Firmware is a kind of operating system software that runs on microcontrollers (tiny computers) such as used in the Digitizer. It handles the capture of analog signals, their translation into MIDI data and communication with the I-CubeX editor. It adds intelligence to the Digitizer hardware in the form of the features described below.
Releases
18 Sep 2002: Firmware v4.1-256 on 27C256 chip for Digitizers with hardware v4.01 (i.e. firmware v4.0)
18 Sep 2002: Firmware v4.1-128 on 27C128 chip for Digitizers with hardware v4.00 (i.e. firmware v3.5 or less)
Installation notes
Please check the Digitizer v4.xx/4.1 page, or ask us, if you don't know which Digitizer board and/or firmware you have. Then check the firmware installation instructions.
Stand alone mode
Stand alone mode gives you the freedom to go anywhere with your I-CubeX setup ! Configure the Digitizer with EditorX (MacOS / Windows) and it will remember the settings after power down.
Stand alone mode features:
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Mapping of sensor values to any MIDI channel voice type message ie. note-on/off, key-pressure, control-change, program-change, after-touch (all 7 bit resolution) or pitch-bend (12 bit resolution, but only available for 16 sensors - each one on a separate MIDI channel). MIDI running status supported.
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Sensor data processing: inversion (increasing sensor values result in decreasing MIDI data values), thresholds (the sensor values within the specified range are offset and scaled to the MIDI data output range), zooming (set the sensitivity of an input to a specific voltage range), averaging (reduce noise by averaging over up to 16 sensor values), differentiation (output only the difference between two successive sensor values), peak/dip detection (detect the largest/smallest value of up to 16 sensor values and output that or a preset value), noise gate (output only when the sensor value changes more than a user-set difference from its current value).
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Set the sampling interval to any value between 4 - 16380 ms, in steps of 4 ms.
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Gesture recognition: gesture onset detection (through peak or dip detection mapped to e.g. note-on event with velocity value corresponding to peak or dip value), post-onset processing (continuous averaging and/or differentiation, mapped to e.g. after-touch or pitch-bend messages), gesture end detection (sensor value above/below threshold, mapped to e.g. note-off event).
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Actuator output control: trigger/toggle (outputs turn on/off with one MIDI message or turn on with one MIDI message and off with the next one), power-up initialization (set the outputs to on/off upon power up), output mapping (outputs respond to note-on/off, control-change or key-pressure messages), threshold (set the MIDI value beyond which the output turns on/off.
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Factory reset option: allows you to return all Digitizer settings to its original settings when it was first shipped to you.
Host mode
For more sensor mapping complexity, use the Digitizer with host mode plugins such as the objects for Max and apply almost any signal processing algorithm you like. Other operating systems can be used as long as you run software that can deal with the I-CubeX system exclusive messages.
Host mode features:
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Sampling control: receive sensor values regularly at the sample interval you specified (any value between 4 - 16380 ms, in steps of 4 ms) or sample the sensor value at whichever time you require.
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Resolution control: set the sampling resolution to 7 or 12 bit at any time.
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Actuator control: set any actuator output on or off at any time you require.
Reference documentation
The Digitizer MIDI communication as implemented by the firmware is described in the MIDI implementation v4.1.
Known bugs
We are not aware of any bugs at this time. Please notify us if you think you may have encountered one.
Previous versions
Firmware v4.0 Firmware v3.5 Firmware v3.4 Firmware v3.3
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