replace data wheel encoder with a HD platter

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=180

i'm onto something here
this guy uses a HD platter + a plugin to create a turntable like thing
i'm interested in using it as a rotary encoder + jj's button mode DATA WHEEL -/+ to create a rotary encoder replacement...

how nice would it feel to spin this instead of your clicky, plastic data wheel?

I swear Nym, you are some kind of F'n wizard!!!

Great idea!

If you decide to write the plugin in C++ (not in SynthEdit), I wrote some articles on VST basics that you'll find interesting: http://vstfromscratch.wordpress.com/

martin, i love your website and it will be very useful in the coming year.
thank you for your help in that regard, i've needed an "intro to VST w/ C++" for a loooong time. this looks like it fits the bill.

it appears that the math required to convert the signal from the HD to usable midi is a little over my head yet so i'll likely be using the SM platform to modify Nix's material at first, but VST development is near the top of my to-learn list for this year

this reminds me of those 3.5 floppy tape style echos people started making a few years back. Here is a video though this one is kind of chaotic and not as good as some other videos I've seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAEmo7Ycd1Q

also, wouldn't you be able to turn a turntable with digital vinyl (serato etc) into a sort of data wheel?

^ yes, pretty "easily" too i would think but it'd be so humongous!!

i chose to go through MIDI rather than additional electronics as more work has already been done (apparently) in that direction and should require more software tinkering as opposed to electronics tinkering, which is a lot more expensive. i opened up Nix's osm file in Synthmaker and started floundering a little bit, luckily with a little time i think i can make sense of it.

How would you hand this information over to the mpc in order the obtain +- signal of the built in rotary encoder. midi sysex?

regular old midi notes. midi note x = data wheel +, midi note y = data wheel -
thanks to jjos2xl's feature described here: http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~mpc1000/os2xl/button.htm

Maybe not with an ordinary HD platter, but there could also be 4 buttons underneath the disk, replacing the directional buttons. Maybe make it like an iPod, and put a select button in the center, although that probably wouldn't work well because the "Do it" button is not always on the same F-button.

Nym wrote:regular old midi notes. midi note x = data wheel +, midi note y = data wheel -
thanks to jjos2xl's feature described here: http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~mpc1000/os2xl/button.htm

Actually I didn't know about this routing possibility!

Anyways, I will ask a friend who knows about electronics about turning that hd motor signal into switches.

One thing one might generally consider is, that while you achieve smooth, fast and precise dials with that hd technology, it could be easily moved unintenionally so that the display digits will dance their shoes off.

Possibly, something to convert the pulses per rotation angle is needed for general operation of the mpc.

Time will tell.

TSR

it could be easily moved unintenionally so that the display digits will dance their shoes off.

absolutely, which is why rotary encoders are often detented. when my rotary encoders go bad, nothing is worse than the flicker!! i hate it. you're right on the money.

if i understand this HD thing correctly, it's based on acceleration and thus tone frequency. if the hd is not moving (or moving so slowly that it's below the activation threshold) then no data is aquired. this means that you could theoretically spin the thing so slowly that it does nothing.

have you seen this video?
http://vimeo.com/26930534

^ very cool. great for soundtracks, etc. i can totally see how it's "inertial."
but notice how nice and smooth that HD spins???? it's great...