ReMOTE LE Controllers Coming Next Month

ReMOTE LE 25 (Click for a close-up)

New from Novation are the ReMOTE LE 25-, 49- and 61-key USB controller keyboards, including some of the best features of the ReMOTE Series, tailored down into a smaller, more portable package. The new Novation ReMOTE LE will start shipping in September and will be seen at the 119th AES Convention in October.

Among the features to be carried through is the X/Y Touchpad, allowing up to four parameters (two per axis) to be modified simultaneously with just a simple finger glide. The pitch bend/modulation joystick is another of the ReMOTE's tools to be featured, enabling a host of interesting performance effects. Dedicated transport control is provided, but now with an additional Loop button.

A total of nine buttons and nine knobs reside on the surface, together with a Group switch that doubles this number to 18, so that any area of the receiving MIDI device (hardware or software) can be modified with ease. The MIDI spec enables any MIDI message to be assigned to any of the controls (buttons, knobs, X/Y Touchpad and joystick). The keyboard is semi-weighted and velocity-sensitive.

There are 16 onboard Template memories for saving ReMOTE LE setups, 12 of which are factory preset for use with popular software applications, in addition to many more available for free online at www.novationmusic.com. Also featured on the accompanying CDROM is a Template Editor, which makes constructing Templates even simpler and more intuitive than is possible with the hardware alone. Meanwhile, in the box there are 10 physical Template overlays, seven printed and three blank, to help customize the ReMOTE LE for the software being controlled; the user simply places these over the ReMOTE LE to see what control is assigned to what parameter, avoiding having to memorize the function of each knob/button.

And finally, ReMOTE LE will ship with Novation's Bass Station, a VST and Audio Unit plug-in which re-creates the , character and 'oomph' of the Bass Station keyboard and rack analogue instruments.