Scale

Abstract

The Scale engine maps the notes you play on the Kontrol S-Series MK3 keyboard to the closest notes contained in the selected scale. It features a vast amount of different scales that you can use to play your instruments. In Chord mode, you can use the scales to generate chords from single notes.

Scale maps the notes you play using your keyboard or sequencer to the closest notes contained in the selected scale. It features a vast amount of different scales that you can use to play your instruments. In Chord mode, you can use the scales to generate chords from single notes. Combined with the Arpeggiator, you can play scales automatically with a variety of different motives and rhythms.

Activating Scale

Switching between Plugin and Keyboard mode for Scale

Kontrol S-Series MK3 features two operating modes for Scale, Keyboard and Plugin:

Keyboard mode operates independently of the Komplete Kontrol software. The Scale engine's MIDI is generated directly on the keyboard. This enables the use of scales and chords with any software instrument, both plugins in your DAW as well as standalone applications, or any hardware synth that accepts MIDI.
Plugin mode utilizes the Play Assist feature provided by the Komplete Kontrol software and does not generate MIDI on the keyboard. Any settings made in this mode are unique to the active instance of the Komplete Kontrol software and will be saved as part of your DAW project.

To switch Scale to Keyboard mode:

Press PLAY ASSIST at the left of the display to show the Scale and Arp settings.
Press SHIFT + Button 7 (Keyboard) at the top of the display to activate Keyboard mode.
Scale now operates in Keyboard mode, generating all of its MIDI directly on the keyboard.

To switch back to Plugin mode, press SHIFT + Button 8 (Plugin).
Note
Plugin mode is only available when the keyboard is connected to the Komplete Kontrol software.

Activating both Keyboard and Plugin mode

You can activate Scale in both Keyboard and Plugin mode at the same time, enabling you to preserve Scale settings within Komplete Kontrol instances. Each mode is indicated by icons in the top-right corner of the screen. These icons remain visible even when viewing the Plugin page instead of the Play Assist page. If Keyboard and Plugin mode are active at the same time, both icons will be displayed.

Keyboard mode is indicated by a keyboard keys icon, and a blue banner on the display.
Plugin mode is indicated by a computer display icon, and a dark banner styled in the Komplete Kontrol theme.

Playing a Scale

To select and play a scale on the keyboard, follow these instructions:

Check that the PLAY ASSIST button is brightly lit. If not, press it to display the parameters for the Scale and Arp engines.
Press Button 1 (Scale) to display the Scale parameters.
To select a scale, turn Knob 1 (Root Note, by default set to C), Knob 2 (Bank, by default set to Main) and Knob 3 (Type, by default set to Major) until you find a scale you like.
To play the scale you selected, ensure that Button 1 (Scale) lights up cyan, otherwise press SHIFT + Button 1 (Scale) to activate the Scale engine.
The keys on the keyboard are now mapped to the notes in the selected scale. The mapping is reflected visually by the Light Guide. Root notes are brightly lit, while other notes in the scale are dimmed. Pressing any unlit key automatically activates the nearest lit key so that only notes belonging to the selected scales are being played back.
Press PLUG IN to return to the control of the loaded preset. The Scale engine remains switched on.

Note

If you selected Chrom (chromatic) in SCALE Type, all keys are mapped.

Playing Chords

You can play chords in the usual way by pressing any number of keys simultaneously (or send multiple MIDI notes simultaneously from the DAW), but you can also create and play chords by using Play Assist.

Notice

To play multiple notes in a chord simultaneously, the loaded product must be able to handle polyphony.

To play a chord by only pressing a single key on the keyboard, follow these instructions:

Check that the PLAY ASSIST button is brightly lit. If not, press it to display the parameters for the Scale and Arp engines.
Press Button 1 (Scale) to display the Scale parameters.
To activate Chord mode, set CHORD Mode to Harmonizer by turning Knob 5 (by default set to Off).
Define the intervals of your chord with the CHORD Type parameter by turning Knob 6 (by default set to 1-3-5).
To activate playing full chords, ensure that Button 1 (Scale) lights up cyan, otherwise press SHIFT + Button 1 (Scale) to activate the Scale engine.
Chord mode is activated and set to Harmonizer. Pressing any key automatically activates and plays back the nearest lit key according to the mapping by selected scale. With the default chord, it also plays back the third and the fifth note above the pressed key in the selected scale, in accordance with the interval value set by Knob 6 (1-3-5, meaning the first, third, and fifth note of the scale). All played back notes are indicated by bright LEDs on the Light Guide.
Press PLUG IN to return to the control of the loaded preset. The Scale engine remains switched on.

Editing Scales and Chords

You can tailor the scales and chords to your needs using the Scale engine parameters.

You can select the scale to be mapped to the keys of the keyboard and set its root note by using the SCALE parameters Root Note, Bank, and Type. For more information, refer to Scale Parameters.
You can define how the selected scale is mapped to the keys of the keyboard by using the KEY MODE parameter Mode. For more information, refer to Key Mode Parameter.
You can automatically generate custom chords while playing on the keyboard by using the CHORD parameters Mode, Type, and Position. For more information, refer to Chord Parameters.

Accessing the Scale Parameters

To access the Scale parameters on your keyboard, do the following:

Check that the PLAY ASSIST button is brightly lit. If not, press it to display the parameters for the Scale and Arp engines.
Press Button 1 (Scale) to display the Scale parameters.
The Button 1 lights up brightly and the Scale label below Button 1 is highlighted, indicating that you are editing the Scale parameters.

Tip

When the PLAY ASSIST button is on, the Button 1 color indicates whether the Scale engine is on (cyan) or off (white), while its brightness indicates if the Scale parameters are displayed (brightly lit) or not (dimmed).

Scale Parameters

The SCALE parameters Root Note, Bank, and Type allow you to select the scale to be mapped to the keys of the keyboard and set its root note.

Scale Root Note

The first SCALE parameter is Root Note. Setting the root note of a scale means deciding what key the scale will begin with. The following notes of the scale depend on which scale pattern you select with the SCALE Type parameter (see below). You can transpose any scale pattern up or down by selecting a different Root Note.

The Root Note setting includes the following values:

C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B

Scale Bank and Type

The second and third SCALE parameters from the left are Bank and Type. Use them to decide the scale pattern according to which the notes will be mapped onto the keys of the keyboard. Each Bank consists of 15 thematically related scales, which can be selected by using the Type control.

For example, using the default Root Note value C combined with the default Type Major from the default Bank Main, you get the scale C major, which spans over one octave and contains the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, and B (followed by C again). If instead you select G as your Root Note, the G major scale contains the notes G, A, B, C, D, E, and F♯ (followed by G again). You will notice that the distance between each note follows the same pattern of “whole step–whole step–half step–whole step–whole step–whole step–half step,” which is the pattern of the Major scale.

If you are triggering an Instrument via an incoming MIDI pattern from the DAW, the notes of the MIDI pattern will be mapped onto the closest keys belonging to the selected Type. This means that, for example (with Root Note set to C) a MIDI pattern consisting of the notes C-D-D♯ will be played back as such if Type is set to Chromatic from Bank Main, but instead as C-D-E if Type is set to Major.

Note

The actual keys triggering the scale notes, as well as the behavior of inactive keys (unlit LEDs) depend on the KEY MODE Mode parameter (Knob 4).

The following scales are available:

Main Scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degrees
Chromatic	Main	Chrom	1 ♭2 2 ♭3 3 4 ♭5 5 ♭6 6 ♭7 7
Major	Main	Major	1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Minor	Main	Minor	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Harm Min	Main	Harm Min	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Maj Pent	Main	Maj Pent	1 2 3 5 6
Min Pent	Main	Min Pent	1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
Blues	Main	Blues	1 ♭3 4 ♯4 5 ♭7
Japanese	Main	Japanese	1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6
Freygish	Main	Freygish	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Hungarian Min	Main	Hung Min	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7
Arabic	Main	Arabic	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7
Altered	Main	Altered	1 ♭2 ♯2 3 ♯4 ♭6 ♭7
Whole Tone	Main	WH Tone	1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7
H-W Dim	Main	H-W Dim	1 ♭2 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
W-H Dim	Main	W-H Dim	1 2 ♭3 4 ♯4 ♯5 6 7

Modes Scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degrees
Ionian	Modes	Ionian	1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Dorian	Modes	Dorian	1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7
Phrygian	Modes	Phrygian	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Lydian	Modes	Lydian	1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7
Mixolydian	Modes	Mixolyd	1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7
Aeolian	Modes	Aeolian	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Locrian	Modes	Locrian	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Ionian b2	Modes	Ion b2	1 ♭2 3 4 5 6 7
Dorian b5	Modes	Dor b5	1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7
Harm Phryg	Modes	Har Phry	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Phryg Major	Modes	Phry Maj	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Lydian b3	Modes	Lyd b3	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 7
Major Locrian	Modes	Maj Loc	1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Minor Locrian	Modes	Min Loc	1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Super Locrian	Modes	Sup Loc	1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

Jazz Scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degrees
Lydian ♭7	Jazz	Lyd ♭7	1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Altered	Jazz	Altered	1 ♭2 ♯2 3 ♯4 ♭6 ♭7
Diminished	Jazz	Diminshd	1 ♭2 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Mixo b13	Jazz	Mix b13	1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Mixo b9 b13	Jazz	Mixb9b13	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Lydian ♭7 b2	Jazz	Lyd ♭7b2	1 ♭2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Bebop	Jazz	Bebop	1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7
Whole Tone	Jazz	Whole Tn	1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7
Blues Maj	Jazz	Blues Ma	1 2 ♭3 3 5 6
Blues Min	Jazz	Blues Mi	1 ♭3 4 ♯4 5 ♭7
Blues Combined	Jazz	BluesCmb	1 2 ♭3 3 4 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Lydian #5	Jazz	Lyd #5	1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 6 7
Jazz Minor	Jazz	Jazz Mi	1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Half Dim	Jazz	Half Dim	1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Augmented	Jazz	Augmentd	1 ♭3 3 5 ♯5 7

World Scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degrees
Hungarian Min	World	Hung Min	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7
Hungarian Maj	World	Hung Maj	1 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Neapolitan	World	Neapoltn	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Spanish	World	Spanish	1 ♭2 ♭3 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Greek	World	Greek	1 2 ♭3 ♭4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Jewish 1	World	Jewish 1	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Jewish 2	World	Jewish 2	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Indian 1	World	Indian 1	1 ♭2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7
Indian 2	World	Indian 2	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 7
Indian 3	World	Indian 3	1 ♭2 2 4 5 ♭6 6
Indian 4	World	Indian 4	1 ♯2 3 4 5 ♯6 7
Mid East 1	World	M East 1	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7
Mid East 2	World	M East 2	1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7
Mid East 3	World	M East 3	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7
Mid East 4	World	M East 4	1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7

5-Tone Scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degrees
Penta I	5-Tone	Pent I	1 2 3 5 6
Penta II	5-Tone	Pent II	1 2 4 5 ♭7
Penta III	5-Tone	Pent III	1 ♭3 4 ♭6 ♭7
Penta IV	5-Tone	Pent IV	1 2 4 5 6
Penta V	5-Tone	Pent V	1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
Hirajoshi	5-Tone	Hira	1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6
Insen	5-Tone	Insen	1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7
Kokin Joshi	5-Tone	Kokin	1 2 4 5 ♭6
Akebono	5-Tone	Akebono	1 2 ♭3 5 6
Ryukuan	5-Tone	Ryukuan	1 3 4 5 7
Abhogi	5-Tone	Abhogi	1 2 ♭3 4 6
Bhupkali	5-Tone	Bhupkali	1 2 3 5 ♭6
Hindolam	5-Tone	Hindolam	1 ♭3 4 ♭6 ♭7
Bhupalam	5-Tone	Bhupalam	1 ♭2 ♭3 5 ♭6
Amritavarshini	5-Tone	Amrita	1 3 ♯4 5 7

Modern Scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degrees
Octatonic	Modern	Octatonc	1 2 ♭3 4 ♯4 ♯5 6 7
Acoustic	Modern	Acoustic	1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Augmented	Modern	Augmentd	1 ♭3 3 5 ♯5 7
Tritone	Modern	Tritone	1 ♭2 3 ♭5 5 ♭7
Leading Wh Tone	Modern	Lead Wh	1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7
Enigmatic	Modern	Enigmatc	1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7
Scriabin	Modern	Scriabin	1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7
Tcherepnin	Modern	Tcherepn	1 ♯1 ♯2 3 4 5 ♯5 6 7
Messiaen I	Modern	Mes I	1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 #6
Messiaen II	Modern	Mes II	1 ♭2 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Messiaen III	Modern	Mes III	1 2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 ♭6 ♭7 7
Messiaen IV	Modern	Mes IV	1 ♭2 2 4 ♯4 5 ♭6 7
Messiaen V	Modern	Mes V	1 ♭2 4 ♯4 5 7
Messiaen VI	Modern	Mes VI	1 2 3 4 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7
Messiaen VII	Modern	Mes VII	1 ♭2 2 ♭3 4 ♯4 5 ♭6 6 7

Major Scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degrees
Natural	Major	Natural	1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Lydian	Major	Lydian	1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7
Mixolydian	Major	Mixolyd	1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7
Major Minor	Major	Maj Min	1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Harmonic Major	Major	Har Maj	1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7
Dbl Har Major	Major	Dbl Maj	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7
Neapolitan Maj	Major	Nea Maj	1 ♭2 3 4 5 6 7
Major Locrian	Major	Maj Loc	1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Blues Major	Major	Blues Ma	1 2 ♭3 3 5 6
Bebop Major	Major	Bebop Ma	1 2 3 4 5 ♯5 6 7
Hexa 1	Major	Hexa 1	1 2 3 5 6 7
Hexa 2	Major	Hexa 2	1 2 3 4 5 6
Penta 1	Major	Penta 1	1 2 3 5 6
Penta 2	Major	Penta 2	1 3 4 5 7
Penta 3	Major	Penta 3	1 3 5 6 7

Minor Scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degrees
Natural	Minor	Natural	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Dorian	Minor	Dorian	1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7
Phrygian	Minor	Phrygian	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Minor Major	Minor	Min Maj	1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Harmonic Minor	Minor	Har Min	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Dbl Har Minor	Minor	Dbl Min	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7
Neapolitan Min	Minor	Nea Min	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Minor Locrian	Minor	Min Loc	1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Blues Min	Minor	Blues Mi	1 ♭3 4 ♯4 5 ♭7
Bebop Minor	Minor	Bebop Mi	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 7
Hexa 1	Minor	Hexa 1	1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6 ♭7
Hexa 2	Minor	Hexa 2	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6
Penta 1	Minor	Penta 1	1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6
Penta 2	Minor	Penta 2	1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
Penta 3	Minor	Penta 3	1 ♭3 5 ♭6 ♭7

Key Mode Parameter

The KEY MODE Mode menu consists of the following three modes, which are described in detail below:

Guide
Mapped (default value)
Easy

Easy Mode

In Easy mode, the notes of the selected scale are mapped to the keyboard so that any scale can be played using the white keys of the keyboard only. The black keys are inactive and pressing them will not trigger any other notes.

Notice

Selecting the 12-step chromatic scale in KEY MODE Easy maps the keys in the same way as in the Mapped mode.

The Root Note is always mapped to the middle C key (commonly called C3). If the selected scale consists of seven notes, it matches the seven white keys of a single octave on the keyboard. In this case, the Root Note coincides with the key C across all octaves of the keyboard. If instead the selected scale consists of more or less than seven notes, it does not match the seven white keys of a single octave on the keyboard and the Root Note is shifted throughout adjacent octaves accordingly.

For two examples of the Easy mode mappings in Major and Minor, refer to below.

Scale Type	Key Mappings in Easy Mode
White keys:	C3	D3	E3	F3	G3	A3	B3
Major
Corresponding mappings:	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Example with root note C:	C	D	E	F	G	A	B
Minor
Corresponding mappings:	1	2	♭3	4	5	♭6	♭7
Example with root note C:	C	D	♭E	F	G	♭A	♭B

Chord Parameters

The CHORD parameters Mode, Type and Position allow you to define the chord to be played using the Chord function.

Chord Mode

The first CHORD parameter is Mode. Use it to generate chords from single notes, either from the keyboard or from incoming MIDI notes from the DAW.

CHORD Mode has one inactive (Off) and two active states, which are described in detail below:

Off
Harmonizer
Chord Set

Harmonizer

If CHORD Mode is set to Harm (Harmonizer), the CHORD Type menu allows you to specify the interval of notes in the selected SCALE Type that will constitute the chord: For example, a triad in the form of the root note, the third note, and the fifth note (CHORD Type value 1-3-5).

Chord Set

If CHORD Mode is set to Chord Set (Chord Set), the CHORD Type menu allows you to choose from a selection of major and minor chords depending on the current Root Note.

Notice

The SCALE Type and KEY MODE Mode parameters are not available when CHORD Mode is set to Chord Set.

Chord Type

The second CHORD parameter is Type. Use it to select the chord that will be generated from a single note used as input.

The available CHORD Type values depend on whether CHORD Mode is set to Harmonizer or Chord Set, as described in detail below.

CHORD Type, CHORD Mode Set to Harmonizer

If CHORD Mode is set to Harmonizer, then CHORD Type will offer you a selection of individual notes present in the selected SCALE Type. This means that for all scales except the 12-tone Chrom scale (chromatic scale, refer to further below), you can select the interval of notes that will make up your chord.

When CHORD Mode is set to Harm, the CHORD Type setting includes the following values:

Chord Type	Interval Added to Played Note
Octave	Octave
1-3	3rd
1-5	5th
1-3-5	3rd and 5th
1-4-5	4th and 5th
1-3-5-7	3rd, 5th and 7th
1-4-7	4th and 7th

CHORD Type, CHORD Mode Set to Chd Set

If CHORD Mode is set to Chord Set and, for example, the Root Note is set to C, then the CHORD Type menu presents you with a list of selectable chords. Values are, e.g., Maj 4 and Min 7, which would generate a major and minor chord, respectively, both using C as the chord’s root note.

When CHORD Mode is set to Chord Set, the CHORD Type setting includes the following values:

Maj 1, Maj 2, Maj 3, Maj 4, Maj 5, Maj 6, Maj 7, Maj 8, Min 1, Min 2, Min 3, Min 4, Min 5, Min 6, Min 7, Min 8

CHORD Type and the Chromatic Scale

The Chrom (chromatic) scale consists of every semitone in an octave. This means that when you play every white key and every black key of an octave up or down, you are playing the 12-step chromatic scale. Since all semitones of an octave are present in the scale, you can use all keys to form chords. In turn, selecting Chrom as SCALE Type means that you can select virtually any CHORD Type. The following chords are available and can be generated:

Chord Type	Semitones Added above Played Note
Octave	12
Perf 4 (Perfect 4)	5
Perf 5 (Perfect 5)	7
Major	4 and 7
Minor	3 and 7
Sus 4 (Suspended 4)	5 and 7
Maj 7 (Major 7)	4, 7 and 11
Min 7 (Minor 7)	3, 7 and 10
Dom 7 (Dominant 7)	4, 7 and 10
Dom 9 (Dominant 9)	4, 7, 10 and 14
Min 7 ♭5 (Minor 7 ♭5)	3, 6 and 10
Dim 7 (Diminished 7)	3, 6 and 9
Aug (Augumented)	4 and 8
Quartal	5, 10 and 15
Trichord	5 and 11

ChordPosition

The third CHORD parameter is Position. Use it to spread the notes of a chord generated from a single note and to aid a more musical transition between chords.

The Position parameter is available when CHORD Type is set to Harmonizer or Chord Set and includes the following values:

Position	Description
Root	The root position of the selected chord is always played.
-1 to -8	Decreasing Position with negative values moves the highest note of the current chord down by an octave, this inverts the chord to a lower position in the selected scale.
+1 to +8	Increasing Position with positive values moves the lowest note of the current chord up by an octave, this inverts the chord to a higher position in the selected scale.
Auto	This provides a more human feel in the transition from one chord to another. The notes used to form each chord are automatically selected to provide the best inversion.

Scale

Activating Scale

Switching between Plugin and Keyboard mode for Scale

Note

Activating both Keyboard and Plugin mode

Playing a Scale

Note

Playing Chords

Notice

Editing Scales and Chords

Accessing the Scale Parameters

Tip

Scale Parameters

Scale Root Note

Tip

Scale Bank and Type

Tip

Note

Main Scales

Modes Scales

Jazz Scales

World Scales

5-Tone Scales

Modern Scales

Major Scales

Minor Scales

Key Mode Parameter

Mapped Mode (Default)

Guide Mode

Easy Mode

Notice

Chord Parameters

Chord Mode

Tip

Harmonizer

Chord Set

Notice

Chord Type

Tip

CHORD Type, CHORD Mode Set to Harmonizer

CHORD Type, CHORD Mode Set to Chd Set

CHORD Type and the Chromatic Scale

ChordPosition

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