Midi controllers have always been the focus of attention of musicians of all genres. On stage or in the studio they save or complicate life! In recent years we have witnessed the transition from hardware controllers, full of buttons and pedals, difficult to program, often to be modified with chips of parallel origin to obtain greater performance, to mixed hardware-software systems. Now we are at the 2.0 release of the evolution: hybrid controllers, more and more software, which delegate much of their calculation to the PC. Softstep raises the stakes: a controller with minimal hardware to software programming but with a modelable physical structure. There is no longer a predefined hardware base, now even the key can be transformed into a pedal or switch by transforming a pedalboard with 10 identical keys into a variable structure in which the number of keys, pedals, toggles, triggers are completely to be defined. The concept of "key" and "pedal" changes its original connotation and evolves into a six-dimensional object (xy-pressure-rotation-on-off…).
As I often find myself doing live with my hands always busy with some musical instrument, I am constantly looking for midi controllers that facilitate my work.
I came across SoftStep, the new born of Keith mcMillen (www.keithmcmillellen.com).
Apparently it is the usual controller, but here the promises are different and they intrigued me.
Let's start by saying that management is all via software, so goodbye to the nights spent with the Behringer FCB1010 and the like, with keystrokes that drove you crazy: here things are simpler and more intuitive ... as long as you read the manual though! There is a little to study - albeit less than usual - but you need to familiarize yourself with the language used by the developers and with this concept of multifunctional key assignment.
I have tried the software on Windows 7 64bit SP1: slow and not quite stable. The impression is that it was born for Mac, where it will surely work fine! Lately I am a bit unlucky with multiplatform software, I always choose the wrong one (is it time to give in to the temptation of the apple ?!). I run it in XP compatible mode and it seems to improve slightly: at least it doesn't crash. It is a 1.0 release, the first "stable" probably.
But leaving aside stability, we can work. The system offers the possibility to assign 6 events to each key, choosing between on / off, trigger or xy pedal and other variants.
Let's see how the manufacturer describes it:
- Pressure: Each key is pressure sensitive for expressive sound control
- Direction: vertical and horizontal movements are transformed into values
- Portability: light 566gr and as small as a PC keyboard
- Layers: Up to 6 Notes, CC, Pitch Bend, Program, MMC, or OSC per key
- Resistance: elastic material with carbon fiber back ... - I quote verbatim - "resistant to beer!"
- flashy: 4-character LED display, 10 bi-color LEDs (red / green) per key, backlight
- Control: can drive any compatible midi software or hardware including Protools and Logic's mmc and Hui studio controls, Line6 footpegs and the like
It is all true but there are some details that are worth pointing out.
- The keys are made of a kind of soft rubber, silicone, the pressure does not return a response to the touch, it is not like pressing an aluminum pedal in short. If any of you have tried rubber pc keyboards or roll-up musical keyboards, you know what I'm talking about. Moral of the story: you have to take a peek before acting on the button in order not to risk finding yourself pressing on the floor.
- With your hands and bare feet (aaargh !!!) you have to insist a lot on the keys, especially if used as a pedal.
- If we talk about trigger on / off things are fine but if we program a linear pedal on a square key 5cmx5cm, with values 0-127 it is really very difficult to stop on the right one, even if there is the possibility of slowing down the tempo with a parameter called slew (which is too fast anyway).
The idea still deserves consideration. Once the controller has been programmed by transferring the data from the PC, you can work in several ways:
- standalone USB to drive software or vst
- standalone midi, through its midi accessory (not supplied) it becomes a pcless midi controller
- hosted, through its software (which must be left open) can use a greater number of functions than the standalone usb mode
Examples of use
- The fastest thing that comes to my mind to understand the possibilities of the multifunction keys is to program up to 6 notes per key, creating chords with each press.
- loopstation control (Guitar Rig, Ableton Live)
- Pod control and pedals (Line6 and similar)
- midi parameter control to drive synths (in hosted mode it also has control of OSC)
- volume control on virtual and midi mixers (here I would go a little more cautious)
...
Actions can also be set with the off key, a sort of after touch. For example, if you play chords, one of the actions on the off key can be a bass note to have a particular effect.
All compatible midi software and hardware can be driven. Particular attention is paid to the guitar effects with the support of the settings Toggle (which sends 0-1) and Toggle127 (which sends 0-127) and Ableton Live, which by its nature lends itself very much.
Attention, given the low absorption it works on IPAD. Obviously it needs the usb adapter (camera connection kit for Ipad), but the idea of having a PC / Mac / IPAD product is certainly interesting.
Practical experience with Guitar Rig
To do a test I programmed the controller for my Guitar Rig 4, replacing the Native pedalboard with SoftStep. First of all I have 10 frets. I have chosen to use:
2 buttons for the looper (rec / play and stop)
1 button for the overdub function of the loop
1 button for mute
1 redo button
1 undo key
1 key as volume loop pedal
1 key as general volume pedal
1 key as effect send
I wanted to program a key as a pedal so that I could vary the effect presets but it had little success. Unlike the other pedals I created (volume, effect) where you can go by eye / ear, a pedal that modifies the preset must be precise and this as I said is really unlikely!
I solved it by creating an entire preset to edit program changes, so if I want preset 4 I hit pedal n. 4. For the 42 it is a bit more complicated but the 2-digit function is enabled by moving to the fourth decade and then pressing key 2.
The great thing about this controller is that it's easy to switch between presets with 10 keys available each time. The bad thing is that the presets reset at each load, so moving from one preset to another will lose the values stored by the pedals. If you touch the pedal after returning it starts from scratch (I was not surprised by this thing, but since it is an “innovative” platform they could also think about it!).
Lights and led
Apart from the backlight that makes its figure on a semi-illuminated stage, there is a two-color LED on each key that can be programmed. It can be fixed or flashing (2 speed slow / fast).
You can do unusual things such as deciding the action of a key based on pressing another key. In my Guitar Rig setup the Play light flashes until the STOP button is pressed.
The hardware / software equipment
The hardware equipment is rather essential, the software is non-existent, or at least it must be downloaded.
- 3m usb cable
- adapter for external pedal
- almost useless paper mini-manual
- a waterproof fabric case - truly "Chinese"!
- an internet address from which to download the programs * this is needed and there are also real manuals.
Pros / cons We draw conclusions
Wanting to take stock of strengths and weaknesses, the product is certainly useful for those who want something truly versatile and very resistant in a small space. I therefore recommend it to all musicians who use software and hardware with 
functions accessible via midi and which need to switch with a touch of the foot from one to the other without getting lost in the complicated processes of classic midi controllers. Given the "resistance to beer" declared by the house I imagine that the product has a good resistance in difficult environments and in fact it seems quite solid and compact.
Although I doubt that any sound technician will ever operate his mixer with his feet, I invite you to try those who want to experiment with the use of the lower limbs together with that of the hands for routine operations, on / off, volumes, etc.
However, if we evaluate the quality / price ratio, it falls considerably: it does not cost little and still requires a pc / mac. If we add that the midi expander and a USB power supply are required for total autonomy, the picture is complete.
Personally I can use it with shoes and standing up (especially for the functions of the pedals the vertical position is fundamental to me).
Extra - Photoshop with feet
It is possible to download the Keyworx software which allows programming with messages that the operating system understands. You can then drive the mouse, make a copy and paste, but also use more complex functions with Photoshop and with any program that allows you to link a function to a combination of keys. Attention, because Keyworks loads its own firmware overwriting the music presets, so the controller is to be used either with one or the other software.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Producer: Keith McMillen (www.keithmcmillellen.com)
Platform: PC / MAC / IPAD
Prezzo di listino: 289.95 $ (in Italy around 250,00 euros)
Accessories not included:
- Midi box $ 49.95
- External pedal (any volume pedal)
- USB power supply (for power supply without pc)
all the photos - except the first one - of Fabio Pesce
Midi controllers have always been a priority subject for all kinds of musicians. On stage or in a studio they may save their lives or make it more complicated! In the last few years we've been witnessing the transition from the hardware controller, full of keys and pedals, hard to program, often needing a change with non-proprietary chips to achieve a higher performance, to mixed hardware-software systems. Up to now we have got to the 2.0 release of this evolution: hybrid controllers, more and more based on softwares, which have the PC doing the most of their computational work. Softstep has been anteing up: a controller with a minimum hardware based on a software programming but with a modifiable physical structure. There is not an ultimate hardware basic structure, now they key can turn to a pedal or to a switch as well changing a ten-key pedal board into an adjustable and versatile where the amount of keys, pedals, toggles and triggers is absolutely programmable. The “key” and the “pedal” concept has been changing its natural connotation and it has been evolved to a six-dimensional device. (xy-pressure-rotation-on-off…).
Finding myself always with my hand busy with some musical instruments during a live performance, I've always been in search of midi controllers which would make my work easier. I stumbled on Softstep, the new born from Keith mcMillen (www.keithmcmillellen.com).
Apparently it looks like the usual controller but the expectations about it are rather high, and they have been arousing my curiosity.
Let's start by saying that its control is completely via software, so we can say good bye to the nights we spent with Behringer FCB 1010 and the likes, with a sequence of keys which drove us mad, because here things are much more simple and intuitive…only on condition that you would read the manual! You must spend some time studying it, though shorter than the usual but it needs a little knowledge about the language used by the producers and about the whole multifunctional assignable key concept.
I tested the software on 64bit Windows 7 SP1: slow and not stable at all. It seems that it's been made for Mac where it would surely run perfectly! Lately I have not been so lucky with multifunctional softwares, I always choose the wrong system (or is it time to give in to the apple's temptation?!). I had it run in Xp compatible mode and it seems to get slightly better, at least it doesn't crush. It's a 1.0 release, probably the first “stable” one.
But stability aside, it seems to work fine. The system gives the possibility to send each pad 6 messages by choosing on/off key, trigger or xy pedal and other options.
Let's see how the producer company describes it:
• Pressure: Every key is pressure sensitive for expressive sound control
• Direction: up/down and left/right movement translated into values
• Portable: it weighs just 1.3 pounds and stands as high as a computer keyboard
• Levels: Up to 6 Note, CC, Pitch Bend, Program, MMC, or OSC messages per key
• Durable: rubberize elastomeric fiber with carbon fiber backing and -quoting the source- “beer proof”
• Flashy: A 4-character LED display, 10 dual-color LEDs (red/green) per key, and backlit
• Control: It can control every compatible midi software and hardware including the mmc and hui controls for ProTools and Logic, Line6 pods and others
Everything that's been said is true but there are some peculiar aspects which are worth a mention.
– Keys are made of some sort of soft rubber, silicone, and pressure doesn't give any feedback to the touch, it's not like pressing an aluminum pedal at all. If anyone of you has ever been dealing with rubberized pc keyboards or with flexible music keyboards you know what I mean. To cut a long story short, we have to take a look at it before working the key to avoid pressing our foot on the ground.
– With your hands and bare feet (aaargh!) you need to try hard on the pads, especially when used as pedals.
– When it comes to on/off trigger things seem to work just fine but if we program a linear pedal on a 5cmx5cm square pad, within values like 0 and 127 it is very hard to stop on the right one, even though there is a possibility to slow down tempo through a so called “slew” parameter (which is way too fast anyway).
This idea deserves some consideration though. Once the controller is programmed by loading data from your PC, you can work in several modes:
• Standalone usb to control softwares or vst
• Standalone midi, via a midi accessory (not provided) it becomes a midi controller without pc
• Hosted, via its software (which must be left open) can use a higher number of functions in comparison to the standalone usb mode
Examples of use
– The fastest way that comes to my mind to make you understand the multifunctional purposes of the pads is the possibility to program up to 6 notes per key creating chords at each pressure.
– Loopstation control (Guitar Rig, Ableton Live)
– Pods and pedals control (Line6 and the likes)
– Value control for synth (in hosted mode it can also control OSC)
– Volume control for virtual and midi mixers (I would tread carefully on that)
....
It is possible to set commands also with the off key, a kind of after touch. For example, if we are playing chords, one of the commands on the off key could be a bass note, to create a particular effect.
All the compatible midi software and hardware can be controlled. Very catching are the effects for guitar with the sustain of the Toggle (which sends values from 0 to 1) and Toggle127 (which sends values from 0 up to 127) and Ableton Live which, for its own nature, lends itself very easily. You must know that, due to its low power consumption, it is also working on the IPAD. Indeed it needs the usb adapter (camera connection kit for IPAD), but the idea of dealing with a product that is PC/MAC/IPAD compatible is surely interesting.
Practical experience with Guitar Rig
In order to do a test, I programmed the controller for my Guitar Rig 4, replacing the Native pedal board with Softstep. First of all, I got a good ten keys: I chose to use:
2 keys for the looper (rec/play and stop)
1 key for the overdub loop function
1 key for the mute
1 key for redo
1 key for undo
1 key for the volume loop pedal
1 key for general volume pedal
1 key for the effect enable
I would have liked programming one key as a pedal in order to control and change the presets for the effects, but I was not successful. Differently from the other pedals I created (volume, effect) where you can go by eye and ear, a pedal that would modify the presets should be thorough, and as I said, this is not likely.
I settled it by creating an entire new preset in order to modify the program change, therefore, if I need the preset 4 I am to press the pedal number 4. For the 42 it is a little bit more complicated, but you can enable the 2 digit number function moving to the fourth ten and then you have to press the key number 2. The good thing about this controller is that it is easy to changeover from one preset to another with the 10 keys provided every time. The bad thing is that the presets reset at each loading, so moving from one preset to another they lose the values that have been recorded by the pedals. If you touch a pedal after you've once preset it, this starts again from square one (this was not a surprise to me, but being it an “innovative” device, they should have thought better about it!).
Lights and LEDs
Aside from the backlight, which looks good on a semi-lit stage, there is a two-colour LED on each key that can be programmed. It can be constant or flashing (two-speed, slow and fast). You can do unusual things as deciding a key action based on the pressure of another key. In my setting for Guitar Rig the play light flashes until the STOP key is pressed.
The hardware/software provided
The hardware provided is rather basic, the software is non-existing, or at least it must be downloaded.
– a 3-meter USB cable
– an external pedal adapter
– an almost useless paper mini-manual
– a waterproof cloth cover – original chinese!
– A url where you can download the programs * this is useful and the real manuals are also there.
Pros/Cons – Let's sum up
In order to make a closing balance between its pros and cons, the product turns out to be definitely useful to those who need something really versatile and highly resistant for a small space. I recommend it to all the musicians who use softwares and hardwares with midi connectable functions and need to change between the two with a touch of foot, without losing themselves inside the complicated standard midi processes. Being it “beer-proof” as the producer says, I would imagine that this product has a good durability for hard situations, and by the way it seems to be rather compact and solid.
Though I doubt that any sound engineer would ever work his mixer with his feet, I invite to test it to those who want to try the use of their lower arts together with their hands for the routine actions, on/off, volumes, and so on.
It is recommended if only we consider its price, the price/quality ratio gets very unbalanced: it is not cheap and it needs a pc/mac anyway. If we add that it needs the midi expander and a usb connector for its complete autonomy, the picture is complete.
Personally, I am able to use it wearing shoes and standing tall (mainly due to the pedals' functions, the vertical position is essential for me).
Extras – Photoshop with your feet
It is possible to download the Keyworx software which allows to program through messages that the operation system includes. Hence you can use your mouse, copy and paste, and also use more complex functions for Photoshop and for whatever software which allows to match a function to a key combination. Pay attention that Keyworx has got its own firmware which overwrites the music presets, so the controller must be used with one software or another.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Producer: Keith McMillen ( www.keithmcmillen.com )
Platform: PC/MAC/IPAD
List price: 289.95 $ (around 250 euros for the Italian market)
Accessories not provided:
•Midi box $49.95
•External Pedal (any volume pedal)
•USB bus power (for power without PC)
All the pictures made by Fabio Pesce except the first one
Italian to English translation: Humbert of the Judge
