Attacco’s Virtual Controller turns any surface into a MIDI controller, hardware not required

Finger drummers rejoice.

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Attacco Virtual Controller

Image: Attacco

Attacco’s new Virtual Controller takes a software approach to turning a surface into a a MIDI controller – all without any special hardware.

In spirit, what Attacco is aiming to do is trigger the samples you hear only in your head while finger-drumming. No special hardware is needed aside from a microphone and audio interface, as the software analysis helps read the “percussive gestures” of incoming signals.

Virtual Controller deals with three control signals: timbre, speed and velocity. The different timbres of hits tell it which sample to trigger, while speed measures the time between hits, and velocity reads how hard you’re hitting a surface. That all gets converted into good ol’ MIDI information that can be assigned to a variety of parameters.

This presents a whole range of possible uses: get the Tupperware out of the pantry and set up a ‘container kit’ that triggers actual drum samples, or map plug-in parameters to hand claps (remember The Clapper?).

For a better understanding of how it works, check out the demo video below:

The Virtual Controller is in a beta right now that is free, but requires you to sign up with Attacco.

Learn more at Attacco.io

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