Hi community!
As the the title suggests I had an epic struggle with a midi footcontroller, namely a KMI softstep v1.
Does anyone knows of a midi footcontroller with leds that are controllable via midi to replace it? Better if small footprint (min 4 switches), and USB powered, but the main thing is being able to turn the leds on and off from the axoloti.
I intend to burn the KMI thing as soon as I have a replacement.
If anyone is interested in the struggle itself, here is a little rant/summary:
I got it brand new, 2 years ago. The editor crashes 1 time every 3, and somethimes all the presets are erased. First time I had to play in direct sunlight the upper plastic peeled off. I reglued it. After 6 months or so the pad number 3 started to have a life of its own. I raised the activation threshold, and eventually I had to use the axoloti to filter out unwanted CCs. After 1 year or so the back lighting was gone. Not too bad since it was so noisy it messed up with the audio signal. Then the usb plug started to fail. I read it's quite common, and resoldered it. Then the navigation pad started to behave similarly to pad 3. Same procedure... And then it got worse: it took me a good two days including many editor crashes and windows reboots to figure out why it froze every now and then, and at the and I yanked the pad 3 and the navigation button, and the back lighting strips as well, taped it together and its working again, mutilated.
I used it quite a lot, but is an expensive professional thing, I would expect it to survive weekly outdoors gigs. And by the way technical support has been quite rude...
OK GUYS, rant over.
Any suggestion appreciated!
Man vs MIDI controller
Yes, sorry to hear about it, I have a KMI 12 step and it has been superb gigging it all the time. Was it old stock when you got it as the softstep v2 came out 6 years ago, so it seems odd still being able to get a v1 two years ago?
The editor on the 12 step is great. Obviously not much of a suggestion as you are not keen on KMI now!
As you have taken the 12 step apart and hacked it, couldn't you just hack it a bit more with a very small arduino or something to give you what you want?
Thanks for chiming in my little rant...
Yes it was an old stock, and also quite a bargain really. About the editor, is the same for Softsteps v1 and 2, but was released with v2, so maybe there some back compatibility issue. Also I'm using it in a virtual machine, and maybe it may worsen things, I don't really know. My main complain with KMI is that they basically denied any hardware failure I reported them, while I found on various forums that I was not the only one having the same problems, probably with the first batch of softsteps. That said I really didn't find anything else in a few evening of tedious reading through manuals that has programmable leds thatrespond to external midi. So I guess its DIY (as @spacelordmother suggested) or swallow the pride and buy another KMI. And now with the questions, because 12step is a bit cheaper and a good option If chose the second route:
did you ever use it in hot sunlight?( its my opinion that this may be the mother of all my problems)
how long and how often did you use it?
do you think it's precise for a switch type operation?
The softstep v1 have the sensors on the square corners, and was not very easy to get it to reliably "switch". I use it for a live looping setup so timing is very relevant. I ended up using only one axis per pad and sticking another piece of hard rubber on the used corner of each pad, and this may be the aunt of all my problems 
.
Thanks a lot for your time!
Well, hot is a bit of a loaded term, I live in the UK, my opinion of what hot is might differ from somewhere else 
. Most of our gigs are in pubs and clubs it has to be said, so we have done about 12 outdoor gigs a year, in the last year several of those have been hot, 3 of them have been burning hot (ie, I ended up with the parts of my legs in the sun burned). All of the hot gigs have been full sets (ie, 3 hours), rather than as part of multiple bands, and all of those the 12 step has been in the sun. One of them my voicelive (on the same pedalboard) died because of the heat. To be honest, the most danger it gets is people spilling beer on it in a crowded pub. I just looked at the reciept, I got it in feb 15.
I don't really have photos of it in use since about 3 years ago, all the pictures I have of live are of my bandmembers, or the crowd. But this was when I rewired the board for the helix about 4 months ago:
There is a lead that has a right angle USB (type A) that goes from the USB of the 12 step under the helix and round to an iPad (and soon an axoloti), and another lead goes to the TC footswitch. So that 12 step has done over 200 gigs, most of them over 2 hours and its doing well, it looks a bit tatty at the edges but nothing like yours.
I use it for chords on many songs (I play the bass and sing as well), and it is good for that, haven't had issues, I will be using it for switches to replace the jam man next to it, which just plays sequences and samples. I use it with USB rather than the little midi connector (I do have the KMI midi box, although the screws have fallen out of it). Can't say about the company as I have never had an issue to contact them, although obviously that is how you can judge a company.
I dont' think it is possible to change the LEDs manually on the 12 step, they light when key is held (you can set them to latch which is most of the songs I do)
If I was in your position, I would definitely hack that board to get it to do what you want. Unfortunately there isn't much else like it, although maybe the behringer footpedal would do what you wanted, or any old footpedal with the electronics taken out and an axoloti put in would be good. They are all a lot bigger though
Polybass copy / guitar pickup to analog in
Hey, thanks for the quick reply, and neat pedalboard! I have been through so many footcontrollers manuals so many times that I know them much better than I'd like to... I'm fairly positive that 12steps led can be lit with CCs, not sure If on/off only or they can blink as well like the softstep, I'm checking anyway... But it would be enough for me. Also, your gigging schedule suggest It's quite reliable, It can be quite hot in summer where I live (Italy) and I played outside quite a lot, but not so much to make any of my previous or other hadware to die like you did so maybe I just have been unlucky...Basically the KMI are doing what I want, there's no need to hack, the problem was hardware unreliability. I have to force myself past the reluctance of giving money again to KMI.
I will have to make a decision between that and going hardcore DIY and build my own thing from scratch...before spring when I'm starting again to have outdoor gigs and busking. I wont feel at ease playng outdoor with that much gaffer-tape on a pedalboard! Let me know if you might be interested in a 2 tracks looper based on axoloti for you setup, I'll gladly share.
Oh yes, you are right, you can just send CC messages to change the LEDs and put stuff on the 4 character patch display. Just never used it directly like that. Handy.
It is very reliable, I have never had any problem with it, which is not something I can say for much, gigging can be a bit hard on equipment.
The own build is more satisfying but the buying gets you up and running straight away.
Thanks for the offer, I don't loop much, I play in a couple of cover bands of different types, so it is mostly just sample triggering.