MIDI on the A4 (no clock from OT etc) But the Qunexus controls it fine in this setup.
Any advice?[/quote]
I don’t have a QuNexus but (with the KMI MIDI Expander) it should work just like any MIDI keyboard. That means that you will need to ensure that the MIDI channels are set up appropriately on each Elektron instrument.
Connect the MIDI Out of the MIDI Expander to the MIDI In of the OT. Set the MIDI channel for the MIDI Expander to be the same as that of the Auto channel of the OT. Then, when the OT is in MIDI sequencer mode, it will pass on what you play through its MIDI Out port to the connected instruments.
You will need to set the MIDI channels of the OT’s MIDI sequencer tracks to match the channel numbers you have set for the tracks on the AR and AF that you want to play using the QuNexus. You will probably need to deactivate MIDI receipt for some of the tracks on the AR and AF in order to prevent conflicts.