If you don’t know what a keytar is, then now’s the time to check out the revivial of a classic design that will leave you wondering whether its awesome…or just plain geeky.
The keytar is a great idea – what’s better than having a keyboard slung around your neck just like a guitar, letting you roam the stage and rock your solo just like those lead guitarists? The Alexis Vortex revives this ingenious concept, and adds a touch of tech to it, creating the first controller to adopt the keytar’s unique design. It has 37 keys and 8 pads which are all velocity sensitive, but the most interesting feature of the is its MIDI-assignable accelerometer, which translates your gestures (i.e. tilting it upwards) on the controller’s neck to add expression to your sound. In addition, there’s also a MIDI assignable touch strip, full pitch bend wheeel, volume slider, sustain and octave-control buttons on the neck, which provide you even more creative options.
The Vortex is compatible with Mac, PC and even iOS – which makes an extremeley flexible and unique solution to manipulating all your virtual instruments and soft synths. It’s bus powered when connected via USB, but can also run on batteries or a power adapter when linked up via MIDI. It’s scheduled to come out in Q2 of 2012 with an SRP of $399 (Php 17,430) with a projected street price of $249 (Php 10,880). Not bad, right?
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