ok, its been a while since my last post, but there is also my last part of that triptych-on-midi-made-easy.
this one is about building a customized midi-controller surface. with those midi-applications, and some free time, it can be a funtasmagoria! (well mostly in fact sometimes it's all but pure hard work and not only funfunfun) :-)
making your own controller surface is easy as abc spelled backwards. so let’s finally dress it up a bit by midi.
hope you’ve been already a bit creative and had some fun on the ipad anyway and with those apps, „faders“ or „midiSequencer“ too. the latter goes up to over 1000bpm! but sure you missed some labeling of controllers, and those pre-given names don’t match, all those confusing cc#…there are quite some apps around to create your own controller surface. prices are around some or up to thousand! $$$.
i like „touchOSC“, one edits the surface on a computer, and loads very easy onto the ipad/iphone. a bit limited on the functions, but works and looks very nice. especially a useful multi-button surface for wave-selection can be made easily.
finally, i used : „TB midi Stuff“. does not come free, but still very low priced, for what it’s able a real bargain. one can edit sliders, knobs and all twiddel-dees ,all in the app and a quite easy to handle editor. may it finally look like touchosc or moog vintage synth, it’s up to you.
if one has deeper knowledge of midi, sysex etc. i think it would be possible to build a editor like the one from moog with displays,leds, knobs.. whatever. i made some basic surfaces for my own amusement, not the best and a bit over-colored maybe, to try it out and i have to say: they work as they should. like „faders“, but with the labels i like, and much much more sliders on one page. some send only limited values, like for the filter. on my surface, the sliders just send, so they don’t show the actual value of the theremini. it’s still work in progress, putting all on some logic, ergonomic place and setting things up, needs some efforts and time, but i’ve got my own controller!
as mentioned in a earlier post, storing presets into the official editor can be done like for renaming presets or just for backup reasons, but a warning: some sounds get stored not like you expect they might.: if you store one with some easter-egg features into the editor, switch then on the theremini to another preset and then try the easter-egged one off the library, they might sound different. also renaming and quick store can reset the sounds to the official version. don’t put all the easter-eggs in one basket,anyway. meaning: some creations can only get stored in the theremini. so name them before you experiment.
whatever, with midi and some experimentation, one can squeeze blubbery bleeps out of this device, not available in some theremins. as ever: mind the ears on higher frequencies.
fertig. Edit, well a tiny one : below left is made with toucOsc , the others with tbmidi stuff.
pictures there.sorry for that.
