Design Your Own Audio Controller

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Design Your Own Audio Controller

Posted by timothy on Wednesday October 20, 2004 @09:38AM from the no-sliders-over-here dept.

pronobozo writes with a link to "a cool interface called LEMUR for controlling audio applications. 'LEMUR is a handy and modular touchpanel based controller designed for audio and multimedia real-time applications. Our technology associates multitouch capabilities with visual display. LEMUR is provided with an extensible library of User Interface Objects such as faders, switchs, pads, keyboards, strings, etc.'" It's also vaporware at this point, but looks cool enough I hope it really reaches the market early next year as the site promises.

21 of 125 comments (clear)

does it go to 11 ? by ch-chuck · 2004-10-20 09:39 · Score: 5, Funny

Sure, why not.

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1. Re:does it go to 11 ? by gryphokk · 2004-10-20 09:56 · Score: 4, Insightful
  From the FAQ:
  
  How many fingers can be put on the panel simultanously ?
  
  In theory, there isn't such a limitation. However, we suggest you not to use more than ten fingers at once, since our sensor hasn't been experimented yet by 11 fingers beta testers.
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No MIDI Support? by GameGod0 · 2004-10-20 09:42 · Score: 2, Interesting

The website mentions that the LEMUR isn't a MIDI device, instead it uses something called OSC (OpenSoundControl).

How does this affect the LEMUR's ability to interface with application such as Cakewalk's SONAR?

Does OSC provide a way to interface with MIDI applications?
1. Re:No MIDI Support? by fishbowl · 2004-10-20 10:12 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  "How does this affect the LEMUR's ability to interface with application such as Cakewalk's SONAR?"
  
  It practically eliminates that compatability. While OSC is an open protocol, and even though there are quite a few products listed (including a bunch of open source items), it is pretty much a Reaktor thing. Don't get me wrong, Reaktor is very, very cool. But if you wanted to use it with ProTools or Cubase or Logic or FLSTudio or Magix or Cakewalk, you would probably have to setup some sort of OSC proxy that sits on the OSC bus and outputs MIDI.
  
  I cannot fault them for taking this approach -- there are some limitations with MIDI, with some ugly workarounds and some pretty bad scalability issues. Imagine if you were epxected to run Kermit over Ethernet instead of TCP/IP, I think that's a fairly good analogy.
  
  I suppose you could extend something like MIDI-OX to implement OSC, and cause it to route the messages you were interested in onto the midi bus.
  I have no doubt at all you could make Reaktor do exactly that, sit on the OSC bus and pass some of the messages through, filtered for your various midi devices.
  
  If the Lemur becomes popular, the support will follow. Wake me up when I can buy on on Zzounds. Meanwhile I'll continue building my ucapps.de midibox, using my Peavey PC-1600's and my FCB-1010. Right now my rig has seven instruments and 4 controllers, and while MIDI is frustrating, I have not reached its limitations.
  
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*thinks* by NightDragon · 2004-10-20 09:43 · Score: 2, Interesting

This is surely a nice idea, i personally hate having to use my mouse when mixing music, but i think the magic questions will be : Just how functional is this? Is it going to have a lot of flashy bells and whistles and doodads, or is it going to be efficent?

and of course, "just how many arms and legs am i going to have to give to have one?"

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Been done already - obligitory HHG ref by Weaselmancer · 2004-10-20 09:43 · Score: 4, Funny

"The machine was rather difficult to operate. For years radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then as the technology became more sophisticated the controls were made touch-sensitive - you merely had to brush the panels with your fingers; now all you had to do was wave your hand in the general direction of the components and hope."

Chapter 12

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rediculous.
Re:Hmmm by cjpez · 2004-10-20 09:45 · Score: 4, Informative

In the FAQ section, they claim that it can handle 10 simlutaneous presses (at least that's what it seems to say), which would mean that to do more you'd have to use more than just both your hands. So if that's true, I imagine that's quite sufficient.
Also, OSC == THE FUTURE, so meh re: lack of MIDI. :)

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Re:Hmmm by telemonster · 2004-10-20 09:47 · Score: 2, Interesting

It's been 4 days since I read it, so maybe I'm fuzzy on a detail or two! Should I read it again? It said 100mbps network output... which makes it sound like a tablet PC with a software.

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Re:Infomercial by pronobozo · 2004-10-20 09:47 · Score: 2, Informative

Don't work for them. Although I do make music.. so if you want some shameless self promotion.. here you go.. http://www.pronobozo.com

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In case of the Slashdotting... by Kinetic · 2004-10-20 09:47 · Score: 3, Interesting

Mirrors, including the video files, are at MirrorDot.

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~Jay
Re:Hmmm by telemonster · 2004-10-20 09:49 · Score: 2, Interesting

Groovy. A long time ago I tried to use a Thinkpad 700X tablet as a home theater controller. Got them for $5 each since no one wanted tablets. Found out it requires a pen to actually register on the screen (much like the newer tablets that have showed up on the market). Funny how history repeats itself.

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Good idea that should be expanded by alaivfc · 2004-10-20 09:54 · Score: 5, Insightful

I think they are entirely marketing this in to narrow a makret. Yes, it seems like it would be great to control audio apps, but there is a much greater potential. Many large control boards could be easily replaced with a small dynamic board that gives you the pots/switches/etc. that you need at the time.
I'm thinking, in particular, things liking theatrical light and sound boards in which you use most of the sliders very rarely - but its still important that you have the option to input them through a slider or nob (as opposed to entering a number).
I bet there are other applications in industries where large control boards are involved where this could be useful as well.
Hmm... by bravehamster · 2004-10-20 09:54 · Score: 2, Funny

They might as well call it Star Trek:TNG Interface.

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1. Re:Hmm... by Short+Circuit · 2004-10-20 10:11 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Er...you mean LCARS, right?
  
  (ducks)
  
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DIY MIDI by L3WKW4RM · 2004-10-20 09:55 · Score: 4, Informative

For some less-vapor, DIY MIDI controller kits (soldering, planning, etc. required) you can build from scratch at Thorsten Klose's awesome site, or assemble pieces from Doepfer. I've built a few great fader boxes and knob boxes. What a fun hobby.
LEMUR not pressure/velocity sensitive by Chromal · 2004-10-20 09:58 · Score: 2, Insightful

Though it looks like it could be very useful for certain types of virtual controls (particularly x/y axis controllers as well as sliders), its usefulness is slightly limited by its lack of velocity and pressure (other than boolean, anyway) sensitivity. Requiring PC host software seems more of a handicap than a feature, too...

Still, anything to break away from having to use a mouse to tweak realtime parameters on-screen is welcome.
Re:Infomercial by Fnkmaster · 2004-10-20 10:05 · Score: 4, Interesting

There are now marketing firms that specialize in grass roots marketing efforts, by putting out semi-phony blogs and probably pimping things on supposedly "community-driven" sites like Slashdot. As soon as the market gets big enough, the marketers will be there. And Slashdot is numerically significant and a good spot to push technogizmos on the geek thought leaders.

I would be surprised if people didn't try to use Slashdot in this way. Just look at how Roland Piquepaille has made a business out of getting Timothy (I think it's usually him) to publish his inane Slashdot submissions, which ALWAYS have link-backs to his "summaries" of various news stories in his blog. He's Slashvertizing for his blog, so he can get more advertising hits.

What does it all mean? Well, you just have to be a little more cynical around here I guess. In any case, it's nothing really new - used to be we'd see vaporware announcements and the like float by, but the submission writer and the sketchy company weren't usually one and the same. Now sometimes they are.
You should simulate your control in SW first by museumpeace · 2004-10-20 10:07 · Score: 2, Informative

and then buy HW when you know just what is going to work. Although dated by its dependence on an older version of JMF, Lindley's book [at the top of the list of this page of audio books] , gives a set of audio widgets [well, beans, actually] on its CD that you can mix, modify, and mate in various combinations for all kinds of audio effects. Not a tool for the timid but a rewarding exercise for the software/audio geek.

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Needs a seperate mixer channel by temojen · 2004-10-20 10:11 · Score: 2, Funny

Just for cowbell. More cowbell!
Similar device by MIT by jerometremblay · 2004-10-20 10:35 · Score: 2, Interesting

I love this kind of device, and I can't wait to finally be able to acquire one for a reasonable price. I've been keeping an eye on a similar device called AudioPad for a while now, which works with a projector and drawing tablets.

The devices are similar, but the MIT project seems to place the bar higher concerning potential UI innovations instead of re-creating existing hardware virtually. (Look at the IP Workbench example video and see what I mean...)
The Problem with this: LACK OF FEEL by sr180 · 2004-10-20 12:23 · Score: 3, Informative

With this device, you cant FEEL the buttons, so you have to look at it as you adjust it.
Example: My tv remote. I'm watching tv, I pick up the remote, and I can adjust channel, volume, power etc with out looking at the remote. With a device like this, you cant do that, as there is no tactile feel, you cant just feel where the volume button is and press it, you have to visually find it first. There is a programmable LCD remote available that has floundered on the market for exactly this reason.
This also applies to the main application for this device, audio mixing (as well as stage lighting and visual applications.) Try cueing audio to some on stage effect while having to look at this device instead of looking onstage...
Its a cool device and I'd love it at home, but the lack of tactile feel will make it useless in many applications.

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