Adding a grid option that resembles a piano keyboard on Synth

Wishlist Draft wishes
1

What is the problem?

For users that are used to play keyboards, the current grid solutions are a bit hard to use if you want to play melodies (and chords).

What should this feature achieve?

It would be great to have a horizontal grid layout that resembles a chromatic keyboard on the Synth. This would make it easier for the users who are used to look at a keyboard-like layout of input. The Synth’s layout could accomodate either a 2X8 or 2x12 grid layout with the pads not needed for the chromatic (or whatever scale selected) look turned off (not playing any sound). The grid size on the Synth allows for this grid design for up to two of the internal synths.

Are there any workarounds?

Any links to related discussions?

Any references to other products?

Basically what I want is that it is implemented similarly to how it is done on the Elektron Digitakt. Here, I copy/steal the wording from the Digitakt manual. (But since I wrote that manual, Im not sure it counts as stealing :grinning:)

“With KB SCALE set to CHROMATIC the [TRIG] keys will light up in a pattern that resembles an octave of a piano keyboard layout. Only lit keys are playable.”

2 Likes
2

I have something like this with the Presonus AtomSG controller - much as I like it, it is not nice to use as keyboard (it always seems hard to identify the right “black” keys). I would advocate a two row grid with whole tone intervals on each, with one playing a semitone lower (or higher). A major scale, for example, would be three notes on one row, the next four on the other, and finishing a scale on the first row. I have used something similar on other devices and it works well, you can modulate into any other key without changing the root note and using the same the pattern.

3

I propose this idea!

Full grid like the chromatic grid is what is needed for all of the other scales, however whatever color grid you are on is the colors in the scale you chose, but make the notes that are not in the chosen scale blank/no color aka not light up so we know not to hit them!

4

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