For my final project, I have created a set of guitar pedals that allow me to manipulate Max as I play my electric guitar. I can turn effects on and off by stepping on “guitar pedals” made out of cardboard and adjust the intensity of effects using the “expression pedal.” The “guitar pedals” are connected to the ESP8266 and work the same way as button switches. The pedals have two pieces of aluminum foil with wires attached to them, separated by a layer of cardboard. By stepping on them, I squish the cardboard, so the aluminum foil pieces touch, completing the circuit. The expression pedal is a repurposed sewing pedal, that functions as a potentiometer. Since the wires of the sewing pedal aren’t designed to work with the breadboard, I soldered the ends of the wires to pins. I used Arduino to send OSC messages to Max based on the pedal input. In the video below, I do a run through of how the pedals work.
I plan on submitting this to the IDM Showcase. For the IDM Showcase, I’d like to experiment with using Max to manipulate other applications: for example, to create visuals in P5 based on my guitar input. The expression pedal has a lot of sonic potential that I’ve like to explore as well. I’d also like to create a sturdier interface, as the guitar pedals I’m using now are pretty flimsy.