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Hi,

I think there's a way to quite intuitively support continuous pitch bends or slides between notes by building in support for the Continuum's portamento mode. It allows you to setup an interval in between which notes aren't re-triggered. Instead, a smooth pitch transition is implemented, based on the relative pressure of two notes. The speed of the pressure change and the relative difference allow you to change how the pitch transition behaves. For instance, if you apply the same pressure on two notes, the pitch will be in the middle. I find that it allows you to very intuitively control slides in any directly and based on your hearing are able to control intermediate notes. As long as you press any of the keys that are within the interval, the portamento mode continues, so you can create guitar-like whammy bar sounds.

Check out this video at 2m06s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCM-WBqDZ-Q#t=2m06s

On the Eigenharp, apart from the pitch bends, this could maybe also be used with the upcoming 'combined key press' feature that was discussed many months ago (to increase the range of the Pico in monophonic mode). This could but a keygroup into portamento mode when a predefined key is pressed at the same time.

What do you think?

Geert

My laptop touchpad and the touchscreen on my phone both do this 'averaging' as well, so it's pretty common.

Geert - I think that'd work really nicely! +1 from me.

I'd noticed the course-based mono in the physical models, and was thinking it might be in need of one (optional of course) tweak to make it really guitar - like: At the moment if you play one note, then slide to a lower note, it does what a mono-synth would do and dutifully plays the lower note. On a guitar/cello however, putting your finger on a lower fret without releasing your other finger on the higher fret won't do anything. Replicating this on the eigenharp would make certain fingering patterns more forgiving, say bar chords or similar, since you don't have to worry about putting other fingers down on the strings after the bar finger, the upper ones always take precedence.

I'd imagine that the 'options' would be controlled by some combination of workbench plumbing, existing agents, text config files or belcanto scripts. It would be nice to make enough fundamental building blocks like mono behaviour, pressure portamento, and the other articulation/strumming things from this thread, that you could easily slot them together to build a cello setup, a guitar setup, or allsorts of other combinations.

I think we're talking about the same thing - by 'slot them together into setups' I meant that these setups could be provided as-is to people who just want to play with patches, while also saying that the internals should be as modular as possible and not just indivisible 'guitar agents' and 'cello agents' .

Yeh, sorry - in text form it's hard to express enthusiasm about our latest convoluted Eigenharp idea without coming across as too forceful. :-S