Appendage Touch Ribbon Controller First Video

YouTube via ScottStites

"A preview of the Appendage Touch Ribbon Controller project. Sorry for the lousy audio (working on that)."

Some notes directly from Scott:
"It's a video of my latest project, the Appendage Touch Ribbon Controller. It's just me futzing around on it, more or less. The audio is lousy (my camera has no line input, so it's just crappy mic audio). The Appendage is set up to control a VCO and filter with its mixed output, the EG is controlled by the gate and trigger outputs, and filter cutoff is controlled both by EG and slide output. VCA is controlled by the EG output. It's a single Sawtooth VCO with harmonics added by my Schmitz Late MS-20 filter, then run through my Schmitz 2040 Transistor Clone filter. The Appendage generates four different control voltages, plus it can mix those voltages in different ratios on an additional mixed output. The four voltages are: Initial Note, Slide, Bend, and "TFS", which is a voltage that is proportional to the difference between two points of pressure. In this video, just the initial and TFS control pitch at the beginning. I then add external modulation for a while, take the external modulation out, add a slight bit of bend to produce the standard dying whale noises, then add more bend to give it more vibrato and positional slide. Towards the end, I turn up a feature called "AutoGlide" which basically glides the bend and slide voltages if they're sustained and "hammered on", but does not lag the initial note. It's sort of like the legato type portamento found on various synth keyboards.

There are several other functions not covered in this video."

Update via Scott (I asked him about size):
"The circuit will handle any size of SoftPot (I've tried 500mm, 200mm and...oh dang, smaller than 200 - can't remember if it's 100 or 50mm now). It's almost comical to watch the really small ribbon, because you can drive your modular 10 Octaves (sub to ultrasonic) just by moving your finger a couple of inches or so.

Originally I was hoping there would be a front panel switch that would allow one to switch different sizes out, but that didn't work out - the circuit is calibrated to whatever size of SoftPot ribbon that is used. It'll also operate at +/-15V and +/-12V (in the video it's operating at +/-12V because that was my most current test - I usually use +/-15V rails myself).

This is the full blown Appendage, which has the external inputs for S&H using the ribbon, external gating (great for arpeggios and making it sound like your fingers move at light speed), external keyboard function (which allows a sort of duophony plus the legato portamento I mentioned), and triggering modes (re-trigger and "hyper trigger", which creates triggers on applying pressure and removing pressure - another method to get really fast runs in). It's also switchable between voltage and current mode. The difference between voltage and current mode is how the ribbon reacts to more than one pressure point. It puts out voltages in current mode, BTW, it's just that the ribbon is looked at by the circuit as sort of an infinite resolution constant current keyboard, with left hand priority. In this case, TFS is independent of slide and bend, so the left hand can slide, etc., while the right hand can control things like filter cutoff without affecting any pitch outputs. In current mode, it acts a lot like the late, great John Simonton's description of his PAiA ribbon controller.

It's a fairly large circuit, so we (by "we" I mean Bill Manganaro, State Machine on electro-music - he's laying out the PCB) are planning a slimmer version that will have the basics - Slide, Bend and Initial, plus gate and trigger output and external mod in only (no TFS output). That model would still be a nice pitch controller, but would also be sized for using as an adjunct controller to other controllers (like keyboards)."

Appendage Touch Ribbon *Sequencer * - First Video (With Klee Accompaniment)

YouTube via ScottStites
"This is a demo of a very basic application of the Appendage Touch Ribbon Sequencer I'm working on. The sequencer can be clocked, or steps can be selected by the ribbon. In this video, various step values are programmed in and accessed by the Appendage. The step voltage is driving a VCO. The slide output of the Klee is controlling filter cutoff. The TFS output of the Appendage is also controlling the cutoff of the Triple Wilson SVVCF module, which is processing a copy of the Appendage driven VCO and also the signal controlled by the Klee, which is providing the sequenced accompaniment. So, stretching two points of pressure affects the sequenced part."

Appendage Touch Ribbon Ninth Video: Voltage Characteristics

YouTube via ScottStites
"Showing how the various voltages work when using the ribbon."

Appendage Touch Ribbon Fifth Video: HyperTrigger

YouTube via ScottStites. As always, click on any label below for more.
"This is a demo of the HyperTrigger mode of the Appendage Touch Ribbon"

Appendage Touch Ribbon and Buchla 291 BPF Adaptation

YouTube via ScottStites
"Analog FM patch. The Appendage is controlling the modulator and carrier VCO through my Buchla 291 Filter Adaptation."

Appendage Touch Ribbon Sequencer and Klee: Controlling Synced VCO

YouTube via ScottStites
"This patch uses the Appendage Sequencer to control two VCOs - one master and one slave. The Appendage Bend Voltage is also patched to the V/Oct input of the slave VCO. The Bend voltage is also patched into the Min/Max function of my mixer - bend voltages below 0V open a VCA that controls an LFO that is patched to the pitch control of the Sequencer, allowing the LFO to modulate the frequency of both VCOs.

The TFS voltage is used to open a VCA that controls the level of an LFO controlling filter cutoff - the farther apart two points of pressure are, the more the VCA is opened, allowing more modulation to the filter. The Appendage is in voltage mode, so that voltage is non-linear.

The Klee Sequencer is processing a one bit pattern, which is controlling a VCO and the resonant MS-20 clone filter, which provides a sequenced backing for the video."

Appendage Touch Ribbon Controller Second Video

YouTube via ScottStites. follow-up to this video.
"Demonstration of Initial and Slide Voltage outputs with Various AutoGlide Settings controlling filter. Signature crappy audio."

Appendage Touch Ribbon Controller Fourth Video

YouTube via ScottStites
"Improved audio a bit. Appendage in Constant Current Mode, driving synced VCO with TFS, externally gated by Klee Sequencer."

Appendage Touch Ribbon Eighth Video: More S&H Mode 1

YouTube via ScottStites
"Mixed output is controlling one VCO, Slide output is controlling another. S&H Mode 1."

Appendage Touch Ribbon Controller Third Video

YouTube via ScottStites. follow-up to these videos.
"100mm. It's not the size that counts...."

Klee Sequencer and Appendage: Klee Bit Shuffle

YouTube via ScottStites
"The Klee is controlling my modular - the Appendage Touch Ribbon makes an appearance as well, controlling a couple of VCOs through my Triple Wilson SVVCF."

Appendage Touch Ribbon: Initial Melancholy

YouTube via ScottStites
"Had to cut the highs to keep YouTube from mangling it. Initial Voltage controls VCO pitch; Initial, Slide and Bend control the Triple Wilson SVVCF module."

Appendage Touch Ribbon Seventh Video: Sample & Track Noise

YouTube via ScottStites
"This is S&H/T&H Mode 1 (there are three modes): Mixed output to VCO, trigger to EG. Noise input to Appendage from Blacet DSC2000."

Appendage Touch Ribbon Sixth Video: TFS controls modulation

YouTube via ScottStites
"Appendage TFS Voltage output controlling a VCA that's feeding an LFO to its modulation input. The bend and initial voltages are controlling the VCO pitch. Slide output is not used in this video."