SoftStep 2 USB MIDI Foot Controller

Really great contoller. Infinite programmable possibilities, simple plug-and-play presets. It worked on my laptop instantly but didn't seem to work on my ipad air. The softstep looked like it was on (it lit up) but wasn't sending midi data. Tech support from KMI emailed me back very quickly. The iPad wasn't supplying enough power by itself nor was my very cheap powered usb hub. A cell phone charger plugged into the midi expansion port on the soft step did the trick. The simple editor is very easy to use. The advanced editor is a little tricky but not impossible. I hope they develop more detailed tutorials for the advanced editor, but in the meantime the KMI discussion forum has lots of great advice and tips.

After my major disappointment with the Behringer FCB1010, I was very concerned I'd be burned by this product as well. I was not! Rather, I am delighted to say that this product is exceptional! I wanted a MIDI foot controller that I could use with NI's Guitar Rig software, and this product has delivered!It doesn't come with a manual or software CD, but it was obtained quickly enough from the product web page. It took a couple hours to really understand how it works, but the editing software--which actually works with this product, huzzah!--finally got me there.Ultimately, you can program profiles on the board that define the behavior of each of the buttons. Each button can be programmed to do a MIDI note event, a note toggle on/off (with LED indicator built into the board), a CC event, a program change, a 2-axis CC slider (different CCs on each axis using up/down and left/right to change the values), or a CC pressure level (values change depending on how hard you press the button). Each button also gets a custom 4-letter message to display on the LED panel when it's pressed! Very customizable, and that's just with the Basic Editor (there is an Advanced Editor)! The blue D-pad's Y-axis can be programmed as another CC slider (I mapped it to master volume, for now at least), but the X-axis is reserved for changing profiles on the controller itself. On the back, you have a 1/8" TRS jack for an expression pedal--also programmable as an independent CC in the editing software--and a mini-USB port for the company's MIDI Expansion product.The product ships with a travel sleeve, a nice long USB cord (kudos!), and a Male 1/8" to Female 1/4" TRS dongle for connecting your 1/4" expression pedal to the board. The product itself is very sturdy and solid despite being so thin, though I think it could have been a little larger for my big feet!Once plugged in, the SoftStep 2 gives the computer 2 MIDI devices: "SSCOM PORT 1" and "SSCOM PORT 2" or something like that. "PORT 1" is the buttons and such. I'm guessing "PORT 2" is the MIDI Expansion port.The SoftStep 2 controller integrates nicely with Guitar Rig, though not without some effort. You add controllers for each of the buttons' MIDI signals, a minimum of 3 per button: one for the MIDI note mode, and one for each axis of the 2-axis CC mode (which will also cover the button's single-CC modes). Do yourself a favor and as you program the SoftStep 2 profile use identical MIDI notes and CCs across the different modes for each button. After the GR-controllers have been created, you can use drag-and-drop and/or menus within Guitar Rig to map your GR-controllers to controls in Guitar Rig. To give you an idea, I've mapped the top row buttons to "previous profile", "next profile", and "tuner mute/unmute", and the D-pad up/down to "master volume"; all locked so they keep the same functions across GR-profiles. I've left the rest of the buttons in a variety of function modes (some toggle, some pressure, maybe one in X-Y) for use in mapping per-GR-profile controls. I've only partially worked in this step so far so I can't give much feedback into it other than that you can save mappings per-GR-profile or you can lock certain GR-controllers for uniform function across all profiles.So happy to finally have a great MIDI foot controller for my laptop live guitar rig! If I had complaints, it would be that the board is a little small for my feet (especially with shoes on) and that it lacked any directions on the box. Even a slip of paper saying "Go to our website for the manual and software" would have been acceptable. Regardless, I am very pleased with this product! I look forward to seeing how well it keeps up over time!Update 10/29/2016: After a bit of time with this board, I'm finding some problems. First, it's small. I wear size 11 tennis shoes and it is difficult to hit just one of these buttons. Second, the X-Y mode doesn't seem to work as I expected. Being shaped like d-pads, I was expecting up-down to be Y adjust and left-right to be X adjust. However, I can only seem to get them to manipulate in one axis. The buttons are so small and require so much force to press that it's difficult to lean these buttons in any direction really. I will probably stick to pressure-style button presses. Finally, with the amount of force required to press these buttons, you need a non-slip surface to operate the foot pedal on. This is not always a luxury you have for gigs, and if you're on carpet this board is so thin I feel like I'm bending it trying to press buttons. I only feel comfortable operating this board on a hard floor which can provide additional structural support. Still a great board, but not as perfect as I initially thought it was.

This isn’t a full review. I’ve only spent a short amount of time with the device. I found it intuitive to do MIDI learning in logic with. Had to switch the text to local in Logic to avoid glitchy text which is fine, but an extra step each time. Really my issue is about ‘feel’. It just doesn’t feel that good. That doesn’t mean it isn’t function or doesn’t work well. I’m new to pedals so I have no real reference point for ‘feeling good’. But this feels funky. And it’s smaller than you might think. This is probably great is space is your biggest concern. While it’s a concern of mine, I don’t know that I’d want this as a compromise. Wish I’d gone for something else. If there’s external pedal support for this maybe not so bad (I’ll check). As a toggle switch it works okay enough, though you’ll lack the tactile feedback. As a pressure pedal it just feels weird to me. A lot of the values default to 20, I’m sure that’s editable, though I thought it was interesting.

board is well made. great functionality. not easy to program advanced functions, poor documentation for advanced editing ; website doesn't help much with advanced edit

Product is great but if you need it on time don't count on it

I'm using it with my Kemper Profiling Amplifier and very happy with it.

First, the not-so-good stuff:The unit shipped with no documentation at all. That's not really a problem, as it's available on the Keith McMillan website. I downloaded the needed material, only to discover that the editor was outdated, designed for the original SoftStep. I contacted customer support and received a prompt answer. The new editor was released the next week and seems to work pretty well. Most of the available videos on youtube and on the KM site are outdated, and don't correspond to the Softstep 2. Hmmm...I use it for live performance with Ableton Live, to launch scenes, arm & record clips, and run the looper. The editor software basically assumes you're a coding geek, knowing all the midi note & CC numbers and values and the learning curve is pretty steep. The Live preset is pretty basic, and I had to build a new one from scratch to get the needed functionality for my setup.And now, the GOOD stuff:On the plus side, it's nice and small, runs on USB power and seems well built. Customer service is Awesome! I initially had problems getting it to work, (quirky editor software, outdated training materials, not recognized by my system, etc.)the support staff always responded promptly. They definitely went the extra mile to help me get up & running and make it right. They also have free 30 minute one-on-one training via skype.Conclusion:It's not plug & play and you'll need to spend some time learning how to set it up and use it. Once the initial learning curve is done, though, it works really well.

I never write reviews but this one deserves it. I bought this for OBS to change scenes and control chrome/acrobat/logic at the same time while playing guitar. I tried first with midi commander, but it froze all the time, and only offered 8 buttons per bank. This has FORTY possible foot switch options per bank, and they are silent! I’ve never seen anything like it before. The recordings I did with the other pedal are almost ruined because of the noise it made switching scenes. The ease, speed and dexterity this allows in navigating was well beyond my expectations, I can feel exactly where am without looking, and without making mistakes. The possibilities this has opened up for me with streaming/recording are huge. As for the reviews about it being so hard to program, I took an hour to read the manual and had it done within the next. Downsides, expensive and was long to arrive, but when it did it was like Christmas. Recommended.

Pedaliera midi insostituibile. Massima versatilità.

Me ha gustado la rapidez y seriedad de la transacción. Pero no tengo claro que el producto funcione perfectamente, no he conseguido configurar ni las funciones básicas. Tengo experiencia en el mundo de la informática musical y después de varios intentos he decidido devolverlo.No es intuitivo, demasiada programación y los pads me parecieron demasiado pequeños , no se distingue bien cuando pulsas, hay un proceso de adaptación demasiado largo para mi.

La housse ne dure pas bien longtemps. Il faut s'en faire une plus résistante soi-même ce qui est un peu dommage.

A little smaller than I thought. But works well and no real problem even with my big feet.