Continuum Fingerboard.

[Hollowcell]

Spent the day on the work cable connection today and got a chance to watch a few more of the namm videos.

You guys have to check this thing out. Bloody weird, but really interesting.
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/shownews.cfm?newsid=2001

Keep watching the video until you see the guy who can actually play the thing.

PS. Sorry if this has been brought up already.

[3o3]

I was thinking about posting that link here aswell. I'd love to have one. Insane!

But it would be really cool to be able to use it. I just can imagine what types of cool sequences you can do with it.

[waketek]

Yes, I think this thing is awsome it was actually at NAMM in 04 now they have two sizes. Way to expensive though the full size is 5300.00 and the half size is 3400.00 here is their website http://www.hakenaudio.com/Continuum/

Need to drop the prices a lot, they are trying to make up for all the R&D costs to quickly I think. It is one very expressive controller though.

[hatembr]

does it have a single sound or more? 8O

[waketek]

No Sound it is just a controller...Pretty spendy for just a controller but check out the video demos of it being used and what the possibilities are with this thing....I got really excited when I first saw the demo of it but then went into sticker shock when I found out the price.

[Timo]

Looks good, but very hard to play. Half the interaction with normal keys is that of feeling your way around on the keyboard via the keys. For example, you can easily play a normal keyboard blind, purely by touch.

I guess once you've mastered it though, the expression of the continuum would exceed that of a guitar player. Other than aftertouch and velocity, normal "keys" are quite rigid in what they can do (expressively).

I guess current keyboard designs could by enhanced further by employing some sort of additional expression, sensor feature (a ribbon-controller type thing) from the front to the back of the key (on the face of a key) like in the continuum, or even a slight left-to-right sensor on each key to add a little vibrato or whatever (other than aftertouch, which is additional down-pressure as opposed to left-to-right), but I wouldn't fancy having a completely "fretless" keyboard to play intricate stuff. I guess Piano sounds for example wouldn't benefit from slight pitch deviants by hitting the board slightly wrong when playing chords, or melodies etc.

Plus you miss the "black keys" on the continuum.

Other than that, though, that modelled guitar sounded really quite nice. That guy has been practising in his own time for ages, though.

[harrystainer]

Pretty damn impressive. That plucked string sounds really cool. Too expensive to even think about gettin one of those things, maybe if prices were reduced quite considerably.

[waketek]

yeah, I think if these things were priced lower say even 1200 to 1500 they would probably be selling a lot more of them. Watch the Carla Scaletti Many Times video on the website...This thing would absolutely rock to play your own Sound Designs for movie and game soundtracks/SFX.

[tranzash]

That thing is amazing 8O

[Merlot]

Amazing, but I wont put in the 2 years time jsut to be proficient with a CONTROLLER!!! Just me, but the thing is amazing.

[Hollowcell]

Yep, putting in the time to learn how to play a melody would be more than I'm willing to put in too. But for using it just for weird effects wouldn't take much time to get the hang of at all.

It's nice to see people trying out a few new ideas though isn't it.

Ahhh, music technology. *insert Homer smiley here.