I don't have a huge of amount of experience with the Alpha yet but I did want to give feedback on one aspect of the on-device control that is especially problematic for me.
Parameters that involve changing values such as Volume,Pan, Send levels, etc..
Everywhere this happens, you use the key to scroll the value. There is no on device feedback so you must look at the computer screen to see the value, unless I am missing something. A lot of the rational for using on-device controls was to not have to look at the computer.
I write software for the monome (SevenUpLive) and we have similar issues and the above issue is generally solved by using a range of lit buttons like a bar graph to display the general level of a setting. Percussion keys would work perfect for this.
So the way I imagine it is that when you start changing a control that has a range such as volume....a bar graph of lit keys appears on the Alpha shows the level, even if it is quantized to say 0-x buttons this would give vital feedback.
Hold a button and use the strip controllers for setting the level or interact with the button graph itself for a fast rough setting. They are perfectly suited to this. Rocking the key is very impractical as we have seen from the EigenD scroll keys. In fact, not sure why they don't use the strip controller as well.
Right now when I change volume for instance, I am not able to play notes at the same time to test the volume setting.
The rest of the settings such as selecting instruments is fine because there is proper feedback using a green light to show selection.