Touch (velocity) sensitive

This one feature is crucial to ANY, be it hardware or software, piano keyboard. It should be possible to do. See GMKbd, a fairly old software piano keyboard. The soundfont editor, Vienna and SoundFont Bank Manager for Sound Blaster sound cards, both have it, too.

Hi,

the problem is only: how to achieve velocity with the mouse or the PC keyboard? right now you can play with 2 different velocities by using the SHIFT key.

A simulation by using different areas on the keys for different velocity may work for some people -- others will find it distracting. It will also cause chromatic scales (click on a black key and move left or right with mouse button held down) to have alternating velocities, depending if black or white key.

Or do you know a better way to simulate velocity?

Thanks,
Florian

Yes, your right. GMKbd only has touch sensitivity with the mouse. When you press the tip of the key it's at max (127?) volume and when you press the top (uppermost) part of the key it's at lowest (0?) volume. Couldn't this at least this be implemented into MK for now?

Regarding touch sensitivity with the keyboard itself, i'll get back to you on that. For starters, is it possible for MK to somehow detect how hard you hit the keyboard? If not, then maybe what you said could work, why would it cause chromatic scales to have different velocity levels..... Hmm...we could have another button for velocity, that way there would be a total of 3 velocities at any time. I'll have think to about this some more, expect a proposal soon.

Detect how hard you hit the keyboard? Unlikely, I'm afraid... The cheapest MIDI keyboards have crappy velocity, and they still cost you at least $100.

Computer keyboards are much cheaper... how much velocity would you expect? The only velocity they will detect is a shattering blow. That's when you hit the board so hard it breaks! And your computer wouldn't even detect that, let alone BMK

Having multiple keys for different velocities might be possible. If the Team manages to put in the free configurable keys, you might be able to set up as many different velocity keys as you want

Actually, multiple keys for different velocities is okay( Tab, Alt, ctrl are available), but you'll end up having few fingers left to play..., since you have to hold them down as you play. I know the Up/Down Arrow keys change velocity via the Volume controller knob, but it ONLY changes when you're NOT playing. My idea is to make it so the Arrow Keys work WHILE you play, and just tie/bind them to velocity itself and NOT necessarily the Volume knob, so the Volume controller could be freed for other use. This way, at least you'll only need to use a max of two fingers (one for up arrow, another for down), and, of course, your left hand will be free to use. Problem is, one hand will be stuck on those Arrow keys, but ONLY for places where a ramp up or down in velocity is needed. It's a little clumsy, maybe, but if anyone knows of something better, i'm all ears.....

OK, I think a good solution will be this:
1) As an option, mouse velocity: velocity depends on where you click on the key

2) control current keyboard velocity with keyboard shortcuts. Assign additional shortcuts for knobs. E.g.
Up: increase velocity
Down: decrease velocity
Right: increase first knob
Left: decrease first knob

Then, if you assign channel volume to the first knob, you can do sweeps with left and right, and change (touch) velocity with up and down.

I'll put that down on the TODO list.
Florian

Sweet! Hopefully, we'll see mouse velocity by the next release? Please make it work exactly like GMKbd. Also, wouldn't it be better to have the option to assign Right+Left arrow keys to ANY knob? Then, we could do sweeps with another knob, and not ONLY the first one. I see on the TODO list the ability to assign the SHIFT key to do whatever we want, that's a must, too.....

yes, it's best to generally let the user define keys/shortcuts for knobs. We usually don't promise a feature for a specific release, but I think it should be in the next version

Later,
Florian