Modifications to a Fatar 610 Keyboard Controller

[M.U.L.E.]

Hi all, I have been thinking about how to get started with an idea, could use some pointers. I found a Fatar Studio 610 MIDI keyboard controller for $5 at a yard sale this summer. It's not the most full featured controller or anything but it works just fine.

It also has a lot of room inside of it, I am thinking of building a stereo MIDIbox SID inside there. I was thinking that I could leave everything intact with the controller and build the MIDIbox SID inside it, and route the midi to the necessary ports internally. The only thing I think I'd need to consider is the extra power connection, the keyboard controller only requires 9V 0.2a, wondering if I could get away with running a separate 9v line off of the SID power supply?

Also, I was hoping to do a modification to this controller to create two dedicated Octave Up/Down buttons. The controller is setup with an annoying 'Transpose' button, and after pressing that you need to press one of the C keys above or below middle C to move up/down octaves... It's the same with program number changing, and channel etc, the keys are numbered for entering program numbers.

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas concerning the octave switching?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[clem!]

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas concerning the octave switching?

Hi,

it depends on how you want to implement it.

-if you only want to shift the notes of the mbsid you want to implement you can add one or two buttons and patch the code so that the incoming midi events are altered by twelve halftones up or down

-if you don´t want to add buttons you have to expand the menuestructure of your sid which seems to my mind a little bit more difficult.

-third possibility is to add an extra core as masterkeyboardcontroller and add a nice user interface with extra controllers, a big display etc and then share a well documented code :)

Best regards,

clem!