Third time's the charm

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One of the things I helped "show off" at the Expo conference was a new controller that I ran across. Actually, *I* didn't run across it - my friend Gregory Taylor did, and had one sent to me. It is the Manta controller from Snyderphonics, and it is one of the most interesting units I've used in the last five years.

The Manta is a thin, bus-powered USB device that speaks a special variant of the HI protocol; Jeff Snyder (the creator) built a special Max object that makes for a simple interface. Apparently, Jeff spent a fair amount of time with Buchla touch keyboards, and came away with the inspiration for the Manta. It provides a 6x8 hex grid of touch-sensitive pads, two virtual sliders and four buttons.

None of this may sound particular ground-breaking, but in reality it is outrageously inspiring. What makes it different from all other controllers is its feel - it is an etched metal plate, resulting in a device that doesn't require an active button press, but provides enough feedback to invoke a visceral sense of "playing" the device.

Each of the pads has an LED light behind it, so you can see the notes you are playing. But the roughness of the pads produces the most important feedback, and allows for playing without having to look at the device. When I first tried the Manta, I was immediately reminded of playing an autoharp, and I set out making a Max patch that would emulate that instrument.

After a little tweaking (driven by my 8 year-old son, who demands perfection), I came up with a nice, simple patch for autoharping. It provided some of the nicest music I've done in ages - mainly because it provides a different feel from any electronic instrument I've used.

At the Expo conference, I met up with Brad Garton, who had also approached the Manta from a guitaristic perspective. He chose to implement a machine-gun metal guitar patch, with requisite feedback and dive-bomb pressure controls. His patch and mine made for a hilarious combination: his Eddie Van Halen to my Melonie. Nevertheless, we turned a lot of people on to this crazy and unique controller.

Apparently, Jeff is deep into grad school finals, and won't have time to produce these units in quantity for a while. But if you get a chance to see or play a Manta, run (don't walk) for that opportunity. If you happen to be in Colorado, I'd be happy to show it off. Much fun, and and extraordinary example of instrument/controller design.