DIY Ribbon Controller

Ribboncontroller ...ribbon controllers are touch-sensitive strips that let you control pitch continuously (i.e., not fixed to the pitches of a keyboard). The original Martenot instrument of the 1920s had an early ribbon controller, but rocker Keith Emerson probably gets the most credit for popularizing the design.. Here are some DIY instructions for building your own ribbon controller. These aren't just any old ribbon controller, either: not only are they much cheaper than commercial models, but they can play two notes at once. Link.

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Posted by: jcantara on June 16, 2005 at 8:45 AM

So this is a touch-sensitive strip that lets you control tree sap continuously without using my computer's input peripheral? The only clue that this is a musical instrument is the "two notes at once" at the end. It helps people that've never heard of a ribbon controller if you say what it is at first: "an input device for musical synthesis".


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