MIDI Drum Pad (aka Koala 1) Final Post – Reflections

Functionality

Functionally, I’m really happy with how my project turned out. Β It syncs up seamlessly with any music software that accepts MIDI ins, and can transmit a variety of easy-to-change MIDI signals. Β The response time is also super quick – unnoticeable. Β Even when two pads are being struck at the same time, the Koala 1 works amazingly. Β The pads have also stood up to all the abuse thus far, and still look pretty nice. Β I can’t wait to use the Koala 1 to make some sick beats!

Aesthetic

Aesthetically, I’m also really satisfied with how the project turned out. Β The Koala 1 is sleek, organized, and consistent. Β The wood stain goes well with the black pads and nameplate, and if I can get some LED’s to diffuse through the acrylic body, it’ll look amazing. Β The end product has definitely inspired me to design and build some more MIDI instruments in the future.

ImprovementsΒ 

First, I’d like to create a PCB for all of the electronics. Β This’ll prevent everything from getting jumbled around, and will end up saving a lot of space. Β Second, I’d like to create a hysteresis band for each of the sensors. Β This will allow me to hook the sensors up to digital pins on the Teensy instead of analog pins. Β With digital pins, each of the sensors can be read via an interrupt instead of using looping conditional statements. Β This will allow for even less latency (even though its pretty much unnoticeable now), and will make the project feel more professional. Β Finally, I’d like to figure out how to hook up more LED’s to the system. Β Currently, I can only hook up 2 LED’s without the controller freaking out. Β This isn’t enough to illuminate the nameplate, let alone dissipate light through the body. Β Hooking up an external power supply would easily solve the problem, but it would be more rewarding to figure out a way to do it using only the Teensy. Β I’ll figure it out this summer.

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