Ultimately, though, I realize have to step up to a more pro product (a bulkier product, no doubt) that will allow the pad to be powered while still driving my soft synths via MIDI.

I have a Moog Voyager Sig, John Bowen Solaris, and Nord wave in a stack (with the wave controlling the soft synths

I use it with Korg's IApps, Animoog, and Wolfgang Palm's excellent WaveGenerator soft synths.