On Wed Nov 22, 2000 7:02am, J. Larry Hendry wrote:
>While we are on the subject, while waiting for my next MOTM
>module to arrive, I ahve been keeping busy with some DIY stuff
>for the fun of it. I guess messing with a joystick has finally made its
>way up the ladder to next.
Granted, everyone uses their modular in different ways, but for me,
joysticks are absolutely ∗the∗ essential controller for a modular.
Whenever I play out with my MOTM, the Wiard dual joystick controller goes
with it (and conveniently takes up the extra 2U in the popup mixer case).
>However, I keep wondering whether
>to to have the joystick panel mounted or on the end of a cord.
All four of the joysticks in my modular system(s) are panel mounted, and
I've never felt uncomfortable using them, nor felt the need to have them
elsewhere. After all, all four hundred (well, not ∗quite∗ that many ...
only two or three) of the knobs on my modular systems are panel mounted,
and a joystick is just a means of (effectively) being able to turn two
knobs with one hand.
>Honestly, the joystick on the end of a cord seems a bit of a waste
>to me (or for me). I use a Kenton pro2000 for MIDI to CV. I
>can assign the joystick on my keyboard to generate CVs. So, I
>have the remote joystick., Put, from a "how used and usefulness"
>point of view, I woudl appreciate hearing what others have to say
>about the on panel vs. on the end of a cord thing.
Like I said, I've had nothing but great experiences using four
panel-mounted joysticks and have never felt the need to have one elsewhere.
I could see how it might be cool for a singer/frontman character to have a
joystick on a long extension cord running back to the modular so he can
make wild electronic noises while shaking his booty for the women rushing
the stage ... (but that would have to be up to him - any band that would
have me as frontman would be demonstrating extremely poor taste and
judgement).
All four joysticks are "free-floating", and I can't say I've ever felt the
need for one to "snap back" to a fixed location, but I have often
experienced situations where I would be ∗really disappointed∗ if the
joystick was always snapping back ... (so I'd have no problem with that
"feature" as long as it could be disabled since I'd probably never use it).
I frequently want the 'sticks to stay in place while my hands are busy
twisting knobs or re-plugging patch cords.
>------
>TW: Fixed Voltage Source/volume pedal interface - This could be a
>panel with some 0-10v CV outs and an interface for a volume pedal.
>---
>LH: This is something else I have been interested in. One of my thoughts
>was that a joystick panel could have have a pedal input jack that would
>"take over" one of the joystick axis voltages when plugged in. You
>could have two pedal inputs. You could use both agt once, or just one
>and have one axis of control remaining on the joystick. Does that
>sound appealing as a "add on" feature to joystick panel?
I like the pedal interface idea. It would be nice to be able to plug in a
passive volume pedal, and get a range of attenuated CV from it. A pedal
interface should also include inputs for footswitches that would output a
gate/trigger when the footswitch is pressed ... ideally, this could also be
used as an S-trig -> V-trig converter (since a footswitch puts out a
"short" when depressed). I can't think of any use for a pedal to "take
over" an existing joystick axis, though. I'd greatly prefer separate
joystick and pedal modules, or a module with BOTH 2 joystick CV outs (one
for each axis) AND a pedal CV output.
-Doug
ceres@... ceres[at]sirius.com