[LAU] another control surface question

[Will Godfrey]

On Wed, 2 Jul 2014 14:29:48 -0700 (PDT)
Len Ovens <len at ovenwerks.net> wrote:

> I am wondering how those who like tactile feel in a fader would feel about 
> a sideways rotary control. I am thinking of something like the pitch or 
> mod. wheel on a synth. But no middle detent. Rotary encoders are great for 
> control surfaces, but the feel of a fader as compared to a rotary knob 
> makes faders easier to think with. I am thinking if I can use the same 
> idea with a fader feel where the control is endless, it would work well. 
> The box would have to be thicker of course and may be less use for stage. 
> The box could be made thinner by making it touch sensitive and self 
> centering like the pitch wheel, but I think that starts to make the 
> motorfader look better. The up side of the sideway encoder is that the 
> midi messages are just direction/number of ticks.
> 
> My first thought was a touch strip like the old guitar style stage 
> keyboards, have it inside a slot so it is easy to feel without seeing it. 
> Moving the finger up just sends up tics and moving it down gives down 
> ticks, so the finger can start anywhere on the strip which will be where 
> the (virtual) fader is now and move from there. I would have to use a adc 
> and take ticks off the LSB after doing a greater or less than calc. The 
> encoder has this out directly.
> 
> Also, ticks and direction happen to work well with the control board I 
> have on hand... the software can change that to a hard value if required 
> though.
> 
> --
> Len Ovens
> www.ovenwerks.net

Sounds interesting.

A bit more work, but it's possible to get miniature toothed belts and pulleys.
I wonder if this would give a thinner structure and a nicer feel as you would
be pushing the belt up and down as your 'slider'.

-- 
Will J Godfrey
http://www.musically.me.uk
Say you have a poem and I have a tune.
Exchange them and we can both have a poem, a tune, and a song.