MIDI Expression Pedal - EX3

I recently received both the expression pedal and footswitch from Beat Bars and I've been very impressed so far.

Firstly, and most importantly, the build quality is stellar. The units feel rock solid, and you can really stomp down on these with confidence. The build consists of an exceptionally durable, powder coated metal chassis with plush foam padding under the units.

Aside from the obvious build quality and price, one of the main draw cards here is how these operate. Unlike other expression pedals, these are MIDI enabled and programmable meaning you do not need a quarter inch expression input on your controller for these to work. They transmit via MIDI cable or USB (Switchable via a toggle on the so could be connected directly to your DAW and can effectively be used with multiple controllers at once without having to disconnect and reconnect them.

Programming the pedals is simple and done by downloading the setup app. One quirk which I found odd was currently you cannot program both simultaneously via the app. One needs to be disconnected before setting up the second. Technically its not a huge issue since you really need to only program them once, but it would be great if this were corrected in a future update.

I have the expression pedal set up to control expression amounts in addition to dynamics control on my mod wheel for orchestral libraries, which works great. The footswitch is flexible too allowing you to send a multitude of MIDI messages as well as program change information which I thought was super useful. The switches are lit by LED's and can be set to both held and trigger modes making this ideal for live looping setups too.

All in all, I think these units are awesome value for money for anyone looking to enhance live playing or integrate extra control via your feet to any live or studio setup.