[sdiy] Keyboards with Initial Touch?

[cheater]

On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 17:20:56 +0100, Richard Wentk <richard at skydancer.com> wrote:

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.

One way I could think of that being done is transparent keys
with a laser diode scanner (like in laser mice, but could
be cheaper :P ) on the underside.
This could LOOK cool, as well 8)


>> 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.

The world needs a change!
That's why synths were BORN in the first place 8)

>> 3. aftertouch on a per-key basis
>This is not a new idea.

I had to, you must understand :)

>> 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...

Nah - wouldn't give the feel on a per-key basis. Plus, only several
frequencies would actually be given to the keys - remember, plastic has its
resonance frequencies as well.


>> 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...

That's why we have modulars, no?
So we don't have to rely on builtin crap.
8)

>Richard
>

cheater