i’ve been working on my patch for the last week or so, and i’m pretty happy with the way it’s looking. the scary part, however, is the impending doom of all the physical computing required to complete this project.
i think i’m going to drop down from 3 or 4 video/sound layers to 2. why tom? hey, i’ve got my reasons. more than two composited layers of video become basically illegible, and while this oftentimes looks pretty cool aesthetically, it kinda defeats my idea of creating a documentary experience. but two layers are a good balance of image dynamics while avoiding a cacophony of image/sound.
also, the sound is much more interesting when there are only two sources, and it will also provide the user with a more controllable interface.
as of now it’s looking like i’ll have 18 inputs… 6 analog and 12 digital. it breaks down a little something like this:
each video layer will be controllable by
an analog rate knob (-2.0 to +2.0)
an analog volume knob (0.0 to 1.0)
an analog loop scrubber (x + 2000)
digital button (rate 1 – start)
digital button (rate 0 – stop)
4 digital buttons with preset looppoints
multiply this number by 2 and you’ve got yourself 18 inputs to program into the PIC chip. in the words of my friend scott… “holy balls!”