Quantisation, morphing, et al (was: Re: nasty chip)

[Geren W. Mortensen, Jr.]

>>How about stealing an idea from the mixer folks - motorized pots or 
> "flying
>>faders."  Some modern mixers allow you to save the current mix.
> When you
>>want to get the exact mix again, you simple recall the setup, and
> the pots
>>move to the appropriate positions.  The speed of motion is
> programmable as
>>well.  So, when you change a patch, one of the parameters could be
>>transition speed.  Wow -- just think of all the knobs moving slowly
> from one
>>patch to the next, while playing.  There's your morph, too.  Fairly
> simple
>>using stepper motors and digital encoders to move to and record an
> exact
>>postion of a knob.
>
> If my nordlead could do that, virtually of course, there wouldn't be
> a problem. Also the faders should have a far more accurate
> reslotution, I say 24bits. Maybe that's against the midistandards but
> I've figured out how to deal with that already.
> My only wish is that someone would do it for me, may it be the
> industry itself or other, because I can't do it and I don't have a
> reason for doing it myself but I guess there's no alternative. Or
> maybe I will get very rich and  I will let the industry design a
> DECENT synth for me:)
>
>
> Paul
>
> Paul
>
Paul, Paul.

As far as the Nord, I don't know what lives in there.  I was speaking of
adding this capability to anything where it would physically fit.  The
modified pot has an encoder and a stepper motor attached to the back.  As I
recall, the Nord is pretty thin, so there may not be room.  Regarding the
fader resolution and MIDI spec, there is the possibility of a multi-word
sysex message to control the thing.  Or, depending on the software, the
change could be simply to send an offset, plus or minus, from current
location, which could be read out of the encoder.

My primary focus in this idea was not computer control, but rather, simply
being able to store settings and return to them, then be able to adjust
without the jump from the memorized setting the the actual panel setting.
By creating a speed or transition time setting, you have the ability to fade
or morph between patches, moving all the knobs at once at a preset rate
while still playing, which could lead to some really cool effects.  Taking
this to extremes, we could set a "scene A" and "scene B" memory, and, by
tying the transition control to an LFO, sweep between two presets
continuously.

Don't ask me for details on this -- I'm just an idea guy.  <grin>

Geren W Mortensen, Jr.

--
Blah, bLah, blAh, blaH, BLAH!