gizmodo.com: More often than not, MIDI controllers take the form of tiny keyboards with a limited number of plastic piano keys. If you know how to play the piano, they’re useful, but if you’re looking for a more creative way to express yourself musically, the Joyst JV-1 replaces piano keys with 39 joysticks from a video game controller that allow for more creative performances.
3 comments:
It seems like converting every object into the portable size is very common these days. The idea of installing joysticks for multiple octaves is commendable, and how they managed to produce a real product is also awesome. However, I am afraid that I cannot tell that this is going to be successful. MIDI controller is one of those objects that I would be interested in if someone has it, but would never want to buy with my own money, since I honestly do not see the point of owning it. I honestly think that its only advantage is that it is smaller than the actual piano; it would be harder to play, and it would never replicate the sound that comes from the soundboard of the real grand piano. Also, events that require piano often has enough space for the piano, so I cannot really think of this MIDI Controller’s practical usage or any benefit other than being creative and unique.
Any controller like this goes to show how much is out there to explore in the world of microcontrollers and electronics. I've used a variety of systems that use MIDI, particularly when I have played keyboards for musicals that involved a variety of sounds. The reality of MIDI is you can turn anything into a signal to do really whatever you want, even within a relatively limited communication protocol. The interface just needs to be designed to maximize your effectiveness as the used. More often than not, a keyboard is perfectly sufficient, however not for trying to play the drums. On the other hand, try playing Mozart on a MIDI drum pad! Here, I could see some really interesting live sound applications, but it certainly isn't best suited for every situation. But, like I said, you could just make your own MIDI controller with an Arduino and a 3D printer if you want a fancy case to hold the electronics. At that point, you could even expand it to other control protocols as well, such as OSC or other network systems. There really is a lot to explore with controllers like this and how they can be used more often in the theatrical world.
Over the past two years, many of my friends have made attempts into creating music, with varying success. I've seen seen a fair share of piano midi controllers and analog drum machines, so seeing this product is almost confusing. It doesn't immediately resemble an instrument, per se, so my initial thought is that this must be terrifyingly hard to learn how to play properly. Assuming it can be programmed with individual sounds, it would take a lot of time to learn how to use this machine even with custom functionality tuned to the player who's using it. This "non-conformity" could lead to interesting applications, though. Once you get a feel for where the joysticks are and how to use them, I feel that it wouldn't be too difficult a task to be able to sound good in a different soundfont. For example, the main selling point of this controller is being able to bend notes and produce vibratos, which you can't do easily on a regular midi keyboard. With this controller, though, you could switch on a fly between a guitar and a saxophone and still be able to produce what I think would be a "natural-passing" sound.
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