This is just and idea of what makers can add to arrangers in the future.... Has anyone ever played a keyboard that had a ribbon controller for the pitchbend? I played a Kurzweil digital paino the other day that had this and WOW! what awsome control over the sound! It was so much easier playing guitar and sax sounds using a ribbon controller. Pulling off a whammy bar effect was so easy... It was so convincing that the sales clerk came over because he thought I hooked up an actual guitar.. He came over to ask me to show him how I played a particular riff and nearly crapped himself when he saw I was playing a fully weighted 88 key digital. If anyone can find a good digital that uses a ribbon controller for pitchbend, I suggest you give it a try.

Squeak

I've never had the pleasure of ribbons, so to speak

Don't Kurzweil make a "add-on" ribbon controller unit??

Could a Korg "Kaos" pad be pressed into service as an external controller??

I don't know if the Kaoss sends midi but it it does you would be all set, that is if you could map the midi to Pitchbend.

Kurz does make the Espression mate which has a large ribbon plus thre arpeggiators and a ton of other stuff. Handy little box.

I'm currently playing a Ketron X4 module with a Kurzweil SP76 controller (32 sounds built in). It doesn't have a real hammer/piano action (for that Kurzweil has good 88 key controllers), but its quality, weight/quality compromise and key feel is great. The ribbon controllers require a little while to get used to, but bending notes this way can be more expressive than with the tradicional bend wheel.

-- José.

I believe there is a Kaoss II Pad that transmits and receives MIDI; it can serves as a 2-D controller as well as an external effects processor. Kurzweil makes the ExpressionMate that serves as a ribbon controller and arpeggiator.

For bending note's a lot I agree, but to give acoustic simulations that real feel (saxes and guitars) and touch, there's nothing better then the joystick used on my G 800.
I do own a Kurzweil K 2600, which has a large ribbon controller and a small one beneath the pitch wheels., I wish they did put a joystick instead.

While we're on about alternative controllers, anyone got any experience of breath devices like th Yamaha breath controller or the Casio digital Horn?

Emulating guitar and sax solos well is important to me. I find it easier to do with the joystick too as opposed to a pitch wheel.


Using minute bends that are barely audible at times and changing the speed in which I apply them are techniques along with "normal" note bending that help me to emulate the resonance of a stringed instrument, and I find that the joystick just works best for me.

Mac... I plan on getting the VL plug-in and a wind controller for the Motif, so I'll let you know how it works for me after I get a little practice in with them.

AJ