Developer Wray Bowling let us know about his Kickstarter project to fund production of a new Eurorack module, The Biggest Foot, that lets you use a Wii Fit Balance Board to control your modular synthesizer.

Why would you want to use a The Wii Fit Balance Board to control your modular synth?

The Wii Fit Balance Board is available used for $20-30 – so it’s a very inexpensive option for a wireless foot controller.

The Biggest Foot converts wireless Bluetooth signals from the Nintendo Wii Balance Board into control voltages you can use in your Eurorack synthesizer.

Here’s what Bowling has to say about The Biggest Foot:

“The Biggest Foot is unlike any controller in music tech. It provides 9 channels of pressure unlike a joystick which only provides 2 (X and Y). The grid is an intuitive layout that saves space on labeling, and bypasses the need for toggle switches to invert. Instead, you get clear immediate patching. Add aftertouch to instruments that don’t offer it.”

Here are some of his ideas for how you can use it:

• Panning: Control a sound’s panning in Stereo, Quad, 5.1, or even 7.1.
• Timbre: Lean to open a filter, add shimmer, or increase delay feedback.
• Keyboard Tracking: Place the Wii Balance Board on a piano bench. As you naturally lean to play lower or higher notes on a piano keyboard, capture the left and right outputs individually.
• Pedalboard Tracking: Place the Wii Balance Board underneath your pedal board to capture pressure from your stompbox layout or add Z to an expression pedal.
• Theremin Waveshape: When you aren’t able to touch your instrument, it’s impossible to adjust the waveshape while you play. With The Biggest Foot, you can.

Pricing and Availability:

Funding for production of The Biggest Foot is being done via a Kickstarter project, and it is available to project backers for $300.

Note: Crowdfunded projects can involve risk, which are documented at the project site.