From sbac@alum.berkeley.edu Tue Oct 07 21:24:43 2003
Subject:Let's make a good midi controller already!

Hi CLonewheelers, I addressed this message to Steve, just a minute ago, but thought it
would be beneficial to post it to all of you also, here it is, lemme know if I'm crazy:

Hi Steve,
I've been in the CLonewheel and Hammond zone discussion groups for about 2
years
now, and I've enjoyed your participation in it as I've learned more and more
about Hammonds. It's really amazing how much respect you and your company have
out there, I even met with David Jacques in Long Beach once and he had some
great things to say also.

Anyway, what's been bothering me lately, and I'm sure it has bothered a lot of
people in the groups, is the unavailabilty of a good dual-manual strictly Midi
controller keyboard. It sounds like you have a successful business by providing
quality parts for us Hammond geeks, but this is one area that I'm very anxious
to be developed. I was wondering how practical it would be, if I were so
motivated, to gather up a few people and try manufacturing a dual-manual Midi
controller specifically for Hammond players in mind, with all of the right
options missing from other most Midi controllers, and without all of the extra
soundbanks. Just the controller so we can use it with a laptop. We don't need
the actual controller to provide the Hammond sound, we just need it to send the
midi signals. But I also want it to have all the right Hammond parts, including
drawbars, waterfall keys, good keybed action, and assignable switches and pedal
inputs as necessary. I really think that companies like Roland and Korg
overcharge for their dual manuals because they are also providing the Hammond
synthesizer along with the midi controller. WE don't need that, and the
computer offers us much more and will continue to do so in the future.

So the big question is, would someone be able to manufacture a midi controller
like I described and be able to sell it at an affordable price, say around
$1000? If so, it is something I would really look into, I know a lot of people
would want to have it. I am an engineer, and I could handle doing some of the
design, I don't know how much actual circuitry would have to be designed (unless
there is a place where midiboards can be bought, i don't know how the big
companies go about doing this). I know enough people where I think I can get
the right people to do the right tasks that would be involved, but I just have
to know if this is a crazy idea, or if it's remotely possible. Well, that's my
question, any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Aram

What really frustrates me is that not one company has made an affordable
dual-manual midi controller yet. Roland, Korg, Voce, they all want over $3000.
And that's because they refuse to sell it without their synthesizer in it! They
won't even make just the drawbar module as a controller! They have to put the
synthesizer in that also, and jack the price for a drawbar up to $1000! It's
ridiculous, with B4 out now, and all the other softwares that computers can use,
the keyboard soundbanks don't stand a chance. Anyway, I'm done. I hope either
my idea is possible, or one of the big companies is planning on making what I'm
describing soon.