CreamWare Shows New Computerized Keyboard

Stage Frame One Keyboard System (Click for a close-up)

At the Frankfurt Musikmesse, CreamWare has been displaying its Stage Frame One keyboard system. The unit incorporates a complete PC and uses CreamWare's own DSP cards for sound generation.

This means that the keyboard is not restricted to a single, fixed architecture, but can load a wide variety of synthesis configurations, in the same way as CreamWare's Pulsar system. Thus, the Stage Frame One can deliver a broad spectrum of sounds, from the grand piano of the sample library, to virtual-analog simulations of classic and newer synthesizers, all in the form of a keyboard instrument suitable for "live" use.

The visual centerpiece of the device is a 14" touch-screen LCD display, providing 1024 x 768 resolution in full-color, for the effective visualization and operation of virtual instruments. A total of fourteen "infinite-rotation" control knobs are arranged along both sides of the display, providing direct access to synthesizer sound parameters.

"The first model is intended merely as a prototype which will enable us to gather practical experience and further refine the concept." said Frank Bartscht, leader of the hardware development group at CreamWare. "Over the short term, we aren't planning to build more than two dozen units of the Stage Frame One."

At the Musikmesse, the new keyboard system will appear simply in the role of demonstration stations for the virtual synthesizers which are available for CreamWare's Pulsar and SCOPE platforms. A production version of the Stage Frame One, and in particular the accompanying software, is not expected to be shown before next year. By then, the capabilities of the Stage Frame One are projected to extend beyond those of a normal keyboard.

According to Michael Ruf, CreamWare Product Manager, "Our vision for the Stage Frame is that of a centralized production unit incorporating all of the elements of sampling, synthesis, sequencing, mixing, and recording, which are useful for production of a band in a live appearance. We can scale both DSP capacity and the number of I/O channels within wide limits, and as far as the applications are concerned, we already have many more ideas than we can hope to realize in the near future."

More complete details regarding functionality, technical specifications, and prices will be made available by CreamWare sometime next year, shortly before the product itself is to appear.