A touch sensitive audio-visual input/output device comprising an internal core comprising a controller, the controller associated with at least one processor and at least one memory store, at least one light emitter associated with the controller, at least one audio output component associated with the controller, at least one actuator provided relative to the housing and associated with the controller and configured to transmit touch inputs to the controller to control operation of the device, and a flexible, translucent outer casing for at least partially enclosing the internal core.

An electronic musical instrument includes an operation receiver that receives an input operation and a processor. The operation receiver includes a rotating wheel. The rotating wheel includes a first light emitter that emits colored light. The processor causes, upon the rotating wheel receiving an input operation, the first light emitter to change an emission color from a color at a start of the input operation to a color corresponding to a rotation angle of the rotating wheel having received the input operation.

A step sequencer with a four by sixteen grid of buttons is disclosed. The sequencer is used to generate patterns of sounds on different channels. The sequencer can be used as a hardware controller to control music production software. The grid of the sequencer emulates the virtual grid generated in a graphical user interface by the music production software. The grid of the hardware controller is used to control the corresponding grid on the graphical user interface.

A human interface device including a processor coupled to a memory. A plurality of switch banks, also coupled to the processor and a rotary dial and a slider, both coupled to control circuitry, said control circuitry operable to provide positional information from the dial and the slider to the processor. The rotary dial and slider are disposed on the human interface device to form an association with the switch bank, a drive transducer coupled to said processor, said drive transducer including a plurality of LED sources spatially positioned on a positioning ring, a set of non-transitory processor instructions operable to direct the processor to provide MIDI commands through a BLE port.

A music visitor center comprising an interactive string instrument exhibition comprising at least one resonance chamber and at least one string that may be mounted to the at least one resonance chamber and excited to vibrate and generate an amplified musical sound, an interactive percussion instrument exhibition comprising at least one drum shell and at least one drumhead that may be mounted to the at least one drum shell and excited to vibrate and generate an amplified percussive sound, an interactive wind instrument exhibition comprising at least one air tube and at least one mouthpiece having a reed that may be mounted to the at least one air tube and excited to vibrate and generate an amplified wind instrument sound, and a path along which the exhibitions are located that constrains a visitor moving along the path to encounter in order, the string, percussion and wind instrument exhibitions.

A button includes a button unit suspended vertically in Z direction in a frame and which has a button body with an upper actuating surface and at least one shaft extending vertically downwardly from the button body. An X-Y sensor unit is arranged vertically below the button body and fixed to the frame for detecting X-Y positions on the actuating surface. The X-Y sensor unit has one opening such that the shaft can vertically move therethrough. One transfer element is elastically suspended vertically below the shaft and moved vertically downwardly upon downward movement of the shaft. A Z sensor unit arranged vertically below the transfer element is fixed to the frame. The Z sensor unit has at least one detection element for detecting vertical downward movement of the transfer element. The X-Y sensor unit may include a capacitive sensor. The Z sensor unit may include an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, or a magnetic sensor. The button may be illuminated by the shaft, where the shaft and the extension include a translucent material to form a light guide connected to the button body. A light source is located vertically below the shaft, so the light of the light source leaves upwardly and enters the shaft from below. An optical device deflecting the light that entered the shaft from the light source in a horizontal direction is arranged in the vertical upper area of the light guide above the shaft.

A button is disclosed, which includes a button unit suspended movably vertically in Z-direction in a fixed frame and having a button body with an upper actuating surface and at least one central shaft extending vertically downwardly from the button body and extending at an upper end below the button body horizontally into an extension. The shaft and the extension having a translucent material such that they commonly form a light guide which is fixedly connected to the button body. The button additionally includes a light source vertically below the shaft. Light from the light source leaves vertically upwardly and enters the shaft from below. The button further includes a first optical device arranged in the vertical upper area of the light guide above the shaft for deflecting light that has entered the shaft from the light source in a horizontal direction into a plane of the extension.

A button is disclosed, which includes a button unit suspended movably vertically in Z-direction in a fixed frame and having a button body with an upper actuating surface and at least one central shaft extending vertically downwardly from the button body and extending at an upper end below the button body horizontally into an extension. The shaft and the extension having a translucent material such that they commonly form a light guide which is fixedly connected to the button body. The button additionally includes a light source vertically below the shaft. Light from the light source leaves vertically upwardly and enters the shaft from below. The button further includes a first optical device arranged in the vertical upper area of the light guide above the shaft for deflecting light that has entered the shaft from the light source in a horizontal direction into a plane of the extension.

An apparatus, system, and method for an electronic handheld musical instrument that generates electronic signals for processing by a processor-based module to generate musical sounds adapted to replicate non-electronic traditional hand percussion and other handheld instruments, is provided. A piezoelectric-based trigger is secured in an enclosed volume or enclosure formed in the electronic handheld musical instrument. When manipulated by a musician in a normal fashion, freely moving beads float or travel within the enclosure of the electronic handheld musical instrument and strike against a sensitive face of the piezoelectric transducer device to create a desired sound effect.

An electronic mallet controller includes a plurality of bars representing musical notes. Each bar active produces a signal indicative of the respective musical note when struck by an implement, and all adjacent bars are spaced apart with the same spacing. A first user input permits a user to select a lowest diatonic natural note of the range of the musical instrument to thereby define a location of dead notes. A processor circuit interprets each signal as an outputted musical note. Based on the first user input, the processor circuit shifts mapping between the bars and the musical notes to be outputted, causing the dead note locations to be associated with certain of the bars, and wherein the bars at the dead note locations are inactive bars. An indicator is associated with the inactive bars to indicate the location of the dead notes to the user.