Mystrix 2 Ultra - MPE, Battery, improved touchbar, and more
Mystrix 2 Ultra is an extremely portable, capable, and versatile grid-based MIDI controller with MPE capability.
Here is an early preview (before the formal public announcement at the end of the year), as I need more feedback from you before entering pre-production.
In addition to the features of the Mystrix 1 series, Mystrix 2 Ultra will have the following improvements:
- Re-designed exterior with a translucent backplate and crafted plaque
- A built-in 7000mAh battery (> 8 hrs of normal usage)
- 32GB of built-in mass storage
- 2x 20cm continuous linear analog touch strips (an upgrade from the Mystrix 1's discrete touch keys)
- USB host support
- Reverse power supply
- Industry-leading premium RGBW LEDs
- 6-axis gyro and accelerometer motion sensors
Mystrix 2 Ultra will also come with Matrix OS 3.0. It will bring a suite of new features, customizability, and usability improvements:
- Note App V2 with Chord, Arpeggiator, Strum, Pitchbend, and more layouts.
- Step Sequencer with powerful and easy-to-use features.
- Community-made Python-based application support.
- Better Developer mode (For Host controlled application)
- Remote System-level API via MIDI & HID
- System-level Ableton Link wireless sync support
- Improved UI
- Selectable default application on boot
- Customizable Home Screen
- Customizable Boot Animation
- Matrix OS Utility with view mirroring, app configs, and live guiding.
This is on top of all the exciting features Matrix OS 2 already offers:
- Drumpad
- Highly customizable Note app
- Lightshow performance
- Bluetooth MIDI support
- Stream Deck-like, extremely powerful, and customizable computer control system
- On-device custom control map with powerful features like velocity-mapped MIDI, keyboard & gamepad emulation, and multi-layer / cross-layer support.
- Lighting app with various effects
- Chord playground
- Strum App
- Dice App
- Mini games
Matrix OS 3.0 will enter feature preview in the coming months and is available to all Mystrix owners!
I would love to know what you think of the device and if any hardware changes need to be made before the design is finalized. The price has not been finalized yet, but I'd like to hear what you think is reasonable.
Mystrix 2 Ultra will be on sale, along with the existing Mystrix (1) Pro. Though an upgrade path for Mystrix (1) Pro owners to upgrade to Mystrix 2 Ultra will be provided for a limited time. More details to come later this year!
5 comments
I don’t know how valuable this is (as ChatGPT is just going to agree with whoever prompts it), but I added my comments to the original conversation.
The resulting discussion is over here:
https://chatgpt.com/share/6934d49c-5c9c-800e-927d-be10fcc381e4
Also worth mentioning, ChatGPT’s suggestion that you charge more than the cost of Push 3 overlooks how much perceived value the screen and knobs bring to that product. That’s its deep integration with Ableton Live; literally the core selling point.
If anything, ChatGPT should have compared Mystrix Pro ($220) to Push 2 ($530 before Push 3 launched), and applied a similar ratio to Push 3 ($999 – it lowballed that based on Black Friday sales).
Eyeballing it without the energy to perform actual math, I think that would have been around $450.
MSRP for the Launchpad Pro Mkiii is $400. You can find it much cheaper, but I’d expect the MPE Launchpad that Novation is undoubtedly working on to be similarly priced at launch. If they offer MPE at the middle tier (which seems likely — it does currently have poly aftertouch), Launchpad X launched at $250.
That’s going to be your direct competition.
Given the user scripting (but lacking the function keys), I think you can go $100 higher than Novation, but I wouldn’t push much further if it’s avoidable.
Similarly, your Mystrix 1 Pro unit is $220, so I think $500 is probably the point where your existing users question whether they actually need the Ultra.
And your 8×8 layout is half the width of a Linnstrument 128, so $600 (being just over half the cost of one) is probably the upper edge of what anyone else would consider.
If you can do $350, I think that’s your sweet spot. But that is asking a lot, particularly in today’s economy.
I am the proud owner of a Mystrix Pro. Reading the previous comment for a price in the range of 700 to 900 USD just because …AI said so makes me very sad. I hope and I wish Null will think rationaly and will not make such a bold price move. I am willing to buy the Mystrix even with its normal price ( and not the upgrade plan ) in a range of 200 to 300 USD. I love so much the IDEA behind this device and I am pretty sure logic will prevail.
Thank you for the AMAZING work! Two thumbs up! Keep it up!
Regarding price for your proposed Ultra: I’m not sure I’d want to pay that much, but chatGPT thinks “Anything in that $699–$899 zone feels solid given the uniqueness and the fact that Ultra is more of an instrument-computer hybrid than a conventional MIDI controller.” https://chatgpt.com/share/691e9514-b418-8003-aaa8-276c976f8222