Laser harp

[Magnus Danielson]

> Sorry if I ask a stupid question, I'm just new to this diy-stuff ...
> 
> I've been thinking with a friend to build a laserharp, a bit lile JM. Jarre.
> Does anyone have an idea how to make this harp velocity-sensitive ?

Well.... this is my idea of how it *could* be done...

First, you have a scanning beam which is chopped up. This is how you get the
strings of the laser harp... now, detecting each single note is a matter of
detecting the reflection of the beam... it's position in time will tell which
string is being played... I think you have grasped this part allready...

Now, if you use a linear CCD element with propper optic, you can detect the
heigth of where the note is being played... by detecting the heigth and makeing
some translation (to get a even heigth for the player) you now can have a
common heigth or maybe just relative heigth (relative note hit, that is) you
can get both velocity and aftertouch signal.... maybe a bit cumbersome to get
rigth the first time, but never the less possible.

I think that a linear CCD element is more usefull than a rectangular CCD 
camera.
You can make readouts much faster and I don't really think you loose 
precision..
It also simplifies the analyse algorithms :)

> What would be intresting values to assign to beams, and in what way should
> the beams be arranged, if I want to use this device with a Korg Wavestation
> to develop new sounds ?
> (i have the complete sysex table, since I own a wavestation original ...)

Even more funnier than haveing a harp with beams migth be to have a wall of
laser, so that you can insert your well burned fingers into... and have a X-Y
control thing... just like the joystick on a EMS Synthi A for instance...

As a controldisplay you of course use an laser-canon do display patches on you
neighbor sky-scraper or so :)

Magnus