Musicians will be very explicit about their devices. Even essentially the most informal participant usually has sturdy opinions on manufacturers, supplies, and upkeep routines. Xavier Dumont is so explicit concerning the instruments he makes use of to create digital music, that he designed a customized keyboard from scratch to completely go well with his tastes.
Dumont created a 48-key isomorphic keyboard with velocity-sensing keys and breath management. It’s closely customizable, with adjustable key layouts that rearrange notes for various functions. It additionally seems to be nice, with a slick, machined aluminum case and customized keys with individually-addressable LEDs.
The {hardware} (📷: Xavier Dumont)
Contained in the case, there are three several types of PCBs. One controls the onboard 2.4-inch LCD show that’s used to configure the keyboard. The keys are laid out on a set of equivalent PCBs, every with a microcontroller that watches for key presses and velocity data that’s measured by corridor impact sensors. Silent mechanical key switches have been chosen for the construct in order to not intervene with the music being performed.
The keyboard PCBs feed details about key presses into one other customized board that’s powered by an ESP32-S3 chip. This handles MIDI and serial outputs, and in addition accepts inputs from a pedal by way of a ¼-inch jack.
Lastly, there’s a easy PCB with a stress sensor, which is linked to a tube to gather data for breath management. This board additionally has a rotary encoder which is utilized by the menu system.
Typically, solely a DIY resolution will do. Whereas creating this keyboard took a variety of effort, Dumont now has the right keyboard for making digital music.
