first of all, I think that Eigenlabs Alpha is a pretty cool MIDI controller... perhaps not as cool as a Buchla Thunder, but then again it's a bit closer to a recognizeable paradigm/user interface than a Thunder, and so it'll probably appeal to more musicians
i.e., a really tiny handful, versus none
But therein lies the problem (as I see it) with any/all MIDI controllers: Regardless of whether it's a keyboard or a guitar or a bass or a drumkit or an EWI or an EVI or a Lyricon etc.,
because it represents (or, in the case of the Eigenlabs Alpha,
almost represents) a familiar interface for the player, the types of music 99% of the musicians using these MIDI controllers make is also familiar. The vast potential of synthesis and electronic music got left by the wayside when people realized you could use these instruments to emulate "normal" music, and that I feel is a sad tragedy.
It was either Bob Moog or Don Buchla who, way back in the 1970s, confessed that (I'm paraphrasing) the inclusion of a piano-style keyboard with their early synthesizers was to thing that prevented electronic music from ever becoming interesting.
lol that was just for arguments sake...I think its a very niche instrument, but unique and pretty revolutionary that they mixed so much into it. I feel like that guy didn't near demonstrate the possibilities that thing has.
