SoloTouch: A Capacitive Touch Controller with Lick-based Note Selector

Jackie and Chui, Yi Tang and Marafa, Mubarak and Samson and Young, Ka Fai

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

SoloTouch is a guitar inspired pocket sized controller system that consists ofa capacitive touch trigger and a lick-based note selector. The touch triggerallows an intuitive way to play both velocity sensitive notes and vibratoexpressively using only one finger. The lick-based note selector is an originalconcept that provides the player an easy way to play expressive melodic linesby combining pre-programmed “licks” without the need to learn the actualnotes. The two-part controller is primarily used as a basic MIDI controller forplaying MIDI controlled virtual instruments, normally played by keyboardcontrollers. The controller is targeted towards novice musicians, playerswithout prior musical training could play musical and expressive solos,suitable for improvised jamming along modern popular music.