Waldorf Gekko

When your dilatory digits can't hit those chords on cue, MIDI sequencing can seem the only solution. As Paul Ward discovers, however, now you have a flexible new friend...

Sometimes we all need a little help. Cheques bounce, household jobs pile up over the winter months, and fingers seem to be in short supply when you're trying to play that major 13th chord pattern at 170 beats per minute. While Waldorf are unlikely to alleviate the strains of fiscal ineptitude, in the latter case they can now send a little reptile to our rescue, in the form of a Gekko.

So what is a Gekko? On the one hand, a 'gecko' is a small lizard that has a predilection for sticking to walls and moving at warp speed. In Waldorf's book, however, a 'Gekko' is a small kidney‑shaped box that sticks to your master keyboard and gives the listener the impression that you hands are moving at warp speed.

Plug In A Lizard

There are, in fact, two Gekkos. On the face of it they look identical, except that one is a pleasant lizardy green, and the other is, er... blue. Around its hind quarters is a pair of MIDI in/out sockets, while on the top surface is a large button and an attendant red LED to indicate when the Gekko is active. Power is taken from the MIDI line, which means no annoying power supply to hang off the back.

Only one Gekko can be connected at a time, due to the limited amount of power available on a MIDI network, and Waldorf warn that some high‑speed system‑exclusive transfers may be corrupted due to the extra power drain. The answer? Disconnect the Gekko. The unit is attached to its designated home by sticky‑backed Velcro pads.

The simplest way of introducing a Gekko into your musical life is to connect it between the MIDI out and MIDI in of a synth/keyboard. The synth must be in 'Local Off' mode, and its send and receive channels set to the same number. Once in place, the Gekko will process the notes arriving from the MIDI out, and send processed data back to the synth's MIDI in. When the Gekko is deactivated, the MIDI messages are passed unchanged. The instruction sheet gives examples of connection in a sequencing environment to process previously recorded MIDI data and, potentially, to record the results. As ever in these cases, a MIDI patchbay makes life much easier.

One‑Chord Wonder

The green device is the so‑called Gekko Chords, and is essentially a chord memoriser, like those found on giant modular systems of years gone by. To activate the Gekko, you simply press and hold the button, and then play a chord. To assist in this, a sustain pedal may be used to enter the notes in succession, up to a maximum of 16 notes. Once the button is released, the Gekko is active and the LED remains lit. To deactivate, simply press and release the button again. The memorised chord will remain in the Gekko until the button is held and a new chord entered.

Once active, any key press will generate the memorised chord shape, with the lowest voice corresponding to the trigger note. It's a doddle to produce those 7th/9th triggered chord riffs, much loved of techno/acid artists, which are more usually created by using a sampled chord. Here, the chord can be defined by the player. Bass and lead sounds may be stacked in fifths or octaves for a fatter sound — over several octaves if required. The velocity of the played note is applied to each note of the resultant chord.

One application I found for the Gekko Chords helped me to use a separate output from my Alesis D4 drum module as an effects send. I set the Gekko to generate two notes, three octaves apart, from a single key press. The same drum sounds are duplicated at the higher octave, but the higher ones appear from a separate output of my sound module, and feed a reverb device. By balancing the relative volumes of the two triggered sounds I was able to generate a dedicated effects mix. This is much easier than my usual method of copying and transposing tracks in my sequencer.

Trigger Happy?

The blue Gekko Trigger differs in that it does not store a chord, but instead stores a range of keys that will act as triggers for a chord pattern held down elsewhere on the keyboard. Put simply, you hold down a chord of A minor (you won't hear anything yet), then hit a key in the assigned trigger key range (an A minor plays). This enables the user to re‑trigger chord patterns with a single key press, making rhythmic playing much faster and easier to perform. The trigger notes can also be played by a sequencer or perhaps from MIDI drum pads whilst the chords are shaped by the keyboard player, making for easy jamming. The velocity of the trigger note is applied to the chord produced by the Gekko.

The Gekko Trigger is quite an inspirational tool. I enjoyed setting the trigger range to the hi‑hat notes and letting the Gekko pulse my chord patterns over the rhythm. By widening the trigger range to cover kick, snare or percussion notes I stumbled upon some sizzling grooves that I would never have found by design! It also doubles as a handy 'panic button' — a double‑click of which sends out an 'All Notes Off' message, to cure hanging notes.

Conclusion

If I was pushed to criticise (and our editor assures me that I am!), then I would suggest that the control button should give more 'tactile feedback'. As it is, the LED keeps you informed of the current state of play, but a decent 'clunk' or 'snap' would at least make you feel you'd achieved something! Other than that, it's a hearty thumbs‑up. Now how about a purple Gekko Arpeggiator, Waldorf? I wish...