Rim, what if...

[theconnactic]

... you make the current piano roll into a real time MIDI controller? Let me explain why...

Today, trying to reach a workaround to controll thumbjam from Lyra's built-in keyboard, I found out that Lyra's keyboard wors only for writing the MIDI to the MIDI track: only after playing back the MIDI track, it was able to send MIDI notes to thumbjam, so Lyra's keyboard is no MIDI controller after all.

BUT...

I noticed I was able to control Thumbjam in real time playing on the Piano Roll keys. So I have to do an experiment: since we can zoom the piano roll keys to a really huge size, i did it so the keys were of a size confortable to play, held the iPad in portrait mode so the keys would be displayed horizontally and, for my own amazement, I was able to play accurately using them!!! Some drawbacks, though: it was laggy after a while - but I'd gladly blame it on Thumbjam!, the velocity was fixed (no big deal, really) and only monophonic (well, that's the deal breaker).

My point, Rim, is: you don't really need to code a MIDI controller from start: just enhance the piano roll keyboard so it allows for polyphony, and Auria would already have its universal controller, albeit limited to portrait. If the keyboard had the option to be toggled to horizontal display, voilá: a perfect MIDI controller! The corolary seems to be this: it's already partially implemented, it needs only to be developed further to be actually usable.

All the best,
Dimitri.

[theconnactic]

P.S.: anyway, since I discovered I can control external apps while recording MIDI in real time, monophonic as it is, I've been having a lot of fun with Auria and apps like iMS20, Magellan and iPolysixx, specially with basses, bells and other stuff that don't really require polyphony. Way better than what I used to do, which was draw all MIDI in the piano roll or built MIDI tracks in apps like Medly.

[Rim]

Not a bad idea. I'll have to see how difficult it would be to implement into the current code.

RIm

[maximus]

I like this idea a lot too. playing midi instruments is a bit tricky in Auria as it is currently without an external controller.

Thanks,
Max

[theconnactic]

Not a bad idea. I'll have to see how difficult it would be to implement into the current code.

RIm

Great, Rim!

If you allow me, I'll make another suggestion: you could implement it in baby steps: firstly, just adding polyphony and the ability to play the decay/sustain of the instruments it controls (currently it plays only the attack and the decay, and go directly to the release, skipping the sustain, making it not usable for pads and other long note instruments). Then, in a further update, the ability of toggling between vertical (piano roll mode) and horizontal (controller mode). Finally, the pitch bend/mod wheel.

Of course, if you add all this all at once it would be really great!

All the best!

P.S.: if I am not wrong, AUx instrument support requires a built-in MIDI keyboard, so hopefully this could shorten the path for AUx on Auria if it's the case...