Re: softstep report #1

[Charlie M <pilotcp@gmail.com>]

I don't have an answer, just a comment from the peanut gallery, but
that would be really cool if they did that!



On Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 1:25 PM, Todd Matthews <gtmatthews@gmail.com> wrote:
> One more quick question..
>
> Does the softstep use bluetooth at all for wireless operation? For some
> reason I had that floating around in my head awhile ago but I didn't 
>read it
> about it on the website lately.
>
> Thank you for the updates,
>
> Todd Matthews
>
> On Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 2:21 PM, Todd Matthews <gtmatthews@gmail.com> 
>wrote:
>>
>> Do you only run the software to set the softstep up and then the 
>hardware
>> saves the settings for stand alone performance or does the 
>software have to
>> be running in the background?
>>
>> On Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 12:18 PM, Zoe Keating <info@zoekeating.com> 
>wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello Erdem!
>>>
>>> I haven't explored yet anything other than pressure. This works very
>>> well, and you can set the sensitivity.
>>> There is a very helpful GUI that shows you in real time how the
>>> pad/button is responding to your toe press.
>>>
>>> Nothing "gives" or clicks on the softstep. Its just a rubberized pad.
>>> This sounds disorienting, but what I've found so far is that if i press
>>> while looking at the GUI, I get a sense of the motion. Then once i've
>>> trained my brain, I can close the GUI start using it.  I don't know 
>how to
>>> relate that to a wah-style mechanical pedal because I've never been
>>> successful in using those.
>>>
>>> I have to put my experiments aside now and get to San Diego. My hope is
>>> to incorporate the SoftStep for a show in SF on Oct 12.
>>>
>>> (sorry to miss the Y2KX! I leave for New York the day after)
>>>
>>> best, Z
>>>
>>> On Oct 7, 2010, at 3:20 AM, Erdem Helvacioglu wrote:
>>>
>>>> dear zoe and keith,
>>>>
>>>> could you  comment on the use of continuous controllers of the 
>softstep?
>>>> i really wonder how the pressure, x-y axis works and how it "feels" 
>like
>>>> compared to other hardware expression pedals?
>>>>
>>>> 5 degrees of continuous control for each pad:
>>>> X- and Y- axis, Clockwise Rotation, Counter-Clockwise Rotation and
>>>> Pressure. These control sources are mappable to any MIDI or OSC 
>destination
>>>>
>>>> thanks and best.
>>>>
>>>> www.erdemhelvacioglu.com
>>>>
>>>> New duo album with Per Boysen out now.
>>>> http://erdemhelvaciogluandperboysen.bandcamp.com
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Zoe Keating" <info@zoekeating.com>
>>>> To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
>>>> Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 4:31 AM
>>>> Subject: softstep report #1
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> think I'll report as I go, since otherwise I'll never get around to 
>it!
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I downloaded the software, plugged in the pedal (comes with a nice
>>>>>  long USB cable in case you need to be far away from your computer),
>>>>>  launched the software and the pedal lit up with its friendly blue 
> leds.
>>>>> (reminds me of the dashboard of a mini cooper)It goes without 
> saying that
>>>>> the pedal is small, lightweight and cute. Its not TOO  small though. 
>The
>>>>> numbered buttons are the same size as the one on the  FCB1010. The
>>>>> navigation arrows are small and I have to look at my  toes, but I 
>think I'll
>>>>> get the hang of it.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm a bit impatient with manuals, so I decided to poke around the
>>>>> software interface first. I didn't get very far, and had to go and 
> read the
>>>>> manual ;-)
>>>>> I was stumped at first by all the modes, figuring out what was
>>>>>  clickable, trying to read the tiny fonts, and understanding the 
>naming
>>>>>  terminology. However, after almost 2 hours of blundering around I 
> managed
>>>>> to grasp the rudiments of the interface and modify some of the 
> presets. Now
>>>>> I'm mapping these to run to the basics of my set. (I'm  told 
>documentation
>>>>> of the presets is coming, so this will be a quicker  process).
>>>>>
>>>>> As I started to realize the depth of what the SoftStep does, all the
>>>>> interface modes begin to make sense. Every single thing is 
> customizable,
>>>>> from what kind of footwork the buttons respond to, to  how the 
>lights behave
>>>>> (do you want a green light when you press?), to  how you want to page
>>>>> through your banks. I'm not even scratching the  surface of this 
>pedal yet.
>>>>> So I'd rather have a complex, nested  interface where I can control 
>any and
>>>>> everything, to an out-of-the-box  pedal that is not customizable at 
>all.
>>>>>
>>>>> So far I've got one "scene" (or what I would call a bank) that sends
>>>>> Program Changes on Channel3 to MIDIPipe and one that sends notes to 
>Ableton
>>>>> on Channel1. Each scene is accessed by going left or right  with the
>>>>> navigation arrows. When I'm in my program change scene, the 
>navigation up
>>>>> and down arrows increase or decrease in increments of  10, just like 
>you'd
>>>>> expect.  Now I have to make another scene of notes  for Ableton, and 
>two
>>>>> scenes for SooperLooper and do some more  experiments with how I 
>want the
>>>>> pedals to respond to my edwardian  boots and how the red and green 
>lights
>>>>> should behave.
>>>>>
>>>>> That's it for now.
>>>>>
>>>>> Happy times!!
>>>>>
>>>>> Zoe
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>
>