Midiplus Origin 37 - control keyboard
If you want a compact keyboard with full-sized keys and a lot of manipulators, all of good quality and an even better price, then you should pay attention to the controller presented here.
Yes, the company is Chinese, but unlike many others, it is not ashamed of this and has something to be proud of. Midiplus brand owned by a company that has been in existence for over 30 years Longjoin group from Dongguan, the most industrialized area of southern China. If anyone knows the appearance of a Taiwanese model Origin 37 They associate it well with M-Audio products, because both companies once worked closely together.
design
For PLN 379 we get eight rotary potentiometers and ten sliders. There were also classic modulation and detuning wheels and two MIDI outputs in DIN-5 format. One is the keyboard output and the other is part of the built-in Origin 37 Interfacewhich converts the signals from the USB port into MIDI messages. DIN-5 connector marked as USB so it's kind of like MIDI Thru, but related to computer messages. The device can be powered by USB or six R6 batteries, which we put in a pocket at the bottom of the case. The keyboard is turned on by selecting the power source using the switch on the connection panel. The Origin 37 is fairly stable on four rubber feet.
The Origin 37 is equipped with two DIN-5 MIDI outputs. The first transmits messages from the keyboard, and the second directly from the USB input.
The instruction manual for the device (without it) in the context of the price should be considered exceptionally good. This synthesizer-type keyboard, spring-loaded, with optimally matched action and key travel. The keys are smooth and very pleasant to the touch, even encouraging to play.
Made of plastic characterized by the same quality tool body - It is smooth, scratch-resistant, hard and durable. And although in terms of design Origin 37 looks like a ten-year-old device, maintains a high level of quality.
The rotary potentiometers sit firmly and firmly, working with comfortable resistance. The same applies to the tuning and modulation wheels. While the sliders wiggle a bit, they are comfortable to use and run very smoothly. The only caveats can be about the front panel, which flexes a little in the middle, and the flimsy buttons and Program.
Rounded shapes are no longer in fashion, but remember that fashion loves to return, and the keyboard itself is very solid and has a three-year warranty ...
service
The device as a controller retains full versatility, allowing local programming of the transmitted values and the functionality of the manipulators available in it.
For example, when you want to send copy message when the Volume value (CC7) changes to 120, press MIDI / select button, then press the key assigned to CC No., use the keypad to enter the controller number (in this case, 7, possibly correcting the value with the key) and press the key. Then press CC Data, enter the desired value from the keyboard, in this case 120, and finally press MIDI/Select.
An important feature of the Midiplus controller is the presence of high-end manipulators, which can be assigned to any function: eight rotary potentiometers and nine sliders.
The whole process looks complicated, but in practice we rarely have to work in this way - it is only a matter of showing the capabilities of this device in terms of MIDI and a general way to program more complex functions.
Similarly, we can define the purpose of potentiometers and sliders for specific controller numbers, although it is much faster and more convenient to do it in another way, i.e. assign controllers in our DAW or virtual processors/instruments using the now standard function MIDI Training. We specify the control we want to manipulate, turn on MIDI Learn and move the manipulator we want to assign to it. However, when using equipment such as a sampler, module, or synthesizer that does not support MIDI Learn, the appropriate assignments must be made in the controller itself.
The controller has a memory 15 presets with default controller numbers assigned to all 17 real-time keyboards, with the first nine being permanent, and presets 10-15 can be changed.
However, the instruction manual does not explain the method of this modification, and the change of presets itself is not described in any way. However, if you want to activate a preset, for example, in which the rotary knobs control the channel volume and the faders control the pan (preset #6), press MIDI/Select, use the / buttons to select the program number, press the key (the topmost one on the keyboard) and again press MIDI/Select.
Summation
Origin 37 it doesn't have many of the features that modern controllers are used to, including pads, an arpeggiator, quick mode change, or a software editor, but it's a very convenient and inexpensive all-round controller that's easily customizable to a specific task thanks to the function.
Its greatest strengths are full-size, very comfortable keyboard and bye 20 real-time manipulatorsIncluding Data entry slider and modulation and detuning wheels. All this makes for Origin 37 It can prove to be a very functional element of any home recording studio, and also has a chance to prove itself in live work.
