NAMM 2013Livid Instruments announces Base - Touchable MIDI Controller

Livid Instruments has announced Base, a new touchable controller.

Combining the technology of drum machines and touch screens, Base merges pressure sensitive pads with touch faders, all brilliantly lit with full-color LEDs. The Base inspires beats, new melodies, instant sound tweaks, and invites control of just about anything that supports MIDI. Designed in a sleek, high-quality aluminum body with no moving parts, it's a mix of ruggedness and portability.

Adaptable
Base puts your fingers in the mix with 32 pressure and velocity sensitive pads, eight function buttons, nine capacitive touch faders, and eight capacitive touch buttons. Full RGB backlighting keeps you connected to your set and focused on control. An LED character display shows which of the ten presets you're using. Creative coders will be pleased to discover the characters are MIDI-controllable, too. The Base editor web application allows you to customize all its settings for your favorite DAW, VST, plugin, or application.

Designed to Travel
No sliders to bend, no knobs to catch: under two pounds, less than an inch thick and a face that's probably smaller than your laptop (10.25"x11"x0.75"), Base goes in and out of your bag from studio to show. A single USB cable powers the device with RGB back lights bright enough to see in daylight.

Built to Last
Base is engineered and assembled in Livid's very own manufacturing facility in Austin, TX. Solid extruded aluminum, tight tolerances, and the assembler's signature with every product.

At Your Fingertips
With just enough controls to fill your hands, Base keeps you focused on playing your set. Velocity-sensitive pads give you expressive control for playing and pressure sensitive pads offer unique control of your effects. Low-profile pads sit in line with a soft rubber faceplate, allowing your fingers to glide over the buttons with ease, mixing the tactile feel of a real controller, and the unique possibilities of a touch screen. Touch-sensitive sliders can be used like a regular fader, but have the advantage of instant access to any value. The touch sliders also output a note when touched, which can be mapped to turn effects on and off only when the slider is active.

Summary of Features:

• Dimensions 10.25" x 11"x 0.75".
• Weight 3 lbs.
• Completely editable with on board presets.
• Works with anything that supports MIDI learn.
• 32 velocity / pressure sensitive pads with aftertouch.
• 9 touch faders with multiple LED modes.
• 8 touch buttons.
• 8 function buttons.
• All controls have RGB lights.
• USB powered and class compliant (no drivers needed).
• Constructed from high quality aluminum and rubber.
• Design and assembled in Austin, TX.

Base is designed as an instrument to work with any software that supports MIDI. Whether creating beats or mixing visuals, Livid's library of applications and presets is ever-growing. Base has some of the most sophisticated scripts available for Ableton Live, Max/MSP, Traktor, and more.

Pricing and Availability

Shipping March 1st, 2013, Base has a street price of $399 and is available for pre-order from lividinstruments.com and dealers worldwide.