Re: Re: Jeff's scratching - a pseudo VHDL code

[rs@moinlabs.de]

Per,

obviously, you've moved away from the "keep posts as short as possible" 
strategy here *g*. Thanks for your comments, please look below for some of 
my replies:

> pretty self descriptive. What a smart system for a creative
> functionality designer (inventor) to pass over his ideas to an
> engineer that makes it happen in hardware and processes! I had no idea

Actually, VHDL is not meant for the functionality designer, it's meant for 
the engineer that makes it happen. A piece of VHDL code (following certain 
restrictions - some language constructs can only be used with limitations) 
can directly be implemented in a FPGA or even synthesized to make your own 
(scratching) ASIC.

In that specific case, using a proper programming language would've made 
more sense, thing is, I'm not a programmer...

> I like Rainer's idea that the processes only happen as long as you
> keep you finger on the plate (fader). 

As I explained, my description is based on the "keep it close to a 
turntablist" approach.

> I would like to use three more functions
> 1) Option of a realign command generated by the "exit scratching".

I thought that at first, too, however, if you look at the scratching 
references on my post, you see that during the scratching, the turntablist 
will sometimes let the record run, and then continue scratching. A good 
example is stutter effects on a specific part within the loop (e.g. one 
word of vocals), and you couldn't do that if you automatically realign. So 
I'd keep the realign manual, but then even better, make that configurable.

> 2) Optional "latch mode" where the scratching is not repelling back to
> its initial state (of parameter values) but rather left at whatever
> parameter values you lift of your finger.

And what do you do when you lift off your finger in a stationary state?
I could think of an implementation where if your last movement was close 
to Rate0 (in either direction) then rate is aligned to 0, as it is if you 
lift your finger while the loop is stopped, but for very high or low 
rates, the parameters are retained. This would automatically mean that you 
could reset to Rate0 by swiftly tapping the controller afterwards, such 
making something like a backspin possible. Cool!

> 3) Option of a "musical quantize" mode, in which the pitch doesn't
> shift continuously but in musical steps. This could also be set to
> specific scales (from twelve tone scale to simple pentatonic... fixed
> micro tonal related to a root would be ultimately cool!).

This would imo make more sense to control that by controlling the actual 
rate directly, not by those movements which specifiy the rate only 
integrally - but we would've to try that. Quantized scratching...

> Ok, enough so far. As for the physical controlling I would rather use
> a touch sensitive XY axis floor/tabletop carpet than a DJ mixer

In the message just before the one you quoted, I was talking about a 
ribbon controller. So yes, I don't want a DJ mixer (you don't scratch a 
turntable using a fader, either).

> each other ;-))  A solution could be to record the sound of the
> scratching activities (maybe also plus the background?) into a new
> loop. This can be done by audio routing in the host application.

I know that your concept of this (i.e. using rate shifts) is different; 
when I was writing about that scratching idea, I was in my mindset wholly 
with the DJ idea - i.e. no overdub during the scratch action. 

              Rainer