The Ghost is building upon the work I started for New Interfaces for Musical Expression in the Fall 2009 semester. The Ghost has been developed to create a merger between the standard MIDI keyboard controller, MIDI/digital guitars and alternative desktop controllers. Using a custom software editor, The Ghost’s controls can be mapped to suit the users performative needs. The interface takes its interaction and gestural cues from the guitar but it is not a MIDI guitar. The Ghost’s hardware, firmware and software will be open sourced with the hopes of creating a community of users that are invested in creating music with controller.

A basic overview of the system in use can be summed up like
this: the user chooses presets or creates their own control
mappings in the software editor and loads them (as .txt files)
onto an SD card. The SD card is inserted into The Ghost and
the mappings are read and parsed by the microcontroller.
Using the onboard rotary encoder (data knob) with “press to
select” function and the LCD screen, the user can select a
mapping or “patch” and begin playing. There are a few
modes of play that can be accessed within one patch so that
mappings can be changed during a performance.