Coda Stomp Hands-On Report

[arlo]

Coda just sent me a Stomp, their latest Bluetooth page turner, to try out. This shares some of the features of their original page turner, with several improvements.

The Stomp is packaged in a hefty, metal case with two metal pushbutton switches that have a good range of motion when you step on them. The other controls -- power on/off, repeat on/off and mode select -- use recessed, illuminated metal buttons that are easy to press when you want to but should be safe from accidental triggering from your foot. The illumination is a muted blue color that's visible but not blinding on a dark stage, with no distracting blinking.

You can power this unit either from an internal 9-volt battery (you'll need to remove four screws to change it) or a standard 9-volt AC adapter. If you use an AC adapter that provides enough wattage, you can then plug your phone or tablet into the USB port on the back of the Stomp to power that, too. Coda sells its own AC adapter and extra-long, extra-durable USB-to-Lightning cable for this purpose.

Setup is easy: press the power button, then open the Bluetooth settings on your phone or tablet to pair with the "Coda Music Tech" device. The Stomp sends left/right arrows by default, which my apps support, but if you prefer, you can press the Mode button to send up/down arrows instead. In fact, you could configure my apps to respond to two actions with the left/right arrows and two more with the up/down arrows, then switch between these pairs of actions with the Mode button on the Stomp. That could be useful if you want to use one pair of actions during rehearsals and a different pair during performances, for example.

If you're using the Scroll Document Up/Down remote control actions, you can press the Repeat button to turn on continuous scrolling. Otherwise, you can leave that off.

Like all remote control devices that simulate a Bluetooth keyboard, you'll need to interrupt the connection to use the on-screen keyboard to edit your data. With the Stomp, you can do this by pressing both foot switch buttons at the same time. The power light will start flashing to show that the on-screen keyboard is enabled and the foot switches are disabled. Then press both buttons again to restore the foot switch functionality.

Besides the dual button press to invoke the on-screen keyboard, there are no hidden modes or special key sequences needed to operate the Stomp. The modes are accessed directly with a mode button, and you can turn the device on and off with a simple press of the power button. The simplicity and durability of this design is perfect for on-stage use.

You can order directly from Coda here:

https://www.codamusictech.com/products/bluetooth-page-turner-music-pedal-for-tablets