When trying to play an electronic instrument as expressively as you would an acoustic instrument, it's a challenge to find the right combination of hardware and software.
For instance there are specialized woodwind- or guitar-controllers, which are dependent on a suitable hard- or software backend-system to work together as a playable instrument. Until more recently it was almost impossible to find a really expressive, yet affordable solution for that.So called MPE-capable controllers now fill that gap, one of the less expensive versions is a keyboard-based variant with 2 octaves, yet they are still not exactly cheap. (Starting at about $300).
That’s what made me think about developing a cheaper DIY MPE-Controller.
More details please see the PDF attached.
To give you an impression, there is also an MP3 audioexample, recorded in one go with a matrix-controller and the MPE-controller. If you listen carefully, you will notice, that changes in sound and pitch are applied per note and not to the whole sound.
The software needed for the Teensy as sourcecode and as precompiled "firmware" are available on Github:
Hello and many thanks for this amazing project!
I am just about to finish my build, I had some issues with the Led & Key display that I managed to resolve just by changing the corresponding pins in the code. Now all seems to be working well. This brings me to a question: what happened with the planned features: Expression pedal, Sustain and switch? Are these already provided for in the code? If so, could you help me identify the corresponding pins?
I would like to put the jacks before assembling the enclosure.
Thank you once again!
Warmly,
Malen