Multiple Key Presses

[caco]

Hi Usiners, I need some patching advice

What I want to be able to do is trigger various effects by holding down keys on my laptop's keyboard, for example while I hold down the letter 'q' the delay is switched on and when I release the key it switches off.

I have done this by having a switch control the delay's bypass and using key learn to map the letter 'q' to the switch in remote mode absolute and it works great on its own. However, if I am holding down the 'q' key and then press another letter to trigger another effect, when I release the 'q' key the switch doesn't turn off anymore, kind of as if Usine is ignoring the key up message. Any ideas what I am doing wrong or how else to do this??

Thank you!!

[nay-seven]

sadly a pc keyboard is not polyphonic...?

[23fx23]

i had same results once working on a keyboard.

i guess there is a limit to keyboard polyphony. But i do notice ableton can trigger and release independantely up to 4 keys

simultaneous, and can release them one after the other, so hardware/windows driver seems to allow this.

but true that usine keyboard module won't make key relase distinction wich make hard to swichoff...

have to ask the boss about that..

[caco]

Yes I just checked in Plogue Bidule and can get data for four keys - press and hold all four down and I get a key-down message for each, then remove them one at a time and get a separate key-up message for each key so can be done.

Anyone have any ideas for alternatives for Usine?? Could use midi but I am limited by my controller and hoped keys would provide solution, maybe I need more hardware but then need more space for it. Doing it all in Usine would be nice.

Boss, can Usine currently do this and if not any chance it will do in the future as it would be very useful

[nay-seven]

a workaround could be a usb joystick ..? you can hack it and transform it in a small and cheap interface..?

[caco]

How about using the HID Device module, would this provide the information I require? I tried connecting it up and it seems to recognise both my mouse and keyboard as HID devices but I do not seem to get any bytes output from the module?

[senso]

Don't worry the next major release (5.30 and above) will allow multiple key pressed in the keylearn engine, (if the remote mode is set to absolute)

[edit] It' will be limited to 4 keys, it seems to be a Windows limitation.

The keyboard module will be also adapted to this new feature.

[caco]

Senso you are fantastic, now I just need to control my impatience for v5.3

[senso]

after some deeper tests :
Windows is not limited to 4 keys but, it depends on the keyboard itself.
One of my keyboard is limited to 4 and an other to 6. So...

[caco]

Ah well four keys is better than one.

Yes have been doing some research and limits are caused by the quality of the keyboard rather than windows itself. However, no matter how good the computer's keyboard is, the usb spec limits it to six keystrokes plus modifier (ctrl, alt, shift etc). So, it seems that the update in 5.30 will help me but long term perhaps I need a different solution rather than relying on my computer's keyboard. Hmmm.

[senso]

my opinion is that it's probably linked to the keyboard quality.

[23fx23]

cool great news!