200e

--- In 200e@yahoogroups.com, "buchlidian" <buchlidian@...> wrote:
>
> I see there are some edp gnats on ebay, but I didn't notice it came
> with midi out...so, what about interfacing it with a 200e system,
> trying to emulate the original Easel keyboard?
> What is the resolution of gnat's touch-keys?
> 
> francesco
> from padua, italy
>

As you might already know they were an entry level product made for the English market, 
so some got across the Channel but hardly any got to the U.S., hence a lot of this list has 
likely never seeing one. (I've only seen the more "deluxe" Wasp). 

 One thing I can add is that the DIN connector you might see in photos is propriatary, it's 
not MIDI. (though I think Kenton makes something to drive it via MIDI, but not something 
to let it drive something else via MIDI. The keyboard is clearly designed to be inexpensive 
in it's day. I'd say you'd be spending considerable work building an interface for it it to get 
it to talk to the Buchla and getting very little advantage out of using it since I guess the 
only desirable feature is it's small size and flatness, there are arguably no expressive, 
programmable or unique features to it. You certainly couldn't just plug it into a 200e 
system and play it normally.

If you are thinking of using a laptop, maybe Korg's soon to ship USB powered 
NanoController will be one of the most compact sets of keys out there (well under $100 
US). But it would need a computer and a MIDI interface, You could of course get one of 
those hobby roll up pianos made in China. Some models have very basic MIDI (i.e. no 
velocity or anything else). That would plug right into our 225e. 

nick,
 with just his 259e sitting there since spring and nothing to mount it in