Can the 12 step do MIDI CC, MIDI PC etc, or only MIDI notes? Can it be used to start/stop loops and 1 shot samples in a DAW (or VST) such as Ableton Live?
You convinced me to get this! One of my biggest frustrations with the Riland PK-5a is that I am unable to play chords with them. The 12 step seems to be the answer to this problem.
Is there anything newer, and better now that this is almost a 10 year old video? I'd love onboard synth with no need of an expansion device. I also heard these don't do well live and the keys and usb are unstable over time.
Whoa, it couldn't have really hurt to make the thing a little bigger could it? I think considering the price of the unit, a lot of people who would be interested in this kinda thing would prefer to have something like the roland midi pedals.
I find one octave limiting. I want to create live bass lines with my feet and don't have time to hit and hold the octave button every time I want to go up or down an octave. Could I program this device to let's say.. play a lower octave when I hit the lower part of the key, and trigger the higher octave when I hit the key on the top half? Hmm..
If you could ONLY have one or the other (12 step vs. soft step), which one would be the most flexible? I like playing pads and triggering chords with a foot controller but I also want to be able to control transport commands in MainStage's loopback and play back. I have seen the 12 step launch clips in Ableton but can it be mapped to transport controls for loopback? I am a newbie to MIDI message types. help. thanks!
I was excited to find this given that Taurus pedals can cost thousands. But it only appears to be a midi controller, and I would need something independent for live performances, since I don't want to bring a computer on stage, or risk the computer failing (as I've seen happen to many other bands). I just ended up making some pedals myself that mechanically control the lower octave of my keyboard so I can play bass at the same time. But I wanted to know. Can you program your patches, samples, chords, etc to this device and play it as a standalone on stage, or must it be controlling another midi device? And if it is only a midi controller, would it control my Casio CTK6000 keyboard? I ask that because even though my keyboard is a midi device, it does not have actual midi jacks, but only a USB port.
@francaisemusique What? I would love to have one of these to incorporate synth bass/pads etc while also playing guitar in a live situation. Heck, even look up Genesis, they used stuff like this all the time and did amazing things with them.
On their website FAQ they say: Can I set separate CC messages on each key? No, you cannot set separate CC messages on each key of the 12 Step. The 12 Step only has global CC messages - each key will send the same CC data. The only per-key messages available on the 12 Step are MIDI notes. What does this mean and how is it a limitation?
would love to get the ableton patch for what he does in 05:00 ; triggering a note ( chord ) that holds , but also is released when next key is hit... anybody ...?
I own this product. It works really well. My only complaint is that I have giant feet; and there is not enough space on this little device for size 13 shoes. But, seriously, it's a great product.
is this just a midi controller? I am playing bass, however was thinking of adding something to the band like billy sheean did in your other videos, So i need a synth to link it too? Are there no kinda all in one product, just a foot unit that i can use the xlr direct into a P.A.?
liltyme Yes, it's only a MIDI controller, no built-sounds. But if you have an iPad 2 or a laptop, there are tons of great cheap synths you can get. I'm a bass player, and I use the 12-Step with an iPad Air, with Korg M1 synth app and Galileo organ app. I've programmed the 12-step to change the iPad sound banks using the foot controller, so you never have to touch your iPad during a live performance.
Lan What size shoes have you got please? I find it absolutely mind-boggling that they didn’t take into account that Peeps with big feet would be using this......when designing it
Many synths come with arpeggiation, for example the one in the Korg Minilogue is really cool. The way 12 Step and either play in toggle mode (toggle notes on/off) or that it can play up to 5 notes at once from a single key makes it easy to feed MIDI note information to a sequencer in a synth. You could also send MIDI notes to trigger sequences to play in other software too. We hear you, though, it would be crazy if it could arpeggiate on it's own! Still, we think it's a really great piece of kit as it is =)
I like the USB connection, but there's no weight to this pedal. I can see how easily bending and moving around. It looks more like a desktop controller. On the other hand, it'll fit in your backpack and very portable. Nice little editor too...
Yes, that looks entirely possible. If you needed help you could contact support@keithmcmillen.com and get a more detailed answer and suggestions for hooking it up.
i had this for a while now, and i have to say its really just because there is no way i will bring my original taurus on an airplane for my gigs in europe. otherwise i would avoid using that thing. i had to replace my first 12 step because some notes were'nt responding after only a month of normal use. it took forever to get KM to get me a new one to replace it. then, the new unit recently started malfunctionning too, the ''E'' note freezes for no reason....not mentionning this controller is way too small, unless you have very small feet. my advice is, if you need a midi controller and you dont care if it dosen't fit in a backpack, go with the classic pk5 from roland
@lynlevett22 that was the first thing i thought of. music should be available to everybody, and now people without use of their hands can make music too.
He means number 2 (generous or abundant) in features. fulsome adjective adjective: fulsome 1 complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree."the press are embarrassingly fulsome in their appreciation" 2 of large size or quantity; generous or abundant. "the fulsome details of the later legend" Definitions from Oxford Languages
@albedo0point39 Actually only used to control the switching software on another computer these days... Glad you enjoyed.
Can the 12 step do MIDI CC, MIDI PC etc, or only MIDI notes? Can it be used to start/stop loops and 1 shot samples in a DAW (or VST) such as Ableton Live?
Can it be configured to work as a keyboard? Like a,w,s,d,shift,ctrl,space,1,2,3,4,5 etc?
You convinced me to get this! One of my biggest frustrations with the Riland PK-5a is that I am unable to play chords with them. The 12 step seems to be the answer to this problem.
Is there anything newer, and better now that this is almost a 10 year old video? I'd love onboard synth with no need of an expansion device. I also heard these don't do well live and the keys and usb are unstable over time.
Whoa, it couldn't have really hurt to make the thing a little bigger could it?
I think considering the price of the unit, a lot of people who would be interested in this kinda thing would prefer to have something like the roland midi pedals.
I find one octave limiting. I want to create live bass lines with my feet and don't have time to hit and hold the octave button every time I want to go up or down an octave. Could I program this device to let's say.. play a lower octave when I hit the lower part of the key, and trigger the higher octave when I hit the key on the top half? Hmm..
Very well presented, I really like your reviews. Great mix of depth (detail), overview, function and opinion. Bravo.
If you could ONLY have one or the other (12 step vs. soft step), which one would be the most flexible? I like playing pads and triggering chords with a foot controller but I also want to be able to control transport commands in MainStage's loopback and play back. I have seen the 12 step launch clips in Ableton but can it be mapped to transport controls for loopback? I am a newbie to MIDI message types. help. thanks!
I was excited to find this given that Taurus pedals can cost thousands. But it only appears to be a midi controller, and I would need something independent for live performances, since I don't want to bring a computer on stage, or risk the computer failing (as I've seen happen to many other bands).
I just ended up making some pedals myself that mechanically control the lower octave of my keyboard so I can play bass at the same time.
But I wanted to know. Can you program your patches, samples, chords, etc to this device and play it as a standalone on stage, or must it be controlling another midi device? And if it is only a midi controller, would it control my Casio CTK6000 keyboard? I ask that because even though my keyboard is a midi device, it does not have actual midi jacks, but only a USB port.
Can I connect via MIDI to my synth module? And do I have to use a PC/Tablet/imac with it?
Can you program Sysex? I’d like to make 5 scene switches and 8 chord assignments for Motif XF.
@francaisemusique What? I would love to have one of these to incorporate synth bass/pads etc while also playing guitar in a live situation. Heck, even look up Genesis, they used stuff like this all the time and did amazing things with them.
On their website FAQ they say:
Can I set separate CC messages on each key? No, you cannot set separate CC messages on each key of the 12 Step. The 12 Step only has global CC messages - each key will send the same CC data. The only per-key messages available on the 12 Step are MIDI notes.
What does this mean and how is it a limitation?
would love to get the ableton patch for what he does in 05:00 ;
triggering a note ( chord ) that holds , but also is released when next key is hit...
anybody ...?
How would you hook this up to the Moog Minotaur, that would be a cool Taurus like setup.
It's awesome with the Mood Minotaur. We also like it with the Moog SlimPhatty.
Which program could I use to modify the sounds?
Can I use this controller with a keyboard, such as my Roland VR09?
Probably needs the expansion unit he showed you, with midi-in midi-out ports.
I own this product. It works really well. My only complaint is that I have giant feet; and there is not enough space on this little device for size 13 shoes. But, seriously, it's a great product.
Really well-done! Now, I just need to figure out how to use it simply to key tracks in Mainstage3.....Thanks!
is this just a midi controller? I am playing bass, however was thinking of adding something to the band like billy sheean did in your other videos, So i need a synth to link it too? Are there no kinda all in one product, just a foot unit that i can use the xlr direct into a P.A.?
liltyme Yes, it's only a MIDI controller, no built-sounds. But if you have an iPad 2 or a laptop, there are tons of great cheap synths you can get. I'm a bass player, and I use the 12-Step with an iPad Air, with Korg M1 synth app and Galileo organ app. I've programmed the 12-step to change the iPad sound banks using the foot controller, so you never have to touch your iPad during a live performance.
Lan What size shoes have you got please? I find it absolutely mind-boggling that they didn’t take into account that Peeps with big feet would be using this......when designing it
Didn't Rick Allen (of Def Leppard) use something similar years ago?
Is it polyphonic?
The ipad connection power loss bit is answered in the faq: You can use an external power supply to the expand port.
i appreciate your reviews: always concise and greatly informative. thank you.
Is there any new products like this in 2021? 😂
what program are you using?
would be awesome if it could arpeggiate and play sequence patterns.
that would be crazy
Many synths come with arpeggiation, for example the one in the Korg Minilogue is really cool. The way 12 Step and either play in toggle mode (toggle notes on/off) or that it can play up to 5 notes at once from a single key makes it easy to feed MIDI note information to a sequencer in a synth. You could also send MIDI notes to trigger sequences to play in other software too.
We hear you, though, it would be crazy if it could arpeggiate on it's own! Still, we think it's a really great piece of kit as it is =)
I use my 12 step the play arps on my minlogue and microkorg.
I like the USB connection, but there's no weight to this pedal. I can see how easily bending and moving around. It looks more like a desktop controller. On the other hand, it'll fit in your backpack and very portable. Nice little editor too...
The KM SoftStep may be a better option for some.
do i need to plug it to mac or can i just plug it directly to iPad and get sound ??
Yes, 12 Step works with iPads
Do you think I could use with the midi in of a Moxf8?
Yes, that looks entirely possible. If you needed help you could contact support@keithmcmillen.com and get a more detailed answer and suggestions for hooking it up.
i had this for a while now, and i have to say its really just because there is no way i will bring my original taurus on an airplane for my gigs in europe. otherwise i would avoid using that thing. i had to replace my first 12 step because some notes were'nt responding after only a month of normal use. it took forever to get KM to get me a new one to replace it. then, the new unit recently started malfunctionning too, the ''E'' note freezes for no reason....not mentionning this controller is way too small, unless you have very small feet. my advice is, if you need a midi controller and you dont care if it dosen't fit in a backpack, go with the classic pk5 from roland
Ha! Haven't seen Chicken of the VNC in a while!
Great review as always!
This is a very nice review.
Great possibilities in the disability world
It seems friendly.
The preset switching seems cumbersome when used live. It would be better if it accepted Program changes.
@lynlevett22
that was the first thing i thought of. music should be available to everybody, and now people without use of their hands can make music too.
Uh, 'fulsome' doesn't mean what you seem to think it does. (with all respect)
Fulsome prison blues...
He means number 2 (generous or abundant) in features.
fulsome
adjective
adjective: fulsome
1 complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree."the press are embarrassingly fulsome in their appreciation"
2 of large size or quantity; generous or abundant.
"the fulsome details of the later legend"
Definitions from Oxford Languages
:)