KVR Audio

Kalamata Kid · Post by **Kalamata Kid** » Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:02 am

What is a XotoPad?

A link is worth a thousand words
http://feelyoursound.com/xotopad/

Hello Hauke,

I have not been using Xotopad as I am in my Photoshop art mode. Nor have I updated Xotopad. Early January I will get back into music creation.

See my Mutli-touch studio: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7760&start=3720

Your XotoPad is great! I wish it was also a VSTi.

My feeling is that the multi-touch has so much to offer but only little has been done to exploit it. What is the next level in the Windows VSTi real-time multi-touch midi controllers? Interactive chord progression assistant or suggester. Add real-time tweaking generative music performance? Real-time arp manipulation and midi effects? Just some crazy ideas but I am sure you have many more on your mind.

May I also suggest that on the piano keys to allow pitch-bend with left/right finger movement Perhaps also small pitch variation depending where on key left/right on strikes. Sort of a static pitch-bend.

Kalamata Kid · Post by **Kalamata Kid** » Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:06 am

Midi Velocity management ideas for XotoPad:

Multi-touch monitor currently cannot sense velocity. I have a few work around suggestions to remedy this deficiency. You already have positional velocity. If the keys get small as in a hex or square isomorphic keyboard an alternative velocity control will be welcome.

Random velocity but to be able to set limits. Perhaps a graph to show and edit the velocity distribution. Each stroke on the key gets a new velocity.

Round Robin velocity. Any size round robin. To also include random anywhere on the round robin. Provide some interesting presets. Also provide an interactive graph to edit the velocity.

Velocity per note number so to be able to set the velocity or velocity range per note. To be able to add random with limits per midi note.

Kalamata Kid · Post by **Kalamata Kid** » Tue Dec 13, 2016 3:45 am

Add Alternative midi keyboard layouts for XotoPad:

How about a hex isomorphic keyboard layout: http://www.altkeyboards.com/instruments ... -keyboards

Janko http://www.altkeyboards.com/instruments/janko
http://squeezehead.com/uniform-keyboard/

More http://xenharmonic.wikispaces.com/Microt

Balanced keyboard http://www.balanced-keyboard.com/

Terpstra http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2007/ ... -keyboard/

StarR labs
http://starrlabs.blogspot.com/2011/05/o ... llers.html

Or guitar or fret instrument layout.

hauke · Post by **hauke** » Wed Dec 14, 2016 10:23 am

Hi Kalamata Kid,

thanks a lot for your feedback here and the feature suggestions

! I am happy to hear that XotoPad is useful for you

. Here are my thoughts:

VSTi-Version: This would require a complete re-code, as XotoPad was written in a "VST-incompatible" language^^. Could be a nice thing, but I don't know if it were better than a standalone app. On the other hand it would be possible to store parameters then. Hm^^.

Windows multi-touch in general: Yes, this field is certainly in its infancy. And iPad users seem to be much more willing to try out new concepts here. I don't know what will happen in the next years, but I have a feeling that the Windows world will continue to stick to keyboard and mouse for a while.

May I also suggest that on the piano keys to allow pitch-bend with left/right finger movement Perhaps also small pitch variation depending where on key left/right on strikes. Sort of a static pitch-bend.

Please update to the current XotoPad version then

. This left/right thing is possible in the Expression Mode. You can change the way how pitch works in the settings. Change "Pitch anchor" to "Pad center" or "First touch".

MIDI velocity management ideas: Nice

! I will put that on the wish list and think about it. Small random variations could be interesting indeed.

Hex-Fields: Unfortunately this is very unlikely at the moment :/. XotoPad heavily relies on the 2d-matrix concept, so this would require quite some work. But never say never. I have seen these iso-layouts before, and they look tasty indeed

.

Cheers, and thanks again,
Hauke

Kalamata Kid · Post by **Kalamata Kid** » Wed Dec 14, 2016 6:40 pm

Hauke,

A few more Feature requests.

Allow Xotopad to host VSTi midi FX and MFX (cakewalk). As a stand-alone or as a VSTi (when made) this will also be useful. XotoPad can be a Midi FX machine.

Add some of your own midi effects that work well with real-time expression on the multi-touch Xotopad. Or look at what is being offered on the iPad midi controller apps.

Kalamata Kid · Post by **Kalamata Kid** » Wed Dec 14, 2016 7:06 pm

Yes please consider ways to simulate velocity. The Round robin velocity seems rather interesting. Yes “Small random variations could be interesting indeed.” but let the user determine even wide variations. Could be random with user setting limits. There are many velocity un-explored ideas that could be used creatively.

Great that the left/right thing is possible in the Expression Mode. Wow! Change "Pitch anchor" to "Pad center" or "First touch".

Yes would love to see alternative keyboard layouts on the Xotopad.

As for the XotoPad VSTi, well people here prefer VST’s over stand-alone. Having a choice is even better. As you pointed out it involves a lot of work. But in the end it likely will be worth it as nowadays it is expected.

kmonkey · Post by **kmonkey** » Sat Apr 22, 2017 7:34 am

This one is easy for me and imo most usable one.

Just copy the damn claydr thing of conductr. I have it on my ipad pro but i now use windows with touchscreen and i miss it.

https://www.conductr.net/features/ablet ... -keyboard/

Me buying your Xotopad or anyone elses app as soon as someone offer me same functionality for win.

And they (conductr) manage to add velocity and pitchbend to their little boxes in amazing way. Just watch video.

hauke · Post by **hauke** » Sat Apr 22, 2017 9:58 am

Well, XotoPad already contains 300+ scales out of the box. Just take a look at "Load/Save -> Load special pages: Scale". It also contains chord pages for these scales, isomorphic layouts, velocity support (top area of the pad = high velocity, bottom area of the pad = low velocity), and pitch bend abilities (just turn on the expression mode).

As it looks to me, claydr/conductr has some randomization options and the ability to automatically play other notes of the scale when you touch a single pad. This is something that XotoPad doesn't do.

Cheers,
Hauke of FeelYourSound

Kalamata Kid · Post by **Kalamata Kid** » Sat Apr 22, 2017 7:55 pm

I must say that XotoPad is the best multi-touch midi keyboard controller for Windows that I know off. There may be some good midi controllers for the iPad but for me the Windows touch screen wins.
1. The Windows touch screen real-estate can be large! Mine is a 23" screen vs 9.5" for iPad.
2. No special connection to the PC is required makes this my favorite.

I simply love XotoPad.

Yes I would like to see some features added! See my posts above

Kalamata Kid · Post by **Kalamata Kid** » Sat Apr 22, 2017 7:59 pm

hauke,

Will there be a version 3? When might it me released?
What features may be included.

One more feature request:
Note length by position, so that one can have long notes with low velocity and short notes with high velocity and the reverse. How about to be able to lengthen the notes when use pitch bend? The preferences for note length to include sustain, random and round-robin.

hauke · Post by **hauke** » Sat Apr 22, 2017 8:34 pm

Kalamata Kid wrote:I must say that XotoPad is the best multi-touch midi keyboard controller for Windows that I know off. There may be some good midi controllers for the iPad but for me the Windows touch screen wins.
1. The Windows touch screen real-estate can be large! Mine is a 23" screen vs 9.5" for iPad.
2. No special connection to the PC is required makes this my favorite.

I simply love XotoPad. Yes I would like to see some features added! See my posts above

Thank you

!!

Kalamata Kid wrote:hauke,

Will there be a version 3? When might it me released?
What features may be included.

There will be updates for XotoPad, yes! I think I will do small iterative updates instead of a big one, as these are better to manage for me. However, I cannot give a timeline right now. I will see what I can do.

Kalamata Kid wrote: One more feature request:
Note length by position, so that one can have long notes with low velocity and short notes with high velocity and the reverse. How about to be able to lengthen the notes when use pitch bend? The preferences for note length to include sustain, random and round-robin.

Umm.. so this would be a pad with a fixed note length? For example, regardless if you hold the pad down for a millisecond or a second, it will always play an eigth or sixteenth? And you will need to store the BPM somewhere?

Cheers,
Hauke

Kalamata Kid · Post by **Kalamata Kid** » Sun Apr 23, 2017 4:58 pm

Hello hauke,

In Preferences for the sake of simplicity each feature to have a layer. All are determined by position, initial touch, length of initial touch, initial second tap? and movement the finger or fingers on the key. Using other gestures could also be musically useful.

The features on separate layers:
Velocity.
Pitch bend. Per note or channel.
After touch.
Midi note length measured in time.
All the layers can be functional at once.

Default note length will be the normal way determined by the time spent touching the key.
The other way will be to ignore the length of time the finger is touching a key and allow the various alternatives:
Touch top of the key and get a long note and touch the bottom and get short note. Or the reverse.
Touch the left of the key and get a short note and touch the right and get sustain. Make a small square button to stop the sustain? Or a panic button all notes off.

Can have the note length per key or universal for all the keys.
Fixed note length user definable.
Sustain. The second touch disables the sustain? Make a small square button that releases the sustain.
Round-robin. User can set the note length per round.
Random with user to set parameters.

On the Preferences perhaps have graphical interface or map to help in visualize the parameters?

Sorry, I know I went beyond the simple note length feature request. My imagination got the better of me. And I am not sure that all that I have imagined will work in practice as some of the settings may not be compatible with the other layers.

I like Xotpad so much that I will gladly pay for even a 2.5 version if it will help expand the features. I am however only speaking for myself. I just feel that there is so much more that can be done with Windows multi-touch and XotoPad can lead the way.

But wait there is more…

hauke · Post by **hauke** » Mon Apr 24, 2017 7:59 am

Hi Kalamata Kid,

thanks for your input!
At the moment, XotoPad mostly works with a "per pad" principle: Each pad can have an own velocity setting for example. But in expression mode, the note pads can be played with pitch bend and mod wheel (or other CC). The expression mode works with all note pads. Do I understand you correctly that your "layers" concept would be something like the expression mode, but with more settings (like MIDI note length etc)?

Kalamata Kid · Post by **Kalamata Kid** » Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:13 am

hauke wrote:Hi Kalamata Kid,

thanks for your input!
At the moment, XotoPad mostly works with a "per pad" principle: Each pad can have an own velocity setting for example. But in expression mode, the note pads can be played with pitch bend and mod wheel (or other CC). The expression mode works with all note pads. Do I understand you correctly that your "layers" concept would be something like the expression mode, but with more settings (like MIDI note length etc)?

Yes like expression mode. If layers a touch lets say on the upper left of a key will trigger three layers, velocity and pitch bend and note length. If pitch bend is inactive then perhaps velocity of 83 and note length of 2.7 seconds.

hauke · Post by **hauke** » Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:37 am

OK, I will put that on the feature request list!

XotoPad V2.5 or V3 Feature Requests (un-official)