The Appendage - Softpot Ribbon Controller

Read and see more via Scott Stites on this electro-music.com thread. The following are excerpts only.

"This is the core of the Appendage - it takes a pressure event and translates it into three unique control voltages (continuous, intial value and differential) and produces the timing signal for gate and trigger. Everything past that is downhill. These signals can be manipulated to do an astounding number of things, simultaneously.

The way I see it, if you want a standard ribbon controller, go buy the Doepfer. From the videos I've seen, it's pretty cool. The Appendage, however, is going to be a different beast. I envision it as a cross between a ribbon controller and a Buchlian gestural controller.

Position, relative position, rate of movement, direction of movement (split even into different directions) will be able to control any parameter your synthesizer has, simultaneously. Mixing these control voltages is fascinating. For example, the amount of control mixing differential with initial provides is surprising. Mixing slide with initial creates a sort of hyper-range. Slide with slide bends the curve radically. I've even discovered a neat trill function (quite by accident)."

"Here's an idea for an Appendage controlled touch sequencer, which would be sort of like the Serge touch sequencer, but rather different as well.

First of all, it's based on an 8X2/16X1 sequencer I worked on shortly before I diverted into the Klee. You could use it as such. The addition of the Appendage would take it to another level.

Using window comparators, the Softpot is divided into eight touch zones, separated by "guard bands". Touching within each touch zone will activate the sequencer step so that either one or both of the pots would produce control voltages. Touching in the "dead zone" between the "touch zones" would not trigger the sequencer step. This ensures that you can accurately trigger whichever step you want to. Wiggling the finger on the touch zones will (if you want) wiggle the voltage for vibrato or filter or whatever. This would be somewhat like the Serge, which has dedicated plates for each stage.

The difference is you would have continuous slide for each "note" or "stage"; the "dead zones" would not be "dead" for slides - only for triggering the initial stage. That means you could do much more than wiggle your finger on a certain stage. You could hit stage 3, for example, and slide it up beyond the range of hearing if you cared to. Or down. Hitting the next stage would start the voltage at that stage's voltage and you could do the same. Obviously the more left you go, the less you can drop the voltage, and the more right you go, the less you can slide up."

Again, be sure to check out the full thread on electro-music.com if this interests you. The above is only an excerpt.