C-Thru's Axis 49 could start the ball rolling

C-Thru's Axis 49 is in production (Updated March 2009)

Last summer at a company called C-Thru Music announced that it would be making a smaller-scale version of its Axis-64 pro midi Controller , an interesting keyboard that had several major drawbacks.
(As always this is from my perspective – your mileage likely varies).

While the Axis-64 had the critical 2-dimensional hexagonal, finger-sized keys needed to make an truly player-friendly keyboard, in early 2007 the Axis-64 had these hindrances:

1.   It was expensive - initially over $2000 Canadian, and available only from England.
The problem is not so much the price; $1500-$2000 is cheap for a good keyboard.
The problem is that the personal value of the unit was a total unknown.

2.   It used the 'somewhat different' keyboard note layout, the harmonic table , which I understood only to a limited degree, and did not explain it or demo it well.

3.   The initial website, late 2006/early 2007 was really geeky (worse than mine!) (this may have been the website of the inventor, now set up for a related company Shape of Music).
For example, it gave not one hint that I could find that the keyboard was velocity sensitive. Imagine a website advertising monitors, with every single picture in black and white.
[correction: apparently it was here all along - I missed it.]

In other words, two years ago my thoughts were "So close, yet So far - Rats!".

The Axis-49 midi Controller , on the other hand, has the potential to be a true industry changer.  
Consider:

1.     It’s one fourth the price: $500 US, and available from the US. The price hits the crucial musical-hobbyist entry range, with room to grow. (It's a bit high; $300 would further triple the market, IMO). $500 for a unique keyboard can be worth it to us music geeks simply for the musical education it provides (and to be honest, the sheer geek bling).

2.     While it uses the harmonic table layout, it’s now easy with simple tools (i.e. Max/MSP) to remap keys from one layout to another. I have done so.

3.     The website has really improved from the “invent it and they will understand it” ancestry. They now mention prominently the crucial “velocity sensitive” phrase. And the demos have improved, although still a tad esoteric and some use boring Rolland midi sounds.

    4.     They have also added a forum, an excellent way to get feedback
    5.      They are gathering many fine testimonials.

In other words, if I buy it, can I play ‘Doe-Rae-Me” on it to my friends that night?

(update: Actually, I played Happy Birthday to my wife on the second night, using the Wicki layout.)

At last the dream keyboard looks within reach

The smaller size of the Axis-49 turns out to be an advantage over the larger Axis-64. If the first Axis-49 works out, I'll buy a second as a practice machine to take everywhere.

Twisting on the Axis.

As an example of the flexibility, with 2 of these units and a couple of Wii-sticks,  one could make a not half-decent two-handed Thummer  or jammer, quite easily.

Perhaps, at long last the quest for the fabled practical "isomorphic' (I hate that geeky term) keyboard has found it's first major goal. 

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Does this mean that my work creating my own keys is a waste? No! I'll tell why later.