Description
Hands-on MIDI control for Kraftor
Teletype puts five keys and four knobs within reach of your next synthetic voice performance. Designed as a compact companion for Kraftor, it lets you trigger sounds, recall phrases and adjust voice parameters through MIDI.
Two slide switches select four banks, giving you 20 assignable note slots across the five keys. Each knob can send a MIDI Control Change message or pitch bend. Choose your mappings in the browser configuration app and save them on the controller.
Play your voice engine
For a live speech setup, assign five keys to the MIDI notes that trigger your chosen phonemes, allophones or stored phrases. Switch banks to reach another set of five. Map the knobs to supported parameters such as pitch, speed or modulation, then shape the voice as you play. Available sounds and parameters depend on the voice board and firmware installed in Kraftor.
Connect Teletype’s 3.5 mm TRS MIDI output to Kraftor’s Type B MIDI input with a suitable cable, and power both devices by USB. Once your mappings are saved, a computer is not needed for performance.
Five keys, four knobs, your mappings
- 5 hinged keys: assign a MIDI note to each key in each of the four banks.
- 2 bank switches: select one of four banks, for 20 note assignments in total.
- 4 knobs: individually assign MIDI CC or pitch bend.
- USB MIDI and TRS MIDI output: control compatible software or hardware instruments.
- Independent MIDI channels: choose one channel for the keys and another for the knobs, each from 1 to 16. Both groups can also use the same channel.
- Browser configuration: choose your mappings in Chrome or Edge and save them on Teletype.
- USB-C power: in a 3D-printed enclosure, available in seven colours.
The keys send short note triggers. Holding a key does not sustain a note. Teletype is a MIDI controller and produces no sound on its own.
Configure, save, then play
Use the Configure tab in the browser interface to assign notes, knob functions and MIDI channels, then save your settings on Teletype. Saved settings are retained when the power is turned off. After setup, you can close the interface and play without it. For hardware control through TRS MIDI, no computer is needed: power Teletype by USB and connect it to your MIDI instrument.
The optional Monitor view shows incoming MIDI messages and knob values while you play. Reopen the app whenever you want to change your settings or see this feedback.
Beyond Kraftor
Use Teletype with a DAW, sampler or another MIDI instrument that responds to note triggers, CC messages or pitch bend. Match the receiving instrument’s MIDI channel and mappings to the controls you want to use.
Firmware, configuration and documentation
Open the Teletype browser interface in Chrome or Edge to configure your controller or monitor incoming MIDI. Source code, setup instructions and build documentation are available in the TeleTypeController GitHub repository.
Update without compiling
Download Teletype v1.0.1 UF2 firmware, then open the RP2040 browser firmware uploader in Chrome or Edge and follow its steps. No compilation is required. Use the Teletype firmware file for this controller.
If you prefer to build the firmware yourself, follow the instructions in the GitHub repository above.
Choose your colour
Available in red, beige, black, white, blue, green and orange. Select your preferred colour when ordering. The product photos show the blue version.
Weight and dispatch
Product weight: 160 g. Ships from Belgium.
Design credits
The key and hinge geometry was inspired by Adafruit’s USB MIDI Keyset by the Ruiz Brothers and remodelled for Teletype. Teletype is a Polaxis product.
