The Madrona Labs Soundplane – Sex On A Stick?

The Madrona Labs Soundplane A is a computer music controller that was designed to offer the sensitivity and feel of an acoustic instrument.

The Soundplane detects a wide range of touches on its walnut playing surface, from a light tickle to a very firm press. The Soundplane A can be configured as either a 150-note keyboard with position and pressure sensing on each key, or as one continuous surface.

This video, via bar|none, explores using the Madrona Labs Soundplane for something a little more experimental, traveling through a single long sample and playing grains.

Sex on a stick? Check it out and let us know what you think!

Here are the technical details:

Soundplane is also responding to pressure as well a x position and relative to where you first touched a pitch. I don’t have y connected but I could.

Pressure controls volume envelope.

arc|tangent is a new monome arc app I am working on for high resolution control of anything in a generic sense with a lot of options for routing on the fly. Resolutions are variable from highly quantized to pretty much unlimited resolution if you are willing to spin the dial enough times. Visual feedback on the arc helps you understand what is happening. This allows for very high resolution control of scrubbing through a large sample in coarse or fine increments and control of many other parameters at high or low resolution.

The sound source is Monolake – Granulator. I am just controlling it in an unusual way and with finer control than you can do with the M4L patch controls alone.

See the Madrona Labs site for more information.

17 thoughts on “The Madrona Labs Soundplane – Sex On A Stick?

  1. What’s with all the static and popping? I hope the clip audio is corrupted because if that’s the instrument, this “sex on a stick” is flaccid.

    1. I think the demo has less to do with the synth(monolake), and more to do with the controller(soundplane). At any rate, it just sounds like the audio is clipping to me, but again, that’s beside the point.

      Pretty nice, imho! Looks expensive.

    1. I can’t find the link right now, but there are ways to sense finger pressure on the surface of the arm. AKA skin touchpad keyboards are possible.

  2. I got a chance to play one at MMTA event in Seattle. It’s a fine piece of art, a real treat to play, controlling an OB Martrix 12.

  3. Man, the Soundplane looks so amazing. I’ve also got to say that Granulator is a fantastic little instrument that is very unique and well-designed. It’s worth shelling out the extra bucks for M4L just for that.

  4. Does look nice to play.. I like wood..
    but not really much of an improvement over a laptop in terms of stage presence.
    Perhaps develop a model which could be strapped-on?

  5. I think controllers like this are fantastic, and represent the only “alternative” controller that presents any real new expressive sound shaping capabilities out of all the alternative controllers out there. If someone could get the build price down to affordable levels they would sell like wild fire. I wish them tons of success with this device.

  6. I’ve had the pleasure of playing the soundplane at Decibel last year… it’s soft and responsive like a lovers thigh… a beautifully made piece of gear.

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