Doepfer R2M Ribbon Controller

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This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

You Need a Ribbon Controller

The Doepfer R2M ribbon controller can revolutionize your music. Moving your finger on the ribbon generates control signals that let you add fluid bends and divebombs to your leads. Use the R2M to introduce additional elements into your patches, adding in a square-wave sub oscillator, for instance, to reinforce a sustaining note. Because R2M's output signals are generated simultaneously as MIDI and CV/Gate control voltages, you can use it with any type of setup, from vintage synths to modern DAW-based setups. Of course, the R2M is an ideal addition to your Doepfer modular gear.

What can you do with a ribbon controller?

You may be thinking, "I already have a pitch wheel; why do I need a ribbon controller?" Trust us, a ribbon is a completely different animal that opens up new worlds of expression for your music. It helps to think of it as a linear potentiometer (but remember that you can use it to play notes, not just affect them). Perform convincing fretless bass parts. Rock your fingertip for subtle, violinistic vibrato with a degree of control that's next to impossible with a pitch wheel. Grab notes you play on your keyboard and divebomb away. But it's not only about direct pitch manipulation. You can use the R2M to modulate, say, filter resonance, or to introduce additional elements into your patch — adding in a sub oscillator, for instance, to reinforce a sustaining note.

Add versatility to your synth rig

The Doepfer R2M simultaneously outputs MIDI as well as CV/Gate control voltages, so you can use it with vintage synths, a modern DAW-based studio, or any type of hybrid setup. The ribbon itself is a very precise and sensitive position sensor that responds even to light finger touch, so you can execute woodwind-style trills, subtle vibrato, a broad palette of portamento and glissando effects, and much more. Take it from the synth geeks here at Sweetwater: your system isn't complete without a ribbon controller. Get the most from your rig with the Doepfer R2M.

Special mode lets you emulate a legendary "synth"

Invented in 1929, the Trautonium was one of the first electronic musical instruments. Modern classical composers such as Paul Hindemith wrote music for it, and it famously generated soundtrack elements for Hitchcock's 1963 film The Birds. The Doepfer R2M has a special Trautonium mode in which only a single note on message is generated when you touch the position sensor. Subsequently, only pitch bend messages are generated until you lift your finger. This mode is dependent on your MIDI destination device having sufficient pitch bend range (e.g.: five octaves, assuming you're emulating a five-octave Trautonium) and adequate pitch-bend resolution to eliminate stair-stepping.