The original It was tactile was one of the most interesting MPE controllers to come out in recent years. But it has been on the market for less than three years. That's why it was a surprise when Embodme showed up at NAMM 2024 with Erae II, the next version of its customizable controller with major updates and an unexpected new feature.
Now, it is important to note that the version of the Erae II that I was able to test was a very early prototype. There were some mistakes, the build definitely had some rough edges. But the company has plenty of time to solve them. The Kickstarter campaign begins on February 15 with an expected ship date of June.
But the vision is already clear. The main surface is largely the same, a singular, smooth expanse with RGB lights underneath. They are used to illustrate various designs that can be customized. This can be a standard keyboard, a grid, faders, a step sequencer, etc. The design is definitely more refined, even at this early stage. He also acknowledges that while controller customization was a big draw, it was perhaps too reliant on the desktop app and gaming surface to handle settings.
The updated version has several buttons on the top to quickly swap layouts, control the new MIDI looper, and access other settings. There is also a small but high-resolution screen located in the upper right corner next to a selection wheel. The display's viewing angles were solid and fairly sharp, but its size could pose some challenges. I'm not going to judge you on this very early version of the firmware, but I had to squint quite a bit to make out the small text that presents all the MIDI assignments.
However, the controller itself responded very well. The new sensors (16,000 of them to be specific) were able to track my slides and subtle pressure changes with incredible accuracy. The company claims that the playing surface has sub-millimeter accuracy. Obviously, there's no way I could really put that to the test in the showroom, but suffice to say it was accurate.
However, I can already tell that Erae requires quite a bit of nuance to get truly expressive results with aftertouch. The surface doesn't give much, so small changes in pressure can cause big changes in sound.
One of the surprising things is that Erae II will have interchangeable skins, something like Sensel Morph (RIP) or Joué Play, but neither. The unit I played had a silicone cover like the original, which the company says is designed for those who want to play the Erae II with a stick. However, it will ship with a white cloth one, which was specifically designed to improve feel and responsiveness for finger gamers.
However, changing skins is a bit tricky. Because Embodme sees the Erae not simply as a studio tool, but as a live performance device, he wanted to make sure the covers were secure and resistant to abuse. So you actually have to unscrew the frame to fit a new mask. And since the Erae's screen is already customizable, it's not annoying to have skins with particular designs, just different materials.
Embodme also added a bunch of new connectivity options. The original simply had a USB-C port and a TRS MIDI output. But the Erae II will have two MIDI out ports, a MIDI in jack, two USB ports, with the ability to be a host or a device, and 24 configurable analog outputs that can send gate, trigger and CV to external equipment.
Obviously, it's too early to know for sure how well the Erae II will hold up to real-world use. But it has a promising feature set and an intriguing design. If you want to be among the first to get your hands on one, you'll be able to back it on Kickstarter starting February 15 with early bird prices of $549 or $649, depending on how early you go. However, when it hits retail at the end of the year, it will cost $799.
