NDVR Note: New Master Keyboard Revamps Polyphonic Aftertouch

[bvc]

Figured this might be of interest to some of you here who own rack synths that support poly AT but have no means of evoking it. It's capable of traditional polyphonic aftertouch, but because it works via optical sensors, it can also utilize the entire key movement from top to bottom to be interpreted as release velocity and, well, things there aren't even names for yet (one person dubbed it "before-touch"). All with Fatar keys, aluminum housing, USB/MIDI, 3 pedal inputs... and very affordably priced!

To those, like me, who've spent a long time yearning for keyboard technology of 25 years ago, it appears there's some hope for the future. Please spread the word and support these guys!



Here is the site for their project:

Thoughts?

[meatballfulton]

I have to say that the poly AT is the one thing I do miss from my long departed SQ80. I'm not sure I'm ready to drop $500 on a controller just to get poly AT back...will have to think about this.

[bvc]

As extra incentive, here is a list (amassed by user tux99 on another forum) of hardware synths that can recognize poly-AT 'IN' messages:

Yamaha SY55
Yamaha TG500
Yamaha EX5 / EX5R / EX7
Yamaha PLG150-DX card
Roland JV-1010
Roland JV-1080
Roland JV-2080
Roland XV-2020
Roland XV-3080
Roland XV-5050
Roland XV-5080
E-mu UltraProteus
E-mu Audity 2000 (and therefore the whole E-mu Proteus 2000 family)
Korg X2 / X3 / X3R
Korg N264 / N364
Korg NS5R / NX5R
Korg N1 / N5 / N1R

(and likely more Korg keyboards)

It would be a shame to see the project goal not met, as I believe this has the potential to change the course of keyboard technology. Even if you're not interested in this controller, its realization can only help the field, so please, spread the word wherever possible. Or if you don't have the time, just PM me a list of places that I could go in an an effort to spread the word. Thanks a lot, all.

(I'm in no way affiliated with the manufacturers; I simply want very much for the project to succeed.)

[Kenneth]

As extra incentive, here is a list (amassed by user tux99 on another forum) of hardware synths that can recognize poly-AT 'IN' messages:

Yamaha SY55
Yamaha TG500
Yamaha EX5 / EX5R / EX7
Yamaha PLG150-DX card
Roland JV-1010
Roland JV-1080
Roland JV-2080
Roland XV-2020
Roland XV-3080
Roland XV-5050
Roland XV-5080
E-mu UltraProteus
E-mu Audity 2000 (and therefore the whole E-mu Proteus 2000 family)
Korg X2 / X3 / X3R
Korg N264 / N364
Korg NS5R / NX5R
Korg N1 / N5 / N1R

(and likely more Korg keyboards)

It would be a shame to see the project goal not met, as I believe this has the potential to change the course of keyboard technology. Even if you're not interested in this controller, its realization can only help the field, so please, spread the word wherever possible. Or if you don't have the time, just PM me a list of places that I could go in an an effort to spread the word. Thanks a lot, all.

(I'm in no way affiliated with the manufacturers; I simply want very much for the project to succeed.)

I have literally heard of none of those keyboards. Cool idea though. I think at this point poly AT is more or less useless due to the fact that MOST modern synths don't accept poly AT messages.

[Bitexion]

Alesis Ion can also take poly AT input

[Shleed]

The Blofeld is capable of handling poly aftertouch too.

[Ashe37]

I have literally heard of none of those keyboards. Cool idea though. I think at this point poly AT is more or less useless due to the fact that MOST modern synths don't accept poly AT messages.

*many* do. Its usually hidden away as a modulation routing somewhere and is so rarely used that it is by default one of the MIDI channels that Access uses for external control on a Virus. In order to feed a Virus poly AT, you need to specifically go in and disable that.

As for not having heard of the listed synths, I'd hazard a guess that you ignore most synths made in the 90s.

Add to the above list:

Access:
Virus (all models, just tell it to stop using that channel for commands)

Korg:
Triton
Karma
M3
M50
Kronos
Krome

Ensoniq:
EPS
EPS-M
ESQ
ESQm
VFX/VFX-SD
SD-1
TS-10/12
SQ-1/SQ-2/SQR
KS-32
Emu e6400 (so probably all EIV samplers)

Waldorf:
Blofeld
Q
Wave
Microwave
Microwave II/Xtk

Dave Smith Instruments:
Mopho
Tetra
Prophet 08
Evolver
Poly Evolver
Prophet 12

Surely you've heard of some of these. Some are even 'modern'.

[bvc]

I have to say that the poly AT is the one thing I do miss from my long departed SQ80. I'm not sure I'm ready to drop $500 on a controller just to get poly AT back...will have to think about this.

Well, the $500 isn't just for the poly-AT. One thing that gets lost in the shuffle here is that it features a Fatar TP/8SK, which I've seen cited multiple times as people's personal favorite keybeds they've ever played (from my research, it seems neck and neck with the Yamaha FS synth action for what's considered the best). For $500, you're getting a top-tier set of keys the likes of which are only elsewhere found in $3,000 Access Virus synths and the like. And if you've tried out all the MIDI controllers out there, you'll know that professional-grade keys are currently nowhere on the radar.

Add to that the poly-AT, "swing," and infinite resolution provided by the optical sensors as well as a solid but lightweight aluminum housing, and I think $500 is a steal.

[Ashe37]

infinite resolution provided by the optical sensors

relayed to your system as seven bits of MIDI data.

[bvc]

infinite resolution provided by the optical sensors

relayed to your system as seven bits of MIDI data.

Fair 'nuff. But at least the potential is there.

[Kenneth]

As for not having heard of the listed synths, I'd hazard a guess that you ignore most synths made in the 90s.

Yikes, I guess you got me.

I never really noticed that, but it seems you are correct. I'm not sure what caused me to look past an entire decade of synthesis, but it happened. Might be the ultra-cheesy "yesterday's take on post-modern" design of most of those instruments, but I know that's not a good reason. I'll have to educate myself.

[Ashe37]

As for not having heard of the listed synths, I'd hazard a guess that you ignore most synths made in the 90s.

Yikes, I guess you got me.

I never really noticed that, but it seems you are correct. I'm not sure what caused me to look past an entire decade of synthesis, but it happened. Might be the ultra-cheesy "yesterday's take on post-modern" design of most of those instruments, but I know that's not a good reason. I'll have to educate myself.

Actually the other common factor is that they are sample-based... at least those ones in that list were.

[brunorc]

I'm sorry, but at least two of the mentioned instruments do not support polyAT. While Korg Karma it is able to record and transmit polyAT, it doesn't interpret them. E-mu Audity 2000 does support polyAT however, since it was kind of prototype for the 2000 family, some of its features (and bugs) were not implemented in later models. Unfortunately, polyAT was amongst those features. Proteus 2000 (and the rest of the gang) only supports monoAT.

I'm not sure about Yamaha EX5. It may support polyAT on the sequencer level (just like Karma), but it is also possible that it follows FS1R footsteps, which does support polyAT, by converting it to monoAT (sounds like a joke, but it is not).

[Ashe37]

I'm sorry, but at least two of the mentioned instruments do not support polyAT. While Korg Karma it is able to record and transmit polyAT, it doesn't interpret them. E-mu Audity 2000 does support polyAT however, since it was kind of prototype for the 2000 family, some of its features (and bugs) were not implemented in later models. Unfortunately, polyAT was amongst those features. Proteus 2000 (and the rest of the gang) only supports monoAT.

I'm not sure about Yamaha EX5. It may support polyAT on the sequencer level (just like Karma), but it is also possible that it follows FS1R footsteps, which does support polyAT, by converting it to monoAT (sounds like a joke, but it is not).

The Korg Karma can use PolyAT as a modulation source, it is available in the AMS list.

Yes indeed, PolyAT was in the Audity 2000 but not the Proteus 2000. Odd, since the pads on the Command Station generate PolyAT messages...

The EX5? no longer sure on. Stopped looking at them over a year ago.

[steveman]

Shame, but it seem NVDR have disappeared - certainly the website has.