The panel consists of 16 small Pad's to control computer-programs with the ability to be controlled by OSC (open sound control) - or MIDI - messages.
Each Pad is illuminated by 8 LED's (4 in different colors) to visualize the state of a momentary situation.

The electronics of the panel consists of a circuit with a PIC 18F442 and a xBee wireless RF module, a trigger circuit to capture the 16 piezoelectric-transducers using a LM324 a 74HC14 and a multiplexer DG406CWI and a power-management circuitry for two UNIROSS 3,7V 1080mA Li-Ion batteries using two MAX1811 (battery charger), a MAX856 DC-DC converter for the 5V needed for the 74HC14 and a TPS61040 (Texas Instruments) to convert the 3,7 battery voltage to 12V to illuminate the LED's of the panels.

My drums (and other percussion-instruments) are connected using several envelope followers to the 8 analogue inputs of a Microchip (PIC 16F877A) to generate MIDI Note On/ Note Off messages (see project Pad to Midi).With the panel, hitting the Pad's with a stick or by hand, I'm able to change programs, sounds and other parameters while playing the drums without locking at a computer screen.

The electronic schematics, open codes written in C and pure data, the code compiled in HEX and all schematics are freely available. more…

Wireless Pedal for Pure Data.

A small PCB incorporated into an old guitar-volume pedal captures, using the Port RB4 configured as analog input of a PIC 16F690, the values of the potentiometer of the momentary state of the pedal. The resulting values are sent using an xBee module (transmitter) connected to the UART of the 16F690 micro-controller.
Another small circuit with an xBee (receiver) sends the data transformed with a UART USB converter, the IC FT232 to the computer where a program of pure data reads the incoming data with the object [comport] for further use to send MIDI messages or OSC messages ........ more

The MIDI-STICK is an acrylic glass-tube, 20cm in length and with a diameter of 25mm. It incorporates a SRF02 ultrasonic sensor, a microcontroller PIC 16F628A, a wireless system using an EASY-RADIO transmitter module ER400TS, a VARTA 4,8V NiMH battery charged by a MAXIM, MAX712 IC and an “In-Circuit Programmer” (ICSP LVP-programmer) using a 74HCT573. Depending on his/her movement, the performer, dancer or musician sends a data stream over air to a receiver “Host". The Host includes another EASY-RADIO receiver/transmitter (ER400TRS) module that is connected to the USART of a PIC 16F877A. The PIC converts the received data to midi information to PORTA, RA4 using a serial programme routine. With a platform like Reaktor, PD or any virtual synthesiser or a hardware synthesiser one can create sound while moving. The electronic schematics, open codes in ASM and the code compiled in HEX are freely available. more…

Introduction: as a percussionist I have been working for many years in the field of interdisciplinary art, collaborating regularly with painters, sculptors, dancers and actors, for whom I have invented instruments or, sometimes simply played objects. In this way I transform bicycles, beds and all types of machinery into musical instruments. On other occasions I use the fixtures within the environment - railings, shelves, windows, doors etc. - to create music. Perhaps because of the percussionists frustration with his incapacity to create melodies or harmonies with percussion alone, using a microprocessor/ microcontroller, I began to experiment with the melodic transformation of percussive sounds.
When using electronics and computers to create sound, it seems important to me when playing an instrument on stage, not to loose the spontaneity and creativity of improvisation: What is more boring than to watch a "sun-glassed" computer freak manipulating his computer with a mouse? For that reason I looked for a way to transform my percussion instruments, so that when playing them I would not be interrupted by manipulating buttons and a mouse.

Hitting pads of the panel with sticks or fingers, it is possible to send MIDI controller messages like: programme change +/-, buttons ON/OFF (6 in total), sliders UP/DOWN (6 in total), octave +/-, note +/-, velocity +/-, bank +/-, midi channel +/-. In this way one can also change the dynamics and pitch sensitivity of the 8 ADCs (analog to digital converters) from the 16F877 on 8 independent entrances and with only one hit it is possible to store all values or reset the initial values of the 16F877 microcontroller.
As a live percussionist working deeply within the field of modern electronics, but unwilling to be shackled by the potential physical rigidity of computer technology, this system gives me total flexibility and freedom of expression.