Erae Touch - All-around MIDI 2.0 controller?

[pdxindy]

I’m not sure anyone actually has one yet, they seem to have parts/supply issues.

Yeah, plenty of them have shipped... I've had mine for a while. Haven't used it much yet. Waiting for the company to make a Bitwig script (which they said is in the works)...

[SLiC]

I’m not sure anyone actually has one yet, they seem to have parts/supply issues.

Yeah, plenty of them have shipped... I've had mine for a while. Haven't used it much yet. Waiting for the company to make a Bitwig script (which they said is in the works)...

Looks like you are the KVR expert in Erae Touch then
I don't think I have seen any impartial user reviews on YT, its an enigma!
Can you give any feedback on the build quality and feel of the unit when playing?
I am mainly interested in using it as a percussion controller with sticks, have you tried that?

[Tj Shredder]

I got mine also a while ago. I would say for the use case as percussion controller its perfect. I made a LinnStrument layout, and that cannot compete with a LinnStrument, as the resolution isn’t as high. To be able to play it like a LinnStrument, it needs to have a 2*2 grid, and there you need to be careful if you want to play neighboring pads. Often enough it interprets it as the same just moved. A minor second trill is close to impossible… With a 2*3 grid it getting better. That is closer to a Soundplane with more space on the y-axis…
Programming is fine. Much better than the Morph. As a drum pad with some extra controls for mixing its perfect… It does not really need a dedicated Bitwig script, as its so configurable. I use a generic script and if I wanted to include some Bitwig specific controls, I could still customize a flexi script to a specific layout…
The build quality is decent. The playing feel, is very different to the LinnStrument or the Morph. It has a much softer surface, which is good for sticks. For finger drumming its a matter of taste. When I first got the LinnStrument I thought its too stiff, but now after playing for so long, I even like it stiffer as on the Morph which is completely solid…
Its also bigger than I thought, but still easier to get into a backpack than my LinnStrument 200… It will never replace my Linny, but if I want to do the Wakeman on stage, I get a nice LinnStrument castle around me with LinnStrument, Erae, Morph and some iPads…; - )

[BONES]

I'm still waiting for mine to ship. They said August but that now seems unlikely. They are at least keeping us informed of progress, so I'm not phased.

[SLiC]

I got mine also a while ago. I would say for the use case as percussion controller its perfect. I made a LinnStrument layout, and that cannot compete with a LinnStrument, as the resolution isn’t as high. To be able to play it like a LinnStrument, it needs to have a 2*2 grid, and there you need to be careful if you want to play neighboring pads. Often enough it interprets it as the same just moved. A minor second trill is close to impossible… With a 2*3 grid it getting better. That is closer to a Soundplane with more space on the y-axis…
Programming is fine. Much better than the Morph. As a drum pad with some extra controls for mixing its perfect… It does not really need a dedicated Bitwig script, as its so configurable. I use a generic script and if I wanted to include some Bitwig specific controls, I could still customize a flexi script to a specific layout…
The build quality is decent. The playing feel, is very different to the LinnStrument or the Morph. It has a much softer surface, which is good for sticks. For finger drumming its a matter of taste. When I first got the LinnStrument I thought its too stiff, but now after playing for so long, I even like it stiffer as on the Morph which is completely solid…
Its also bigger than I thought, but still easier to get into a backpack than my LinnStrument 200… It will never replace my Linny, but if I want to do the Wakeman on stage, I get a nice LinnStrument castle around me with LinnStrument, Erae, Morph and some iPads…; - )

Thanks for the feedback, it sounds like it’s staying on my list! I have a morph (now unsupported) and it’s been a great travel board and xyz pad, a bit small for other playing…if I get the Erae I’ll probably sell the morph. I have an Osmose on order as well so this would definitely be more for percussion for me, I’ll wait until it hits the shops in the UK (Juno have them on order) and get one that way I think, ordering on line seems lime a bit of a lottery currently.

[BONES]

Juno won't get any until they've fulfilled all the ontline orders, so it's not a lottery, it's a guarantee of being last to get one.

[SLiC]

Juno won't get any until they've fulfilled all the ontline orders, so it's not a lottery, it's a guarantee of being last to get one.

Happy to wait (its over 2 years now for my Osmose, the ultimate in delayed gratification)

Its a lot more expensive to buy direct anyway, its 850 inc 20% EU tax, so nit should be 680 to the UK as they cant charge us EU tax and we have to pay about 21% tax on import now -for some reason they are charging 740 to the UK, no idea why...it should be 20% less than 850.

If I buy it from Juno for under £750 'including tax and delivery' and claim the UK 20% VAT back (I am VAT registered) it will have cost me £600..plus if anything goes wrong or I just don't like it I can return it without having to deal with customs!

[pdxindy]

I got mine also a while ago. I would say for the use case as percussion controller its perfect.

Yup... very well suited as a percussion controller. Larger area per pad makes in expressive and playable for sticks.

[BONES]

If I buy it from Juno for under £750 'including tax and delivery' and claim the UK 20% VAT back (I am VAT registered) it will have cost me £600..plus if anything goes wrong or I just don't like it I can return it without having to deal with customs!

Mine was a lot less than advertised. It said 850 euros on the website but it ended up costing me just under Au$1200, which is only about 720 euros, including shipping to Australia. I have no idea why.

[CausticPuppy]

I got mine also a while ago. I would say for the use case as percussion controller its perfect.

Yup... very well suited as a percussion controller. Larger area per pad makes in expressive and playable for sticks.

How is the response? I had a KMI BopPad for 1 day but returned it because the velocity output with sticks was unpredictable and still not sensitive enough to pick up the softest strokes (regardless of settings), making buzz rolls a mess.

Still looking for a “desk” drum pad that is expressive as my v-drums.

[pdxindy]

Yup... very well suited as a percussion controller. Larger area per pad makes in expressive and playable for sticks.

How is the response? I had a KMI BopPad for 1 day but returned it because the velocity output with sticks was unpredictable and still not sensitive enough to pick up the softest strokes (regardless of settings), making buzz rolls a mess.

Still looking for a “desk” drum pad that is expressive as my v-drums.

I'll have to use it more with sticks before I can answer that...

[SLiC]

The web site is now showing in stock and available for immediate deliver (and they fixed the VAT issue) so may take a punt...

@BONES- did you get yours yet?

Edit- ordered! number 1003! Says postage 3-7 days to UK (hope its 3!) fingers crossed it slips through customs

[BONES]

No. I am still waiting for shipping confirmation. I just chekced my junk email - every time I see a new post on this thread I get paranoid - and I haven't missed any notices, so they still haven't started shipping anything. So I don't think you'll get yours in a few days, maybe a few weeks. If you get it sooner, I'll be ropeable!

I just checked my invoice and they charged me 724 Euros. I don't have a number, though.

[SLiC]

Website says ‘in stock, delivery 3-7 days’ I got an auto reply email saying it’s pending shipping but that was Thursday and they still haven’t shipped it…as far as I am concerned I expect it next week or I will be chasing!

[BONES]

I got some good news and bad news today. My Erae Touch is in the country but I have to pay DHL another $225 before they'll deliver it. That kind of blows out the unexpected discount I got but it's all good, really.