User Manual

Technical specifications

Switching between scenes

The Kowka MIDI C4 lets you work with multiple scenes. To navigate between them:

• Scene down: press buttons [1] and [2] at the same time.
• Scene up: press buttons [3] and [4] at the same time.

The change happens one scene at a time. You can also assign one or more buttons to jump directly to a specific scene from the app.

Button events

Each button can trigger 3 different actions, all fully configurable from the app.

Connecting to a classic MIDI DIN-5 device

To control pedals or devices using traditional MIDI connectors:

• Connect the power supply to the 9V DC port.
• Connect a standard MIDI cable (DIN-5) from the MIDI OUT of the Kowka C4 to the MIDI IN of the device you want to control (e.g. HX Stomp, Fractal FM3, etc.).

Connecting to a USB host device (USB-A port)

For devices that only receive MIDI over USB, such as Line 6 HX Stomp, Neural DSP Quad Cortex, Hotone Ampero Mini, some synthesizers and multi-effects units:

• Connect the power supply to the 9V DC port.
• Use a standard USB cable from the USB-A port of the C4 to the USB port of the device you want to control (for example, USB-A to USB-C for a Quad Cortex).

Connecting to a MIDI USB-C device (device mode)

To control music software on a computer, tablet or smartphone:

• Connect the USB-C cable directly to your computer, tablet or phone.
• The C4 will be automatically recognized as a standard MIDI device (no drivers required). It is compatible with DAWs such as Ableton Live, Logic Pro, MainStage, Reaper, among others.

Device settings

Access the device settings by pressing buttons [1] and [4] at the same time, with a long click.

▸ Access point activation

Use this option to activate or deactivate the access point. The access point is a WiFi connection opened so you can connect to the device WiFi and use the app.

▸ Expression pedal calibration

Place the pedal up. When it is at minimum, press [1] to save. Press the pedal all the way down. When it is at maximum, press [1] to save.

▸ Back to the main screen

Press buttons [1] and [4] at the same time, with a normal click, to return to the main screen.

Global settings

Accessible from the gear icon or the “General” menu.

Footswitch / Expression pedal: configures the expansion port to connect an external expression pedal or an additional footswitch.

PC Min / Max: defines the Program Change message range (0 to 127 by default). Useful to limit navigation to the sound banks you actually use.

Language: switches the interface between English and Spanish.

Always remember to press the “Save” button after changing switch names or parameters so they sync with the hardware.

C4 Control Software

When you open the software, you will see the C4 Control Software screen, where you can manage the different “Scenes” of your controller. The controller is already in configuration mode and any changes appear instantly.

Scene selection: the top dropdown lets you choose the profile of the device you are going to control (e.g. Nano Cortex, Quad Cortex, HX Stomp, Timeline, Big Sky, etc.). You can edit or delete them and create your own.

Click actions: each physical switch can be configured for three interaction types:

Normal click: immediate action on press.
Double click: action on two quick presses.
Long click: action on holding the switch.

The buttons represent the same order as the C4, from left to right. You can also import or export complete scenes to back up your configuration or share it.

Scenes

At the top you will see the active scene name, next to a dropdown to select between the available scenes. Each scene stores a complete configuration of the four buttons, letting you quickly switch between different uses. This controller has 12 scenes, each independently configurable in its own tab.

Scene Name: the name you want the scene to have.
LED Color: the color the scene will display.
Scene Mode: defines the global behavior of the scene:

• Normal Scene Mode: standard program change behavior.
• Preset Scene Mode: optimized for navigating saved presets.
• Stomp Scene Mode: ideal for using the switches as individual pedals (on/off of specific effects).

MIDI Events: when the scene loads, you can configure which MIDI messages are sent.

Normal click buttons

Four colored round buttons are shown, physically representing the controller buttons.

To configure them, simply click the desired button. An edit window opens with these options:

• Button name: custom name to identify the function (e.g. “Solo Boost”, “Delay Off”). Use 11 characters maximum so it reads well on the display.
• LED Color: choose the physical LED color (Orange, Red, Purple, Blue, etc.). You have 15 colors to choose from.

Event table:

• Event: defines the MIDI message type (e.g. CC Toggle, PC, Note On).
• Channel: the MIDI channel (1-16) the signal is sent on.
• Param / 1 / 2: specific values of the MIDI message (CC number, velocity value, etc.).

If you selected “Stomp Scene Mode” for the scene and choose a CC Toggle message, an extra LED CC MODE option appears:

• OFF Led: the LED turns on only when the effect is off (or vice versa depending on your logic).
• ON Led: the LED shines when the function is active.

Advanced actions: Double click and Long click

You can also configure the alternative actions triggered by a double click or a long click on each button. Select the corresponding tab at the top of the window to access a similar view with the same buttons. Each action is configured independently. If you do not want to use a particular action, simply leave that configuration blank.

Auxiliary input configuration

If the use of an expression pedal or footswitch has been enabled in the general menu, options to configure that control will appear at the bottom of the screen.

Buttons (footswitch)

Each Kowka MIDI C4 button can execute 3 different actions (normal click, double click and long click). The following screen lets you configure the events each button can execute.

Disabled: when you want that action / button to do nothing.

PC Down: to move between PCs without using a fixed value. Running this action lowers the in-memory last PC sent by 1. If the configured minimum PC is reached, it starts over from the maximum PC value.

PC Up: to move between PCs without a fixed value. Running this action raises the in-memory last PC sent by 1. If the configured maximum PC is reached, it starts over from the minimum PC value.

Fixed PC: sends a fixed PC and changes the in-memory PC value.

Fixed CC: sends a fixed Control Change (CC) message. The first value is the CC number to send and the second value is the parameter of that CC message.

Scene change: to go up one scene at a time.

Once the controller configuration is done, you must save it for it to take effect by clicking the Save button.