Korg Kaoss Pad

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M1D1 Manson (Manson with an XY pad)
Matt's Kaoss Pad KP2 on his guitar rack (next to the Whammy)
Morgan's on-stage gear with the Kaoss Pad KP3 (right - next to the Moog synth)

The Korg Kaoss Pad is a touch-operated dynamic real-time effects controller and sampling unit. The base of the Kaoss Pad lays around an XY pad - as you move your finger around the pad you are controlling many sophisticated aspects of a built-in effects processor. Move your finger left to right and you control certain aspects of the sound. Move it up and down and you control other parameters. The Kaoss Pad produces complex sounds that are hard to achieve with any other controller.

The Korg Kaoss Pad is packed with sampling effects like like filters, delays, reverb, and flanging, along with DJ effects like isolator, slicer, and auto-panning. Programs are selectable via a rotating knob. The programs are assignable to eight of the memory buttons for instant recall. The Kaoss Pad also comes with several synth sounds including analog synth programs and ethereal ambiance-type sounds, aswell as vocoder programs for MC or vocal processing. The Kaoss Pad also includes it's own "light show", creating a sense of groove.

The first Kaoss Pad was launched in 1999. In 2002, the second generation Kaoss Pad (known as the KP2) was launched. It was succeeded by the Kaoss Pad KP3 in 2006, and that was succeeded by the KP3+ model in 2013.

Kaoss Pad KP2

Since the start of the Black Holes and Revelations tour in summer 2006, Manson began incorporating a MIDI XY pad into many of Matt's guitars. The first one to include a pad was the Manson M1D1 Black, with other examples being the Manson M1D1 Mirror, Manson Red Glitter, the Manson Black Midi. At one point almost every new guitar Matt got featured a XY pad, though since 2012 most of his guitars don't have one. It's important to note that the XY pad on Matt's guitars is simply a MIDI controller which allows him to control the KP2 (or any other MIDI compatible device) from the guitar - the XY pad on it's own doesn't emit any noise.

Matt has used the KP2 for various songs since 2006, but by far his most prominent and well-known use of the KP2 is during the song Supermassive Black Hole. Ever since the Eden Project gig (22nd August 2006), Matt has used his Kaoss Pad to imitate a DJ scratching sound during the solo part of the song. This causes each performance of the song to sound unique compared to others, and has become an iconic part of the song live.

Another of Matt's notable uses of the KP2 is seen while transitioning between piano and guitar during New Born, although this was temporarily ditched in 2019 during the metal medley of the Simulation Theory Tour as New Born was played in it's shortened version. The KP2 is also prominently used during the Break It To Me solo's studio version, though the live version includes a newer XY pad guitar, which is controlling a whammy pedal rather than the KP2. Other songs that Matt used the KP2 live on include Invincible, Forced In, Unsustainable, Isolated System, and The Gallery.

One more notable usage of the KP2 was seen at the San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium gig (9th April 2007). It was used for a jam that was named "Kaoss Jam" on the setlist and was played on a few gigs after, but never again aside from some gigs during the The Resistance Tour in 2011.

During the Black Holes & Revelations Tour, the KP2 was included in Matt's on-stage pedalboard setup. Since The Resistance tour however, the KP2 has moved to his off-stage rack. Despite being discontinued, Matt still chooses to use the KP2 instead of the newer KP3 due to it's unique synth sounds which have been modified or updated for the KP3.

Songs (Matt's) KP2 is used for

Kaoss Pad KP3

Like Bellamy, Morgan Nicholls started using the Kaoss Pad from start of the Black Holes and Revelations tour, although he uses the KP3 model. The KP3 is used by him due to slightly updated built-in ambient synth sounds. Morgan's mostly using the white noise effect on the pad, although several other effects come into play during the gig. Morgan also used the KP3 as a sampler effects processor on a few songs, feeding the playback recordings into the KP3 and manipulating the pad itself.

The KP3 is prominently used on songs such as Nishe, the outros and jams of Stockholm Syndrome, and the outro of Knights of Cydonia, amongst others. It's used as a sampler on Montpellier Jam and Isolated System, and has also been used as a filter cutoff controller for Bliss's synths, and other occassional songs such as Dig Down.

Morgan ceased touring with the band from 2022 onwards and his replacement, Dan Lancaster, doesn't use a Kaoss pad in his setup.

Songs (Morgan's) KP3 used for

See also


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