Are MPE Controllers a fad ?

[Ploki]

Exactly. I play my seaboard Rise like i play my bass, not like i play a piano at all.

[Echoes in the Attic]

Even your example, Serum, has been MPE compatible for some time.

My bad, indeed it is.

But it's the only synth I own that actually does that :v

Here's one list: https://support.roli.com/support/soluti ... nstruments

That list is dated.
U-he for example supports it in their every synth except zebra. (Coming with zebra3).
I dont even my Rise25 it with bundled synths
I’ve had mine for 4 years and i love it

The most current list is on the linnstrument page of recommended sound sources. Google should get you there.

[TobyB]

I have just been watching a pretty thoughtful and informative video about the CS-80 ... and what seems to be most striking about it is all the performance modulation with polyphonic after-touch, a ribbon strip, etc. ... all quite familiar from MPE controllers and synths ...
So, this "legendary" synth obviously has it's own sonic potential ... but what seems to make it different to many of it's contemporaries and after is it's early introduction of what looks a lot like a precursor of the more fully-realised MPE ... that this thread wonders if it's "a fad"

[lastmessiah]

MIDI 2.0 will eventually replace MPE I think, since the current implementation is really a workaround of MIDI 1.0's limitations.

Meanwhile I've been using my Rise 49 and Lightpad Block and will never go back to a normal keybed for controlling synths.

[Jace-BeOS]

I have just been watching a pretty thoughtful and informative video about the CS-80 ... and what seems to be most striking about it is all the performance modulation with polyphonic after-touch, a ribbon strip, etc. ... all quite familiar from MPE controllers and synths ...
So, this "legendary" synth obviously has it's own sonic potential ... but what seems to make it different to many of it's contemporaries and after is it's early introduction of what looks a lot like a precursor of the more fully-realised MPE ... that this thread wonders if it's "a fad"

Yeah, but why is the CS-80 so rare an example of this in synth history?

Cost. Is that fixed now? Seems not.

[Ploki]

MIDI 2.0 will eventually replace MPE I think, since the current implementation is really a workaround of MIDI 1.0's limitations.

Meanwhile I've been using my Rise 49 and Lightpad Block and will never go back to a normal keybed for controlling synths.

accurate

i hope ROLI updates their firmware to MIDI2.0 and doesnt use this as an excuse to sell another version of seaboard

[chk071]

Yes, they are a fad. IMO. YMMV. Don't kill me. Please.

[Jace-BeOS]

MIDI 2.0 will eventually replace MPE I think, since the current implementation is really a workaround of MIDI 1.0's limitations.

Meanwhile I've been using my Rise 49 and Lightpad Block and will never go back to a normal keybed for controlling synths.

accurate

i hope ROLI updates their firmware to MIDI2.0 and doesnt use this as an excuse to sell another version of seaboard

Are you new to laissez-faire capitalism?

[lastmessiah]

MIDI 2.0 will eventually replace MPE I think, since the current implementation is really a workaround of MIDI 1.0's limitations.

Meanwhile I've been using my Rise 49 and Lightpad Block and will never go back to a normal keybed for controlling synths.

accurate

i hope ROLI updates their firmware to MIDI2.0 and doesnt use this as an excuse to sell another version of seaboard

Yeah same. I wouldn't count on it though.

[anomandaris1]

Yeah, but why is the CS-80 so rare an example of this in synth history?

Cost. Is that fixed now? Seems not.

Even the new Osmose thing is super cheap (like almost a steal) compared to old synths and keyboards (even the plain ones without "bells and whistles") when you take in account inflation. Noone except very well paid musicians could afford MPE instruments, if they were anywhere near the prices of synths back in the day.
Thanks to better technologies, mass production and modern factory "slavery" in China, we can buy them on very affordable prices.

Here are some prices, taking in account inflation:

Korg M1
Released: 1988
Original price: $2166
$4,709.32 in 2019

Yamaha DX7
Released: 1983
Original price: $2000
5,164.82 in 2019

PPG Wave
Released: 1981
Original price: $7,000
$19,807.00 in 2019

Fairlight CMI
Released: 1979
Original price: $27,500
$97,427.27 in 2019

Sequential Circuits Prophet-5
Released: 1978
Original price: $4495
$20,318.98 in 2019

Yamaha CS-80
Released: 1976
Original price: $6900
$6,900 in 1976 → $31,190.43 in 2019

[Jace-BeOS]

The point being, what other instruments aside from the CS-80 had that kind of expression control? It was expensive then. It was not in demand. It would make products less accessible to buyers to include it. Etc.

Is it expensive today? Yes... and no. It’s way less expensive to build than it used to be, but it’s still rare. It’s therefore still way more expensive than a $150 generic controller, which is apparently “good enough” for most people (not for me, but...).

So the MPE stuff isn’t likely to be made into a standard feature of generic, average cost controllers. I would love to be proven wrong by products actually shipping that I can actually afford (and not have to worry about them becoming useless because of software or drivers being abandoned when the company dies, drops the product, or decides they don’t care to maintain the software/drivers for it).

[himalaya]

Something that's been with us since 2002 (at least) and is going stronger each year, gaining more users all the time, can't really be described as a 'fad'. The fact that multi-dimensional expression has been standardised into the new MIDI MPE spec, should also be indicative that it's here to stay. That's not to say that some MPE controllers may come and go. Some may be more successful than others. But multi-dimensional/polyphonic expression (or MPE) has been established. What would be the final seal of approval is if we were to see the big guns like Korg, Roland, Yamaha, Native Instruments, make MPE controllers of some kind.

[anomandaris1]

So, you are ready to drop 150 on generic midi controller, but not around 200 on cheapest Roli (or something similar) when there is a sale?
If you are afraid of incompatibility in the future, just never upgrade (many pro. mixing studios have done this)...

[Ploki]

Are you new to laissez-faire capitalism?

[DJ Warmonger]

So, you are ready to drop 150 on generic midi controller, but not around 200 on cheapest Roli (or something similar) when there is a sale?

Cheapest roli has 2 octaves, for the same price you can get quite a piece of MIDI controller with knobs, faders or pads.

What would be the final seal of approval is if we were to see the big guns like Korg, Roland, Yamaha, Native Instruments, make MPE controllers of some kind.

I think that NI with NKS perceives MPE as competition. Now they have their own keyboards and plugins with extra level of integration, without using MPE. MPE would give more potential to competing controllers and plugins, while NI would need to adjust all their products for MPE to stay in game.