[sdiy] Keyboards with Initial Touch?

[Richard Wentk]

At 16:54 18/08/2004 +0200, cheater wrote:

>My ideas are:
>1. axis controllers on the surface of the key, to know at which point of 
>the key
>it was struck, or at which point you are holding the finger (the latter
>version would be a continuous controller)

Not sure how you could implement this without buggering up the key 
feel/action.

>2. axis controllers in the key mechanism - sensing how far the key is 
>depressed.
>It could be very cool if you could press a key just slightly, and not have
>a full sound struck, just some part of it... etc.
>Could work great with a sampler, where hitting a key slower would play the 
>sample
>back slower, or if you could sweep through the sample by sorta poking the key
>back and forth :)

That could be very useful. Shouldn't be too hard to do, either. In terms of 
technique though it wouldn't be too different from velocity. Keyboard 
players are used to squishing the keys all the way down, which is why keys 
are usually designed to work like that.

Which is not to say that you'd always want to keep that approach. Just that 
you'd then have an instrument with different characteristics - which could 
be more of a good thing than a bad one.

>3. aftertouch on a per-key basis

This is not a new idea. ;)

>4. a feedback mechanism - a vibration-thingie (a vibrator!!!! :P ) so as 
>to "feel"
>the note. Could be driven by the synth, and the very note being played by 
>the key.
>This would OWN.

Just put a big subwoofer in the case...

>I *do* think the state keyboard controllers are in now is still far too 
>limiting.

For sure. The problem is the commercial market always seems to converge on 
'lowest common denominator'. So it's up to the DIY crowd to do something 
more creative...

Richard