[linux-audio-user] Re: New Virtual Keyboard Proposition

On Wed, 2005-10-05 at 09:19 -0400,
linux-audio-user-request@email-addr-hidden wrote:
> From: Carlo Capocasa <capocasa@email-addr-hidden>
> Subject: [linux-audio-user] New Virtual Keyboard Proposition
> To: linux-audio-user@email-addr-hidden
> Message-ID: <di054s$lp7$1@email-addr-hidden>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed
>
> Hi there!
>
> I've been using the Virtual Keyboard quite often and it's great, a
> regular computer keyboard can be a great two-octave non-dynamic
> keyboard. I don't see why it couldn't be used in concert settings,
> especially for electronic/synth-samples based music.

I enjoy using this too. With monophonic sounds it's a bit like tapping
on a guitar. :)

>
> The currently available Virtual Keyboard does have its issues though:
>
> * No more than about three notes can be played at once

Is this a limitation of the keyboard scanning electronics, or a software
thing, I wonder? I have some vague memory that it's possible to change
the baud rate of ps/2 devices too.

There are many good points in your post. I would add some more...
I think it would be interesting to try a layout that does not mimic a
piano keyboard.
There are twelve keys from 'a' to '#', from 'q' to ']', and '1' to '='
on my keyboard. These could be chromatic notes, with 'a','q',and '1'
being the lowest note of each octave.
This would give three octaves on the keyboard, and I don't think it
would be harder to play.

I had a go at doing this in pd, but got stuck converting the key codes
into midi note numbers.

I think that with the mouse it would be good if there was an option for
the controllers to be activated on left click and reset when the button
was released... as there is no 'null' point on a mouse, it would be hard
to use it as a pitch bend/mod without leaving an offset when you want
both to return to zero.
Received on Wed Oct 5 20:15:06 2005