pc keyboard as midi controller
pc keyboard as midi controller Posted on: 28.04.2009 by Clemencia Altic So I was wondering has anybody tried taking a regular computer USB/PS2 keyboard and turning it into a MIDI controller? Maybe modding a row of keys into pads being creative on a cheap keyboard doesn't sound like much risk I believe you can use this software called MiniHost to link the keys to a VST http://www.tobybear.de/p_minihost.html So you in theory you could use NI Battery to sample stuff or play notes. I don't know if you could add knobs for filters/Fx but that would be sweet.. Any ideas, or insights to share on this topic? | |
| Matt Kane 29.04.2009 | well some keys on my keyboard have 4 different functions by pushing the brackets...dunno. maybe i don |
| Matt Kane 29.04.2009 | well some keys on my keyboard have 4 different functions by pushing the brackets...dunno. maybe i don |
| Xavier Emanuels 29.04.2009 |
Originally Posted by earl-panda
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| Matt Kane 29.04.2009 |
Originally Posted by BentoSan
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| Clemencia Altic 28.04.2009 | So I was wondering has anybody tried taking a regular computer USB/PS2 keyboard and turning it into a MIDI controller? Maybe modding a row of keys into pads being creative on a cheap keyboard doesn't sound like much risk I believe you can use this software called MiniHost to link the keys to a VST http://www.tobybear.de/p_minihost.html So you in theory you could use NI Battery to sample stuff or play notes. I don't know if you could add knobs for filters/Fx but that would be sweet.. Any ideas, or insights to share on this topic? |
| Sunni Hendee 30.04.2009 | If you want a keyboard with a layout more suited for midi and have money to spare then look at www.typematrix.com. A command like up/down would work good/better almost anywhere... |
| Iola Obradovich 29.04.2009 | yea, i love the trackerball on that one |
| juan garcia 29.04.2009 | awhile back I found and posted about this controller that uses keyboard internals http://aux-armes.blogspot.com/2008/0...ador-pics.html shows the possibilities, and according to the blog it
All the keys that are mapped use the hidden shift and option characters so that the regular keyboard keys are still available for assigning.
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| Iola Obradovich 29.04.2009 | possibly but i would be one expensive keyboard, my razor keyboard uses a matrix and thats about as nice a gamimg keyboard your going to find! Also found this would be pretty usefull wish i had though to search before i sat and worked it out my self. http://www.instructables.com/id/EJDCHXG5XWEP2874MO/ also some potential pit falls: http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Keyboard_Hacks |
| Joesph Vincze 29.04.2009 | Talked to a friend about this and he commented that some keyboards are different. he was believeing about Gaming keyboards. They will be less likely to have this limitation. |
| Matt Kane 29.04.2009 | ah okay now i understand! |
| Iola Obradovich 29.04.2009 | Different manufacturers employ different algorithms and techniques to correct the issue but if you are holding down a key on a keyboard their are around 10 other keys that cannot be detected untill you release the first one. Keyboards are mapped to mask this issue pretty well but open notepad (or mac equivalent) stick a pen across arrow of keys and push it down, only a few of the keys will actualy be triggered. But hey if it does what you want, who cares how it does it |
| Matt Kane 29.04.2009 | well some keys on my keyboard have 4 different functions by pushing the brackets...dunno. maybe i don |
| Iola Obradovich 29.04.2009 | If i remember correctly they use a matrix of 10 x 10, it can detect multiple presses from buttons on different pins so if you are clever you should be able to make a pretty usable controller. Also i would use glove pie to create midi out, it will dectect uppercase/lowercase letters so you can have secondry functions for each button using caps lock, it can also easily be used with any software that supports midi. It takes forever to map out all the pin combinations, line up several films to watch while you work or you'll loose your mind! |
| Xavier Emanuels 29.04.2009 |
Originally Posted by earl-panda
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| Matt Kane 29.04.2009 |
Originally Posted by BentoSan
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| Joesph Vincze 28.04.2009 | Great Point! |
| Xavier Emanuels 28.04.2009 | The only problem with using keyboards is that they donot support multiple keys being pressed at a time try to hold E and R down on your keyboard then press T and you will know what i mean - this is due to the matrix design used by the keyboard to save money. Take that into consideration when your placing in things like switches and shift buttons because you may find that certain button combinations will not function. Also this is a modding question so it belongs in the hardware\modding section of the community s |
| Joesph Vincze 28.04.2009 | Keyboards are a great place to start modding. You can learn basics of how hardware and circuits work and hone your soldering skills for that big project in the sky. You can replace the keys with simple switches, or a rotary encoder even! Grab some LED's and make it glow and show "keystrokes." I recommend using GlovePIE for a few reasons. It's decently stable, turns anything into midi, easy to program, AND it can differentiate between multiple mice and keyboards. |
| juan garcia 28.04.2009 | check out this thread, it's about a DIY footcontroller but the same principals apply: http://community .ableton.com/viewtopic.p...2242&hilit=DIY i have started a project based on the internals of a usb keyboard. |
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