Won't be available for a few weeks or more but im building some software for wireless pocket pc to act as midi controller(check link below).
It has 3 trigger pads with a total of over 600 buttons to play with, i can launch 4 clips or more before the start of a beat.
buttons! buttons! buttons!
Buttons, ah yes, buttons...
I had a midi controller built. I really like it, even though it is somewhat monstrous. I had a concept, some conceptual drawings. The company that did the circuitry had some off the shelf components, and then needed buttons to design the custom circuit boards to, so I would ship the buttons, they would build the circuit boards and mount the buttons thereupon. When all was said and done, 216 buttons of one type. 24 of another.
When you add them up, even cheap buttons are not cheap, and cheap buttons are not good.
There is an appeal to gafferuks handheld controller, even given the price of the device, because it's fair to figure at least $US .50- $US 1 a button just for pushbutton type buttons. But if you want a monstrous device in a particular configuration, you can pay up to $300 just for buttons. (that's not including faders, pots, LED blingy blings, etc).
I had a midi controller built. I really like it, even though it is somewhat monstrous. I had a concept, some conceptual drawings. The company that did the circuitry had some off the shelf components, and then needed buttons to design the custom circuit boards to, so I would ship the buttons, they would build the circuit boards and mount the buttons thereupon. When all was said and done, 216 buttons of one type. 24 of another.
When you add them up, even cheap buttons are not cheap, and cheap buttons are not good.
There is an appeal to gafferuks handheld controller, even given the price of the device, because it's fair to figure at least $US .50- $US 1 a button just for pushbutton type buttons. But if you want a monstrous device in a particular configuration, you can pay up to $300 just for buttons. (that's not including faders, pots, LED blingy blings, etc).
UTENZIL a tool... of the muse.
Faderfox LX Series. I have a LX-1 and love it.
http://soundcloud.com/coelho
Dave Smith Prophet 08 SE, Genelecs, RME Multiface, Faderfoxes, Doepfer Drehbank, Padkontrol, DIY Footcontroller, Electro Harmonix Pedals.
Dave Smith Prophet 08 SE, Genelecs, RME Multiface, Faderfoxes, Doepfer Drehbank, Padkontrol, DIY Footcontroller, Electro Harmonix Pedals.
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noratronika
- Posts: 134
- Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2005 3:41 am
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well I've done enough chin scratchin, found the Aussie distributor and am about to bit the bullet on the X-keys® USB 128 Key Keyboard $299 USD, a bit pricy but looks very sturdy. Now 1 question before I spend my hard earned cash. Will all 128 keys be mappable?
this also looks interesting ala joystick control n buttons could trigger FX...DeadlyKungFu wrote:
Rogue Scrunt put up a cool link. They're USB powered too!!
DellXPS M1710-2.16GHz//Event 20/20's//A LIVE6//Cubase L3//Reason 3.04//NI Electro Instruments//Motu UL FW//M-Audio FW 18/14//KorgRadias//KorgKontrol49//M-Audio Axiom25/UC-33///KP3...Little update. After finaly finding a point of sale keyboard for the right price I found this. It was designed to have a plastic overlay to show the specific keys. Probebly see them in bars and restraunts where the actual item is keyed in instead of the price. Perfect for my needs and 128 keys for triggers!!
Ps/2 and rs232 programable, software still available from the manufactures website yay!! Managed to get it for a best offer price of $20!!
The problem is that older Point of sale keyboards only work in dos or win95/98 so they are pretty much useless for most applications.
I spoke to another guy that sells the bare membranes/switches/keys and clear plastic covers (see my previous post) and he only wants around $6 + post so another option for the solder/tech minded.
Just got to find a good deal on the surface mount led's and should be all in for 50 bucks or so.
this is the concept design:
My plan is to turn the ascii data into midi via a microcontroller so the codes can be anything I program into it without running another peice of software in the background. Just going to send out CC vals for clip control/ transport/ loop etc. The leds are going to stay off if there is no key mapped, red if button is off and green if it is one. That way I can see which clips are playing (the same way a microKontrol pads work)
Note sure about X-Keys, but maybe they include a keymapper that can run macro's. If there market is point of sale then yes they probebly will be mapable. From the research I have carried out the manufactures provide the software to map and print out the appropiate labels for the keys. See if there is a PDF of the manual or software to download from the X-Keys website
Ps/2 and rs232 programable, software still available from the manufactures website yay!! Managed to get it for a best offer price of $20!!
The problem is that older Point of sale keyboards only work in dos or win95/98 so they are pretty much useless for most applications.
I spoke to another guy that sells the bare membranes/switches/keys and clear plastic covers (see my previous post) and he only wants around $6 + post so another option for the solder/tech minded.
Just got to find a good deal on the surface mount led's and should be all in for 50 bucks or so.
this is the concept design:
My plan is to turn the ascii data into midi via a microcontroller so the codes can be anything I program into it without running another peice of software in the background. Just going to send out CC vals for clip control/ transport/ loop etc. The leds are going to stay off if there is no key mapped, red if button is off and green if it is one. That way I can see which clips are playing (the same way a microKontrol pads work)
Note sure about X-Keys, but maybe they include a keymapper that can run macro's. If there market is point of sale then yes they probebly will be mapable. From the research I have carried out the manufactures provide the software to map and print out the appropiate labels for the keys. See if there is a PDF of the manual or software to download from the X-Keys website
good find, but consider this; you are buying a fully functional ascii input device, then building a microcontroller to convert the ascii, the taking the whole thing apart, expecting there to be room to mount LEDs, and then you are probably going to build a midi input device for it as well, to handle the LED switching. This will have to power the LEDs as well.
Very cool project, BUT:
Somehow I get the feeling that building a midibox.org box with 128 in and 128 out would be heaps easier!
Very cool project, BUT:
Somehow I get the feeling that building a midibox.org box with 128 in and 128 out would be heaps easier!
mbp 2.66, osx 10.6.8, 8GB ram.
The aim was firstly to replace an existing project that used a ps/2 keyboard which created CC values as the buttons were pressed. This came about last year when I looked at midibox.org and decided the price of all those switches would not make it viable.
By utilizing a ps/2 keyboard it would give around 100 switchable values for a cheap price ($5-10). Unfortunatly the keys on a standard keyboard are staggard so it becomes arkward to know what is pressed.
The search has continued until I discivered POS keyboards, the advantage is that the layout is far more logical for triggering but the principle the same. The inclusion of the LED's is a concept, but not a necetity for the idea to be usable.
Creating the appropiate midi output from a keyboard is quite easyly acheived using an AVR microKontroller and SPI EEprom, the code did not take long to do and has proven to be effective.
A lot of the projects based on midibox.org center around faders and pots, but I ahve no need for them owning a microKontrol/controlFreak what I do need is a convient way to map the midi control messages providing toggle or momentary states. The keyboard is an alternative to a $299 X-Keys and way cheaper than buying/mouting 128 invidivual switches.
By utilizing a ps/2 keyboard it would give around 100 switchable values for a cheap price ($5-10). Unfortunatly the keys on a standard keyboard are staggard so it becomes arkward to know what is pressed.
The search has continued until I discivered POS keyboards, the advantage is that the layout is far more logical for triggering but the principle the same. The inclusion of the LED's is a concept, but not a necetity for the idea to be usable.
Creating the appropiate midi output from a keyboard is quite easyly acheived using an AVR microKontroller and SPI EEprom, the code did not take long to do and has proven to be effective.
A lot of the projects based on midibox.org center around faders and pots, but I ahve no need for them owning a microKontrol/controlFreak what I do need is a convient way to map the midi control messages providing toggle or momentary states. The keyboard is an alternative to a $299 X-Keys and way cheaper than buying/mouting 128 invidivual switches.