THE WORLD OF MPE CONTROLLERS

(MULTIDIMENSIONAL POLYPHONIC EXPRESSION)

In my never-ending quest to access and explore expressive technology, I want to focus on MPE data. I was first introduced to MPE in late 2015 when I started messing around with a ROLI Seaboard and then, a few months later, found myself creating tutorial video content for that same company. Shortly thereafter, I had the pleasure of befriending Roger Linn, who created the MPE-driven LinnStrument, as well as many other pivotal pieces of tech we all know and love, and had several lengthy conversations with him about MPE and music. Lately, I’ve been seeing even more MPE-driven technology, such as the Instrument 1 by Artiphon, as well as other hardware and software developers becoming MPE compatible. There’s obviously a trend happening here and it’s one I’m simultaneously fascinated and frustrated by.

As an educator, one of the things that I find frustrating is the learning curve in understanding and controlling MPE driven tech, so the first question I’d like to address here is: ‘What