Ableton Forum

dum wrote:the soft buttons look like mega fail to me...
he should have gone with switches

Well, they are velocity sensitive + XY directional.

is he making a drumpad or a footswitch ?

actually according to the press release it's neither:
"It is a mouse for the feet.”

..looks flimsy... and the sw aspect==big fail

I'm going to buy it as soon as it's released. It's small, light, has tremendous functionality...and at under $300 retail, it's worth it.

I'm a wind controller player and can't be fiddling with mice, buttons and sliders while I'm playing. I have the FCB1010 and a bunch of other controllers, but they are all too large, or require free hands.



I hope my huge feet (size 14 EEEEEEE) can work it.

ze2be wrote:$289,- A bit stiff..

Heart Attack

It is interesting... The pads themselves seem good, and I like the big number labels. But I am really doubtful on how reliable the X/Y and pressure are.

$289.The only reason I can see why it is so much is that,they are worried about keeping up the production requirements.Why can't they sell the licence to Ableton,who could sell it for $99.00,and as mikemc said "it would sell like hot cakes"

ze2be wrote:$289,- A bit stiff..

that thing does a whole lot more than the fcb so about twice the price doesn't surprise me at all

dburns wrote:I hope my huge feet (size 14 EEEEEEE) can work it.

that's the first thing I thought about. did you notice in the video he accidentally stepped on pad 1 and 2 together a couple of times. That might be a useful technique

sowhoso wrote:

dburns wrote:I hope my huge feet (size 14 EEEEEEE) can work it.

that's the first thing I thought about. did you notice in the video he accidentally stepped on pad 1 and 2 together a couple of times. That might be a useful technique

Yeah, thats my only concern too. At least they should have spaced out top and bottom rows, so you couldn't as easily step on 2 at the same time!

Other then that, and a pretty stiff price, they are very close to nailing it.

If they got rid of the xy directional and just made a light, softpadded, USB MIDI foot pedal I think they would drop their production costs significantly while appealing to a FAR bigger market. I just don't see the use in spending twice as much for something that looks clunky in the demo (xy control).

ze2be wrote:

sowhoso wrote:

dburns wrote:I hope my huge feet (size 14 EEEEEEE) can work it.

that's the first thing I thought about. did you notice in the video he accidentally stepped on pad 1 and 2 together a couple of times. That might be a useful technique

Yeah, thats my only concern too. At least they should have spaced out top and bottom rows, so you couldn't as easily step on 2 at the same time!

Other then that, and a pretty stiff price, they are very close to nailing it.

I feel like you would need to take your shoes off to avoid pressing multiple buttons on accident, you'd also have a better FEEL for what you're doing to the pad..

Donnie wrote:Im cool with the price honestly if it does everything is says on the tin.

As much as I loved my el cheapo FCB, after years with the thing im itching for something a little more "defined" for lack of a better term. FCB is a clunky device, its just too big and too much of a pain when I need to make changes to my workflow.

i'm fine with the clunky but i would prefer a smaller footprint. unfortunately the "soft" aspect really turns me off. cant think of any pedals that i could rock out with and just slam into that were soft. maybe i gotta try the thing but i'm pretty sure i don't need xy for my feet.

I registered on their site and asked when it will be out. Here's what they said:

"We will be announcing pricing and release date for the Softstep
in April/May of 2010. Sorry to make you wait. You're on our mailing list
so will be the first to know.

The latest information on the product is kept updated here:
http://www.keithmcmillen.com/products/softstep/ "

I hope it's as good as it looks.

Just saw the NAMM vid.. Nice. Actually, its possible to just switch of the top 5 switches, and there you go.

Its not required to use all the sensor directions, but its really nice having the option! OSC, MIDI, USB, expression pedal input, carbon fibre built, spill proof..
Think I want one! Ordered this one a few weeks ago: http://www.logidy.com/
But its probably going to be at least 6 months before the SoftStep is out, and a few more to get the bugs sorted. So it will probably come in handy for now.

Seems flimsy and more suited for the studio and socks than a live gig/ on the road. The 10 switch configuration is poor for footcontrollers. The upper row should be elevated to easily delineate the two rows. Generally when one is using a foot controller you don't use your eyes much so you need to have something to provide tactile feedback.