Hi,

this is the first time I am participating in a poll, because an Eurorack TKB is something that I'd really like to have, so thanks for setting up the poll.

But I voted "no", as I would not buy the a product based on the concept shown on http://www.doepfer.de/a100tkb.htm. My reasons are:

(1) Marrying a traditional keyboard layout and a TKB input means that the TKB has to have significantly more steps and according knobs in order to make up what seems to be the smallest useable traditional keyboard layout with 2 octaves. This means that the number of steps is dictated by the size of the keyboard. But for anyone who plays a traditional keyboard, 2 octaves won't be enough (back in the heydays of monophonic analog synths, the smallest traditional keyboard size was 2,5 octaves). So in order to make this device appealing for someone who also wants to use it as a replacement or alternative for a traditional keyboard, even the 24 steps of the current concept are not enough.

(2) On top of the limited amount of pitch space comes that anyone who wants to play a traditional keyboard will be sad about the lack of velocity in a sensor-based TKB.

(3) But let's assume that the aforementioned points are not true, and that a TKB with a traditional keyboard layout with limited pitch range and no velocity would be appealing to people playing traditional keyboard. In tis case, doing a TKB with a traditional keyboard layout might cannibalize sales of Doepfer's traditional keyboard A-100CGK.

(4) According the concept website, the traditional layout of the 25 steps mean that the controller and the keyboard might be (a) separate devices and (b) both too large to be fitted in an Eurorack. This is a deal-breaker for me. I need a TKB with controller and the touch plates to fit into a traditional Eurorack.

(5) A small version with 16 or even 8 steps allows for way more interesting arrangement of the pads, e.g. circular.

(6) A standard keyboard approach calls for a 2 row layout of the pads (one for the "black" and one for the "white" keys). A one row approach allows to have longer keys, which is a good thing if the pads can also measure the finger's y-position on the pad (which is not clear to me from the concept website).

(5) I do not need 25 steps. I have owned and used a Serge TKB for several years, which offers 16 steps, and most of the time got along with 8 steps. Your mileage may vary.

(6) But most importantly, a 25 step version with separate casing for touch plates and controllers will be way more expensive than a single-module 8 step or 16 step version. A more expensive device will decrease the likelihood for its commcercial success in the Eurorack marketplace. If the Doepfer device is 8 steps, and someone needs more steps, he can buy a second version. A sync bus could be provided allowing chaining 2 or more devices (8 steps = 3 bit address room = 3 cables to connect 2 devices).

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks,
Jan-Hinnerk

--- In Doepfer_a100@yahoogroups.com , Bakis Sirros <synth_freak_2000@...> wrote:
>
> only 25 votes so far, for the Doepfer TKS poll...
>
> where are the remaining 1250 members...
>
> in order for a poll to be valid, it needs a lot of participants.
>
> please, DO vote! it will only take 5 seconds.
>
> voting ends on 30th of December.
>
> thanks,
> best regards,
> Bakis.
>
>
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