5 Oct
2005
5 Oct
'05
1:06 p.m.
On Wed, 2005-10-05 at 09:19 -0400,
linux-audio-user-request(a)music.columbia.edu wrote:
From: Carlo Capocasa <capocasa(a)gmx.net>
Subject: [linux-audio-user] New Virtual Keyboard Proposition
To: linux-audio-user(a)music.columbia.edu
Message-ID: <di054s$lp7$1(a)sea.gmane.org>
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.
5 Oct
5 Oct
2:10 p.m.
On Wed, Oct 05, 2005 at 05:53:49PM +0100, philicorda wrote:
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.
Regarding innovative layouts, have you looked at the Thummer? You
can
find some information at http://www.thummer.com/thummer.htm. In particular,
the last page of the ppt presentation may be of interest to you.
Best,
Peter
6:20 p.m.
Hi! Thanks for your addings.
I enjoy using this too. With monophonic sounds
it's a bit like tapping
on a guitar. :)
Oh, soooooo funky. Yeah babah! :)
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.
That'd be interesting to look into... I checked out ZynAddSubFX's native
virtual keyboard and it has the same issues regarding multiple keys. I
suspect it has to do with both Zyn and vkeybd using too high a level of
keyboard input and that this would be solved if key codes would be used
for identification instead of character codes.
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.
Great suggestion! We should solve this in configuration space and allow
for efficient keyboard customizing in the settings files/preference
dialogues. Please do create a file for your keyboard suggestion when the
program's ready... We could call it the 'philicorda' layout. Has a great
sound to it, doesn't it? :)
* Keyboard layouts are saved as XML files. The default layout is saved
in configuration and can be changed by editing configuration or with a
command-line option. (Priority 1)
* The configuration dialogue contains an option to add XML based
keyboard layouts to database, select which is default, as well as an
editor to create and save them. (Priority 2)
You can already create a custom keyboard layout with vkeybd BTW... just
do this:
cp /usr/share/vkeybd/vkeybdmap SOMEWHERE_IN_YOUR_HOMEDIR/vkeybdmap
cd SOMEWHERE_IN_YOUR_HOMEDIR
chown YOU.users vkeybdmap
leafpad (or whatever editor you are using) vkeybdmap
Editing keyboard bindings should be pretty self-explanatory...
Then start vkeybd like this from now on:
vkeybd --keymap SOMEWHERE_IN_YOUR_HOMEDIR/vkeybdmap
I attached my favourite two-octave piano style keyboard layout to this
post, you might have to switch Z and Y though. The keyboard could use
keys all the way to the enter key but I couldn't manage all my Umlauts
since, *sigh*, the keyboard uses character codes and not key codes.
I had a go at doing this in pd, but got stuck
converting the key codes
into midi note numbers.
Yikes, PD! I'm sure it's a great program but using I feel like I'm in a
physics exam without having studied... I use ZynAddSubFX/vkeybd more or
less exclusively right now.
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.
Great thinking and great solution. Let's include this.
* Pressing the left, right or both mouse buttons allows a different set
of controllers to be modified. Moving the mouse with no keys pressed
does nothing (for performance safety, we don't want the pitch changing
cuz we sneezed or moved the table). Whether or not controllers snap back
has sensible defaults but can be configured on a per-keyboard-layout
basis. More keys from the keyboard can be used for more different
controllers, like alt,ctrl,altgr,shift. (Priority 1)
Here's an unrelated but important point I forgot:
* Arrow keys up and down switch octaves, arrow keys left and right
switch semi-tones. (Priority 1).
Carlo
global keymap
set keymap {
{a 8}
{y 9}
{s 10}
{x 11}
{c 12}
{f 13}
{v 14}
{g 15}
{b 16}
{n 17}
{j 18}
{m 19}
{k 20}
{comma 21}
{l 22}
{period 23}
{slash 24}
{apostrophe 25}
{backslash 26}
{grave 27}
{1 20}
{q 21}
{2 22}
{w 23}
{e 24}
{4 25}
{r 26}
{5 27}
{t 28}
{z 29}
{7 30}
{u 31}
{8 32}
{i 33}
{9 34}
{o 35}
}
9:47 p.m.
On Wednesday, 5 October 2005 at 17:53, philicorda wrote:
This is a hardware limitation (see
http://www.sjbaker.org/steve/omniv/keyboards_are_evil.html ).
PS: Hello, by the way.
--
Without ice cream life and fame are meaningless.
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 
6 Oct
6 Oct
2:40 a.m.
On Thursday 06 October 2005 00:47, Christian Ohm was like:
PS: Hello, by the way.
Hello.
Couldn't help but notice your name as Christian Ohm Flatly is an anagram of my
full name. I'm not making this up and neither am I trying to be rude. It is
an odd coincidence, which probably has no meaning to anyone else.
--
cheers,
tim hall
http://glastonburymusic.org.uk/tim
7:08 a.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-user] (OT) Re: New Virtual Keyboard Proposition
Hi Tim,
I had to reply, this just makes me want to ask some questions...
tim hall wrote:
Couldn't help but notice your name as Christian
Ohm Flatly is an anagram of my
full name. I'm not making this up and neither am I trying to be rude. It is
an odd coincidence, which probably has no meaning to anyone else.
Firstly, how/why do you notice things like this? Do you literally look
at some words on the screen, and does your brain rearrange the letters?
Or do you make random checks on words, just to check if there's an
interesting anagram?
I guess that people have brains which see things differently. My sister
is very good at word games. I struggle with anagrams in particular, but
am quite capable in other puzzles.
Secondly, (and I'm not trying to be rude - don't answer if you don't
want to...) does that make your name Timothy Francis Hall? If that's
right, then I'm embarrassingly proud to worked it out.
Regards
Michael Nelson
9:49 a.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-user] (OT) Re: New Virtual Keyboard Proposition
On Thursday 06 October 2005 10:08, Michael T D Nelson was like:
Firstly, how/why do you notice things like this? Do
you literally look
at some words on the screen, and does your brain rearrange the letters?
Or do you make random checks on words, just to check if there's an
interesting anagram?
No, I remember it because one of my workmates worked it out and posted up a
joke based on it.
I guess that people have brains which see things
differently. My sister
is very good at word games. I struggle with anagrams in particular, but
am quite capable in other puzzles.
Secondly, (and I'm not trying to be rude - don't answer if you don't
want to...) does that make your name Timothy Francis Hall? If that's
right, then I'm embarrassingly proud to worked it out.
Spot on. :)
--
cheers,
tim hall
http://glastonburymusic.org.uk/tim
FUNEX? 9VFNNEX! FUNEM? 9VFNNEM! RIP RB
12:45 p.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-user] (OT) Re: New Virtual Keyboard Proposition
Michael Nelson wrote:
Firstly, how/why do you notice things like this? Do
you literally
look at some words on the screen, and does your brain rearrange the
letters? Or do you make random checks on words, just to check if
there's an interesting anagram?
or you use wordplay :-)
"oh canine smell"
maarten
7037
days inactive
7038
days old
linux-audio-user@lists.linuxaudio.org
7 comments
7 participants
participants (7)
-
Carlo Capocasa -
Christian Ohm -
Maarten de Boer -
Michael T D Nelson -
Peter Brinkmann -
philicorda -
tim hall