EL4P MIDI Controller: Bringing our Dream to Life

It's been a long-time dream of ours to bring a range of MIDI controller products to market. So in the quiet weeks of December '23, we ran a three-week design sprint. The result? The lion’s share of a brand-new product for us and a relaxing project to wrap up the year.

Early Prototype of the EL4P MIDI Controller

Bulk Packaging of EL4P MIDI Controllers Ready for Shipment

The Power of Design and Material Selection

We believe simple, focused, and high-quality products are the way forward. The form of this controller embodies our clean design language, providing users with an uncluttered, premium-quality MIDI control surface to manipulate key parameters in Ableton, Pro Tools, or any other Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). A sleekly integrated USB-C port supplies both power and data communication, while a TRS/TRRS port allows direct control of external MIDI hardware. A single LED in the corner confirms it’s on and ready to go—no additional software drivers required.

The EL4P is CNC-machined from solid aluminum, bead-blasted with fine grit, and finally anodized, achieving a finish comparable to the MacBook Pro. We've worked with this exact Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) before on our internal brand, Otect, where customers immediately recognized the attention to detail. Quality control, accuracy, and finish standards are high, positioning the EL4P firmly within the premium and boutique product segment.

As we see it, your products should last a lifetime. With that in mind, we built a custom configuration tool to future-proof the EL4P, allowing you to adjust channels and settings as your needs—and the musical landscape—evolve. Materially, aluminum was a deliberate choice: durable, infinitely recyclable, and repairable by design. By ensuring long-term use and minimizing waste, we’re not only extending the product’s lifespan but also guaranteeing a low environmental footprint, regardless of the transformations it undergoes in the future.

Freshly machined EL4R MIDI controllers rest on their solid aluminum base, a premium finish and minimalist design

First Batches of EL4P MIDI Controllers Neatly Arranged

Choosing the Right Electronics for Optimal Performance

Electronically, we leveraged a pre-certified RP2040 MCU module by SEEED Studio, shortening development time and giving us clear visibility on component costs. This is soldered to a custom carrier PCB that supports the MIDI output jack, four potentiometers, and a clever resistor arrangement that ensures the 3.3V signal output aligns with the MIDI standard. From day one, we designed the PCB in-house, fully integrating its development with the mechanical design. This streamlined workflow minimizes mistakes, encourages bold changes, and accelerates each prototyping cycle toward the final product.

USB-C Quality Control Inspection in Progress

A close-up of the EL4P’s custom circuit board during assembly, featuring precision-soldered components and integrated MIDI output.

Breaking Tradition: The Journey of Creating the EL4P MIDI Controller

For a design agency to also sell products isn’t common. With the flagship model of our MIDI controller range, the EL4P, we broke tradition—bringing together all our experience, making bold decisions, and refining a design process that allowed us to minimise development costs and time.

Multidisciplinary collaboration is rarely smooth sailing, but that friction is exactly what drives innovation. Mechanical and electrical integration requires constant negotiation between design intent and engineering constraints. What you gain from one discipline, you often lose in another—but navigating that push and pull is where great products are made.

And then, there’s the eternal question: when do you listen to users, and when do you trust your instincts? The cost of waiting can be just as high as the cost of moving forward. In an era where user feedback is a sacred mantra, we believe in striking a balance. Users will always ask for what they think they want, but sometimes, the boldest decisions come from trusting your own team’s vision. The EL4P is our statement on that: built with deep consideration, designed for longevity, and brought to market not by committee, but by conviction.

Testing and Updating the EL4P MIDI Controller via USB-C using the Online Software

The EL4P MIDI controller in action, providing seamless control over key DAW parameters with its high-quality, precision-engineered knobs

EL4P in Action: Versatile MIDI Control for Any Setup

The EL4P MIDI controller isn’t just built for the studio—it’s designed to fit seamlessly into any creative environment. In clubs, DJs and live performers can use it for triggering samples, controlling effects, or managing lighting setups via MIDI. In the studio, producers benefit from its tactile, responsive controls for fine-tuning automation, adjusting synth parameters, or seamlessly integrating with DAWs.

With mobile compatibility, the EL4P connects effortlessly to phones and tablets, making it a powerful tool for music production on the go. But its capabilities go beyond just music—the EL4P’s MIDI protocol support extends to video editing, lighting control, and even gaming applications, offering a compact, high-quality control interface for a wide range of creative and technical workflows.

EL4P MIDI controller in action, the perfect MIDI companion

NEW EL4R MIDI controller used with Pioneer DJ gear during a live DJ Promotional performance