A new Digital Musical Instrument has been developed and along the way several stages of technical evaluation and qualification undertaken. As expected from existing literature, the key technological challenges were latency and jitter. These elements have been tested and document within this report.

In the overall design of the instrument, consideration has been paid to a range of core concepts in Digital Musical Instrument design, including control intimacy, tacit and tactile interaction, controller mapping, gestural control, continuous control, and a low entry fee high expressivity ceiling. The research has touched on core principles and definitions of Digital Musial Instruments and the concept of a ‘coupled’ model explored.

Unexpected areas of focus have arisen, particular in relation to the conceptualisation and understanding of user interaction with digital technology in the context of musical instruments. Measures to develop the reception of technology in Digital Musical Instrument design have been explored and solutions found and discussed.

Overall, the APP project with Touchkeys has been a most enjoyable and rewarding experience. The theory and practice of instrument building was a completely new concept and although I have built ‘controllers’ before have never though about the concept of Digital Musical Instruments in such detail. The whole process has been a great learning experience, which has seen the development of many new skills, including real-time DSP, the use of C++, testing and evaluation systems for electronic performance, as well as fabrication and manufacturing processes.