{"id":21092147,"date":"2025-11-06T09:22:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T14:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/?p=21092147"},"modified":"2025-11-06T09:22:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T14:22:49","slug":"embodme-erae-2-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/es\/embodme-erae-2-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Embodme Erae 2 Review: Exploring A Bold New Language of Touch"},"content":{"rendered":"

I first saw the\u00a0Embodme Erae<\/a> <\/strong>series\u00a0during the surprise livestream of\u00a0Linkin Park\u2019s From Zero<\/strong>\u00a0secret concert. As a longtime fan of the band, I tuned in to the live stream, both nervous and excited about what they were about to unveil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amongst the surprise new faces and the premiere of their (then) new song, The Emptiness Machine<\/em>, the band\u2019s updated stage setup featured two luminous control surfaces beside the synth racks, triggering live samples on the fly and animating with every touch. Close-up shots showed DJ Joseph Hahn<\/strong> y Mike Shinoda<\/a><\/strong> hammering and gliding their fingertips across them, reshaping sound in real time. I remember thinking, “Huh, those are neat. What is that?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeks later, whilst looking at the Instagram pages Joe had followed, I got my answer: it was the Erae Touch by the French company Embodme<\/strong>. I reached out to introduce myself, and after a nice chat with Edgar<\/strong> and his team, their latest model, the Erae 2 (which Parque Linkin<\/a> has also since upgraded to), began its journey across the pond and to our doorstep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it arrived at our studio, I understood within minutes exactly why a band as big as\u00a0Parque Linkin<\/strong>\u00a0trusted it in their live setup. There’s nothing else quite like this out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erae 2: Origins & Development<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Embodme<\/strong>, a Paris-based company, focuses on creating hardware that interprets human motion as musical control. Its first product, the Erae Touch<\/strong> (released 2020), introduced a pressure-sensitive surface with visual feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the original was certainly decent, user feedback from touring musicians pushed Embodme<\/strong> to refine the idea for professional use. The result was Erae 2<\/strong>, a complete redesign with lower latency, sturdier hardware, and broader software compatibility. And it was that version that Parque Linkin<\/strong> has put to the test across dozens of dates since their return in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Design & Construction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Erae 2\u2019s housing is machined from solid aluminum, giving it both stability and a premium feel. Measuring 402 \u00d7 277 \u00d7 20 mm and weighing roughly 2.5 kilograms, it remains compact yet substantial enough to stay in place during performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 42 \u00d7 24 RGB LED matrix provides visual feedback with 1,008 individually addressable LEDs. Beneath that layer lies a force-sensing resistor matrix comprising over 16,000 pressure points, scanning at 2,000 Hz with a latency of less than 1 ms. Each contact point simultaneously detects pressure, position, and motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embodme<\/strong> ships the Erae 2 with a fabric skin and sells additional silicone skins. In our unit, when attempting to lift the installed fabric skin to put on the drum skin, the adhesive was exposed, so we treated it as a permanent fit and installed the optional drum skin on top. That is likely the intended method, and I advise anyone reading this to learn from our failure. Thankfully, the brief lifting did not damage the unit at all, and after a bit of tucking, everything was as good as new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After this initial mishap, we laid the optional drum-skin overlay across the top. We found that it worked fantastically, without compromising sensitivity, while offering an extra layer of protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sensor Technology & Feel<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike capacitive touchscreens, the Erae 2 uses a resistive FSR matrix that measures absolute pressure and XY location. Each point records continuous data, allowing for polyphonic aftertouch and expressive slides. Because the sensing layer reads pressure directly, it responds through overlays such as the drum skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gentle pressure modulates parameters smoothly, while firm presses trigger notes or filter sweeps with accuracy. The 2 kHz scan rate ensures rapid response, and the illuminated grid provides immediate spatial context for every gesture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connectivity & Power<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The rear panel balances modular, MIDI, and USB workflows. It offers 12 mini-TRS jacks, each carrying dual control-voltage signals, for a total of 24 outputs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional connections include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n