Today in TechTouch-sensitive wooden music controller is a cross between keyboard and touchscreen
The ability to plug your acoustic guitar into a computer has done a lot to bring old-fashioned acoustic instruments into the digital age. There are a lot of unusual musical devices out there, but many of them lack the warmth and feel of natural wood. Now Madrona Labs, a Seattle-based music hardware and software company, has upped the musical ante with the Soundplane A, a computer music controller with a touch-sensitive walnut playing surface.
A little like a keyboard, and a little like an iPad or other touchscreen device, the Soundplane connects to your computer via USB cable. Its playing surface is made out of a thin sheet of articulated walnut, with 150 "keys" which you can tap, press, or run your fingers across, each controlling a different, configurable sound. The keys use patent-pending continuous capacitive sensing technology, which gives them the response and feel of an acoustic instrument — you can even bend notes like you would a guitar string.
Madrona Labs is currently taking pre-orders for the initial run of 30 Soundplanes at a discounted price of $1,695. They haven't announced the official price that will be in effect after the initial run sells out, but say it will be less than $2,000. And for those musicians and technophiles with an eco-friendly bent, the body of the Soundplane is made of FSC-certified, Washington alder body milled from a single block.
[via Gizmag]
This article was written by Katherine Gray and originally appeared on Tecca
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