Infinite Response announced at the 2011 Winter NAMM Show that Apple has released the Mainstage 2 Device Interface for the VAX77 MIDI Keyboard Controller.

Infinite Response and Apple have developed an operating mode called ‘Host Control’ that allows Mainstage 2 to display all its presets on the VAX77 touchscreen, and map all of its controllers to the VAX 77 controllers, via a USB connection. The tight integration allows for random-access, touchscreen control of presets within a Mainstage concert, and ‘latches’ the 9 MIDI CC sliders from the touchscreen to the main effects and EQ knobs on Mainstage 2.

This frees you from needing a computer screen nearby during performances.

The Infinite Response VAX77 Keyboard Controller

In addition to this Host Control capability, the VAX77 transmits true Polyphonic Aftertouch, a rarely implemented control that lets you accentuate individual notes of a chord with finger pressure, and High-Res Velocity MIDI signals (14,000 levels of volume control, instead of 127). For hard- and software instruments that have these controls enabled, including plugins hosted in Mainstage, the VAX77 gives the player an unprecedented level of expressiveness.

An important aspect of the dynamic control a player gets with the VAX77 is the key action that the company calls the “fastest weighted-action ever created”.

The VAX77 doesn’t have mechanical switches under the keys — instead, it uses magnets in the keys and magnetic (Hall) sensors underneath, and a high speed Digital Signal Processor analyzes key motion thousands of times per second so notes are played precisely at the right time and volume.

Housed in a lightweight magnesium chassis, the VAX77 folds in half and fits neatly into its carrying case. Folded, it will fit into the overhead compartment of most airliners.

The VAX77 retails for about $3,000.