BlackBT has shaken up NAMM and the ’50 years of stagnation’ in the controller pedal market, with the demonstration and launch of its SusEx wireless pedal, suggesting it is no longer an “accessory of afterthought” but “a critical part of your musical creative workflow”.
Claiming it to be the world’s first combo pedal, it offers fast switch and continuous control in a single unified form factor, fully portable (you would hope so for a pedal) and multi-functional. Modes are automatically switched simply by sensing the foot position on the top surface of the pedal, while the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) MIDI capabilities means it can connect wirelessly to a wide range of devices, but also be wired to work independently or in parallel to Bluetooth as required.
Some interesting statistics touted by the company include that you’ll have a streamlined workflow, saving “at least 30% of your music programming time” and a monetary saving over having three separate pedals (though presumably this pedal costs a lot more than simple switch or controller units).
It’s not just aimed at keyboard/synth players and DAW users but it’s a significant target market. Whether it integrates into the workflows and performance requirements remains to be seen. I wouldn’t like to heap as many superlatives on it as the manufacturer (understandably) has: it’s certainly not the “only pedal you will need to complete your music production setup” and musicians like their own methods and controller systems. That said, it could fit very nicely into a lot of setups, which some interesting and immediate uses for controlling a wide range of parameters hands-free.
Pricing and exact availability is yet to be announced but preorders are being taken. Take a look at the company website for more details.
