InnProcess Music - Frettrax Midi Guitar and Bass

Started by Vic1iful, July 01, 2010, 11:32:54 AM

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paults

#25
I think we're all with you - when a technology exists and has been shown to work, its more than frustrating to see it never make production.  The combination of pitch-wired frets + bend sensing via a hex pickup is another concept that keeps almost becoming a practical reality.

scratch17

#26
This was demonstrated at Summer Namm. The web links to the company's site are dead. So this is definitely not ready for prime time. However, the demo and concept looks promising, even if it is vaporware at this point in time. Here's a link to the demo and a short blurb on the concept behind the technology...

http://www.axetopia.com/guitars/m3i-technologies-laser-guitar.html

In the meantime, I can't wait for October!


Steven
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Elantric

#27
QuoteThis was demonstrated at Summer Namm.

Actually that was demoed last year at Summer NAMM 2011  - over a year ago.

Seems around December 2011 all the links for M3i Laser Guitar and Fret-X went dead - no doubt due to being out gunned by the pending release of the Fishman TriplePlay in October 2012

Elantric

#28
Quote
Macjones wrote>
Note: There's a couple guys who have gone the wired fret route "Fret-X" . Apparently, from the demos it's almost perfected. I've talked with the creator and he's a pretty down to earth inventor/musician.

I know this was from quite a while back - but if you still have contact with the Fret-X developer - can you supply an update?

I heard the hurdle was funding, and an over zealous estimation of the value of the Fret-X technology. Also some prior segmented fret patents exist which might prove to be the final road block.

Add the similar
Industrial Radio Solange 6 MIDi Guitar
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=6078.msg173952#msg173952

Also I've met most of the MIDI Guitar developers and never met anyone who got rich on designing / supporting MIDI guitar. Most MIDI Guitar developers I have met are involved because they are passionate about technology, some earn a respectable living, but no one is getting rich.   

jho38

#29
Hello:

I am interested in the Laser Pitch Detection technology of m3i. However, there websites are down and I can't seem to find anybody to contact. Does anybody know who ran m3i, what they are doing now, and how I might go about contact them?

Thanks!

jho38

#30
Hello All:

Apparently the company m3i who developed a Laser Pitch Detection system :

http://de.engadget.com/2011/07/22/m3i-laser-pitch-desertion-midi-gitarre-fast-ohne-latenz/

has gone out of business. I am trying to locate the people who used to run the company and have knowledge of the technology. Does anybody know who/how I contact them? All I know is that they are based in Germany and presented at NAMM in 2011. Since then, they have fallen off the grid and their websites/emails no longer work. Thanks!

Also, Does anybody know what problems/flaws this technology had?

Elantric

#31
IMHO- Seems around December 2011 all the links for M3i Laser Guitar and Fret-X went dead - no doubt due to being out gunned by the pending release of the Fishman TriplePlay in October 2012


jho38

#32
Hello All:

Apparently the company m3i who developed a Laser Pitch Detection system :

http://de.engadget.com/2011/07/22/m3i-laser-pitch-desertion-midi-gitarre-fast-ohne-latenz/

has gone out of business. I am trying to locate the people who used to run the company and have knowledge of the technology. Does anybody know who/how I contact them? All I know is that they are based in Germany and presented at NAMM in 2011. Since then, they have fallen off the grid and their websites/emails no longer work. Thanks!

Also, Does anybody know what problems/flaws this technology had?

Elantric

#33
I found a 2 year old post that mentions the team behind the cancelled  Fret-X M3i Laser MIDI Guitar.

Seems to be an R&D product of  "INN Process Music" - that worked with  Fraunhofer (owners of the MP3 CODEC)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraunhofer_Society

http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2011/july/guitar-and-computer.html
https://www.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/zv/en/press-media/2011/pdfs/rn7_2011_JULI.pdf
The perfect connection between guitar and computer

Research News Jul 01, 2011

Guitar virtuosos have to master all kinds of playing techniques. But how can the intricate process of playing the instrument be captured digitally? A special thin film on the tailpiece has the answer. Functioning as a sensor, it converts the tension on the string into digital control signals.

Picture: coates tailpiece

Rapidly, but expressively and with amazing ease, the guitarist's fingers move over the strings on the neck of the instrument. His fingertips move up and down and a vibrato resonates. From the guitar a cable leads to a laptop, which records the virtuoso performance in minute detail. The computer registers each vibrato, each bend precisely and almost instantaneously. Afterwards the guitarist can play back the digital recording and process it on a computer.

The guitar incorporates a piece of Fraunhofer technology. Engineers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST have developed a sensor which translates complex guitar-playing movements into digital control signals. "This enables the different techniques such as vibrato and bending to be precisely captured," explains Saskia Biehl, head of the micro and sensor technology group. The key element is a thin film bearing the name DiaForce®, which coats the tailpiece, the part of the instrument anchoring the guitar strings to the body.

DiaForce® is based on amorphous carbon and is piezoresistive. Biehl explains what this means: "When the player changes the string tension, the pressure on the film changes. This in turn leads to a change in resistance, which is measured by electrodes on the film." To be able to record the string tension forces and therefore the various playing techniques accurately and with as little delay as possible, Biehl and her group have tested various coating parameters and contact materials. They achieved good results with a tailpiece coated with a ten-micrometer DiaForce® film. The intention is also to measure the strength of the string vibration, which would make it additionally possible to digitally represent the stroke strength and fading – regardless of whether the player plucks the strings with their fingers or a plectrum.

The development partner for this Fraunhofer technology is M3i Technologies GmbH. The company has already developed a laser-based sensor system which captures the pitch of chords and individual notes. A software program converts this data into digital control signals. DiaForce® supplements this development and makes it the perfect sensor system for guitar playing. The Fraunhofer research engineers now aim to develop suitable processes for mass producing the DiaForce® coating as a low-cost tension sensor for guitars. "We also want to extend its application to other musical instruments," says Biehl. "After all, force is exerted at various points on many string instruments, and so the possible applications are numerous."

In the future, coated tailpieces could replace the pickups on electric guitars which convert the string vibration into an electrical signal to create the sound from an electric guitar. "The DiaForce® film will need to be particularly sensitive for this, which is what we are working on right now," concludes Biehl.


Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST
Bienroder Weg 54 E l 38108 Braunschweig, Germany l www.ist.fraunhofer.de
Contact:
Dipl.-Ing. Saskia Nina Biehl l Phone +49 531 2155-604 l saskia.nina.biehl@ist.fraunhofer.de
Press:
Dr. Simone Kondruweit l Phone +49 531 2155-535 l simone.kondruweit-reinema@ist.fraunhofer.de l
Elena Dröge l Phone +49 531 2155-536 l elena.droege@ist.fraunhofer.de[/b


http://www.fraunhofer.de/en.html

http://test.innovations-report.com/html/reports/engineering/quantity_quality_sensor_module_ensures_efficient_210968.html

Quantity and Quality: Novel Sensor Module Ensures Efficient Production
next article
12.03.2013
Flexibility, individuality and efficiency are some of the most powerful driving forces in industrial production.



Layer by layer: The production steps of thin film sensor technology. © Fraunhofer IST

Defects, especially fractures and wrinkles, slow down production processes and increase the reject rate when forming mass products, e. g. during deep-drawing of automotive parts or the manufacture of prototypes.

Fraunhofer researchers have developed a multifunctional thin film system which is located directly in the main load zones and allows for a sensitive and highly dynamic monitoring of the process. A variety of sensor modules will be presented from April 8?–?12, 2013 at Hannover Messe (hall 3, booth D25 and hall 2, booth D18).

There is almost no room for extras where stress in forming processes is at its highest level. Here, precision is the keyword. Therefore sensor systems that monitor the process are often located far from the critical range of forming tools. Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films develop multifunctional sensor modules that are customized for the respective system and incorporated in the main load zones free of play, thus making a long-term stable acquisition of relevant process parameters possible.

The main part of the thin film sensor system is the DiaForce® layer – an amorphous hydrocarbon coating developed at Fraunhofer IST. The layer combines tribological stability with piezoresistive properties so that the sensor can measure forces directly in the main load zones without suffering from wear. Online monitoring, for example of the draw-in movement of sheet metal during deep-drawing processes, and accurate information acquisition from direct contact with the sheet become possible with the DiaForce® layer.

The sensor module can be applied in a variety of fields: Not only deep-drawing systems but also die-cutting systems are important application areas. Here, the module measures the cutting forces in direct contact with the punch. The thin film sensor system offers maximum flexibility when it is incorporated in washers and, in this form, can be built into virtually any system geometry without much effort, ensuring long-term stable data acquisition and monitoring of the production process.

Press contact: Dr. Simone Kondruweit?| Elena Dröge
Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST?|?Phone +49 531 2155-536?|?elena.droege@ist.fraunhofer.de
Bienroder Weg 54 E?|?38108 Braunschweig?|?info@ist.fraunhofer.de

Dr. Simone Kondruweit | Source: Fraunhofer-Institut
Further information: www.ist.fraunhofer.de
www.ist.fraunhofer.de/en.html


http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/02/14/the-fret-x-intelligent-fret-scanner-midi-guitar/

http://www.gizmag.com/thin-film-digital-sensor-for-guitar/19196/



http://www.ist.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/ist/en/documents/PM_Gitarrensensorik_EN.pdf
New sensor digitally captures complex guitar-playing movements

By Paul Ridden    July 12, 2011



Researchers have coated a guitar tailpiece with a thin layer of DiaForce, which allows for accurate digital capture of complex playing movements (Photo: Fraunhofer)
Image Gallery (2 images)

For most of us, digitally capturing our six-string virtuosity involves plugging an axe into a guitar interface like Apogee's JAM and then launching some software on a laptop or mobile device. Researchers from Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films are currently developing a somewhat neater, and potentially more accurate, solution that also holds the promise of replacing the humble guitar pickup. The guitar's tailpiece has been thinly coated with a contact material which is claimed to precisely capture complex playing movements in minute detail and convert them to digital control signals for onward processing.

The thin film coating on the tailpiece acts as a sensor to convert string tension into digital signals. Working with M3i Technologies, the researchers tested numerous coating parameters and contact materials before settling on a ten-micrometer coating of DiaForce - an amorphous carbon-based material that's also piezoresistive - which appeared to produce the best results, accurately capturing the subtle phrasing produced by the player (from gentle vibrato to stinging bends or lightning fast progressions) in something very near to real time.

"When the player changes the string tension, the pressure on the film changes," says Saskia Nina Biehl, head of the micro and sensor technology group. "This in turn leads to a change in resistance, which is measured by electrodes on the film."

The engineers are also looking to record the strength of a string vibration using the system - to digitally represent the strength of a player's stroke and the fading of the note, regardless of whether the player is using a pick or fingers.

Supplementing an earlier development where data from laser-based sensors are converted into digital representations of chord pitch and individual notes by specially-developed software, the project is now heading towards commercialization as a low-cost tension sensor for guitars and other stringed instruments.

It's also believed that, with some sensitivity tweaking, the technology could go on to completely replace pickups on electric guitars.

The following short video shows the string tension system in action:




M3i Technologies still has an active YouTube channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/M3iTechnologies?feature=watch

But their URL is dead
http://www.m3i-technologies.com/

Elantric

#34
A Web Archive of the now dead M3i -Technologies web site from August 2011
http://web.archive.org/web/20110806082458/http://www.m3i-technologies.com/


M3i Technologies is building the bridge between the world of musical instruments and the world of computers, gaming consoles and mobile devices. Our groundbreaking technology enhances traditional musical instruments, giving them the power to interact with all kind of digital devices.

Our patent-protected, unique products use the latest technology in sensing components to accomplish a long sought after goal: Seamless control of the digital realm with analog instruments!

Accept no limitations! Sound, look and feel, just the way you want, with no additional equipment necessary. It's just you and your instrument. And that's what counts!

Our highly experienced development team delivers turnkey solutions to suite your individual requirements.


http://www.ist.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/ist/en/documents/PM_Gitarrensensorik_EN.pdf

patrick802

#35




http://frettrax.com/

http://www.rybskibass.com/
http://www.rybskiguitars.com/index.html



These look amazing!

--
EDIT:
https://www.facebook.com/frettrax

FWIW - This is from InnProcess Music,  outside Nashville, TN

Appears to be the latest version of  Fret-X M3i Laser MIDI Guitar
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=2536.msg36397#msg36397





http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/02/14/the-fret-x-intelligent-fret-scanner-midi-guitar/
This is a demo/promo video for the Fret-X Intelligent Fret Scanner MIDI Guitar, a guitar scanner, currently under development at InnProcess Music, that translates guitar notes into MIDI information.

If you've got any additional information on the Fret-X Intelligent Fret Scanner MIDI Guitar, leave a comment below.

via InnProcessMusic:

    InnProcess Music has developed a revolutionary technology that senses normal guitar strings pressed against normal guitar frets and generates the fastest, most accurate MIDI guitar information ever available.

http://www.allsound.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1546

Experimental The technology behind guitar synthesizers is one that has been struggling with problems over the past few decades, problems that have never plagued keyboardists. For one thing, tracking is among those problems. The usual MIDI hex pickup gives that noticeable delay which has made the standard MIDI guitar an almost impractical device for recording and live performance. It just wasn't possible for guitarists to play synthesizers mixed with the sound of the natural guitar sound synced in real time. This was the problem until InnProcess Music Fret-X was conceived.

Fret-X is a revolutionary technology aimed at providing guitarists the same benefits that keyboard players have been enjoying for years: realtime control and performance of synthesizers. The principle behind the accuracy of Fret-X is its fret scanning technology. The thing about fret scanning technology is that it can detect which fret and which string you've fretted way in a few hundred microseconds according to Leroy Young of InnProcess Music. This means that it can detect the note way before you've even plucked a string; latency is therefore nonexistent in Fret-X.

Still under development, the Fret-X is a step towards making MIDI guitars way more accurate than they are at this point as well as more affordable. The basic hardware components in Fret-X include a circuit board which houses the fret scanning technology and a standard MIDI Hex pickup. While the technology allows for realtime control over synthesizers and other MIDI-enabled devices, Fret-X also brings MIDI recording via guitar in the same manner that keyboardists record MIDI.

There are a lot of performance and recording possibilities with Fret-X. Players have the option of playing in a tapping mode or a picking mode. Fingerstyle playing is also accommodated, and none of the notorious tracking problems related to the lower strings can be encountered. Users can either play solely the synthesizer or blend synthesizer with their guitar's natural analog signal. The Fret-X prototype even features the most flexible tuning possibilities for guitarists. Everything from usual dropped D to the most unusual of tunings can be done with Fret-X. Fret-X even has a mode that allows users to create crazy accompaniment such as the MIDI lines being played in contrary motion against that of the guitar's original signal.

As it is still within the development stages, InnProcess Music is still looking for collaborators who can further expand and mass produce the Fret-X technology. If you're a guitarist who want's to explore other modes of performance and recording, you'd better hope that Fret-X becomes available soon in the mass market to upgrade your guitar. You can watch the Fret-X in action through this YouTube link.

For more information, visit the official website of InnProcess Music Fret-X.

patrick802

#36
Whoa!


admin

#37
This is from InnProcess Music same team as
Fret-X M3i Laser MIDI Guitar
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=2536.msg36397#msg36397


FretTraX: MIDI Bass-to-Synthesizer Technology
FretTraXVideoGrabNewBassInTown"FretTraX takes my music to a completely new place"

FretTraX is a scanned fret Technology from InnProcess Music allowing near-instantaneous triggering of synthesizers via standard MIDI using basses (yes, on a bass!) and guitars.  In a partnership with Rybskibass.com, InnProcess Music is bringing a new wave of music technology from facilities outside Nashville TN.

FretTraX is being made available as a retrofit to appropriate instruments or integrated into new builds of 4 or 5 string Rybski basses.  Pricing of 4-string Rybski basses with FretTraX installed will start around $3000.


GuitarBuilder

Are there any details on the technology for scanning the frets?

it seems that it is not capable of tracking bends and vibrato - is that right?
"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

admin


GraemeJ

"M3i Industries says that the technology is still in development but has plans to make it commercially available in 2012."

In 2017, I think we can safely conclude the moment has passed and this is now unikely to happen.

admin

#41
Please read the link provided

The same M3I Engineering team is now selling the Frettrax MIDI Guitar

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=2536.0


scratch17

After reading the Facebook page thread, Lee Young says that guitars will be available later this year.
Hamer Duotone, Brian Moore i213, Taylor 710 BCE 

VG-99, FC-300, RMC Fanout
RJM Mastermind GT10
Kemper Profiling Amp
Radial JDV Mk3, X-Amp
Mesa Recto Pre + 20/20
68 Fender Bandmaster (AB763)
Marshal AS80R

UA Apollo X6, Twin X, Logic Pro, Luna, Melodyne Studio

admin

#44
http://frettrax.com/frettrax-technology/
FretTraX Technology
FretTraX is a 'fret-scanning' process that utilizes a patent-pending technology to sense normal strings touching normal frets to trigger notes on connected hardware or software synthesizers — nearly instantly with full polyphony.  The technology allows the guitar or bass to be played in a normal manner with or without synthesizer sounds.

A volume control on the instrument allows remote setting of the synthesizer volume to complement the instrument's volume.  A 'Mode Button' allows selections of voices, octaves, harmonies, etc. directly on the instrument.

Frettrax knob and button

A MIDI connector along side the standard 1/4 inch instrument plug interfaces with hardware synthesizers or, by using a MIDI-to-USB cable, connection to software synthesizers within a DAW.


http://frettrax.com/hello-world/#comment-25
innprocess@comcast.net

https://www.facebook.com/frettrax
FretTrax FretTraX integrated into a new build Rybski 4-string bass starts at $2600. Full integration into an existing 4 or 5 string bass is $1800.




FretTrax I've been a fan of the Stick for years and have thought a near-zero latency MIDI interface could be killer. But here at FretTraX we're scrambling to do basses, so seriously addressing Chapman Sticks is still pretty far off. Interesting thought though!

admin

#45













https://www.facebook.com/frettrax

Smash

#46
Seriously impressive. Lack of pitch bend not a major deal breaker - I use no pitch bend with ftp due to the fixed Pitch Bend Range  in hardware mode when using with iOS.

EDIT - just seen bass retrofit price - 1800 USD? Pass....

That said I hope this sorted (user assignable Pitch Bend Range ) in the new ios FTP app coming - be a major faux pas if not being as its designed for iOS


admin

#48
FretTraX takes my music to a completely new place"

FretTraX is a scanned fret Technology from InnProcess Music allowing near-instantaneous triggering of synthesizers via standard MIDI using basses (yes, on a bass!) and guitars.  In a partnership with Rybskibass.com, InnProcess Music is bringing a new wave of music technology from facilities outside Nashville TN.

FretTraX is being made available as a retrofit to appropriate instruments or integrated into new builds of 4 or 5 string Rybski basses.  Pricing of a retrofit to your bass starts at $1800 and pricing for a 4-string Rybski basses with FretTraX installed will start around $2800.

http://frettrax.com/frettrax-technology/
FretTraX Technology
FretTraX is a 'fret-scanning' process that utilizes a patent-pending technology to sense normal strings touching normal frets to trigger notes on connected hardware or software synthesizers — nearly instantly with full polyphony.  The technology allows the guitar or bass to be played in a normal manner with or without synthesizer sounds.

admin

#49


Contact Lee Young @ FretTrax Facebook page
https://m.facebook.com/1658443021077135/