Nice Volume Control Demo
The video says it all. This is all part of combining the Wah and MIDI controller into a single unit with the new Volume and Expression out. So far so good! (Xanadu by Rush was a song I played since I was a young kid in Canada. Great song!) Stay Tuned,...
TDK “Band” Loves SoulPedal®!
We just returned from the TDK Dev Conference in Silicon Valley (Sensor Technologies… yes, the same TDK that made audio tapes). It turns out that several TDK executive members, including CEO Jon Nelson, are also musicians. Apparently, there’s a TDK band, and they all loved SoulPedal®. In fact, it was Jon who introduced me to several TDK Directors and insisted I meet Rich Fry, Director ICT Sales who is now eager to engage as a SoulPedal® Beta Tester. Over the years, first impression to this technology have always been with amazement and awe – 100% of the time. Whether that translates to a sale or acceptance in the industry is only just starting to come into focus. It can’t be just cool or another wireless product; it’s got to add value. That’s exactly why SoulPedal® is being shared in a personal and custom way in our Beta Program. Playing devil’s advocate, there is obvious excitement among TDK staff because their technology is being applied in a brand new way to something they love to do for fun. So I asked Rich “Are you excited because it’s using TDK’s motion technology, or do you believe SoulPedal® is something you’d buy, and why?” His answer was both candid and encouraging. “Yes (to the TDK), but often in our band we are pointed to without warning when it’s our turn to solo. That’s hard to do if you’re not quite ready and right in front of your pedals.” He went on to say that “…given the fast change-over times between band line-ups, it would be great to have a faster setup.” So Change-over Time may not be just a Manufacturing indicator, and not having to run cables round “trip” from the amp to the pedals and back does add value (pun intended). The photo isn’t my actual setup, it’s just a teaser to get people thinking simplicity and ease of use. But I wouldn’t put it past someone duct-taping SoulPedal® to their rig to just throw on stage in a hurry. Initial, we’re not replacing your sacred pedal board, it’s an enhancement and a new feel for now, but that Wah pedal may have a finite life. I really can’t wait to see what people think of the variable taper for starters. Aside from the TDK Band buzz, the meeting with motion experts yielded some great tips that will directly translate to a better product. In fact, positional accuracy (in a multi-pedal configuration) could maintain around 3 mm accuracy over a 1 foot distance using our existing Beta design (which is actually using older technology). They already do this in the medical industry,...
Two Pedals – Live
MIDI Controllers are a bit more interesting than I thought. Songwriter Kody Raine decides he wants to control his Boss DD-500 to command some echo/delay at key points in his own song – on demand. I always thought who better to time an effect than the musician real-time. So this Sunday during Open Mike at Bourbon Jacks in Chandler, we’re going to try out SoulPedal® MIDI, and SoulPedal® Wah on different channels, separate musicians. Guitarist Ron Daughton is pretty excited to try it out in his pedal board, replacing his existing Cry-baby. And who knows, I might give it a shot myself. Here’s Kody using SoulPedal® to MIDI control his DAW then into an MS-2000 Analog Korg. (That’s a whole other world.) Stay tuned,...
Meet our 1st Beta Tester
Meet Kody Raine, local career musician, awesome vocalist, and our first Beta Tester. His focus is on the SoulPedal® MIDI controller with his current rig for an enhanced live performance. Our meeting was just a chance encounter at Good Time Charlies after his duo performance with Ethan Newman on Bass. Although SoulPedal® wasn’t quite ready for Beta testing (and you wouldn’t be the first to wonder if or when that would ever happen), discovering use cases just became priority well worth completing the MIDI portion ASAP, then accept $299 for Beta Membership¹ when the full product is ready. It’s one thing to get input on user forums to say “ya gotta have MIDI”, but to collaborate and explore technology as part of a live performance, and get paid, that’s got some real jazz! It was refreshing to hear his view of benefits and uses… the simplest things like “I could be looking up in the air with eyes closed jammin’ away, and engage SoulPedal® without ever having to look for my pedal.” It’s so cool to hear other creative types jump in. Kody currently has his Laptop DAW, MIDI Interface, Delay Pedal, Synth, and Drum Machine all connected up preparing for this integration. We also discussed using our toe-tap method for setting the tempo, so lots to explore there as well. Or maybe just a live drum kick might be useful- essentially the MIDI artform to explore. ¹ Beta Membership is defined as a collaborative group of 10 users who agree to pay $199 to test the Insole Pedal and MIDI, (plus an optional $99 to experience the Wah/Vol-Drive/Ext Expression Controller), to help further both the artist’s performance and SoulPedal® Technology Development (SPTD). The musician keeps the tested technology at no additional charge. The Wah portion will be available when … you know. (Just need to breadboard the new buffer section to get the right Drive clipping sound using parts in-house, then complete the PCB layout to build 10 Beta...
Controlling a Boss DD-7 Delay Pedal
I don’t know why we didn’t think of this sooner… Here’s a hack that emulates an EV-5 Roland Expression Pedal. Just needs a stereo jack output that connects right up to any Boss Expression Input (or Roland product of course). Not only that, but our controller already has a minimum level adjustment like the EV-5. We might want to figure out a simple way to set and hold the pedal, and have previously tested using a quick twist of the foot (using the Z-gyro sensor in the pedal)… add that to the code To-Do list. Shown is a close up of the wire I soldered to a tiny BROKEN lead off the Digital Pot… as in no lead, just a stub! Obviously it would be a clean connection off the second channel of the chip, but I can’t believe it stayed long enough to test this (why all the tape to hold it). The first channel of course controls the Wah effect. And I might either put in some jumpers to let this be a volume swell, or just create a separate box to simply patch through the audio as a volume...
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Volume Demo: youtu.be/uPntSsdTIVY?a via @YouTube -
Working on new Controller-Wah Layout. Should all fit into 1 box, but some things were cut. Instead of switching cap… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
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Hows that for being open! tesla.com/blog/q3-2018-v…