Tanager AudioWorks pulls the rug out from under the recent wave of "alternative" MIDI controllers by making things simpler. In fact, with their new Chirp program, you've already bought the controller: your computer keyboard.

Chirp transforms your computer keyboard into a virtual MIDI controller with 18 piano keys, 10 drum triggers and a wide load of other controls. Many MIDI instrument plug-ins and soft synths limit input to a mouse click, which makes it impossible to enter chords or play in real-time without buying additional hardware. Chirp gives you seven notes of simultaneous polyphony.

Chirp has a low latency design that works with either Windows or Mac platforms -- ideally laptops. Users can assign which keys trigger which notes and trigger pads to any MIDI event. Even though Chirp is admittedly not a replacement for your hardware controller, it works in a pinch where space is limited . . . on an airplane, in a bus, trapped in a mob boss' trunk, or even at your desk at work!

Fast features:

• Ports
• 16 Channel Virtual MIDI Input/Output Port (installs via driver on Windows or Mac and appears in any MIDI music host application)
• Piano Keyboard and Trigger Pads assignable to different MIDI Channels
• Keyboard
• High resolution photo-realistic display - large and small display sizes available
• 18 to 21 notes mapped to computer keyboard keys for generating MIDI data with assignable velocities
• 18 to 21 on-screen keys to display incoming MIDI note data
• Note velocity controlled by graphical slide or preset values assigned to top row number keys graphical octave control allows access to all 127 defined MIDI notes
• Controls
• Twp programmable continuous controller wheels operated with the mouse or glide pad -- assignable to any continuous controller
• Space Bar assignable as on/off pedal (damper/sustain, etc)
• 10 trigger pads assignable to any MIDI event (on a different channel than the keyboard keys)
• "All Notes Off" Panic button
• Ability to send note data even when Chirp is not the focused application
• MIDI Data Capable From Continuous Controller Wheels
• Control every MIDI continuous controller defined in the latest MIDI Specification
• Pitch Bend and Mod wheel set up as default controllers; user can define any combination of MIDI Controllers to assign to wheels
• MIDI Data From Trigger Pads
• Note On/Off with assignable velocity
• Program Change messages
• Specific Controller Values
• SYSEX Messages
• Default mapping to GM Drums on MIDI Channel 10 for most commonly used drum sounds