Starr Labs Presents The new Clipper MIDI/DJ Controller with LED Lightboard and Wireless Performance

Oct. 21, 2013 - SAN DIEGO -

For the past twenty years, Starr Labs has been producing high-end MIDI guitar and keyboard synthesizer controllers. Now, we have created our breakthrough Ztar Clipper controller that features an interactive, full-color LED fingerboard and wireless connection to Ableton Live for ease of accessibility and complete freedom of movement while performing.

The Clipper is a compact, portable and programmable LED-lit fingerboard that can remotely run an Ableton Live session. With 144 touch-sensitive buttons you can record and play a Live set in one area and perform guitar, bass, drums, add Live beat-repeats, whatever, in another area of the Lightboard.

You can now record and play clips into the Live Session View interface and control Live at the tips of your fingers while you're moving across the stage or interacting with your audience. The Clipper’s Lightboard offers 32,000 colors and can match the colors from the Live session running in your computer, and completely wirelessly when the AirPower option is installed.

This full-color LED fingerboard controller is also very versatile and can easily be programmed to display text messages, JPEGs, and animations. In addition to that, you can set up separate colored zones on the fingerboard to play bass, drums, piano, or any sounds using Live while connecting to hardware synths via MIDI.

Gaining more popularity in the electronic music genre, Ztar fingerboard controllers are a welcome alternative for Electronic Music performers who want to interact with their audience. Noteworthy clientele include Pendulum and Excision as well as the Chemical Brothers, Linkin Park, Maroon5, Vernon Reid, Bob Weir, Lou Reed and many others. Electronic musicians and DJs can now better express themselves and interact with the audience with this advancement in MIDI controllers.

See these Youtube videos showing the Clipper in action:

In addition to portability and convenience, the Clipper’s LED fingerboard can be programmed to display text messages, JPEG images, animations and lighting FX in response to your touch or streamed in from an external computer. The fingerboard offers 32,000 colors that can be matched to your computer’s Ableton Live session. Separate colored zones can also be set up on the fingerboard to play clips, bass, drums, piano, or any other sounds by using Live or connecting to hardware synths with MIDI. With 144 touch-sensitive keys, a live set can be recorded in one zone while solo performances can be played in another.

Ableton Live Portable Control Surface

At the core of the Clipper’s lighting control is a library of lighting commands that can be programmed on the Clipper and performed directly by playing the Clipper’s fretboard, drumpads, ribbon, knobs, joystick, and pedals. By connecting the Clipper’s USB port to a computer, you can stream live lighting FX from Max-for-Live, any sequencer, or create your own software.

Now you can control all your sounds with animated colors at the tips of your fingers, and all while moving across the stage. This Ztar Clipper LightBoard Controller is unlike any other and offers an entirely new experience to electronic musicians everywhere.

The Clipper has a full complement of hardware and software features:

144 velocity-sensitive RGB LED keys with over 32,000 colors

6 programmable Knobs

6 Programmable touchpads for Notes, Chords, Loops, MIDI CC's, Lighting EFX

Embedded bi-directional MIDI Wireless capability as an option. Be completely cable-free!

Multi-purpose programmable Slider

4 way programmable joystick

Sustain and Volume Pedal inputs

MIDI I/O and USB2.

Onboard Programming interface

Easy user command set for controlling the LED lighting with any external MIDI sequencer or computer. Display and scroll text, images, and lighting effects. Get creative with Max for Live.

Embedded step sequencer and arpeggiator

Clipper – Clip-based Live Interactive Performance Controller

$1695 MSRP

$1995 MSRP with bi-directional MIDI Wireless and Battery Pack