![]() ![]() The four illuminated sliders are independently programmable. They also sense side-to-side (X-axis) and forward-and-back (Y-axis) movement, essential for controlling MPE-capable instruments. The K-Board Pro 4’s keys transmit note data, strike and release velocity, and poly or channel aftertouch. It can also serve as a power supply, making it easier to power the unit away from a computer. A Mini-B USB port accommodates the optional Keith McMillen MIDI expander ($70), which can route MIDI from the KBP4 to hardware MIDI devices. Two jacks for sustain and controller pedals sit adjacent to the USB port. Overall, the build feels solid and stable.Īt the rear of the second tier, a Micro-B USB port conducts MIDI to and from the KBP4 and draws power from your computer’s USB ports. Above the base, a second tier of black aluminum houses the keys and horizontal controller strips, dubbed sliders. They are slightly narrower than conventional keys nonetheless, I grew accustomed to them quickly.Ī red anodized aluminum base anchors the six-pound KBP4. Instead, the keyboard is simply a silicon overlay to McMillen’s Smart Fabric sensors. Don’t expect the feel of a typical synth-action keybed, though, as KBP4 has no moving parts. To begin with, the KBP4 uses raised keys, which undoubtedly can help ease players moving into MPE from a conventional MIDI controller. ![]() Keith McMillen’s take on a proper MPE controller is the K-Board Pro 4 (KBP4), a four-octave keyboard with a few new wrinkles. (For more information on MPE, see the story in our first issue, “ Roger Linn Digs into MPE Controllers.”) Examples include bending individual notes or different amounts of vibrato or resonance per note, even when applied to a chord. A diverse crop of controllers and synths now provides as many modes of expression as you have appendages.īy distributing MIDI events over multiple MIDI channels in much the same way many MIDI guitars do, MPE lets you articulate individual notes in ways that would otherwise affect all MIDI notes. It also challenges the capabilities of conventional MIDI controller hardware and the synthesizer’s abilities to express modulation on a per-note basis. The formal adoption of MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) into the MIDI protocol prompts new playing techniques. ![]() The Keith McMillen K-Board Pro 4 is one of the latest generation of MPE controllers. Expressive synthesis is literally under your fingertips on keys that don’t actually move. ![]()
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