Amazing niche product (Standalone Modwheel/Pitch bend with other features as well)

[Phil Aiken]

https://atemp.ru/en/products/atemp_mc1.html

 

For years I lusted after a standalone pitchbend/modwheel. I bought this as soon as I discovered it, but then due to a gigging semi-hiatus over the pandemic, and some rig changes, did not have a pressing need. I've decided to get a MainStage rig going again, and also my 2 digital pianos - a Yamaha YC88 and Nord Grand, either have no wheels (Nord) or little levers that I am not fully comfortable with (Yamaha). I did some experimenting, and this is a brilliant product, because it is also a usb/midi interface, and can act as a midi merger.

1. Use case 1 - Yamaha with MainStage:   MC1 midi Din into Yamaha, set to use Port 2 (see manual), Usb into laptop acting carrying both midi and audio. Not only gives you pitch bend and mod wheels, but can send program changes to MainStage without affecting the YC88. Super Cool.

2. Use case 2 - Nord Grand midi DIN out into MC1. MC1 Midi out to Key Largo. Key Largo connected to MainStage vis USB. 

There are more configurations to check out. The MC1 gets its power via USB, which can be simply a power source, or a device to which it is connected. Manual is a little bit cryptic due to translation, but easy enough to suss out with the unit in front of you.  

 

It also has four programmable knobs - but using MainStage, leaving them as the default CCs is easiest as they can be mapped anywhere.  There are 2 buttons that can be used to send program changes to MainStage - great if you are like me and have MainStage sets with relatively few instruments loaded up. If you have a lot though, and wish to jump from patch 1 to patch 20, it probably wouldn't suffice in that roll.

 

Super useful.

[PianoMan51]

It ought to have an input for an expression pedal. For all those keyboards them.

[Adam Burgess]

It does. Available as an option to replace one of the knobs.

Guess you could always drill a hole and jumper the cables from the installed knob to a jack socket - then you can use either…

[Doerfler]

4 hours ago, Phil Aiken said:

 

Super useful.

This is exactly what I have been looking for to use with my Kawai VPC-1.

 

Were it made anywhere else in the world, I would buy it today.

[bill5]

I wanted something like this FOREVER....except a joystick, not the wheels, which I don't like. And not one of those ridiculously tiny joysticks either. Sigh. Hopefully it will happen

[David Emm]

4 hours ago, bill5 said:

I wanted something like this FOREVER....except a joystick, not the wheels, which I don't like. And not one of those ridiculously tiny joysticks either. Sigh. Hopefully it will happen

 

Same here. I don't know how the shape of the box might work out in real-time, although the design looks solid. I got spoiled as hell by how perfectly the Korg 01W joystick fit my hand. I have a controller with wheels that behave well, but a joystick version of this could make my Xmas list.

[Baldwin Funster]

I'm not sure how a small box with a joystick wouldn't flip off onto the floor if it was sitting on or next to the keyboard. Even with velcro it's going to move around a little bit.

 

It's an interesting product that I also wished for at times although if I bought one now it would be gathering dust until some future time. Sadly, niche products like this disappear after a couple years and aren't available when you get around to wanting one.

[bill5]

38 minutes ago, Baldwin Funster said:

I'm not sure how a small box with a joystick wouldn't flip off onto the floor if it was sitting on or next to the keyboard. Even with velcro it's going to move around a little bit.

Not if it's designed well.

 

Really what I've wanted for many years is keyboards with a modular design in that left-hand area, so you could "plug n play" whatever you wanted there...wheels, a joystick, along with ones of diff sizes etc. If I owned or managed one of the major producers of keyboards, I'd make this happen. I think it would sell. 

[mcgoo]

I've got one and love it. Very sturdy build. I use it with Gig Performer and do all the mapping there. Easy. 

[Mike Martin]

I've actually been in the process of building one of these. It's an Arduino based project.  Pitch & Modwheel, 2 sliders and two knobs.

My issue with the Atemp MC1 is the size, specifically the height. What I'm hoping to have when I'm done is something with a much smaller footprint. I'll keep you posted.

[Mike Martin]

16 hours ago, bill5 said:

I wanted something like this FOREVER....except a joystick, not the wheels, which I don't like. And not one of those ridiculously tiny joysticks either. Sigh. Hopefully it will happen

 

It exists. 

https://reverb.com/item/65188036-midi-rock-stone-2023-black

 

[marino]

21 minutes ago, Mike Martin said:

I've actually been in the process of building one of these. It's an Arduino based project.  Pitch & Modwheel, 2 sliders and two knobs.

My issue with the Atemp MC1 is the size, specifically the height. What I'm hoping to have when I'm done is something with a much smaller footprint. I'll keep you posted.

 

Great news, Mike.
An humble suggestion: A pitch bend wheel and *two* assignable mod wheels. On the few instruments that I have played with this configuration, I have always found it incredibly useful: With some practice, all the wheels can be controlled at once with the left hand. As an alternative, one mod wheel and a touch slider, as on the Sequential Pro 3.

[bill5]

1 hour ago, Mike Martin said:

 

It exists. 

https://reverb.com/item/65188036-midi-rock-stone-2023-black

 

You are awesome.

[Delaware Dave]

About 1 month ago i was tempted into buying an Electro 5 but knew it lacked a pitch/mod wheel so i started to look for a midi alternative.  I found this exact product and wrote to them for a price, $185 plus $15 shipping and handling. Although I liked the product I couldnt swallow $200 simply to add to the E5, so i passed on both the pitch wheel assembly as well as the E5.

[Baldwin Funster]

Another similar idea I've had but will probably never see in reality is a joystick/ pitch, mod wheel controller that is high quality dsp audio. With this you can get pitch/ mod change on instruments that dont or cant support it via midi. Guitar players have a whammy pedal so the thing could easily happen.

[Dr Mike Metlay]

3 hours ago, Mike Martin said:

 

It exists. 

https://reverb.com/item/65188036-midi-rock-stone-2023-black

 

That’s the second smallest one! They have two with even more controls, including one that has at least 17 different ones, all ergonomically designed to easily be reached by the left hand.

 

People who have known and worked with me for a long time now that I am an absolute freak for this kind of left hand control. I don’t care how much it costs, I don’t care if I never use it… I must own this thing!

 

mike

[Piktor]

I’m still using my old Yamaha MCS2, so I know how useful a product like this could be. However, I see a box with squared corners. I wonder if such a device  could be made with a more ergonomic design to fit the contours of the left hand - one that could accommodate players who P bend with their thumb and people (like me) who use their middle finger. Then again, I am a niche within a niche. I hope that a Ukrainian company could improve on the design. 
 

 

[Dr Mike Metlay]

12 hours ago, Piktor said:

I’m still using my old Yamaha MCS2, so I know how useful a product like this could be. However, I see a box with squared corners. I wonder if such a device  could be made with a more ergonomic design to fit the contours of the left hand - one that could accommodate players who P bend with their thumb and people (like me) who use their middle finger. Then again, I am a niche within a niche. I hope that a Ukrainian company could improve on the design. 
 

 

I miss my MCS2 every once in a while, until I see a photograph of one, and remember how gigantic it was. Great idea, incredibly handy, especially with the breath control input. But I’ve had drum machines that were smaller.

 

 I was contemplating the design of that new box, and thinking how very Soviet it looked. So the Ukrainian comment put a big smile on my face.

 

mike

[ChazKeys]

The cost of producing even a basic version is as much as a decent 3 octave controller keyboard like the A300 Pro. 

 

I have built several mainly aimed at the Electro market but they work with any device that has midi. Just 2 wheels and a nice metal box is £50 then you need all the electronics.

 

I got some interest on Nord forums until we started talking about price. Like Delaware Dave says the extra $200 dollars is a bit much. My version does give you other features like vibrato, mono mode and free split. But my prediction is the Electro 7 will feature those - but maybe not the free split.

 

The cheapest option is the joystick and the box can be smaller and low profile. I’m building a third one with a Roland bender which is my preferred option.

 

Niche = Expensive

 

Someone like Guido at GMLab could probably build them at a good price.

https://www.gmlab.it/

 

This one is attached to P121 and iPad - provides Exp Pedal for VB3m and the pots can be mapped. 

 

 

This one is connected to the Nord Electro Ext to lo function and I don't need a 2nd board to access the Lo part. Provides lots of functions like splitting on the fly and even Flip to swap Upper and Lower. The extra MIDI out lets you control an external synth at the same time. Pots and the stick can be mapped too.

 

 

Here's the bender version - doesn't fit in the box so I mounted it on the outside!!! I think that's called thinking outside the box!

[stoken6]

Nice work @ChazKeys. You see, people? 5-PIN DIN MIDI SOCKETS!

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Doerfler]

On 9/16/2023 at 8:07 PM, Piktor said:

I’m still using my old Yamaha MCS2, so I know how useful a product like this could be. However, I see a box with squared corners. I wonder if such a device  could be made with a more ergonomic design to fit the contours of the left hand - one that could accommodate players who P bend with their thumb and people (like me) who use their middle finger. Then again, I am a niche within a niche. I hope that a Ukrainian company could improve on the design. 
 

 

I just purchased a Yamaha MCS2 in like new condition. Everything works as it should. Not attractive, but functional. 

[CHarrell]

6 hours ago, Doerfler said:

I just purchased a Yamaha MCS2 in like new condition. Everything works as it should. Not attractive, but functional. 

 

How bulky is it? It looks like it in pics.

[Doerfler]

1 hour ago, CHarrell said:

 

How bulky is it? It looks like it in pics.

well, dimensions in inches are 14 x 8 x 2, can't weigh but 2 or 3 pounds

It's very well built, Yamaha were manufacturing these in Japan.

It does way more than I need (can't see myself using a breath controller for EP's   ) however nothing else that I could find had 5 pin MIDI, which was essential for me

The only other concievable option was to purchase a small MIDI keyboard controller,

the smallest of which no longer have 5 pin MIDI, cost more than I spent, and take up more real estate(that isn't available)

Took me almost 10 months to find one in great shape.  I wasn't looking that hard, but these don't show up for sale often in great condition

There is one available on Reverb as I write this that looks to be in pretty good shape, missing a slider cap on a fully functional slider, per the listing

I bought mine from a store with a return policy, as I wasn't exactly sure if it would work for me, paid a little more but it was an inexpensive insurance policy in case it didn't work out

 

[Reezekeys]

I'm facing this issue with my new Liano. Originally I was OK with no mod wheel and PB because I figured I would only use this for piano gigs. Now I realize I want to be able to access my entire iPad setup, the one I normally use with my Roland A800. I like to switch between rhodes & acoustic piano, sometimes layer in strings or pads, etc. I might want to do a lead sound at some point, so PB/MW would be nice to implement. I'm allergic to spending lots of money though! So, at this moment I'm trying TouchOSC on an iPhone. I made a layout that duplicates the butttons and pads on my A800. Pitch bend is different than those controls though - I need a "spring loaded" slider that returns to center when I release it! I've been led to believe the newer TouchOSC app will do this. I just got it and will find out soon.

[David Barrickman]

I appreciate this thread, I’m in a similar position…I bought a Kawai ES920 for piano gigs/rehearsals late last year and have fallen in love with it way more than I expected to…the acoustic pianos, eps, harpsichord and clavinet sounds are all excellent, much tweaking is possible and the finger to ear connection with the action feels wonderful to me. The other sounds included are not so good and rather limited…so I have an iPad 9th gen I’m hoping to integrate soon with the Kawai as a controller. The idea of seriously searching for one of these type of rare products or apps which add pitch/mod wheel/sliders etc crossed my mind very recently so I’m really grateful for the info here, extremely timely for me.

[Reezekeys]

And next... how to attach an expression pedal to a keyboard that doesn't have one? I've found two ways, either a small converter box or the one-of-a-kind bluetooth expression pedal made by Boss. There is something about spending half of what you pay for a keyboard for a pedal that rubs me the wrong way, but no denying it's a much "cleaner" solution. The box requires adding a USB hub to my CCK which dangles off my iPad. Although there are a few of these boxes out there, the one that's catching my eye is the Doremidi MPC-10. For about 1/4 of the price of the Boss pedal I can attach my existing M-Audio EXP and two footswitches, which I can assign to turning pages in forScore. That would be a big help to me.

 

PS. I just found a wired USB expression pedal made by Crumar (UP-4) for $100... but that would require the hub, same as the $45 Doremidi box, and wouldn't give me the additional inputs for page-turning switches.

[AROIOS]

For those of us with some experience with electrical engineering and coding, it's not too hard to build MIDI controllers with an Arduino. I love the RC type joystick used in this project:
 

 

[Reezekeys]

I was gonna attempt building a small Arduino box to interface my old Yamaha breath controller to the rest of my rig. I'm assuming it would cost less than the Midi Solutions box (around $170 as I type). All I need is an reason to use the breath controller! (I'm holding onto it for now - you never know!)

[J.F.N.]

I really love the product this thread started about, I have absolutly no need for it atm, but I want one still.. hahaha! (Not buying it now, but if I find the sliiiiightest need, I'll source one right away..).

 

(I am a midiholic.. I usually say, Music is my Passion - Midi is my #1 Hobby!)

[AROIOS]

5 hours ago, Reezekeys said:

I was gonna attempt building a small Arduino box to interface my old Yamaha breath controller to the rest of my rig. I'm assuming it would cost less than the Midi Solutions box (around $170 as I type). All I need is an reason to use the breath controller! (I'm holding onto it for now - you never know!)

Saw this a few years ago, seemed like an approachable starter project. Have fun!