Keith McMillen Instruments (KMI) has launched a campaign on Kickstarter for the upcoming innovative K-Board Pro 4. It is a four-octave MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) keyboard controller that is MPE (Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression) compatible with multiple dimensions of touch sensitivity using its proprietary Smart Fabric Technology in each key.
K-Board Pro 4 is a new kind of keyboard controller that feels and responds like a musical instrument. The K-Board Pro 4 will have all the nuances and sensitivity that makes an instrument musical.
Commenting on the launch, Keith McMillen, KMI Founder & CEO disclosed that the company wanted to reclaim all of the powerful synth parameters that you can rarely access in performance and put them under your fingertips where you can play the heck out of them. He added that you need to start with the fundamentals of the classic keyboard. Moreover, you have to make it responsive by leveraging multidimensional expressivity.
With K-Board Pro 4, musicians can seamlessly transition from a traditional piano performance to a brave new MPE world. This can be done without changing their natural technique, with the added ability to take total control over the character of their sound while playing. MPE is a new standard for electronic music controllers, like K-Board Pro 4, to communicate with favorite hardware classics and cutting-edge soft synths.
K-Board Pro 4 takes advantage of the patented Smart Sensor Fabric Technology under each key to independently output touch-sensitive XYZ data that can be mapped to any parameter, such as vibrato, brightness, timbre, and more. This enable users to play expressively in real-time with the nuance more routinely expected from an acoustic instrument. The four touch-sensitive sliders can be mapped to anything, providing rapid access to parameters, such as octave, vibrato depth, or a preset to keep performers playing without interrupting their creative flow.
The K-Board Pro 4 is really musical because it’s the only MPE controller that you can just play like a keyboard that has a definite attack but also has all of the continuous dimensions.
Jaron Lanier, innovator, computer philosophy writer
With durable design, the K-Board Pro 4 features silicone keys, an aluminum frame construction, and no moving parts to ensure the trademark durability. The product will be powered by USB and class compliant to ensure both portability and compatibility. The K-Board Pro 4 works with Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, as well as MIDI-capable hardware.
The K-Board Pro 4 is in the final stage of design and production. The highly-functional prototypes are already in the hands of professional keyboard players. The company will start shipping the K-Board Pro 4 on September 2017.
