About

I’m Koen Schepens, 39 years old Dutchman now living in Berlin.

Koen Schepens

I’ve been a software developer (.NET, C#) for over 12 years. I finally had to acknowledge that this job was not for me and I clearly should be doing other stuff with my life. Better late than never.

Besides being a software developer, I’ve been a music producer for over 20 years (with releases at Parquet, Cinematique and AfterTech), doing my first live set in 2005. I’ve played in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin and many festivals around Europe.

Why the KNTRL9?

In my live sets I have always had the need for a MIDI mixer. I use Ableton and one of the the things that bothered me was that it was hard to see which track was assigned to which controls on the MIDI controller.

Besides, most MIDI mixers (including the one I had) are made with so many workflows in mind, that they offer too much, which inevitably leads to menu diving, something that I don't have time for during a live set. I needed a simple controller that is straight-forward and works the way I have setup my set without having to change anything during my performance, or having to go through loads of menus to reach the desired control.

This is how I came up with a simple and robust MIDI mixer. And, I'm a sucker for natural materials like wood and real metals. It's not only more durable but (I think) it also looks better than plastics.

I have my workplace at MotionLab in Berlin, a maker space, where I design and develop my MIDI controller. Come by for a cup of coffee!


Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/keon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/koenschepenslive/