idea for a very responsive trigger

[Krilikz]

Alright, I dont know where i would be able to pick up, or every how to do any of this....but maybe some of you with some knowledge can help me out.

My idea is to create a touch sensitive pad that is very slim, and wire it into a midi device and use it to do very quick beat juggling. You would mount the film on something like a piece of wood or glass so it stay stable. Then in theory it would just be like tapping on a desk. Then i was thinkin somewhere along the lines of how moldover has that bar thing across his controller to do effects.

[midifidler]

The way to do this would be to use some capacitive touch technology. Provided
you are technically inclined it is pretty easy to set up. You buy the chip follow some simple guidelines on pcb design and then there is a wizard program which compiles all the source code for you . This is the same tech used in teh iphone. I cant recall the manufacturer of the device I was playing round with though. You can do all sorts of interfaces with them like touch sliders etc. Also they work trough up to 7mm of plastic. I was thinking of making a fader box for my next project once I finish the midifighter, I reckon you could get it down to 5mm thick ness. One draw back with using it as a trigger like you want to do is the total lack of tactile feedback, vibration would not work very well for this either given the speed of input.

[Krilikz]

Hmm your right about the feedback.... Idk just thought it would be a cool idea to expand on.

Maybe like have a giant glass screen with LEDs all around it linked to the pads and set it up in front of your dj booth so people can visual see you doing stuff. Hell maybe even link some DMX into that?

How much would something like this cost (parts)?

[Fatlimey]

The way to do this would be to use some capacitive touch technology.
[snip]
I cant recall the manufacturer of the device I was playing round with though.

Probably a device made by QProx, which is now an Atmel company (the people that make the Arduino chips and are just down the road from me here in Silicon Valley).

http://www.qprox.com/
http://www.qprox.com/products/page-16035/QT100A.html

[Krilikz]

Hmm, They got a lot of the stuff i was talkin about.

Maybe this weekend ill draw something up with my dad, whos a lot better at electronics, and see how possible my ideas are.

[midifidler]

Cool let us know how you get on with those ideas

[Krilikz]

Didnt get to ask my dad about most of the eletrical stuff but these are some more ideas.

for a basic set up i will have 4 sections on this thing, 2 sections will be "sample" keys that are routed in ableton. The other 2 sections control stuff like traktor ect.... Now with the sample buttons i want the MOST led effects. Say if i have a bass hit on one of the samples i want to have a series of led lights all go off at once. My next idea is where it gets difficult. For the pad level things that mold over uses i want to have leds go on and off as i move across the pad. Im not sure if thats something i can set up in midi or something i need to hardwire in.

When i get the time ill draw up a diagram of the layout.

[ToS]

that thing that you are saying is a drum pad.
Actually a poor man's drum pad. Piezo speaker on a metal plate and an op-amp to increase sensitivity and bring it up to 5Volts. After that is just a question to which button you want to connect it.