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The MIDICRAFT Story
Discover the story behind the products
The Founder
Alexander Michel
The story of MIDICRAFT is very closely related to me as a person. I had the first points of contact with lighting technology at age 14 during my time at school. Since then, the subject has fascinated me so much that I have filled large parts of my free time and later my professional life with it. On the way I accompanied numerous productions as a lighting technician, designer or operator.
The beginnings
2port Node and BCF2000
When I was at school I couldn’t afford a real lighting desk. At some point I bought a 2portNode and started to deal with GrandMA1 OnPC. I quickly noticed that software without physical controls is not really suitable for lighting control. At that time there was a driver in a French forum that made it possible to use OnPC with a Behringer BCF2000. So I bought touchscreens and a couple of these devices and built my first DIY lighting console.
MA4PC
DIY lighting console project
The cheap quality of the midi controller soon became apparent. The first buttons broke and I was also dissatisfied with the layout of the controls. At that time I had the idea to build my own midicontroller for my application. Initially, only a few faders and buttons were planned, but it quickly became the plan for a complete lighting console. In the following years I built one of the most extensive DIY lighting desks to date, in addition to school and my apprenticeship. It is based on the Midibox modular system and the GrandMA1 OnPC software.
First idea
Where can i buy it?
At the beginning of 2017 I was looking for a few midi controllers for a small tour because my light desk was too big to take it with me. I realized that there were still no better solutions than in 2010. With my DIY lighting console, the most frequently asked question was: “Can you buy it?” and I had the idea to develop a real product for my problem. At the end of 2017 I presented the design for the products PUSH and FADE to the lighting community under the project name “MiDi lighting”. In a short video based on rendered 3D models, I outlined the key points of my idea. The positive response that followed was overwhelming.
First prototype
Arduino
After the first feedback from the community, the starting point for the project was set in early 2018. In the following months I developed the first prototypes together with Maurice Fischer, who supported me in software and electronics development. Shortly thereafter, the first 10 devices were ready and sent to testers to gain more feedback. It quickly became clear to me that in order to integrate all the functions that I had in mind, we had to get away from Arduino. In mid-2018 Valentin Spadt came to the team, who took over the complete software programming from this point in time and translated the code into pure C.
Second prototype
Design for manufacturing
After the first prototypes had validated the concept, it was time to start thinking about production. My idea was to finance the first batch of devices through a crowdfunding campaign. So I started to build a network of suppliers and at the same time adapted the design so that it could be manufactured in large quantities. At the end of 2018, I started manufacturing the next 20 prototypes, while Valentin gradually integrated all of my ideas into the software. In early 2019, everything was ready for the crowdfunding campaign – at least that’s what I thought.
Crowdfunding
Everything was ready
Up to this point in the project, the overarching goal has always been the crowdfunding campaign. Before collecting other people’s money, however, I wanted to be sure that what I came up with could really be carried out as planned. So I had my project checked again by a start-up consultant. There it became apparent that I had greatly underestimated the marketing effort required to achieve the campaign goal of € 100,000. As a result, after deducting all manufacturing, marketing, and logistics costs, I couldn’t even refinance the money i spend on development. It suddenly became clear to me that I could not start the campaign under these conditions.
Start all over
New name MIDICRAFT
After the setback with the crowdfunding campaign, there was a brief cooperation with a large sales partner, but the timing was simply not right. I first needed a break from the project to recharge my batteries and set a direction for the future. After careful consideration, I decided to start smaller than previously planned and to change the design so that I can manufacture most of the parts in my own production. I found the financial means for my project in a start-up loan and after the official company foundation I changed the name and the logo in order to make the restart visible from the outside.
But now!
MIDICRAFT is on the market
The time had come at the beginning of 2020. Over the past few months, I had prepared the workshop for production and set up a store on the MIDICRAFT website where customers could order the devices. The first devices were offered for pre-order in January 2020. The demand and support from the community was overwhelming! The first 400 devices were sold in a very short time, closing the last funding gaps. We were ready to go.
Or not?
Ramp-up under Corona
In February 2020, very few people expected what would shape our everyday lives for the next three years. MIDICRAFT felt the effects immediately, as the circuit boards for the first 400 devices were stuck in the first Chinese lockdown. After the success of the pre-orders, this was a bitter setback, as the targeted delivery date for the first batch was postponed indefinitely. When the virus reached other countries and the event industry was in a slump, MIDICRAFT only survived because 99% of the pre-orders from January held on to their orders. I am still very grateful for that today!
Media hype
Interview with mothergrid
Once the components were in place, the work could begin. During this time, I hardly remember anything, because my day consisted only of production and shipping. After the initial delay, I wanted to get the pre-orders to customers as quickly as possible. It was a nice change of pace when Markus from mothergrid asked if I would like to do a livestream interview with him. Without further ado, the office was converted into a studio and the interview could begin. Thanks to Markus and the whole mothergrid team for the support!
to the interview To mothergrid
Blind spot
The path to software v2
Since the beginning of the project, I have always been dependent on the help of fellow campaigners who have written software for me. At the beginning of 2021, sales had just collapsed due to the pandemic and there was an opportunity to receive a subsidy from the state to cover the costs for a few months. I used the free time to familiarize myself with the software and completely rewrite it within the following 4 months. This “rewrite” resulted in a 10x higher performance and significantly more functions with the same code size.
All new
Hardware revision 2
Working on the new software at the beginning of 2021 also made me want to make some adjustments to the hardware. In revision 1, all MIDICRAFT controller variants were built on the same circuit board. This was a great advantage in the beginning because it made production very flexible. However, this also practically ruled out new variants. Revision 2 has a separate circuit board for each variant. This made it possible to offer two new variants, ENC and SPOT. Hardware revision 2 was launched at the end of 2021 together with software v2.
Custom
MIDICRAFT.PWRMTN
Now that I was able to develop both hardware and software myself, nothing stood in the way of potential new developments. A conversation with Jeremy Jones aka Powermitten on Instagram gave rise to the idea of developing a custom controller with Innofaders. A good test to find out whether custom projects can be implemented in principle. After a good year of development alongside regular production, the MIDICRAFT.PWRMTN was born. Unfortunately, however, the project has shown that custom orders cannot be implemented economically for the time being.
In-house manufacturing
Quality “made in Germany”
MIDICRAFT products are manufactured in small series with a lot of love and craftsmanship. Pre-orders can be placed in the store.
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