12 Step foot controller
The 12 Step foot controller is a bass pedal-style programmable MIDI controller pedal keyboard made by Keith McMillen Instruments which was released in 2011. It has small, soft, rubbery keys that are played with the feet. As a MIDI controller, it does not make or output any musical sounds by itself; rather, it sends MIDI messages about which notes are played to an external synth module or computer music program running on a laptop or other computer. Each key on the 12 Step senses the velocity, aftertouch pressure, and the amount of tilt the player is applying with their feet. The messages from the player's foot presses can be sent via USB to a computer-based virtual instrument or to a synthesizer or other electronic or digital musical instrument.
The expressive nuances in playing the 12 Step can be used to make a virtual instrument or synthesizer's melodic line change in sound or timbre. For example, a melody line could be played to get louder and softer by pressing the keys harder or more gently; by continuing to hold down a long note, the player could trigger effects on the synth patch such as vibrato; and by tilting the foot on the key, they could trigger a pitch bend. The 12 Step's keys can be used to play individual notes in many octaves, enabling it to be used to play anything from deep-pitched basslines or high-pitched melody lines.
As well, the keys on the 12 step can be programmed to play chords of up to five unique notes per rubbery key. The programmable chord feature enables performers to play chords with their feet and accompany themselves or be a one man band. The 12 Step has 59 factory preset programming choices, including a chromatic scale and many different types of chords. The user can also program their own chords for each key of the instrument. The 12 Step's keys can also be used to trigger "clips", backing tracks, or song sections in digital audio workstations, music sequencers, and music apps.
The 12 Step 2, released in 2014, has some improvements. A similarly named 12 Step V2 has more changes, including improved editing software, Ableton templates, and improvements to the pedal keyboard's features. While it has the same housing and format, it adds a TRS MIDI output to connect to 5-pin MIDI synth modules and two CV outputs to send MIDI messages to Eurorack or modular synths. On September 17, 2024, the company rebranded under the name Muse Kinetics and the 12 Step 2 was among the list of continued products.
History
In 2005, Keith McMillen founded Keith McMillen Instruments, a hardware and software company that designs music and stage equipment that interfaces with computers. He founded the company after touring as a musician with large, cumbersome gear and recognized the need for equipment compact enough to easily carry on an airplane. The resulting devices are "polyphonic multidimensional controllers," and in addition to USB and MIDI capability, some can use the proposed MIDI extension MIDI Polyphonic Expression, which enables polyphonic aftertouch and sophisticated responsiveness. Keith McMillen Instruments' engineers design a range of MIDI devices and controllers. They noted that most bass pedal-type pedal keyboards did not give the player much expressive control. Most 1980s and 1990s-era bass pedal MIDI controllers are simply an on-off switch, so players could not add expressive changes of dynamics or nuance to their foot-played musical lines.Keith McMillen Instruments' first exploration of foot controllers was the Soft Step, which was released in 2011. The SoftStep has "ten pressure- and direction-sensitive backlit keys, a 4-character LED display" and it could send messages to computer audio programs, enabling musicians to, say, start a sequencer or trigger a device. The buttons on the SoftStep are user programmable, so each person could customize their SoftStep to control different functions on their computer music or electronic gear's set up. The one drawback of the SoftStep is that even though it can be programmed to play individual notes on a synthesizer, it was not intended to be used as a musical instrument. The company engineers set out to create a new programmable foot controller, the 12 Step, that was designed for expressive pedal keyboard playing.
Elements
The pedal keyboard of the 12 Step has 13 button-style keys laid out in a musical keyboard fashion, appearing like the layout of the chromatic octave starting on C on a piano keyboard. The notes that would be the black keys on a piano keyboard are raised. There is also an "Enter" button which is used to access other commands.The 12 Step is USB plug-and-play, which means that it can be plugged directly into a compatible computer without needing software drivers. As such, a musician with a virtual instrument on her computer could play scales and melodies using the virtual instrument just by plugging the 12 Step into a USB port on the computer. The 12 Step can be plugged directly into some 2010s-era synth modules and hardware electronic instruments that have USB ports.
The 12 Step can be used to play 1980s and 1990s-era synthesizers and hardware instruments that are pre-USB or which do not have a USB connection, and which only have 5-pin MIDI connectors by using the KMI MIDI Expander, a Keith McMillen Instruments-made unit that is sold separately. The KMI MIDI Expander is a small metal-cased unit with jacks for 5-pin MIDI cable "in" and "out" and USB connectors for power from a wall outlet and to connect to the 12 Step, and LEDs that light up when MIDI messages are sent in or out of the unit. The MIDI expander transforms the 12 Step's USB output to MIDI messages that can be sent over 5-pin MIDI connectors.
Each of the keys on the 12 Step have bright white backlighting from an LED, so the keys can be seen on a dark stage. As well, each key has a red LED light that turns on if you press the key, to help you know if you are pressing the intended key. The keys have no moving parts; instead, they have sensors embedded into soft, rubbery keys. The keys sense velocity, poly aftertouch pressure and pitch bend. It weighs 1.0 lb and measures 17.5 x 4 x 0.75". The pedal keyboard cannot be used below 10 °C.
The keyboard can be set to play one note only, or set to a "poly" mode, which can sound multiple notes at the same time. The "one note only" setting has long been a standard feature of pedal keyboards intended for use playing basslines, because in many cases, having two bass notes sounding simultaneously can be unduly "muddy".
Each preset also has settings for legato, hold, or "toggle". In "Legato" mode, it is like playing a piano with the damper pedal pressed; each note you press keeps sustaining. The programming automatically replaces any subsequent note in a smooth, seamless legato fashion. If you press the middle button, it mutes any lingering notes or chords. "Toggle" allows the user to switch between modes.
One feature in the 12 Step not found in other MIDI foot controllers is that each key can be programmed to play up to five notes. This way, a violin player performing a pop song as a one man band could program the 12 Step keys to play the chords she needs. For example, the C button could be programmed to play a C major triad chord, the D key could play a d minor triad, the G key could play a G dominant seventh chord, the A key could play an "a minor" seventh chord, and so on.
Since the chords and notes are user- programmed, the chord voicings for these chords could cover multiple octaves. A bass player in a power trio could program the 12 Step to play power chords, enabling her to provide chordal accompaniment for the lead guitarist's guitar solo with her feet while she plays bass with her hands.
While the presets often provide chords in close voicing, there are no technical restrictions on octaves for programming. As such, open voicing chords can be programmed, such as jazz chord voicings that add higher extensions. As well, since the chords are programmed, there are none of the limitations that a human keyboard player might face; the 12 Step can perform 10ths, 11ths, and 13ths in keys that would be challenging or impossible for a pianist to play with one hand.
As well, since the 12 Step allows users to program any combination of five notes per rubbery key, the 12 Step could also be used to provide a deep sub-bass note and a four note chord in a standard accompaniment register. A 12 Step programmed in this fashion could provide a one-man band with a simple bass part and chordal accompaniment with four-note chords.
The first preset is a chromatic scale starting in C. But even users who only want to play individual notes are not limited to that scale or arrangement. The user could create presets for all of the different keys that they use, so that the keys of the 12 Step could be used to play in different musical keys, while maintaining the familiar C major pattern. For example, if a performer wished to play a song in C♯ Major, the entire chromatic scale of the 12 Step could be transposed up a semitone. Thus, by playing the song using the keys for C Major, the synthesizer would produce a sound transposed to C♯ Major. The presets are designed to include power chord settings designed with electric guitarists in mind; as such, the lowest note is transposed to E, to match the guitar's low E string. Whatever is programmed into the keys, whether it is individual notes or chords, can be transposed up or down by several octaves by using the "Select" key and then pressing the octave up or octave down keys.
The back of the 12 Step has several connectors: a 1/8" expression pedal input, a USB port for connecting to the optional MIDI expander unit, and a USB port for connecting to a computer or hardware electronic device. Each key has a little red LED light that illuminates when the key is pressed, which helps the performer confirm which note they have pressed. A small alphanumeric LED panel can show up to four characters automatically transmits to the General MIDI electronic drums channel. The keys on the 12 Step sound drum and cymbal sounds in this setting. The 12 Step V2 also has a CV output and a TRS MIDI output.
The 12 Step has 59 factory presets, such as a chromatic scale, major chords, minor chords, suspended fourth chords, power chords, diatonic chords, to name a few. The user can program and save up to 128 presets and give them names that will appear on the display panel. The user can select factory or user-created presets by pressing the "Select" key and then pressing the numbered keys, using a laptop, desktop or tablet computer.
The 12 Step gets its power from the USB bus from the computer it is plugged into or from the Expander unit's port.