From daddyo@telusplanet.net Mon Feb 08 16:53:32 2010
Subject:Re: Touchpad drawbars

Ditto Bruce! Great comparisons. I've tried lots of alternatives, and could never
use any of them for my performances. I am constantly using them, and would not
be happy with any other replacement seen or tried so far.
Brock Gillis
daddyo@telusplanet.net
www.gunnbluesband.com

"Be thinking of B-3's and Leslies goin round"

"Friends help you move. Best friends help you move bodies. Musician friends help

you move your B3 cause it's worth it!"

Quoting Bruce Wahler :

Hi All,

I've been watching this discussion, and I have to add my $0.02USD ...

Replacing drawbars with a touch interface is an interesting idea. However, I
look at them as an *alternative* to drawbars, not as a *replacement* for them.
Why? Because tactile feel is an important part of how a drawbar works, and
while a certain level of tactile feel might be added to a touch screen, it
won't be at the level of a mechanical lever.

Now before someone accuses me of being a dinosaur, I own a touchscreen phone,
GPS, and TV remote. They are all easy to use, but all of them require eye
contact to operate. Try dialing a phone number on a touch screen phone while
driving a car, or change the volume on the TV: it can't be done without
taking one's eyes off the road/TV (or using voice recognition) -- at least,
not continually and reliably. I suspect that the same issue would plague
touchpad drawbars. It's all too easy to shift the controlling hand to the
wrong position during use. I can use drawbars on a very dimly lit stage; and
I can use them with my eyes closed. I wonder how well the average player
could manage with a touchpad interface under the same circumstances? I can't
speak for others, but I don't want to stare at a display while making changes
in mid-song, particularly because I have vocal duties in my band, too.

Remember, the Hammond console organ was produced for almost 40 years
(1935-1974) -- nearly twice that long, if we count clones from the X-2/X-5 to
the New B-3 and XB-3c. During all that time, Hammond never attempted to phase
out the drawbars, even though the original mechanical ones were quite costly.
Why? I suspect it's because they are ergonomically useful.

Regards,

-BW
--
Bruce Wahler
AshbySolutions.com™
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com

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