The present disclosure provides a portable music production apparatus which a USB interface for connecting to a computer device, the apparatus comprises a first control element which is configured to provide a pitch bend functionality and a second control element which can be assigned to modulate any parameter a user desires like a modulation wheel. The apparatus can also be provided with additional programmable control elements.

A vibrato tailpiece system for a stringed instrument includes a tailpiece, a vibrato bar operable with the tailpiece and having an end portion rotatable about an axis of rotation, and a magnet attached to the end portion of the vibrato bar. A sensor chip is spaced from the magnet by a gap sufficiently small to enable the sensor chip to detect a change in the magnetic field due to a rotation of the vibrato bar. The sensor chip outputs a control signal based on the change in the magnetic field. A sensor circuit uses the control signal from the sensor chip to adjust or modify the pickup output signal based on the position of the vibrato bar and deliver an adjusted output signal to an output connector of the stringed instrument.