The original Erae Touch was one of the most interesting MPE controllers to come out in the past few years. But it has been on the market for less than three years. So we were a bit surprised when Embodme showed up at NAMM 2024 with the Erae II, the next generation of its customizable controller with major upgrades and an unexpected new feature.
Now, it’s worth noting that the version of the Erae II I was able to test was a very early prototype. There are some bugs and the structure definitely has some rough edges. But the company has plenty of time to fix these issues. The Kickstarter campaign begins on February 15th, with an estimated shipping date of June.
But the vision is clear. The main surface is basically the same, a smooth area with RGB lights underneath. These are used to illustrate the various layouts that can be customized. It can be a QWERTY keyboard, grid, fader, step sequencer, etc. Even at this early stage, the design is definitely more refined. It also admitted that while the controller’s customizability is a big draw, it can be too reliant on desktop apps and gaming interfaces to handle settings.
The updated version has buttons across the top for quickly swapping layouts, controlling the new MIDI looper, and accessing other settings. There’s also a small but high-resolution screen next to the jog wheel in the upper right corner. Viewing angles on the screen are stable and very clear, but its size can present some challenges. I wouldn’t judge it by this very early version of the firmware, but I had to squint really hard to make out the small text listing all the MIDI assignments.
The controller itself is very responsive, though. The new sensors (16,000 of them, to be specific) tracked my swipes and subtle changes in pressure with incredible accuracy. The company claims the gaming surface is sub-millimeter accurate. Obviously, I couldn’t really test it at the show, but suffice it to say, it’s accurate.
I can already tell that Erae requires quite a bit of nuance to get truly expressive results from aftertouch. The surface doesn’t have much elasticity, so small changes in pressure can cause huge changes in sound.
One of the surprising things is that Erae II will have swappable skins, kind of like Sensel Morph (RIP) or Joué Play, but also not. The unit I played had a silicone sleeve like the original, which the company says is designed for those who want to play the Erae II with drum sticks. However, it will come with white fabric, which is specifically designed to improve feel and responsiveness for those who play with their fingers.
However, changing the skin is a bit complicated. Because Embodme sees the Erae not just as a studio tool but as a live performance device, it wanted to make sure the lid was secure and could stand up to abuse. So you actually have to unscrew the frame to put the new skin on. Since the display on Erae is already customizable, you don’t have to worry about skins having a specific layout, just different materials.
Embodme also adds a ton of new connectivity options. The original version only had a USB-C port and a TRS MIDI output. But the Erae II will have two MIDI output ports, a MIDI input jack, two USB ports, the ability to operate as a host or device, and 24 configurable analog outputs that can send gates, triggers and CVs to external devices.
Obviously, it’s too early to tell how well the Erae II will perform in real-world use. But it has a promising feature set and an interesting design. If you want to be one of the first to get your hands on this product, you can back it on Kickstarter starting February 15th, with an early bird price of $549 or $649, depending on how long you get involved. However, when it goes on sale later this year, it will cost $799.
