[motm] MOTM/MIDI Part #2

[Ingo Debus]

Jim Johnson wrote:
> 
> > Will it ever happen ?  I *can* help myself with the original
> > Obie circuit, but unfortunately without velocity. Why is it
> > an either-or: (Modern controlles and shitty user interface)
> > XOR (good old fashioned switches and bad old fashioned
> > limitations) ??
> 
> Because the more features you add, the more controls you need - and
> controls cost a lot of money. So as the list of features grows, at some
> point you either stop adding features, or you switch to a menu-type
> interface.

Well, I think a polyphonic MIDI-to-CV converter wouldn't need that many
controls, even if it has many different modes, bells & whistles etc. For
instance, the micro I'm using at the moment (the Atmel AT89S8252) has 32
port pins, two are used for MIDI In/Out, so 30 are left for switches and LEDs.
I think, JH wants to change key assignment modes etc. while playing.
This is almost impossible if these parameters are buried in menus.
But on the other hand, if you want to add features later, say an
arpeggiator, micro tuning, whatever, a fixed user interface could turn
out as the only limiting factor.

> Can you imagine how big and expensive the DX-7 would have been if it had
> had one control per function?

There was even such a thing commercially made, by Jellinghaus. But AFAIK
they sold only very few of these units.

Ingo