Wavedrum MIDIfied

[MidiSaron]

Hello all,

recently I've been working on a MIDI extension for the Wavedrum. See a description here:
http://www.midibox.org/dokuwiki/doku.ph ... dification

It's work in progress, far from being completed. Comments welcome!

[WaterDrum]

Hello Midisaron ,
Thats some good news from Planet MIDI , HELLO...

So you now can separate the rimsignal from the head signal
and even control the behaviour of the conversion to MIDI signals ?
You have 2 MIDI note on and CC Controller Data in the full range ?
( MIDI OUT only , of course...)
You could as well connect a second Wavedrum to your converter .

I did actually read your publication 3 times
and now think I understand what you are talking about.
The technical stuff is very interesting but not easy ...
(and not really necessary to understand )

Its great that you could build up the interface inside the Wavedrum .
(I personally would prefer an external solution.)
The SMD soldering directly at the mainboard chip
would however be a job for a friend of mine (professional)
(or for a good repair shop , not expensive , 15 minutes)

Your future projects
"Replacing the sensor"
there is actually a drumskin on the market from Aquarian
with built in pressure sensor (FSR technology)
its by now only available in 14" size

http://www.aquariandrumheads.com/produc ... undle-pack

"Improving the Wavedrum's own user interface"
I dont really think this would change editing very much .
The most important thing while editing really is
to know " What and Where " ( Wavedrummer , edit thread)
and as well to know about the "Signals from the WD"
This is only my personal opinion ,
as I am very familiar (and fast) with the 3 digit interface .

(a connection to a computer would be a very different thing )

"Positional sensing"
and playing differently tuned MIDI sounds (or whatever)
sounds very good .
the Mandala drum is great at that (probably FSR technology)
http://synesthesiacorp.com/

Hopefully your work gets recognized and appreciated in this forum .
For me this is another milestone in the development of the Wavedrum .
Thank you for posting , please keep us updated ...

PS: do you have a picture of the WD bottom with the MIDI jack ?

[martygras]

Just my opinion.
The Wavedrum doesn't need midi. It's just about perfect as is.

[martygras]

I agree with all of you who think midi would make the Wavedrum better/cooler than it already is. BUT...

Just to clarify why I don't think the Wavedrum "needs" midi is that when an engineer is designing something for midi, he immediately has to limit the amount of data that will be flowing.
The designer has to decide what constitutes a note on/off (yes, note off).
How would sustain pedals be supported.
How would aftertouch be supported.
How dynamics would affect the volume, pitch, tonal quality.
Which continuous controllers would be mappable, and what would they control.
The display would need to be the size of the Handsonic's display, minimum.
########################################
Of course users will implement their own hacks, but the Wavedrum is a unique animal as it is, and I prefer to learn my equipment inside and out to know what it can do just using what it came with.
Go ahead and hook it up to a bunch of guitar pedals, even midi controlled guitar pedals. Now you have midi control over lots of things combined with hand technique.

[How good]

Though great points/guidance about the challenges of implementing midi, not one is a reason not to.

Technology doesn't stand still. And there was a time when no keyboard had midi. The beauty of something like the wavedrum is that it inspires creativity, not only around it, but within it as well.

I duly respect the clarity around the challenges, as well as being at peace with what it is, and isn't, but I welcome the possibility of seeing others make it what it can be.

[martygras]

Though great points/guidance about the challenges of implementing midi, not one is a reason not to.

Technology doesn't stand still. And there was a time when no keyboard had midi. The beauty of something like the wavedrum is that it inspires creativity, not only around it, but within it as well.

I duly respect the clarity around the challenges, as well as being at peace with what it is, and isn't, but I welcome the possibility of seeing others make it what it can be.

Yes it could happen if you are willing to pay double the current price or maybe more.
There's just not enough people willing to pay for all that engineering and development.

Either way you would be reducing the dynamics resolution to only 128 steps once it has been run through the midi circuit. This goes for any sensor that reports a voltage value in the analog realm.
If you can program an "Arduino" or "Rasberry Pi" then you should be able to do it yourself.
Much cheaper that way.

[WaterDrum]

Yes it could happen if you are willing to pay double the current price or maybe more

.
Korg has a already lots of MIDI stuff in their shelves, hardware and software
so it wouldnt be too much work ...

Imagine a MIDI breakout box with inputs for 3 or more Wavedrums
also for nearly any percussion instruments with piezos
A big display
100 programmable and saveable MIDI setups
Programmable MIDI Note Out
Adjustable Note length for Synth sounds
Programmable CC messages for pressure/positional sensing
Earlier Wavedrums could easily be connected with an "External Trigger Cable Kit"for 20 bucks )

There's just not enough people willing to pay for

thats possible ... Korg is really expensive

Either way you would be reducing the dynamics resolution to only 128 steps once it has been run through the midi circuit

well , OK thats all what MIDI has to offer when it comes to dynamics .
still good enough for most "V Drummers"

If you can program an "Arduino" or "Rasberry Pi" then you should be able to do it yourself.

yes , Arduino is more popular
Midisaron uses his board , because it already comes with a good basic MIDI functionality

Much cheaper that way

That is why DIY was invented
Developing from scratch however takes a lot of time

[How good]

Martygras,

Appreciate your points. You're not just saying no, but WHY, which contributes to the "road map" for those willing to try...

And I agree Korg didn't include Midi for solid reasons. I don't believe midi DIYers, expect to "match" the acoustic quality of the WD, but to get as close as possible. If roughly successful, there's an opportunity for more nuance and control than most other drum controllers. For that alone, it seems reason enough to try.

I'm definitely not enough of a coder, but I'm curious what WD connections are best for an Arduino? Maybe somewhere between the sensors, and audio output? Utilize some of the PCM and/or DSP processing, while keeping each separate to control particular midi parameters?

As far as 128 discrete steps... For non-tonal sounds, is there be a way two (or more) midi notes, etc, could be joined serially for more increments?

Lastly, forewarned about the editing challenges of the WD, I'm giving thought to pressing my Basic Stamp into service as a (simpler) pedalboard editor for the WD. Any thoughts?



Waterdrum,

Deeply appreciative of your modding endeavors and sharing.
And following in your footsteps.

Received my WDX yesterday.
Opening it today.
Grabbing my piezos...

Digging this forum...

[WaterDrum]

Arduino board Trigger2MIDI
a basic solution with no extras
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/92VIEDtQKVI" frameborder="0"></iframe>

The "Volkswagen" solution , Midisaron is developing a "Mercedes Benz"