Controlling more than audio.

 

The Kaoss Pad is a touch-sensitive interface for real-time audio manipulation.

In goes the audio, your finger moves across the surface, and out comes the
audio in processed form. In addition to audio, it also sends out MIDI data
representing the position on the surface being touched.

I've become particularly fond of this mechanism. In every one of my most recent
projects, I've utilized this MIDI information.

First, I wrote a small Max/MSP external that translated x,y position coordinates
to directions for an Atari 2600 joystick controller. This external, used in conjunction
with the Kaoss Pad behaving as an effects processor, inserts a visual rather than
auditory mechanism for manipulating audio. The behavior of the sound is now
directly related to the way the Atari 2600 game is played. The Kaoss Pad is now
a dual-purpose tool, controlling audio as well as video.

I've extended this idea to the Nintendo, building on my work to dynamically
change various emulated components, including the color palette and sprite
buffers. This allows me to effectively scribble into the sprites, again establishing
a visual relationship with the dynamic generation of sound.