TouchKeys multi-touch keyboard

[AndrewM]

(Apologies for double-post.) On a practical note, here's some good news for non-EU backers (or EU backers with VAT ID): all the pledge levels include UK VAT, but for shipments outside the EU, I just confirmed I'll be able to issue a refund on the VAT amount after the campaign. That translates to 16% off. Full info here: http://kck.st/17TDn2g

Andrew

P.S. One more video, this time showing how the TouchKeys can work "standalone", without a keyboard http://youtu.be/CHWVeQd0bYs

[AndrewM]

I just posted a new video of the TouchKeys controlling an analog modular synth. http://youtu.be/ueevRojNgac

The TouchKeys don't generate CVs themselves, but they work well with the Silent Way analog synth control system by Expert Sleepers (http://expert-sleepers.co.uk/silentway.html). The TouchKeys communicate with Silent Way by MIDI (or OSC) and it in turn generates the CV/Gate signals either from a compatible (DC-coupled) audio interface or from one of the dedicated CV modules. It's all quite flexible, since the mappings are adjustable in the TouchKeys software, in Silent Way, and of course with the patch cords.

For modular synth control, it's also worth having a look at the video in my last post where the TouchKeys are used without a keyboard, with the touch triggering the note.

[himalaya]

I had the pleasure of playing TouchKeys. It's a superb implementation allowing for very fine expression nuance.

It feels very natural and immediate. I hope that it will be a successful product for you Andrew!

[10Dot4]

Can't wait to get mine

[AndrewM]

Can't wait to get mine

Thanks! I can't wait to make and ship it. We're past the Kickstarter funding goal (4 days left now!) which is great news.

Meanwhile, here's the latest video: TouchKeys wind and brass techniques.

http://youtu.be/jt8Eb0ZalWQ

This uses virtual instruments from Sample Modeling (trombone, trumpet, alto sax). There are vibratos and pitch bends, but also some fun tricks at the beginnings and ends of notes (scoops, falls, etc.) depending on how you strike or release the key. I find it pretty intuitive, and easier than trying to coordinate a second hand on the pitch wheel.

[Compyfox]

To those that follow along - the crowdfunding is a success.

And... "Wizard Rudess" also got his hands on a prototype already. Did he also join the funding? If I'd be a heavy user, I'd do that regardless.


Still waiting for a second, more affordable batch though.
Or some serious income. Whatever comes first that covers the bills.

[Spitfire31]

The video with the Sample Modelling instruments convinced me to jump off the fence…

/Joachim

[AndrewM]

All right, last day of the Kickstarter campaign! And another new video: TouchKeys violin techniques.

http://youtu.be/InNZkNz4NMc

Even though the Kickstarter campaign is ending, keep an eye out for more videos and updates between now and the January ship date. Thanks everyone for all the ideas and support!

[wasi]

All right, last day of the Kickstarter campaign! And another new video: TouchKeys violin techniques.

http://youtu.be/InNZkNz4NMc

Wow, that is an amazing application of your tech and very inspiring. Only bottleneck seems to be the velocity sensing of the keyboard it's built into.

[ShadowVlican]

omg i've been dreaming of the possibility of doing these things with a keyboard without silly knobs, dials, and foot expression pedals (they just felt unnatural to me, a classically trained piano player)

too bad i don't have the funds right now, but i'm subscribed!!

[AndrewM]

Reviving an old thread to share the latest update on the TouchKeys multi-touch keyboard controller. (TL;DR summary: hardware MIDI support, plus new production run!)

Thanks to the backers on the original Kickstarter campaign (http://kck.st/1E3sA8w), the TouchKeys shipped to musicians in 20 countries. The basic idea is to add multi-touch sensing to any keyboard, so you can play pitch bends, vibrato, timbre changes etc. just by sliding the fingers along the keys.

The project has been moving along out of the spotlight for a while (constraints of a full-time academic job), and I've been adding some new features to the software. But I'm very happy to share the latest update, that the TouchKeys are now getting native hardware MIDI support! Here are the details: http://kck.st/1Or4xC0

At the moment the TouchKeys attach to a computer by USB, and software (open-source for Mac/Linux/Windows) generates MIDI or OSC messages. But I heard from a lot of people who didn't want to use a computer on stage, so I have been working with another developer for the past few months to integrate 5-pin MIDI support straight into the hardware. We've got a working proof of concept in the lab, and it should be ready to release by the end of summer. It will work with both new and existing kits.

I'm also doing a second production run of the TouchKeys sensors. It's a pre-order process through Queen Mary University of London where I'm based. Here are the details (orders open through April 27):

http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/~andrewm/tou ... ction.html

[Compyfox]

Good to read that the project is still alive.

But sadly, it's still way out of my personal price range. Then again, who knows what the future might bring. And I'm sure that more people will be interested in this keyboard "add-on" now.

[Mutant]

This is very nice.
Found it via some semi-random YT suggestion on the right.

BUMP

[Spitfire31]

TouchKeys is a trailblazer and a stroke of genius, no doubt about that.

I was an early adopter and installed the kit on my Roland A-500 Pro keyboard (a good axe in itself, as you know). I also opted for the reversed coloured keys kit, inspired by watching Benny Andersson of ABBA fame play the Vox combo organ when I was a teenager…

TouchKeys works just as advertised, the modulation possibilities are immense, once you dig into it, and Andrew's support is second to none.

However…

I've noticed that my modded A-500 mostly rests in a corner of my studio these days, and the reason is twofold.

Most importantly, I haven't got the time to practise with TouchKeys to the point where it becomes second nature. Too distracted by too many other things, I guess. In other words, I soon discovered that TouchKeys really needs to be approached as a qualified instrument in itself, needing plenty of practice to reward the player according to Andrew's pioneering intentions.

Secondly, at least for me, my modded A-500 won't really serve me as a universal keyboard anymore. The main reason is that I often like to play organ style and the sharp edges of the TouchKeys circuit board key overlays are, let's say, a disincentive to thumb slides and waterfall gestures…

For someone specialising in playing solo instruments like winds and strings, TouchKeys is certainly the bee's knees. Also, I know of no other readily available system to implement polyphonic modulation. Still, I'll probably put my TouchKeys A-500 up for sale one of these days, so that someone else can explore it to its full potential.

/Joachim

[Breeze]

I find the whole concept of TouchKeys brilliant but shamefully expensive. But that's my knee-jerk reaction: I have no real way of evaluating the actual costs and the RnD it required. I'm just comparing the price of this add-on tech to the price of MIDI controllers these days.

I also wonder if a keybed with Touch-Keys built right into the key will ever be created. It would be even more wonderful if it was invisible to the touch and eye.

My instinct is to wait for an economy of scale. But I might go for one of the smaller kits, just to avail myself of the tech.

Thanks for the mini-review, Spitfire31. For sure, any new technique requires practice to master (ask anyone who purchased a theremin on a whim...). Though even more outrageously expensive, the ROLI Seaboard is another great attempt at integrating touch-sensitive tech into a controller. I wonder if the way they did it doesn't make it more intuitive to adopt than TouchKeys.