Expressive E Touche

[cryophonik]

SO, I've seen this mentioned occasionally over the past few years, but never really paid much attention to it until I got a PolyBrute and would love to have a similar controller for my other hardware synths. Anybody here using one with h/w synths? Thoughts?

https://www.expressivee.com/1-touche






edit: changed the title so the é doesn't get converted to a symbol.

[vurt]

i imagine tj will have one?

isn't it usb only? so you'd have to go in then out of the computer? although im guessing these days, that's a lot faster than 15 years ago when i did such a thing.


but yup, although not big on polyphonic synths (can't play keys why pretend ) that morph control on the brute did catch my eye!
i kinda hope they do a mono version, although unlikely. maybe add the morph to one of the smaller brute updates...

[cryophonik]

isn't it usb only? so you'd have to go in then out of the computer?

It's USB-powered and has MIDI in/out over USB, but also has 1/8-inch MIDI in/out and separately available dongles for 5-pin MIDI connection. I'm not sure how easy it is to navigate templates for each hardware synth from the Touché itself, but seems like it would be easy enough to manage it from the computer, since it would already be connected.

[vurt]

isn't it usb only? so you'd have to go in then out of the computer?

It's USB-powered and has MIDI in/out over USB, but also has 1/8-inch MINI in/out and separately available dongles for 5-pin MIDI connection. I'm not sure how easy it is to navigate templates for each hardware synth from the Touché itself, but seems like it would be easy enough to manage it from the computer, since it would already be connected.

ah, i didn't know it has the mini jack midi things too

like i said, been a long time since i tried in from a korg drum pad by usb then out to the electribe to play the snare live...
i could have got a kebab delivered before the note arrived!!! (hyperbole but it was a good while)
computers in and of themselves are much faster let alone better coded midi staff.

[cryophonik]

isn't it usb only? so you'd have to go in then out of the computer?

It's USB-powered and has MIDI in/out over USB, but also has 1/8-inch MINI in/out and separately available dongles for 5-pin MIDI connection. I'm not sure how easy it is to navigate templates for each hardware synth from the Touché itself, but seems like it would be easy enough to manage it from the computer, since it would already be connected.

ah, i didn't know it has the mini jack midi things too

Yeah, that was news to me, too. That's what got me thinking that it could be useful for my h/w (and s/w, of course!).

[SLiC]

I have one, there are 2 versions- the one with real midi (on jacks) and the 'SE' which is USB only designed for soft synths.
I have enjoyed mine, used it with my modular quote a bit (as it has 4 CV)- I liked it so much I bought an Osmose

[cryophonik]

I have one, there are 2 versions- the one with real midi (on jacks) and the 'SE' which is USB only designed for soft synths.

Yeah, I'm looking at the full version, not the SE. It definitely looks like a fun controller for a modular rig, but I don't have one. I really want it for my Prophet 6, Rev2, Peak, and SE-1X, and it looks like it comes with templates for all of those plus every other hardware synth I already own, so that's a bonus.

[zfy]

i've had the SE version for a year and here's my thoughts:
the lié software sucks. you need to host the vst instrument inside their shitty vst.. so if you want to modulate effects or in-built instrument/effects in your daw, you cant. oh and it doesn't even work as a true modulator, you select a target to modulate, then you set the min/max value of modulation, changing the modulated parameter in the vst no longer works. you have to change the min value in the shitty lie software instead.
so if you're an ableton user your other option is to use a max4live modulator device, which works much better but still has the problem i mentioned before of the modulated parameter being "locked".
then you change to bitwig because you heard of its crazy modulation system.. and it just works. no need to use lié or a m4l device, just use it as a midi controller and modulate as many parameters as you want. congratulations, now you can use your device you paid $300 for.

don't know anything about the other version and controlling HW devices but i imagine it would work much better.

tl;dr if you're a bitwig user it is quite pleasant to use. if you use other daws and don't want to switch, don't bother.

edit: i now noticed you were only talking about controlling hw synths with it so it wont apply to you. i'll just leave this up as a warning to people that want to buy the SE version

[cryophonik]

i've had the SE version for a year and here's my thoughts:
the lié software sucks. you need to host the vst instrument inside their shitty vst.. so if you want to modulate effects or in-built instrument/effects in your daw, you cant. oh and it doesn't even work as a true modulator, you select a target to modulate, then you set the min/max value of modulation, changing the modulated parameter in the vst no longer works. you have to change the min value in the shitty lie software instead.
so if you're an ableton user your other option is to use a max4live modulator device, which works much better but still has the problem i mentioned before of the modulated parameter being "locked".
then you change to bitwig because you heard of its crazy modulation system.. and it just works. no need to use lié or a m4l device, just use it as a midi controller and modulate as many parameters as you want. congratulations, now you can use your device you paid $300 for.

don't know anything about the other version and controlling HW devices but i imagine it would work much better.

tl;dr if you're a bitwig user it is quite pleasant to use. if you use other daws and don't want to switch, don't bother.

edit: i now noticed you were only talking about controlling hw synths with it so it wont apply to you. i'll just leave this up as a warning to people that want to buy the SE version

This is all good input! Yes, I primarily want it for h/w synths, but would also want to use it with my DAWs and many soft synths. I'm primarily a Logic user, but also have Live and use it occasionally, so that's certainly relevant to me. I'll have to look into Logic users' experience with the Lié software. Thanks for the input!

[SLiC]

Lie is OK but it really hasn't evolved much since I got it 3 or 4 years ago...Expresive haven't update any of their software very much in the last few years, probably been busy with Osmose...

[Tj Shredder]

I have the SE, and its great. The Lié plugin is just a preset player to get you started. There is no need to use it at all…

[cryophonik]

That's good news. I was leaning toward asking Santa for one for Christmas, but I'll probably think about it a bit more. I'm feeling a little cramped in my studio, so I want to make sure it's something I'd actually use before sacrificing my last bit of desktop real estate.

[kmabie]

i've had the SE version for a year and here's my thoughts:
the lié software sucks. you need to host the vst instrument inside their shitty vst.. so if you want to modulate effects or in-built instrument/effects in your daw, you cant. oh and it doesn't even work as a true modulator, you select a target to modulate, then you set the min/max value of modulation, changing the modulated parameter in the vst no longer works. you have to change the min value in the shitty lie software instead.
so if you're an ableton user your other option is to use a max4live modulator device, which works much better but still has the problem i mentioned before of the modulated parameter being "locked".
then you change to bitwig because you heard of its crazy modulation system.. and it just works. no need to use lié or a m4l device, just use it as a midi controller and modulate as many parameters as you want. congratulations, now you can use your device you paid $300 for.

don't know anything about the other version and controlling HW devices but i imagine it would work much better.

tl;dr if you're a bitwig user it is quite pleasant to use. if you use other daws and don't want to switch, don't bother.

edit: i now noticed you were only talking about controlling hw synths with it so it wont apply to you. i'll just leave this up as a warning to people that want to buy the SE version

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I was on the fence about getting one earlier this year, but I hadn't considered the workflow pain-points you mention... I'm already pretty invested into FL Studio, so changing to Bitwig doesn't sound appealing (nothing against it, just sounds like a lot of work to change DAWs).

[rod_zero]

i've had the SE version for a year and here's my thoughts:
the lié software sucks. you need to host the vst instrument inside their shitty vst.. so if you want to modulate effects or in-built instrument/effects in your daw, you cant. oh and it doesn't even work as a true modulator, you select a target to modulate, then you set the min/max value of modulation, changing the modulated parameter in the vst no longer works. you have to change the min value in the shitty lie software instead.
so if you're an ableton user your other option is to use a max4live modulator device, which works much better but still has the problem i mentioned before of the modulated parameter being "locked".
then you change to bitwig because you heard of its crazy modulation system.. and it just works. no need to use lié or a m4l device, just use it as a midi controller and modulate as many parameters as you want. congratulations, now you can use your device you paid $300 for.

don't know anything about the other version and controlling HW devices but i imagine it would work much better.

tl;dr if you're a bitwig user it is quite pleasant to use. if you use other daws and don't want to switch, don't bother.

edit: i now noticed you were only talking about controlling hw synths with it so it wont apply to you. i'll just leave this up as a warning to people that want to buy the SE version

what's you opinion in using it only as a mod wheel/aftertouch? I was thinking of just assigning the two axis to those MIDI CC controls and don't use the lié software, I just want to complement the digital Piano I have as controller.

[zfy]

what's you opinion in using it only as a mod wheel/aftertouch? I was thinking of just assigning the two axis to those MIDI CC controls and don't use the lié software, I just want to complement the digital Piano I have as controller.

you can set the 4 axes to whatever MIDI CC you want in the lié software, then it sends the config to the touche's internal memory so you no longer have to use lié. but it only sends MIDI CC, aftertouch is a "channel pressure" message and not a CC, so it would work for mod wheel but not aftertouch. you could still do it by having some software solution that translates some MIDI CC message to channel pressure, i'm sure theres some controller script that does it.
if you can sort that out then it would be a good solution if you use instruments with good modulation capabilities. if your instruments have macro knobs (thinking Pigments, Massive X) you could also just skip the modwheel/aftertouch thing and just midi learn your touche to the macros.
for my needs i want to be able to modulate effect plugins other stuff that i can't use modwheel for, so i'm stuck with bitwig (which isn't so bad tbh) until i can find a better solution