MIDIBOX SEQ - Velocity Pad idea...

[Artesia]

       Given that most sequencers use a flat velocity rate (by default) over the entire length of a pattern; how about having a physical way of entering the velocity level (how hard that virtual drum is hit, etc.); by tapping on a pad rigged to sense how hard it is hit ?

       To give a idea how this could work; a given pattern would be loaded into the sequencer and played, then you tap on pad, to the beat ...& the resulting velocity values could be sampled on the beat.

       Also The difference in timing between that of the sequencer & the pad taps could be sampled & used to shift the timing of the sequencer to give a more natural or excentric sense of rhythm.

       This Could provide a way of making the sequencer sound very organic & could be immense fun ! ...and of course the 'velocity data' adquired could be used to set any other perameter you wish ...mmmm :)

    On the hardware side of the implimentation i can think of roughly five ways to do this:

1/   Simply sample the velocity value from a velocity sensitive keyboard.

2/   Use a piezo cell as a velocity sensor (analog circuitary might be a pain - but has probably been implimented already for diy drums)

3/   use a flexable steel strip as a 'velocity pad' & and use a variable resistor + leaver assembly (see diagram below). (getting good range of velocity values to sample might be awkward, switch probably needed to give a accurate rhythm reference)

4/   (as in 3) Use a coil & magnet assembly + opamp & charge storage circuit.

5/   (as in 3) use a magnet & hall effect device ?  

     Oh.. and i read somewhere else on the board of 'force sensitive resistors :O :)

    Also another useful thing to impliment, would be a 'normalize' function; whereby the highest velocity value sampled is raised to the max value & then the other samples are raised with respect to this.

    What Think to this idea ? :)

[Artesia]

      More organic sounding fun...

      Here's another idea for making the most of the velocity pad data. How about having a function for smoothing out/roughing up the data by having a 'modifyer' which works a little like a quntizer on this data. But instead have it so that the sampled data can be progrssively smoothed by averaging it progressively closer to the preset timing (twisting the knob one way); and then going in the opposite direction, increasing the average difference between the sampled values.

      This tool would allow slightly sloppy timing to be rounded up until it sounds 'tight enough'. Then of course working in the opposite direction.. itd be possible to make it sound -really- mangled.

...a slight adaptation of the code used in the 'morph tool' should do the trick for this function :)