Dog Paw Music is a music technology company out of Oakland, California, and they are set to release the world’s first grid instrument with weighted keys.
Dog Paw is a grid-based instrument/controller/synth/sampler with dynamic weighted keys for enhanced expression and an internal sound engine powered by Raspberry Pi 5.
The Dog Paw instrument is in the Kickstarter phase. Backers can secure an early price of $995 (the expected retail price is $1500).
Grid-based instruments and controllers continue to rise in popularity thanks to their ease of use and speedy workflow, allowing producers to assemble tracks in no time.
Controllers like Ableton’s Push and Launchpad have become the go-to devices for many beatmakers. Although most grid-based controllers have velocity/pressure-sensitive pads, they lack real depth in dynamics and expression.
Dog Paw Music aims to change things with the world’s first grid-based instrument with weighted keys, which intuitively puts dynamics, expression, articulation, and pitch bend at your fingertips.
The patent-pending weighted-key design combines elements of traditional instruments with the kind of MPE control you’d get from something like a Roli Seaboard.
For example, you can replicate the vibrato you might hear from a violinist.
I’m one of the many keyboardists who spent years instinctively wiggling my finger on standard keyboards with orchestral sounds like it would do something. The reality of nothing happening meant it just looked rather silly.
Due to the lack of expression, I know some producers who won’t use grid controllers for anything other than percussion and triggering loops/samples. So, there’s a market with users who want a grid that can do it all, and Dog Paw may be the answer.
The deeply customizable grid allows you to optimize Dog Paw for any scenario. It offers various performance modes, like Chord Mode, Diatonic Scale Mode, guitar-style layouts, and custom layouts.
The isomorphic nature of the grid structure means that every major scale shares the same shape (as does every minor scale, every pentatonic, and so on), making it easier to play in any key.
However, I’m not entirely on board with Dog Paw’s “learn it twelve times or master it once” point of view. I love the accessibility of isomorphic instruments for beginners and pros alike; we should embrace tools that make the job easier but never use them as a reason to close off any avenue of learning.
Bringing such a high level of expression to the table means that fans of the grid workflow can get far more out of virtual instruments than ever before, especially stringed instruments and keys/synths, and that’s exciting.
Audiomodern’s Spectra for Soundbox would be an ideal partner for Dog Paw’s MPE control.
I haven’t tried Dog Paw, so I can’t comment on how the keys feel, but it only takes a few seconds to hear that Dog Paw offers expression and dynamics you won’t get from typical pad controllers.
It’s an interesting concept that gets even more interesting if the onboard engine develops into something that turns Dog Paw into a serious gig-ready instrument without needing a laptop.
Time will tell for Dog Paw, but anything that aims to maximize expression in music is worth keeping an eye on.
Check out the deal: Dog Paw Music ($995 for Kickstart backers – expected retail price $1500)
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