The Quest For a Better Mod Wheel - Expressive E Touché

I Suck At Wheelin' It

It's true, I just can't get a handle on mod wheel technique. I'm too sluggish no matter how I go about it, and if I felt like blaming my equipment, I'd say it's because the ones I have are a bit large for my dainty hands (or are "mucky" feeling or whatever). The mod wheel on my desk in-particular (attached to an Arturia Keylab MK2), is stiff as all hell and in a somewhat awkward position above the keys. Sure it's solid and feels nice for long sweeping stuff, but the agile, natural breath & bow motions are out of the question unless I want (more) RSItis.

And so began the quest to spend more money to accommodate my lazy digits.


Just The Mod Wheel, Hold the Onions

Starting where most lazy people would, I decided to ferret around for an independent "mod wheel box" of sorts. Search term: "MIDI mod wheel unit". I figured this should be a common enough utility in the MIDI music world such that DIY wouldn't be the only option, and of course Google would be able to deliver.

The result I got instead was, "you're 20 years too late and they're all gone forever, now roll your own or get over it."

Now for DIY options, it's not completely terrible. Doepfer will sell you a mod and pitch wheel cluster for a couple bucks, plenty of DIY MIDI folks sell generic controller boards with USB ports, and you can print out a custom shell at shapeways and get a nice little DIY unit put together on your own time for under $200. However, because of the standard cluster's chassis and the fact you're using giant cogs on sideways-mounted potentiometers, it's always going to be this big, awkward plastic box and the ergonomics are going to be about as good as an Atari joystick unless you go even bigger with integrated wrist rest or just drill a hole in your desk to set it flush.

Cool idea, but that's a bit rough.
I'm soft suburban-folk and need ever-present, corporate-approved comfort to produce my unique, special snowflakes.


Of Mice and Mental Breakdowns

It was then I remembered some 3D modeling colleagues using a 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse, and during a strangely out-of-place debate concerning the merits of Ableton Live vs. FL Studio for DJing, one mentioned that some good fellow developed a free input-to-MIDI tool that could be used to convert the mouse into a decent control surface. I happened to have one of those mice - the shortbus edition - lying around neglected for a half decade, so I dug it up and put it to use. Got it set up, software installed and configured... and moved onto using it as a hockey puck after 145 minutes of failing to score any relevant goals. The mouse just doesn't reliably detect subtle motions, so that completely defeats the purpose of an "agile" human interface device.

A productive day for a Canadian maybe, but not for me.


Sliding Out of Control

Moving onto the next most popular search term: "MIDI control surface". Like any addict, if I can't find some nice pot I'll happily settle for a slider or knob. A few options stood out to me, some even recommended by t3h pr0s and various nobodies with respectable images, and I thought I'd give them a go. I landed on the Presonus FaderPort 8 - motorized faders, works with Cubase in Mackie mode, touch sensitive and very responsive. Still a bit on the large side, but I got it mounted to an articulated laptop arm and could position it anywhere I wanted, so that became a non-issue.

The result:
Great for mixing! Which I don't do much of.
Less great for breath and bow! Which is what I needed it for.

And so I learned that long-throw faders can really tire your arms out when you're trying to follow the contour of a line while playing the keys, like doodling with an incredibly long pencil on an oversized tarp while tap-dancing. Back into the box it went, but of course "saved for later: just in case" because magpie-like urges take precedence over any logical thought. Future-me will appreciate the gesture, I'm sure.


Squish

Seeking a better option yet again, I turned to the prestigious and mysterious MPE. Scant support and flabby space-age materials meant it would be the cutting edge. The edge I'd most certainly need to wrangle VIs with my similarly flabby appendages!

One Roli Light Block and full-sized Roger Linnstrument later, and all I'd gained was a hole in my bank account and a flashing LED decoration (while the Linnstrument sits in a bag under the couch). Although to be fair, the Linnstrument is quite a cool thing that I believe is worth making time for, however it's a completely new paradigm more similar to a guitar and I'm already well-established on the keys. For now and for me, it's really just a toy for noodling in the living room. Great fun and very expressive if you have a DAW that won't shit the bed when you plug it in.

The Light Block on the other hand is too unresponsive to be useful for anything. Not even joking. It's not touch sensitive so it's a poor MPC or X-Y pad which is what I initially wanted it for, and to get any meaningful range on the pressure channel, you have to press hard enough on the gelly alien-skin surface that it feels like it's going to tear. That alone kept me from considering any Seaboard purchases. To a pianist, a maintenance hazard like that would be the equivalent of spending a grand on a pair of socks. I know plenty of guys who get on just fine with it, but I've seen a few too many warning posts and videos about things breaking and Roli taking months to respond / RMA, nevermind the questionable quality I experienced first-hand.


Blockhead Inc.

A penultimate solution, I thought, was yet more sliders! But this time with style: modular MIDI controllers in the "blocky" formfactor almost-popularized by Roli. Having seen a couple on the desks of various YouPotatoes, I divined their names on tea leaves ("Palette" AKA "Monogram Creative Console", "Special Waves Mine" and "Intech Studio Grid") and went about conducting intense research into the nature of such devices, where the most exciting of it had me seated in front of my computer for a few minutes while I threw words at Google.

Palette / Monogram looked particularly interesting as it was fully modular and had a small footprint, so after a few funny cat videos, I let my research take me to a clip of a Spitfire-associated guy fidgeting and scrubbing the device like a distracted bartender whilst singing its praises. At that moment, in what I could only describe as a PTSD flashback, I recalled how disappointing the performance ergonomics of sliders were and moved on yet again.

 

Mail-Order Bride; Dignity Not Included

Finally, after I had dangled an ungainly string of omitted search terms after the keywords "MIDI expression controller" in the hopes that Google would recognize that I *really* didn't want another keyboard, pedal, or drum pad controller, I spotted - nestled in the deepest and darkest of serps of page 5 - a thread and some user posts on VI-C expressing interest in Expressive E's expressive new expression controller called... Touchy. Touch-e. Tushy. Touch'eéeé. It's French.

And just as a physical manifestation of a French inventor's wet dream should be, it's a device that operates through foreplay: by caressing it sensually, it rewards your nimbleness and flexibility with erotic streams of MIDI CC data - which is a fair bit more productive than most physical relationships I've had. If you like sports more than innuendo, it's a floating 3-axis surfboard for your hand (hang ten, duuuude). Although technically it's a 4-axis controller where the lateral axis can be configured to operate as either 2 independent ranges or as a single bi-polar range; a configuration most useful for pitch bend.

So I bought one - the "Software Edition" - and tried to have my way with it like a mail-order bride, but unfortunately it also came equipped with a permanent chastity sentinel: the software, Lié. Acting like a third wheel or cuckold whenever I tried to get down and dirty, Lié was required to be around at all times and would constantly remind me that I hadn't purchased the best possible version by showing me features - like saving control presets in standalone mode - that I really wish I could use instead of dealing with it all the time.

"I promise I don't use hardware synths, Mr. Lié! Please leave my studio and let me use this sexy thing the way I thought I'd be able to!"

"Non. I will watch."

Basically, with the SE version, the designer wants to make sure you can't ever use it as a fully functional MIDI device when plugged into hardware synths that have USB MIDI capability - because those exist now and you're a filthy peasant who bought the cheaper option. So when you attempt to use it as a standalone controller with your DAW, you have to go through the software to configure its ONE graciously (arbitrarily) allowed internal preset to spit out the CCs you want, which is limited to only 4 CCs (as opposed to the full 8) and which is really damn convoluted and buggy because the software was made to cater exclusively to the needs of those with the full version of the device.

The only alternative with the SE was to use said cuckware as a plug-in host inside your DAW in order to use all 8 configurable CC slots and to be able to switch presets freely, which is pretty dumb in my opinion. Stability is already at a premium, I don't need more hosts inside of hosts on an unstable OS that's been breathing heavily over my precarious house of cards since I built the thing thank-you-very-much.

Oh, but the hardware felt so good to use...

And so, unable to restrain myself and having had enough of the sexual bureaucracy, I sought a trade-in for the better waifu. It only took a brief conversation with support, who were extremely accommodating about the exchange (likely because I saved them the trouble of up-selling and paid for return shipping), and about a week later I had a shiny, new regular Touchy and a slightly lighter wallet. This one was free from captain coqueblock and even had a few extra holes. But like the ears and nose of a blow-up doll, I figured it's unlikely I'll ever use the CV or MIDI outs. I suppose I'll consider them when I want to expand my degenerate proclivities.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly from there on with the regular Touchy. Easy setup, easy configuration, lots of control configuration presets to swap between in standalone mode, lovely control - all that goodness. Now while it hadn't made me any better at producing expressive lines with my instruments (well, maybe a little), it sure had been fun to use.

And I lived happily ever after. The End.


TL;DR

Expressive E's Touché is pretty cool if you don't like using a mod wheel and breath controller. I like it and use it.
Don't get the SE version if you decide to take the plunge.

The nice thing about the Touché is that it's self-centering like a pitch wheel on all axes. This way, you can use the lateral axis for dynamics CC1 / CC11 and configure the idle value to sit around 63 or 64 - or whatever the library's "mezzoforte" is. You'd move your hand to the right to get quieter and to the left to knock your socks off. Or the opposite, if you prefer. Just be sure to disable pitch control for that preset via the included software, Lié, or you'll have charmingly drunk performances tied to your dynamics.

One last note: I think the pitch bend control is wonderful fun for vibrato on just about anything, but especially guitars. It actually feels a bit closer to using a real whammy bar and I found myself doing a lot more subtle pitch-stuff in my recordings that I think add a bit of living character.


My Touchy Configurations

Sample Modeling Sample Models:

• CC11 and CC19 top - limited CC19's range a bit, dynamics and vibrato rate
• CC01 bottom - vibrato intensity
• CC21 left - growl
• CC23 right - flutter

Aaron Venture's Infinite Stuff:

• CC01 and CC20 top - limited CC20's range a bit, dynamics and vibrato rate
• CC21 bottom - vibrato intensity
• CC17 left - growl
• CC16 right - flutter

Most Other VIs Including Synths & Guitar:

• Pitch bend on lateral (left / right) axis.
• CC1 at the top.
• CC16 or whatever at the bottom.

Well that's all I have to say on that. Hope you find my experiences insightful or at least entertaining.

Anyone else try any exotic modulation toys? Preferably the non-insertion type.
I heard about the Leap Motion, but never really looked into it since I was never a fan of Roland's imitation of it...