3 ms·

To not start with MIDI means starting with audio. That means a microphone, preamp, digital audio interface ... all of which are significantly more expensive tha

To not start with MIDI means starting with audio. That means a microphone, preamp, digital audio interface ... all of which are significantly more expensive than the essentially zero-cost DIN or USB MIDI port that this device requires. This device is a hardware solution. Hardware solutions are very popular in the music technology space, because nobody really wants to be screwing around with their laptop or whatever. A software solution that did the same means a computer that is running with a mic, preamp and audio interface at all the same times as the person produces sound. The product in TFA has no dependence on the presence (or absence) of synthesis in the keyboard unit.

parkaboy 2y ago
Sorry I'm not sure you're following me. I'm suggesting that the user's phone that they already need (since the hardware pairs with the app in the article) is the hardware in this context. A phone already has a microphone and--if the environment is too noisy- many also support direct audio input through the phone's charge/data port with a simple off-the-shelf converter. Most smartphones can perform real-time audio progressing nowadays. The trade-off is that midi is going to be lower error than an audio processing algorithm and much easier to implement out-the-gate, while it's certainly a step-up in the software engineering needed to develop and implement an audio processing algorithm to implement pitch/key detection as well as capture relative timing and velocity. Correct the product in the article has no dependence on synthesis, but in pretty much all contexts in which someone will be using the device, there will be a corresponding audio signal present. Most people don't tap out music with a midi controller just in silence/without some sort of synthesis in conjunction.
parkaboy 2y ago
Also to clarify, yes: I understand most digital pianos have midi baked in. It's an easy signal to get out. I think this is a great product concept and there's nothing wrong with it--people will buy it! Just spitballing if hardware and all the baggage a hardware business model comes with is necessary.

parkaboy 2y ago

Sorry I'm not sure you're following me. I'm suggesting that the user's phone that they already need (since the hardware pairs with the app in the article) is the hardware in this context. A phone already has a microphone and--if the environment is too noisy- many also support direct audio input through the phone's charge/data port with a simple off-the-shelf converter. Most smartphones can perform real-time audio progressing nowadays. The trade-off is that midi is going to be lower error than an audio processing algorithm and much easier to implement out-the-gate, while it's certainly a step-up in the software engineering needed to develop and implement an audio processing algorithm to implement pitch/key detection as well as capture relative timing and velocity. Correct the product in the article has no dependence on synthesis, but in pretty much all contexts in which someone will be using the device, there will be a corresponding audio signal present. Most people don't tap out music with a midi controller just in silence/without some sort of synthesis in conjunction.

parkaboy 2y ago

Also to clarify, yes: I understand most digital pianos have midi baked in. It's an easy signal to get out. I think this is a great product concept and there's nothing wrong with it--people will buy it! Just spitballing if hardware and all the baggage a hardware business model comes with is necessary.