This is the first time I’ve seen a MIDI controller run apps – the new Electra One Mini is based on the larger format controller from the same company – which has been around for a while. First, a bit of context: I was initially attracted to the Electra One MIDI controller over 4 years ago because, finally, someone made a MIDI controller where you could actually see at all times the full names of parameters it controlled and their value.
A major added bonus was the fact that Electra One hosted a community-driven library of presets – so if you want to use it with your synth, there’s a good chance someone already mapped out a preset for it.
Over the years, a few interesting features were added like snapshots and morphing, but perhaps more importantly, the ability for users to run code on it and access its graphics, which opens the door for creative sequencers and MIDI effects.
In this video, I take a close look at both. I’ll also show you how I created a generative sequencer using AI without writing a single line of code, and then talk about the pros and cons compared to the competition:
TIMELINE:
0:00 Intro
1:10 Overview
2:50 Build
4:00 MK2 vs Mini
4:30 Controls
5:45 Multis
6:50 Pages
7:30 Presets
8:10 Snapshots
8:50 Morph
9:50 Rand #1
10:20 Rand #2
10:45 Captures
11:05 Pin presets
11:40 I/O
12:05 MK2 exclusives
12:25 Performance
13:40 Devices
14:05 Routing
14:40 Assigns
15:05 The Editor
17:25 Convert psets
17:50 AI coding
22:25 Ableton Live
24:30 Pros & cons
28:20 Tombola Jam