Wygonium C|RB Ribbon Controller

A picture of the Wygonium C-RB Ribbon Controller. It is a long, rectangular device that is mostly black with a long touch strip and a white panel with a button.

Info

450mm of pitch and pressure touch input
Capacitive touch button to toggle pitch quantization or sustain (drone) mode
Right or left handed operation, configurable in GB01
Reversable pitch orientation
Magnetic “Ribbon Sticks” serve as pitch location reference
- Come in 1, 2, and 3 octave formats

Demo Video

Used with the GB01

Details

Another picture of the C-RB, showing the connector panel

A ribbon stick being held in the hand

Hardware

500mm SpectraSymbol SoftPot with female connector
600mm pressure-sensitive strip (generic from Amazon)
VCC illuminated capacitive touch switch
RJ45 Ethernet jack
Custom circuit boards
Several resistors

Other Stuff

“C|RB” has two meanings/references:

“Controller RiBbon”
The name of my band, cut.rate.box (c.r.b)

The name “Ribbon Sticks” is a funny homage to the Ian Dury and the Blockheads song “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” (which I’m not a big fan of, but it’s a damn catchy song)

Early prototypes of the ribbon sticks

A pic of the prototypes of the ribbon sticks - one is paper, the others are laser-cut with penciled-on markings

The back of the ribbon sticks are also laser-engraved and painted (here before all the protective paper has been peeled off)

A pic of the back of the ribbon sticks

I was going to emulate the input bar from the Trautonium by putting springs under the ribbon bar, which would add an additional layer of feedback to performing. I tried different springs and even designed and 3D printed several compliant mechanisms to give springy-ness in the small space, but really didn’t like how it felt. I chose to go with just the pressure-sensitive strip under the softpot.

An animated image of the first version of the ribbon controller being pressed, showing how it springs up and down

I had also made a version of the Ribbon Controller using a Sensel Touch pressure-sensitive pad (including a ribbon stick-like overlay), but they don’t make the Touch pads anymore and I seemingly got the last “developer cable”, it wasn’t really a good path forward. A 500mm-long by 20mm-wide version of this would be great, but I’d have to have it custom manufactured and that’s not going to happen just yet.

A pic of a rectangular pad next to the GB01 prototype

Wygonium C|RB Ribbon Controller

Info

Demo Video

Details

Hardware

Other Stuff

Wygonium Intro

GB01 Synth

C|RB Ribbon Controller

M101 MIDI Input

ORBsq Algorithmic Sequencer

ORBsq Mi MIDI Sequencer