Hi Paul

> A good compromise between what two and four octaves
> I´d like to see a 3.5 octave keyboard at last (Minimoog style), else
> it´s not worth the cash in my eyes. Four octaves would be ideal.

I can imagine, that the size of the keyboard depends on the basic
construction. We have different aspects and possible (and reasonable)
concepts:

1.) extend existing products
2.) develope a new product
3.) The user is a piano orientated person
4.) The user is a machinery/sequencer orientated person

Point 1.) Since I assume, that the keyboard scanning stuff and everything
will be done in the same microcontroller as for a MIDI-keyboard: Why not
build an addon card, that enhances the controller with a single
CV/Gate/Vel-CV output. Assumingly either there is uC power (and bus power)
free for doing this (but I don't believe this) or it would be a MIDI/CV
interface, that offers some last/firstnote priority algorithms. This could
be added easily to each existing wide Doepfer keyboard, or it would be
simply a combi pack from an existing keyboard and an existing MID/CV
interface.


Point 2.) A new product might use a new uC program. This might include
functions like hold, portamento, clocked gate, transpose, arpeggiators,
sequencers,.... the addon functions might come as software extension later
on. The size of this keyboard might be enough with two octaves only, since
this fits to 19". It would be less a real performance keyboard than a
little helper, e.g for testing sounds, triggering events, having a
sequencer and/or arpeggiator and transposing sequences and something like
that.

Point 3.) The user wants to play pianolike, wants to have velocity and/or
aftertouch, wants polyphony. To my humble opinion this person should use a
standard MIDIkeyboard with an MIDI/CV interface. Perhaps Dieter is willing
to offer combipackages of an acceptable keyboard and the MCV24 with
attractive prizes. Definitely products for this target group already exist.

Point 4.) The user wants a lot of triggering and controlling possibilities.
He is interested in including the keyboard in the sound creation. This
person is the target group for the keyboard described under point 2.)


So I think, a new keyboard should be a small keyboard and it should by the
No.2-style.


Florian