Beat Sneaks Drum Shoes with MIDI

Overview

The MIDI drum shoes was named as Beat Sneaks which allows hitting/beating the feet according to the MIDI signals.

Explanation

There are force sensitive resistors (FSR) inside the Beat Sneaks which are located in the heels and toes of the shoes that will act as the tap sensors. The FSR is similar to a break in a circuit that has infinite resistance. It becomes less and less resistive when more force is applied on it.

A signal to the Arduino can be sent every time pressure is applied to the FSR where one end is hooked up to a voltage source and the other to the analog input of Arduino. The signals are then converted into MIDI which will start producing sounds. The hassle of attaching a MIDI jack to the Arduini is eliminated by using the FSRs and using an external MIDI interface. The signals are interpreted using MAX/MSP/Jitter which provides more flexibility.

The serial-MIDI conversion was used by the software with the code that works by setting both a lower and an upper threshold for the force exerted on the FSRs. The effectiveness of the shoes depends on the thresholds adjustments.